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Google Voice

I'm traveling outside the US for a few days this summer, out there amongst the rest of the human race, where they use GSM phones. I'll take my Stratosphere along, since it does so much else, but I know it won't make phone calls. I thought about subscribing to Google Voice, which I figured would let me make phone calls using the Strat over a data connection. However, from what I've read in Voice's online information, it won't work outside the US. Am I reading it right? Has anyone here used Google Voice? How well does it work (inside or outside the US)?

Comments

maya0630

I can't speak for outside the US but I've been using it in the US and it's been working great. I've heard that Google Voice is only available in the US and Canada. An alternative you might want to look at is Google Talk, which is available pretty much everywhere else as well. It allows you to IM as well as make calls through data connection/WIFI. Hope this helps.

Dave-in-Decatur

Thanks. I took a look at Google Talk, but it depends on a chat plug-in that's only available on PCs, not smartphones. I'll have my laptop with me, but some experiences with my sister calling me on Skype have kind of put me off that kind of thing. I'll probably get an international phone from Verizon to use while I'm gone, and just have to carry an extra device.

AZSALUKI

just a heads up.....be real careful with your stratosphere if you're taking it with you. make sure to always have it in airplane mode (disable the radio). i've seen horror stories of international roaming bills from users that never actually used their device. when you turn it on, you may recieve updates (apps), textxs, etc, etc. all of that will be roaming data so be SURE it can't access any network.

Dave-in-Decatur

Well, if I'd put it in airplane mode the whole time, why bother taking it? I guess the calendar alarms would still work.

Anyway, I did a little research on VZW's partially helpful Global Travel Program Website (http://businessportals.verizonwireless.com/international/Global_Travel/index.html) and called a more helpful CS rep, who e-mailed me a very helpful rate and dialing instructions sheet for my destination. It boils down to this:

Verizon's CDMA network phones (e.g., the Stratosphere) don't do anything, call or data, in a GSM network country. How you could accrue data roaming charges when your phone can't even connect to the data network is beyond me.
VZW will give you a short-term usage global phone (i.e., one that also works on GSM) for only the cost of shipping ($19.99 for 2-day). You can sync your contacts to it and use it like your regular Android phone.
In my destination country, the call roaming rate is $1.29/min, but you can order a Global Value Plan for $4.99/month that brings the roaming down to $.99/min. At those rates, the Value Plan becomes cheaper after 16.63 minutes. But it's still awfully expensive.
Texts, OTOH, are $.50 to send, $.05 to receive.
Data is a prohibitive $20.48/MB on a per use basis, but a $25 Global Data plan gets you 100MB.

So, while Google Voice was an interesting thought, I'll need to do the above instead. If I understand all this right, I can leave the Strat at home and just use the global phone (probably a Motorola Droid 2) for all purposes. I saw this coming when we switched from AT&T (and its GSM network) to Verizon (and its more extensive network). It's a frustrating tradeoff, but we'll survive.

QuietStormzx9

Question: When your using google voice, Are you using minutes or data?

unknown

I think I answered this wrong. Calls forwarded from your Google Voice number to your Verizon phone will use Verizon minutes.

AZSALUKI

i found this nice little diagram......and still don't understand it...lol

http://praveenlobo.com/techblog/does-google-voice-use-minutes-or-data/

but it does appear to use minutes.

PJNC284

yeah both ways use minutes. This is why you can add your gv number to your F&F, turn off caller id pass-through and basically get free incoming but you won't know who is calling. When you place a call with the app and select "make call using google voice", you'll see dialing "##########" which is a random google number. That number used to only occasionally changed so you could add it to your F&F and get free outgoing but the randomness kind of threw a monkey wrench in that one. There are third party apps like GrooveIP which allow you to tie the Google Voice number to a data connection though.

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