Google Voice + Gizmo + Skype = Free incoming and outgoing call soup... YUM

Google Voice is great, but it isn't an entirely free voice-over-internet service if you have to pay a phone bill to use it. With a few tweaks, though, you can talk to anyone on-the-cheap through Skype, or entirely for free with Gizmo.

Since we're extremely cheap, we'll start out with the Gizmo/Google Voice 1/2 combo, since you can use it to place and receive calls without spending a dime. If you're particularly partial to Skype, we'll demonstrate how you can integrate Gizmo, Voice, and Skype for cheaper Skype calls after we demonstrate how to get everything up and running with Gizmo.

What you'll need

• A comfortable headset: Mine's a $30, USB-or-analog model I grabbed off the shelf at Target. If you plan to do some serious talking from in front of your monitor, read up on what works best for your ears and head.
• Free Google Voice account: If you haven't already requested an invite, do so now. They're still dishing them out first-come, first-served style, and the line gets longer every time someone writes an article about the service (ahem).
• Free Gizmo5 account: It's a free virtual phone service that Google Voice officially supports and connects to. If you're more of a Skype person, we'll show you a relatively cheap solution for hooking up Gizmo to Skype.
• Broadband net connection: Because you're doing a good deal of data transfer and service forwarding, you'll want a pretty good pipe for phone calls that won't make you wish for your cell phone.

Hooking up Voice and Gizmo

Once you've finished signing up for Gizmo and Google Voice, head to my.gizmo5.com, and log yourself in if necessary. Hit the "My" link in the upper-right corner to get to your settings page. The first box asks you to enter your Google Voice number and turn Google Voice calling on, which you should definitely do. That routes all outbound Gizmo calls through Voice, eliminating the need to buy credits for those outbound calls.

Three rows down, under the "Account Overview" section, copy your SIP Number, which you won't need to memorize, or even use, except this one time. Head over to Google Voice, click the Settings link, then Phones, and paste that SIP number into the "Number" field. Give your Gizmo account a name like, say, Gizmo, then set the "Phone Type" to Gizmo. By default, your Gizmo/VoIP phone will always "ring" whenever someone calls your Google Voice number from any phone. I find that to be just fine, since "ringing" that phone doesn't really affect any of your other phones, and I don't leave my computer on at all times with the speakers at full blast. If you only want your virtual phone to ring at certain times on certain days, go ahead and tweak those settings in Voice, then hit Save.

Got those headphones handy? Plug them in, usually through a USB port or the dual red/green mic/speakers ports on your computer. Check that the headphones are picking up sounds and that the microphone is enabled in your system's volume settings. Want to test out your Voice/Gizmo capabilities? Head to http://gizmocall.com, then sign in with your Gizmo username. Hit the "Test" button for an echo test of your headset and connection. To try out an actual call, call your Google Voice number from a standard cell or landline phone you have handy, or open up Google Voice's site in another browser tab and make a call to a phone number that won't mind getting it.

It's worth noting that since you're using a VoIP service through another VoIP service's routers, it's fair to expect a bit of call lag. I haven't noticed an audible difference between using Google Voice on my cellphone and through Gizmo but, then again, I've had seemingly worse lag experiences overall with Voice than others I've complained about it to. Your mileage will almost certainly vary, but if you've got an ultra-important phone interview for a job, consider stepping away from your headset. Otherwise, it probably works just fine for normal conversations.

Calling tools

If all went well between Voice and Gizmo, you've got a few options for making and receiving free calls through your headset with Voice and Gizmo:                                  

• The GizmoCall.com site: You can keep the page itself loaded in your browser, or click the "Open in separate window" link to keep it separate from your browsing work. When it first opens, your Flash plug-in will ask for access to your microphone and speakers, which you should grant and hit "Remember" to avoid future prompts.

  Want to reduce browser tab necessities and make Gizmo even more convenient? Check out Google Voice Tricks' write-up on embedding Gizmo's gadget into Gmail.

• Gizmo software: Available for download for Windows, Mac, and Linux systems, Gizmo the application is very similar to Skype, sitting in the system tray and popping up an alert window when a new call is coming in. It also tracks your VoIP calling separate from your Google Voice account, which can be helpful for client billing or other purposes. If you're planning to keep Gizmo open to accept calls, you'll probably want to import your contacts into it to recognize callers. You can only import an Outlook-formatted file into Gizmo, but that's one of the formats most contact managers (Google, Apple Mail, etc.) can export to.
• Google Voice site: You'll still need to have some kind of Gizmo notifier running to receive calls, but Google Voice's own site is pretty handy for making calls. Load up the site (or keep it loaded as a permatab), hit "c" to make a call, type in a contact name or phone number, then select your Gizmo number as the caller. Google will ring you at Gizmo, and once you pick up, the call starts ringing through to the intended receiver.

Forwarding to Skype

If you're already set up with a Skype name and lots of contacts and you'd prefer to keep Skype as your go-to VoIP app, you can get Google Voice and Gizmo to route calls to Skype for notably less money than Skype charges for its call-out service. Alternately, if you only need to make the occasional Skype call and don't want to bother installing software and getting a user account, Gizmo and Google are available there, too.

