[SOLVED] Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

Hey guys,

Gizmo is not taking any new registrations. So, I am now looking for another easy tablet-to-pc alternative for video calls. Preferably, it should be as easy registering twice (once for each account), and then using the same software on PC as on the tablet.

Any suggestions? (Does this even exist?) :)

Thank you in advance!
Hijinio

Re: Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

That would be Skype no?

I'd wait to see what Google is going to do. Although I don't think they'll be updating their app for Maemo/ Meego but you can buy a gizmo account on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Get-Your-FREE-Gi...item27b33ed4e5

Dunno bout the reputability of the seller but I've bought accounts off ebay for Google Voice waaay back when they only had referral invites a year ago.

Re: Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

Isn't Gizmo5 just a free SIP provider?

Re: Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

Unfortunately, Skype does not do video on OS2008. Interesting idea about buying an account.

Maybe someone can school me SIP? :)

I just want to have a way to 1) set up a webcam at home and 2) use my N810 to do video calls with my wife. I have an international trip coming up in January, but we also have a baby due in December... I want to be able to see our baby and wife from overseas.

Any ideas? If the ideal isn't available, I'm open to other alternatives.

Thank you!

Re: Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

Ekiga is another free SIP provider...Ekiga to Gizmo calls should work just fine.

Re: Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

Unless I'm missing something, I think Ekiga on Maemo is voice only. Bummer. :(

Re: Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

You should get video on Maemo5 PR1.2, I don't know about older versions...

Re: Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

Any jabber account will also do.

Re: Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

sorry... I should have said os2008 since I am using the n810. So jabber does video between the n810 and a PC?

Re: Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

Fring does video.

Re: Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

I will say that Gizmo from the tablet to the desktop using video is... not as ideal as it sounds. I found that it barely worked - especially didn't work with tablet to Mac, but would work from tablet to PC - but later iterations of the desktop software seem to fail.

aMSN on the N810 does work. I never got Jabber to work, nor Pidgin - it will work on the desktop, but not tablet to desktop or even tablet to tablet. And speaking of tablet to tablet, Gizmo does work there easily.

Which... doesn't help you. I do have a Gizmo Project account; but no invites to speak of. Good luck, but you're bound to fall into the group like I have... with N810, not happy about the inability to use that forward facing camera for most anything.

Re: Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

Thanks, guys. Looks like we're out of luck at the moment. I tried Fring, but it doesn't support video (for the N810) --- at least I didn't see any option for this. In Pidgin, I don't see any video option either. I still need to try AMSN, but I don't have any Microsoft accounts. Gerbick, what was your experience with that? Does it work decently for video/ audio calls?

Re: Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

is there a google talk client you can use?

Re: Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

I tried Fring w/ google talk and the built-in app w/ google talk. Thanks for asking, though. Neither will do video. Any other ideas?

Re: Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

For Google Talk, I use DialCentral. Works great, SMS support, stable as all get out... but no video. In fact, I've used this as my secondary "phone" for the last solid year. It's that clear and useful - the developer(s) of this app are top notch and very active.

For video, there was only Gizmo and it was spotty. I think I had to sacrifice a couple of cats and say some phrase backwards for it to truly work. From what I remember, aMSN worked quite well with video/audio. But I too have very few friends with MSN accounts that regularly use it to check with.

I'll be honest. Video on the n810 was truly never utilized properly. That's been my biggest gripe.

Re: Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

Thanks for the info. In that case, I won't bother with Gizmo (yet). Thanks for your feedback with aMSN. For some reason, I had read that it was only 1 way video (with no audio). It's worth a shot if it's the last resort. I'll post back as soon as I've had a chance to test.

Re: Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

@hordeman
Sorry about the PM. I forgot that you simply want to do a Video Chat not VOIP => Phone calling.

Gizmo5 (N810) <->Gizmo5 (N810) is the only way that I've gotten it working in any usable sense.

http://i32.tinypic.com/34sjmut.jpg

http://i27.tinypic.com/1qho8w.jpg

Anyway the Gizmo5 client for desktop Linux does not support Video and thus Gizmo5 on N810 will not give you the option for Video.

Also as you know the camera on the N810 is a joke, it's practically a pinhole camera so that doesn't help matters.

And no, I'm not aware of anything else for the N810. Granted, this is mostly because there is nothing out there in the area of video calling for Linux.

Ekiga for instance has never worked for me, not even once (on different networks, different distros, different hardware).

Google chat's video appears to be using v4l libraries in their back-end but of course they don't make it available for Linux.

