This forum seems to be for the most part hyper technical but this might come off as more social. Hope that's OK. There might be a technical lesson for some and also a lesson on getting too excited with new toys.
This all started when I decided to cut the cord again and go back to over the air TV and being irritated at myself for buying in to U-Verse telephone under a bundle contract for a year.
So first thought was I wanted to beef up my Media Center and add some tuners and I did so with HD HomeRun which was on sale at a price I couldn't refuse and that gave me two tuners on the network that any computer could seize on demand. Then of course the Obi 202 was already on the list for when the contract was up but why not take a stab at it in advance to make sure things are OK?
That makes sense. But if I get rid of my SAT DVR how am I going to get caller ID on my TV? That lead to looking for a Media Center plugin which I found in W7 Caller ID. That's a simple product and I wanted something more advance for logging after all I also discovered Anveo and of course needed a dozen phone numbers all over the world.
That lead me to CallClerk which is reasonably priced and not only does popups and logging but also color coded notations through API calls to
whocalled.us so you know while the phone is ringing if the caller has been reported to that system as spam. Of course I wanted both software packages which meant buying 3 more modems (average price $15 compared to my 1990 vintage V. Everything that I'll never throw out because I know what I paid for it).
And here's where the trouble comes in and my advise. CallClerk can post social updates for your phone calls. It can write out a webpage for you or post directly to twitter. Combine this with Google Voice and the 202's ability to send texts to your phone as caller ID well. . .
So a friend is traveling around the country. Literally. He texts me that he has to make an emergency rest stop after a bad lunch but using different words than that. So, from his phone to Google Voice to Obi 202 to CallClerk to Twitter. Whoops. Cascade effect I hadn't counted on.
So my advise is, if you jump in with so many shiny new toys in the same month keep in mind how they all connect to each other. I ended up creating a twitter account just for the calls and MADE IT PRIVATE which is the just of my advise. Twitter doesn't allow anything but public or private though I heard a rumor there may be Facebook support in CallClerk in the future would would allow posting to friends only. But still, if you have Google Voice messages turned on in your Obi consider the delicacy of texts that might end up on your social media accounts. Mind you, I love the feature and I have a column in Tweetdeck set up for it.
And then the SAT company offered me a deal I couldn't refuse to stay another 6 months (I have 13 months left on the contract). $20 with free DVR for locals in HD and some other stuff. That's actually cheaper than the ETF. So I still have SAT and I still have AT&T phone (and the Obi adapter + Bluetooth) but these little projects are fun and I'm sure most of us here like to tinker.
I now have 3 HD OTA tuners plus the SAT which at certain times can record 6 shows at once so I can now record 9 at the same time. I have a research project that I give out a different Anveo number to each subject so I can track them using the area code they are located (and one 202 for government use so my home # doesn't show in a FOIA request). 4 modems and three computers providing some level of caller ID functionality with the coolest logging mentioned above.
One other thing about CallClerk (or any caller software ID I suppose) is that I stared dumbfounded at the popup that had a text message. I was trying to figure out what magical API they were using to tap in to my cell phone to read my texts. Of course that wasn't it at all but it's good to know I can be stumped.
Finally, Obihai, do not top the 202 anytime soon. I can only take so much excitement at once.
