Want to Make Phone Calls for Free?
I’m hitting the road early today, so today’s post has got to be short and sweet. But I wanted to tell my readers about something exciting I recently came across.
If you know me, you know I like free. I constantly post about free Kindle books at my Facebook, so if the idea of free Kindle books appeals to you, please come and friend/follow me (https://www.facebook.com/adamblumer for free nonfiction and https://www.facebook.com/AdamBlumerNovelist for fiction).
But free phone service, not free books, is why I’ve come calling today (pun intended). A few years ago, I came across Google Voice, and I can’t speak more highly of it. Google Voice gives you a free phone number, and you can send and receive free local and long-distance calls—even send text messages—within the US and Canada completely for free using your computer (via Internet access). Read more about it here: http://www.google.com/googlevoice/about.html.
If you have Internet in your home (and most of us do now), then you’re good to go. You don’t need to pay a cent to use this service.
Here’s how I use Google Voice (GV) the most: I enter the phone number I want to call and tell GV which of my devices I want it to ring. It can call either my cell phone or my home landline. Then that device rings, I accept the call, and Google Voice dials the person I want to call using my phone.
Conversely, if someone calls my GV number, GV can direct the call to my computer, my home landline, or my cell phone. Sweet, huh?
Yes, that’s pretty cool, but there’s one major drawback. To place calls, you have to do so using your computer. So you’re pretty much stuck with your computer and Internet running.
But recently a friend of mine gave me a tip on Facebook about a cool product offered by a company called Obihai (http://www.obihai.com/). I recently purchased their product called Obi110, and I love it!
The bottom line is that it uses my Google Voice account, but . . . get this . . . You can now send and receive free Google Voice calls using a phone without even using your computer. All you need is a telephone, a Google Voice account, the Obi100 or Obi110 (about $40 or $50 each at Amazon.com), and Internet access in your home. Read more about it here: http://www.obihai.com/googlevoice.php
I friend of mine uses his Obihai device and Google Voice for his phone service and has cut his phone service from AT&T. Which means absolutely free phone service. After the one-time cost of the Obihai device, and as long as he continues to pay for Internet, he never has to pay another phone bill again!
Sounds too good to be true? I’m on the journey myself and will document how it goes here. I’ll be the guinea pig and let you know what works, what doesn’t work. So far I’m more than impressed. The product appears to do everything reviewers say it does. Read more about it. Just go to Youtube, search for “Obi110,” and watch all the exciting reviews. Or read the reviews of the Obi110 at Amazon.
In future I will be posting about my success using this product and answering any questions you may have. So far I’m no expert, and I’m learning as I go. In future, I also plan to dump my traditional phone service, use my Obi110, and save about $40 per month.
What could you do with an extra $40 in your pocket each month?
I also understand there’s an app for cell phones that can use Obihai for free services too. I don’t use this product or know how it works, but you can read more about it here: http://www.obihai.com/obiapps.php
Note: I am not an Obihai or Google Voice affiliate. I’m not getting paid a cent to tell you about Obihai and GV. I’m passing on this info simply because a friend told me, and I want to share the blessing. Stay tuned.
Question: How much do you pay for your home phone service? What could you do with the money you save by getting rid of your traditional phone service for good?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LTmWqP706E[/youtube]
