@jimates
so i can keep google chat turned on in gmail. but just don't have gmail be open in a browser. so, if the computer is turned off, and therefore the browser is not even open, then it doesn't matter if google chat is set to be logged on inside gmail. okay.
understood regarding having one gmail account for GV, while having another separate gmail account for email. that's what i have, although i also have other email accounts elsewhere for most of my email. but that's all for the same purpose of keeping things separate.
oh, when i was doing a little more testing, either with (1) Google Chat turned on in Gmail, and (2) Google Chat turned on in Gmail but with the browser closed (or the computer turned off), and also (3) Google Chat not turned on in Gmail, it seemed to again be random if the phone connected to my OBi100 would actually ring. it now seems like no ringing most of the time (but as previously mentioned, my iphone always rang). it's somewhat disappointing and discouraging if it's hit-and-miss with whether the phone connected to the OBi100 rings or not. the no-ringing is kind of a big FAIL for my OBi100 device. sorry obi.
btw, i don't think i have anything out of the ordinary with my set-up: GV+gmail, OBi100, analog phone connected directly into the OBi100, and my iphone. and forwarding to google chat was set in the GV settings. nothing else. before i got my OBi100, the google chat in Gmail would first definitely ring followed by the ringing of my iphone. now with the OBi100 hooked up, the ringing is random, if it rings at all, for the phone connected to my OBi100. wacky.
anyways, the result FOR ME after this initial tryout is that i've went into the GV settings and now have GV not forwarding to Google Chat at all. really shortens the number of rings before my iPhone starts ringing. two rings that the caller hears and then my iPhone actually rings. i think for now, i'm going to use my OBi100 as a not-ready-for-primetime toy for at least making outgoing GV calls when i'm at the house while keeping my iPhone as the main phone that happens to more reliably take forwarded incoming GV calls as well as making outgoing GV calls.