Notices

I just came across this on Engadget, and was wondering what everyone thought about it. Could this lead to full blown landline calls from Gizmo on the 770?

Here is some more info on the news:
http://www.gizmoproject.com/learnmore-allcallsfree.html

There is fine print on that "all calls free" plan:

This means that all calls are not free, but calls between "active" Gizmo users. Vonage does the same thing: calls between Vonage users are free.

I don't see how the fine print applies to landlines. Perhaps the caller must be an "active" Gizmo user.

Some else want to interpret this?

-F

BTW: Now this means we really need a BLuetooth headset capability to the 770!

Ok, when I heard about this I was ecstatic. But then I read the fine print and it's not as revolutionary as I might have hoped.

"The All Calls Free plan applies when both call participants are registered and active Gizmo Project users. A person is considered active when they are making phone calls with Gizmo Project on a regular basis. We reserve the right to limit call length. In countries where free phone calls are not available, when calling a non-free number in an All Calls Free-listed country, or when calling a non-Gizmo Project user, calls are subject to our regular low rates."

I personally don't know anyone else who's a Gizmo Project user, let alone an active Gizmo Project user.

For the moment, this seems to me like a marketing strategy rather than an amazing change in the way we make telephone calls.

Actually, they confirm this in their FAQ:
8. Why did Gizmo Project offer this screaming deal?
Speaking plainly? We want you to tell all of your friends, family and business associates to get Gizmo Project and use the service. We're proud of our software features and have worked very hard to ensure call quality is the best possible. Now go tell the world!

Plus, I haven't been able to find (but haven't looked hard) a clear explanation of what "active" or "a regular basis" means.

You have to think about how this works. The confusing word in all of these systems is "calls". Do not confuse the calls with that of the landline (POTS) or cellular systems. All phone systems are point-to-point, what varies between them is how you get from "point-to-point". What these Internet systems do is give you a computer application that digitizes your voice and sends it to another user whose app plays your voice out the speaker. The reverse occurs with the response message. It is really that simple. The complexity comes with getting full-duplex behavior, real-time audio, etc.--but those are just details in the big scheme of things.

The other issue is the link-up between you and who you are trying to call. A landline phone system uses complex routing networks and electronic switches to hook your phone up to who you are trying to call. Obviously, you cannot call your aunt in backwater Louisiana if she doesn't have a phone. What makes you think you could call someone that was not on the Internet?

Opps...I forgot. The company doing the Internet phone system could allow connection into the global POTS; i.e., you make a call via Internet on your computer then they route your call into the POTS. Wait a minute, whose paying for the call--you can bet they won't.

The other confusion is in end-user equipment. The POTS and cellular systems use standard hardware. My V3c that I use on Verizon has the same "telephone" interface as the Razr that someone on Cingular has. The only difference is features and security protocols. Likewise, you can go to a dollar store and pick up a phone that will plug into any POTS jack in the world and work, providing you have "service". This does not exist in the Internet phone biz--but Google and Nokia are trying hard.

You could always call landline using gizmo on the 770. It just charges you outgoing rates. But the free part sounds good. The catch is that the other user have to be an active gizmo user too to be free. They probably figured that the more people use gizmo, the more they can make some money when those people need to call someone on a landline that is not a gizmo user.

I'm just hoping they pull something more along the lines of the Skype deal next. That or the recently cracked Skype protocol gets released as Open Source Software so we can start building a 770 Skype client (I doubt Skype will make a client for the 770 any time soon).

For some reason the gizmo project guys think that it does have that capability.
http://support.gizmoproject.com/FAQs/nokia770.php
from the page:
I wonder have they actually tried it? Because it doesn't work for me. And in point 9 are they actually trying to say that you can make VOIP calls with gizmoproject using just the bandwidth available through your phone? Because that doesn't work for me either.

Is it just me?

I have never understood why I would need to use Gizmo to make a phone call if I have my cell phone anyways. I understand; free calls between Gizmo; etc; etc. But most people who use Gizmo have cell phones, anyways. So, I could just call them on their cells. Gizmo's great for when I have WiFi or a landline, but I don't understand the purpose of having to pair my 770 w/ my phone just to make a call.
My 2 cents.

I've only ever seen one good use for VoIP calls, and that is making long international calls to a small number of people.

When I call my relatives in Thailand from Belgium over a landline, I can almost see my bank balance go down the drain; with Google Talk we chat for hours without that constant nagging feeling that my retirement plan is swiftly slipping away.

For anything else, I can't be bothered to use VoIP.

My personal reason for wanting to do that is that I only have 300 minutes to talk, but unlimited internet access over the phone.