Seattle Desi

As my kids are growing up, I wanted a way for them to be in touch with the extended family members (who are spread across multiple continents). Enabling video-calls via the TV seemed like a good option for both the kids & the grand parents. Ideally, I was looking for a very simple solution that "just works". After considering a few options, we finally went with the Logitech TV Cam HD . Here are some of the options that I considered &... I got a chance to check out the Logitech TV Cam HD at a local store (BestBuy). This device seemed promising & had the basic features that I wanted (no computer required; very simple to use; good video quality). This device costs $199 each (or $175 each when buying two of them).  I briefly looked at TelyHD . This seems very promising as well, but I couldn't get a chance to try it at a local store. Didn't want to spend $250 without trying it first. So, I haven't yet been able to pursue this (though, I would love to...

In the past, I have used various pre-paid calling services (like Reliance Global Call , Airtel CallHome , etc) to call India. With the launch of Ooma's new International plan  offering 1000 minutes to India (and 60 other countries) for only $10/month -- I am very tempted to switch to Ooma for calling India, especially since Ooma devices are now sold for about $150 or so (and includes free unlimited calls within the US). EDIT #1: I signed up for the $10 India/international calling plan a few weeks ago -- like the voice-quality & the convenience of calling direct to India :-). Ooma device/service is rated pretty highly on Amazon.com .

Skype announced changes to their calling plans. Now, anyone in the world can make unlimited calls to US/Canada phone numbers for only 1.95 euros/month. More info about the Skype calling plan is at http://www.skype.com/intl/en/allfeatures/subscriptions/uscanada/ Check out a related discussion at http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showtopic=122271

IMO, there are only two (non-PC) VOIP choices that provide the best value when it comes to calling India. Based on my experience, here’s how these two choices compare. Of course, there are also VOIP companies like Vonage/ Net2Phone/BroadVoice that provide calling to any US/Canada phone number, and require a recurring monthly fee. I’ve setup up a Philips/Skype Cordless phone for my folks in India. We’ve been using it for the past few months & we are very happy with the voice quality (requires no PC & no monthly fees). . Philips/Skype Phone (or a similar device) GrandStream 496 ATA with GizmoProject/GrandCentral (or a similar SIP device) . Initial Cost Upfront cost of approximately $99/per device Upfront cost of approximately $40 for the device + additional cost for a phone that needs to be connected to it. Other SIP devices are available, starting at about $25 . Ease of Setup Extremely easy to configure & Setup (my non-techie mom-in-law was able to configure/setup ...

When I configure GrandCentral to forward calls to my Gizmo-on-ATA, I get an announcment asking to press "1" to accept the call........; but when I press 1 on my phone nothing happens. After some research, I found the following posting that fixed the problem.

I got my GrandStream HandyTone 488 ATA a few days ago, and spent a few hours trying to set it up without much luck. Finally, with the help of a friend, I was able to get it to work using the following steps. - Connect the device to a router and a phone (follow instructions at http://www.grandstream.com/user_manuals/HandyToneQuickInstallGuide.pdf ) - Open an internet browser and connect to the ATA at http://192.168.2.1/ - Logon to the device config page with "admin" as the password - Enter the following settings in the "FXS Port" page. SIP Server : proxy01.sipphone.com SIP User ID : 1747xxxxxxx Authenticate ID : 1747xxxxxxx Authentication Password : myPassword - Just go with the default values for all other fields - Click the "Update" button and reboot the device ----------------------------------------------- I could get the ATA to work without the following changes to the router settings. In the router setting page, port-forward the foll...

A friend of mine pointed out that a couple of Gizmo users disagreed with my assessment of Gizmo's voice quality -- check out http://forum.gizmoproject.com/viewtopic.php?t=8310 . Two questions were raised about my process of assessment... Was Skype running when I tried the Gizmo? : Yes, Skype was running when I initially tried the Gizmo. After reading the comments on the forum, I have tested the Gizmo without Skype running. Even without Skype running on my PC, Gizmo's voice quality tunred out to be inferior than Skype. Length of my testing : I have to admit that I've probably recieved less than 10 calls so far on the Gizmo; all my calls were forwarded by GrandCentral (not sure if that makes difference in the quality). After reading through some of the posts on the Gizmo forum -- I've decided to not give up on the Gizmo. In fact, just ordered a couple of GrandStream ATAs so that I experience the voice-quality with Gizmo on . I already have the Philips cordless Skype ...

I've been using Skype for quite some time -- I have used Skype on a low bandwidth connection (128kbps) and a high band-width connection (6mbps), have had conference calls with multiple skype users, have had numerous video calls. And, so far I've been a fan on Skype's voice quality/clarity. A couple of my friends have been using GizmoPrject for a while. So, I decided to compare/contrast these two services. Here are my initial thoughts... Openness : GizmoProject runs on an open standard/protocol. So, this service is interoperable with other SIP phone services. Hardware that you may purchase for use with GizmoProject could be used with other SIP services (if needed). Skype is based on a clsoed/propietary protocol Voice Quality : GizmoProject's voice-quality is acceptable, but not great. There are (minor) delays, echoes, and the voice is sometimes broken. Skype's quality is way better. This was true even when I compared GizmoProject on the PC with Skype on the hard...

I've been using Skype regularly for the past 3+ years, and have liked the clarity/quality of the voice conversations. So, I decided to try the hardware-based Skype phones. I recently purchased the NetGear Cordless Skype phone (SPH200D) and here's my experience with it.The initial setup of SPH200D was easy; voice quality is good even with on a 128kbps internet connection. But I ran into the following issues with this device... The handset hangs each time there's a power outage (read a discussion about this issue at http://forum1.netgear.com/showthread.php?t=10453 for details on this issue). Since I plan to use this phone in a place that experiences frequent power outages, this bug is somewhat annoying. Plus, though, it's been a year since the release of the phone, this issue has not been fixed by the firmaware updates. The handset feels like a cheap piece of hardware Max Volume of the handset, even with the speakerphone turned ON is low The text on the phone &...