The phone within the computer

by Mobile Jorge on November 10, 2009

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Dial (Vertical) Yesterday I received my trial N900 and immediately setup my accounts for instant messaging, and VOIP (my unboxing post is soon to come). One of the things I love about Maemo is it’s ability to integrate everything into the OS. And while Ovi services are nice, Maemo is not limited to them. Skype, SIP accounts (I’d suggest Gizmo5 [you'll see why in a few paragraphs]) , and GoogleTalk are all included with the OS, and can be used in the same way you’d make a regular phone call. Without even inserting my sim card I was able to make calls throughVOIP.

Some people have asked if the N900 requires a sim card, because they plan on using the N900 solely as a PDA. But while I understand where they’re coming from, it doesn’t hurt that you can still make and receive calls when you’re using WiFi. To previous Maemo users addin Account Selection g a sim card just adds one more way to connect to the Internet, make calls, and IM (through SMS). The call quality is amazing no matter how you make a call. I would have to assume that the processor and the speakers Nokia has put into the N900 have some affect on that.

While I was not able to test 3G reception on T-MobileUSA’s network, I did use my AT&T sim card and was amazed at the signal strength. I think this might be the cause of some users reporting low battery life (though my battery did last from 6am to 11pm today [Note: I did charge the N900 when I was driving around doing a few errands]).

And the part everybody has been waiting for.. MAKE FREE CALLS ON YOUR N900!!! Unfortunately only Americans can currently take advantage of this(blame Google). With Google Voice, you can use a Gizmo5 SIP account (free) to receive calls from Google Voice. To dial, you’ll have to login to Google Voice (until DialCentral is ported to Maemo5) and click the contact you want to call. You’ll have to tell Google Voice to call you on you Gizmo5 account, and once you do, your phone will ring and you can answer as if it were a regular phone call. Any calls to your Google Voice number will ring to your Gizmo5 (SIP) account and any other phones you setup within Google voice, so it’s suggested that with the N900, you might not want to give it your mobile number.

Look for my unboxing very soon.