I tried VoxOx yesterday (which works well for registering GV accounts I might add) but while the installer CLEARLY lists a lot of Linux libraries, no love. No joke: random.xcf (GIMP file), libgpg, libpurple (pidgin), iconv, and many others. Also their client doesn't work in WINE (and obviously no luck on the NIT end).

[faketag]VOIP=>Phone Gizmo5 call-out doesn't work for me anymore and prior to their acquisition by Google they shortened it to 3 minutes per call. It was pretty awesome to make a phone call from the N810 but no more it seems.[/faketag]

As far as Google Voice goes, I've just been using it to cloak my number. I give it out whenever somewhere demands a phone number.

Also I set one up to use in place of a phone card for "free" long distance (uses local calling by using a local GV number, which is then piped wherever)

I've seen Gizmo5 accounts for sale on craigslist (try http://www.allofcraigs.com/ ) but I'm not sure if it's worth it to you with your use case.

EDIT: Pure VOIP= Google Voice + Gizmo + DialCentral still works! >_< It was just some corrupt config files causing bugs on my end, d'oh

Re: Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

Dial Central makes my LED flash when I get a new message (SMS) when using google voice but it never goes away and it drives me up the wall when I'm trying to sleep.

Re: Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

Just turn off the SMS function or turn off the whole program before you go to sleep. I don't see that is a problem . :confused:

Re: Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

Hey guys... no luck with amsn. I installed it, but a pc msn client automatically rejects the video call from the tablet. I'm still looking for a tablet to pc windows solution. :(

Re: Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

LED notification can be disabled in the control panel > display.

Re: Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

If you get desperate, there's always the option of having your wife record a video using the webcam and then e-mail it. I use YouSendIt for e-mailing large files, but as you are no doubt aware there are many other solutions, including DropBox.

Re: Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

Thank you, but are more likely then to just use VOIP. :) I really want to put this camera to work... it was the initial selling features of the device. Next up, I want to try the AMSN Windows client to see if that makes any difference. (I was trying the official MSN Windows client before.)

Re: Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

SUCCESS! I used aMSN Windows client with aMSN on the N810, and the video conferencing worked! (I didn't try audio though.) Of course, there was a 30sec delay from Windows to the tablet and the video sent from the tablet was not smooth, but it worked!!! The only real challenge was ensuring that the firewall was set up to allow aMSN to send and receive video.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
H.

Re: Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

I want LEDDD notifications, however DialCentral's always blinks, never stops, and disabling everytime I get an sms message is ridiculous. I have found a google voice plugin in extras devel for the accounts... thing, and it works pretty well. I can call using the internet call on the tablet (it auto hangs up on the tablet, however my normal phone rings). It also does sms in the chat window.

Re: [SOLVED] Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

Hordeman wrote:
"SUCCESS! I used aMSN Windows client with aMSN on the N810, and the video conferencing worked! (I didn't try audio though.) Of course, there was a 30sec delay from Windows to the tablet and the video sent from the tablet was not smooth, but it worked!!! The only real challenge was ensuring that the firewall was set up to allow aMSN to send and receive video."
-----------
Hi
Can you tell us which MSN app you used......a brief howto might be nice.
Thanks.

Re: [SOLVED] Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

Sure, it's pretty simple. Just use aMSN.

• For PC: Go to http://www.amsn-project.net/download.php, download your client and install it
• For OS2008: Follow the instructions here http://www.amsn-project.net/forums/i...p?topic=3659.0
• Then on each device, start up aMSN and set up the webcam in settings
• Each device log into a unique MSN account
• Start a chat and then click on the web cam icon on each device

Re: [SOLVED] Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

The better way its by using EKIGA account on the osso accounts to a PC with Ekiga.
The only thing I was setting up a tablet for a friend and the repositories are a MESS!! like RTCOMM didn'd install and I'm looking a way to get it working on my friend's tablet... sigh...:confused:

Re: [SOLVED] Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

So, after all that, you still consider it a "better way"?

Re: [SOLVED] Gizmo Alternatives? (For tablet-to-PC video calls)
 

Yeah , the video quality is far better from gizmo5 and I tried before aMSN but the tablet it's way too weak to run it smoothly.
Still the direction of the maemo it's bad, I remember when the 810 was the top of the line, the 770 repositories were fine, now the 900 its the top dog and everything else it's a mess.
I smell Nokia trying to sell their N900s, but I like the fact it was NOT a cell phone..
Too bad this its the main reason many people I knew from here they dropped Nokia to switch to android or others...