Gizmo explains all the potential uses and ins and outs at its OpenSky page, and also lists pricing. You can make free calls to Skype names and forward your Voice/Gizmo calls to Skype for anywhere from 1-5 minutes, depending on server load—fine for quick "Call me back" or "Here's the deal" messages, but not conversations. OpenSky claims a $20/year price for basically unlimited calling of up to 2 hours per call. We don't do a lot of Skype out calling, but that seems like a pretty good deal.

Whether you're going the free short call route or paying for some OpenSky credit, setting up a Voice-to-Gizmo-to-Skype connection is fairly easy. Head to your Gizmo5 settings page again, then head to the "Forwarding Gizmo5 Calls" section. Set Gizmo to forward all calls to Skype, then fill in your Skype username. That's it—when someone rings your Voice number, if you've got Voice configured to ring you at Gizmo, then you'll actually be rung up at Skype. The last thing you'll need to do is enable Skype to accept calls from anonymous callers—kind of a pain, but necessary, because Gizmo routes your calls through different Skype names from time to time.

  ____________________________________________________ This is free and and very useful, take advantage of googles generosity and sign up for a google voice #. Post questions, suggestions, and neat hacks in the comments.

Autodesk SketchBook Mobile

Autodesk SketchBook Mobile is a professional-grade paint and drawing application designed for the iPhone and iPod Touch. SketchBook Mobile offers a full set of sketching tools and delivers them through a streamlined and intuitive user interface.Use it to digitally capture your ideas as napkin sketches or produce artwork on-the-go. With thesame paint engine as the renowned SketchBook Pro software, SketchBook Mobile delivers sophisticated brushes and fluid pencils.


Features:
- Full Screen work space with UI-on-demand
- Multi-touch navigation with a 2500% zoom
- Canvas size: 3GS 1024 x 682 (all other devices 600×400)
- Up to 6 layers on 3GS (3 layers on other devices)
- Import layer from Photo Library or Camera
- Merge Layers and toggle layer Visibility
- Save work-in-progress and export to Photo Library or E-mail images
- 10 levels of undo and redo
- 25 preset brushes, including a flood fill and texture brushes
- Synthetic pressure sensitivity (brush fade-off)
- Smooth brush stroking
- Completely customizable brush settings
- Dynamic symmetric drawing
- Color Wheel and Customizable Color Swatches

I find myself doodling away on the commute to work with sketchbook pro mobile. It does have to compete with a couple of other apps (layers, brushes, etc). I believe its going to come out on top when the iPad hit stores.

To sketchbook pro or not, that is a silly question.

Image via Wikipedia

Autodesk SketchBook pro, also referred to as SketchBook, is drawing software that features a gesture-based user interface. It was originally developed by Alias Systems Corperation, but is now owned by Autodesk

SketchBook pro has an uncluttered interface, and painting and drawing tools such as pencils, markers, and brushes. Because it makes use of the pressure-sensitivity features of Wacom Tablets, tablet PCs, and iPhones, it can help artists sketch and create effects similar to traditional materials.

Autodesk Sketchbook Pro software also features a screenshot tool for annotation, allowing one to show content during a meeting and add notes as the content is reviewed. The Previous/Next buttons make it possible to create flipbooks or animations. The program supports layers with import and export of Photoshop (.psd) format. Other features include rulers, symmetry, the ability to customize brushes, create texture brushes, and rotate the canvas.

There are SketchBook Pro communities on Twitter and Facebook as well as Autodesk's AREA online community.

When Autodesk acquired Alias in October 2005, they discontinued Sketchbook Pro development for a while. Version 2.0 was released in July 2005 (under Alias Systems Corporation).

A beta version of version 3.0 was shown at MacWorld 2008 on display with the Axiotron Modbook. On April 2008, Autodesk SketchBook Pro 2009 was released to the public. In April 2009, the latest version was released, Autodesk SketchBook Pro 2010. Autodesk continues to have a beta program for testing new versions of SketchBook Pro.

A free trial version is available on the Autodesk website. Additionally, a consumer version of the application, SketchBook Express, is available as a free download with the purchase of certain tablet products, such as the Wacom Intuos4 and the Axiotron Modbook. SketchBook Express provides much of the same functionality as Autodesk SketchBook Pro.

On September 17, 2009, Autodesk released SketchBook Mobile specifically designed for Apple's iPhone and iPod touch. Built with the same paint engine as Pro, Mobile and its free version Mobile Express offers many of the same design features seen in the desktop application.

I use Sketchbook Pro 2010, and I am a big fan of the software.

Its is amazing and I cannot wait to see 2011's improvement. crossfingers.

Enjoying this blogging phase in life. BlogPress

It's alive. Well I found this cool app called BlogPress,
it's basically going to come in handy when I don't have
a notebook and I am somewhere I need to blog quickly...



Besides having to know a little bit of HTML. I kinda, sorta, maybe like this BlogPress....

- Posted using BlogPress from my iTouch