Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

I am pleased to announce the release of Grandcentral_Dialer, a GUI python front-end to simplify placing calls via Grandcentral.

Grandcentral allows you to initiate an outbound phone call for free, which is then connected to a phone (landline, cell, VOIP) that you have configured already within Grandcentral. Unfortunately, the web interface makes it very difficult to dial numbers without entering them into your Grandcentral contacts list first, and this is even more cumbersome from the browser on a tablet.

The attached package provides a graphical "telephone style" dial pad to enter the phone number that you want to call, and submits that to Grandcentral.

Requirements:

• an account with Grandcentral
• a device to answer your end of the phone call placed by Grandcentral to the number that you specify. This can be a landline, cell phone, or VOIP device, including your tablet.
• the "wget" program installed on your tablet
• a web "cookie", set by logging into http://www.grandcentral.com/mobile/messages from the microb browser on your tablet

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

One of the greatest apps of all time! Works as advertised!

The Nokia Internet Tablet IS now a PHONE.

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

Sweetness. It's nice to see some hacking turned into a real, useful, application!

FYI you only need to login to m.grandcentral.com and make sure the settings page is correctly setup for your "mobile" experience. My setup has it calling my gizmo/sip number that is configured in the os2008 accounts, so my tablet rings and starts the viop_ui.

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

For those with trouble installing, drop to root and call

I presume you have maemo extras enabled.

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

Ok, off the top of my head..

1) the app does not respond to the hardware keyboard.

2) I should be able to configure a default area code when I type a 7 digit number.

Other than that, works as intended.

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

Yeah it works pretty well, but it would be nice if the app stayed open after a call in case I want to make another call.

Also, slightly off topic, but using the built in RTCOMM SIP, is it possible to pull up the dialpad while on a call?

Finally, I know this is only a dialer right now, but is it possible for future versions to also display voicemail and contact information without having to go to the webpage?

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

The dialpad is inaccessable during a call, but the DTMF pad is.

On my n810 ( while in "internet call" ) I hit menu, select, select to get the DTMF pad ( and apparently for the dialpad as well ).

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

Thank you!!!

You are my hero. That is incredibly useful!

I really haven't used my n800 much for VOIP because of how inconvenient GC made it to dial out, but now I think I will.

Once again, thank you!

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

Wouldn't it be the same by going to internet call/ drop down to GC and then dial out? I can dial out with no problems, without having to go to GC... I just can't never answer on time...

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

Very cool.

I did:

1. go to http://mg.pov.lt/770/reflash-n800.html and clicked on wget from his list to install wget

2. open application manager and install python-launcher


before installing this application. It sure does work well - at least for me.

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

It works great! Thanks!

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

ok, i'll be the first to say I had a problem. I start the dialer, type in area code + number, press 'Dial' and then the screen goes away and nothing happens.

I use grand central already by starting up the web browser and going to grandcentral.com/mobile where I am instantly logged in, probably from the cookie you mention. I click on a phone number tghen get my rtcomm thingy saying I have a call.

For troubleshooting, from xterminal, I have typed wget and it says 'missing url' so I know it's installed already. From xterminal I type 'python' and it says something about 2.5 so I know it is installed. What piece am I missing?

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

DOH! I rebooted and everything works fine now. Never mind.

Dang, you have just upped the usefullness of the nit +10 with this program. Thanks a bunch.

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

I suppose, I think this takes less steps. Also interestingly, when you use this app it actually has the GC # calling you before it's sent out like it normally does. Not with your method. So I wonder what's the differences between the two.

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

1) With this application you can easily call numbers not in your address book ( something that you can't do on gc's website ).

2) There are a number of exciting possibilities of how to expand this in the future.

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

I dunno, I tried what he was talking about (opened internet call). Changed the drop down list to Grand Central (GC) and then tapped the telephone pad there. A screen popped up with a bigger telephone pad. Inputed the # I wanted to call and it seemed to go through just fine. Just to check I logged into Grand Central later, and yup the call went through there (says so on the log).

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

I can't find this "drop down". Did you configure GC as a SIP account ( and how, I've been looking for this feature forever )!

