How to make and receive free phone calls using your N810, Google Voice and Gizmo | The View
Midway through last year, I picked up a Nokia N810 Internet Tablet on craigslist. It's a nifty little device that runs a customized version of Debian Linux. Being the Linux geek that I am, I couldn't resist. The device is not a phone. It does have a microphone, and a low-quality camera and a few internet applications that utilize them, primarily Skype and Gizmo. It is, just as the name implies, designed for the internet. I even got a cheap Nokia phone to tether the tablet to the 3G connection, providing me internet access anywhere I get a clear signal.
Well, after the two-week honeymoon period where I got used to the tiny keyboard, the limitations of the screen size and the otherwise slow tablet, I found myself using it less and less. My primary use for it is to play music from my computer at home, utilizing MPD and icecast using the built-in terminal on the tablet. Basically, my own radio station on the internet.
I've often had momentary pangs of regret at purchasing the tablet simply because I wasn't using like I expected I would. Streaming media to it on my LAN was great but not something I did a lot. Even the blogging app on the device, Maemo wordpy, was good but went unused.
That all changed when I got my Google Voice account and found this link: N810, Google Voice and Gizmo. Combined with DialCentral, an application that provides access to my Google Voice account, I can now send and receive SMS (text) messages and phone calls anywhere I have internet access.
