I have been wanting to turn my iPad into a giant VoIP phone, for those occasions when my "real" cellphone isn't within reach.. I also want to use my Google Voice number to place and receive calls.
Well, this is finally possible with these two apps that are now available on App Store:
1) Talkatone - FREE app
This is a very cool app - it brings Gmail VoIP calling to iPhone/iPad. So basically frees up GMail calling from.. well.. Gmail jail. When you place outbound calls - it uses your Google Voice number, as you would expect. To receive incoming calls, just configure your Google Voice to forward the calls to your Google Talk e-mail address. The app supports iOS4 background notifications, so you won't miss any calls when the app isn't in the foreground. The only minor quibble is that the app doesn't support native iPad resolution.. but not a big deal for a VoIP app. The voice quality seems pretty decent for a couple of calls I tried over my home WiFi network.
2) GV Connect for iPad - $2.99
This is a Google Voice client.. somewhat similar to Google's own app, but this one supports full iPad resolution, resulting in a much nicer iPad experience. The nice thing about this is that it integrates with Talkaphone for outbound calls. So, if you want to initiate a call - it will open Talkaphone and place a call.. without annoying callback, like you'd get with other similar apps. GV Connect isn't technically necessary if all you want to do is to make voice calls (can just use Talkaphone alone for that), but it's nice for SMS integration, voicemail and other GV goodies.
With these 2 apps.. my iPad can now function as a full blown VoIP phone, fully integrated with my Google Voice number. All of this can also be done on an iPod Touch, perhaps taking us a step closer to terminating that cellphone carrier contract!
Enjoy.
Well, this is finally possible with these two apps that are now available on App Store:
1) Talkatone - FREE app
This is a very cool app - it brings Gmail VoIP calling to iPhone/iPad. So basically frees up GMail calling from.. well.. Gmail jail. When you place outbound calls - it uses your Google Voice number, as you would expect. To receive incoming calls, just configure your Google Voice to forward the calls to your Google Talk e-mail address. The app supports iOS4 background notifications, so you won't miss any calls when the app isn't in the foreground. The only minor quibble is that the app doesn't support native iPad resolution.. but not a big deal for a VoIP app. The voice quality seems pretty decent for a couple of calls I tried over my home WiFi network.
2) GV Connect for iPad - $2.99
This is a Google Voice client.. somewhat similar to Google's own app, but this one supports full iPad resolution, resulting in a much nicer iPad experience. The nice thing about this is that it integrates with Talkaphone for outbound calls. So, if you want to initiate a call - it will open Talkaphone and place a call.. without annoying callback, like you'd get with other similar apps. GV Connect isn't technically necessary if all you want to do is to make voice calls (can just use Talkaphone alone for that), but it's nice for SMS integration, voicemail and other GV goodies.
With these 2 apps.. my iPad can now function as a full blown VoIP phone, fully integrated with my Google Voice number. All of this can also be done on an iPod Touch, perhaps taking us a step closer to terminating that cellphone carrier contract!
Enjoy.
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