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

By any chance did you name your SIP/Gizmo account "Grand Central (GC)"? If so you are calling out through gizmo and not grand central. The problem there is that Gizmo charges for outgoing ( although every account comes with a free credit ) and this dialer should invoke the free callback calling.

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

Since no link appears anywhere in the whole thread, let me ask a simple question: where can one download this application?

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

First post as an attached file ( maybe you have to be logged in? )

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

I am logged in, using display option: mobile iii. Maybe this display dropped the attachment; we'll see.

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

So I changed back to the default display and the attachment was there. Thanks!

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

really nice.
you rock.

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

think ts possible to have what grandcentral dialer do, work in the default call app..
grandcentral dialer is cool. but why not just intergrate whatever it does in the default app????

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

Ah that's probably it. I thought there was something suspicious about it not sending me the prompt with my GC # calling me.

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

I concur - I would love for this functionality to be integrated into Maemo's built-in software. I wonder what it would take for the Maemo devs to consider implementing it. And not just the communication with GC, but also automatically answering the call (on the tablet) and everything else needed to make it work just as seemlessly as if I were dialing out directly with Gizmo Out.

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

THANKS!! You have made calling out with GC as easily as on a cell phone!
Just finished installing it and made a call back to the States....'piece of cake'. Man this N800 keeps on ticking!!!

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

It seems that the DTMF pad doesn't work if a call is made by the dailer. I can select numbers in the DTMF but they do nothing. If I call the same number via GC webpage the DTMF pad works, strange!

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

I doubt it, all DTMF tones are stripped in callback calling, it's a known GC "bug".

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

It will never be that easy because of the "quirks" of GC.

What IS possible are two things that will improve the phone experience. One is properly mapping the tel: uri so all the new iPhone sites ( like the iphone gmail contacts page / facebook's iphone page / and more ) will work with the mime system. Then we can map the phone mime types to EITHER the GC dialer or the default voip_ui application.

Once that is in place the gui dialer would just need to open the URI "tel:number" and the system will "do the right thing".

It's not as far fetched as it sounds, I already had about half of it working.

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

any mods around....
give this thread some airtime on the home page......it deserve to be seen.

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

I would like to suggest 4 new features.

1. A redial/history button (saves the last 5-10 numbers dialed)

2. Letters on the keypad (so I can dial 1-800-abc-defg without googling phone dialpad to see the numbers)

3. Be able to use the N810's Keyboard to dial (incorporate this into number 2, if a letter is typed instead of a number it will automatically use the number that is assigned to that letter)

4. Bigger backspace button (almost impossible to hit it with a finger)

Oherwise I love this app!
I was previously using http://www.internetcalls.com/en/freetrialcall.php to make calls to numbers not in my address book.

So, can these ideas be implemented?

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

Hmm....I'd like to see that too, but it will take some work.

I don't want to duplicate the functions of a real contact list app (and Brontide's got the right idea about doing the integration via the dbus...and it should be extended to looking up numbers to dial, like the phonelink app does with contactinfos), but it would be nice to record the dialed number, a timestamp, and whether the call was successful (at least as far as the wget command).

Sure, that's easy.
Probably not too hard.
That's the easiest request of them all!
Thanks.

The suggestions are good. I'll probably do some work on them this weekend.

Of course, it's an open-source Python script, so anyone is freely available to hack it up.

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

Ahh... yes I did name it GC... thanks for clarifying it! now I have to wait for the GC numbers to be available again... I gave my # away (to a friend overseas) thinking that I could just reinvite myself! should have check first... do you guys think this will remain free or skype is the next best thing after this? (sorry for hijacking this thread)

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

It doesn't work on my 700 OS2006. It installed fine, but when I dial the numbers and hit dial, the screen just go away and do nothing. Does it work on OS2006?

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

Get above problem even after re-booting

N810/OS2008

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

the 770 will need modifications to work as the location of the cookies.txt is probaby different under Opera.

as for n810, can you confirm your settings under m.grandcentral.com?

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

RESOLVED - maybe I missed it - don't know -

You have to leave grandcentral mobile running in additional to the GC dialer program and it worked.

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

You do not even need the browser running, just the correct cookies in the file. It's possible the cookies are not written right away so you should be good from now on. (with or without gc open in the background)

Re: Grandcentral Dialer Application
 

Thanks, cant wait. :)