[Q] Android equivalent to MSVC microsoft voice commander STANDALONE app - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Greetings all,
Yes, I have searched...
Is there an Android app that functions like MSVC only a little better? MSVC is a standalone application that requires NO carrier bandwidth to perform it's duties. I am considering a switch to android away from WM6.x. I have found MSVC useful on WM and don't want to loose this kind of capability. Again, I am looking for a standalone app that will not use any service outside the phone (except the connection to the BT earpiece of course). All the 'apps' I have found when searching appear to use Google or other services that, while powerful, force more bandwidth consumption($$) among other things.
Hopefully,
Peter

Cyberon voice command is the only one I'm aware of.
Sent from my LG-P999 using Tapatalk

Actually it's not the only one. Try Vlingo which is default application used in Samsung Galaxy II. Works pretty good and better than Cyberon, much better
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.vlingo.client&feature=search_result

Bluenote73 thanks, but as I recall cyberon requires some Google service - indicating to me that it is not standalone...
Emt thanks also but again, Vlingo also seems to rely on network services. This from a review:
The first thing to note is that the application needs network access for faster processing of voice commands. The data usage is quiet low averaging around 1MB for over 150 voice commands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are times I need to rely on functions in my phone even if there is no cell service. Only a standalone App will fulfill this requirement. Yes, it may be that the data used is small but thankfully, 1 or .1 still does not equal 0!
Thanks,
Peter

Well, it works fine without data connection. Just try it out as you won't find anything better at the moment!

emt:
Glad to hear it! I will certainly try it. The devil is in the details with these things and sadly, precious few want to spend any time on them.
Thanks for your input.
Peter

You're welcome

Well, m1c4d0, I tried and it doesn't work! It will only if wi-fi is connected (I am avoiding a data plan -opted out on my account -ATM) and when I turn wi-fi off I have no VC. WiFi on = VC works.
This is disappointing. MSVC was far from perfect but was functional - for me anyway - and that on a device with far less power. I used it on both the Tilt and the Fuse.
Sadly,
Peter

Related

best Navigator Software for Athena ???

I'm testing some Navigator Software on my Athena
all the software is running from SD card ( 4gb)
Here is my experience:
TOMTOM 7 good but it is a little slow when turning / roundabout
IGO8 graphics is very good but the arrow seems be left behind the real position.... i see that for adding POI i need to change the layout and i dont know how to find a 640x480 layout....
The ROM is the standard HTC WM6
Any experience news ??
Is it possible to increase the framerate in tomtom ???
gab74 said:
I'm testing some Navigator Software on my Athena
all the software is running from SD card ( 4gb)
Here is my experience:
TOMTOM 7 good but it is a little slow when turning / roundabout
IGO8 graphics is very good but the arrow seems be left behind the real position.... i see that for adding POI i need to change the layout and i dont know how to find a 640x480 layout....
The ROM is the standard HTC WM6
Any experience news ??
Is it possible to increase the framerate in tomtom ???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have used both these software and do not experience the problems that you described. However, I run them off the microdrive rather than storage card.
Just like me.
It's better to have them at the MicroDrive ( including the maps ).
If you use SKTools you can see that the read/write values are higher at the MicroDrive than the miniSD.
gab74 said:
I'm testing some Navigator Software on my Athena
all the software is running from SD card ( 4gb)
Here is my experience:
TOMTOM 7 good but it is a little slow when turning / roundabout
IGO8 graphics is very good but the arrow seems be left behind the real position.... i see that for adding POI i need to change the layout and i dont know how to find a 640x480 layout....
The ROM is the standard HTC WM6
Any experience news ??
Is it possible to increase the framerate in tomtom ???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well i use tomtom7 but i cooked it into my rom and it definitely made it a little faster
I found Telenav to give the best directions and POIs. you have to have a data connection, but better than TomTom and iGuidance...
But CP7 is best
it's tomtom for me, installed in the microdrive complete with the maps. and coupled with eaglesteve's previous input on the best gps settings. haven't had any issues for the past 3 months.
cheers
I rank these software in this order
Best on top:
TT7
IGO 2006
IGO8
TT6
CP7
I've tested TT6-TT7, IGO8
TT7 is the best IMHO. I use navigation SW mainly to have speed traps alert and with IGO isn't easy to add speed traps ad POI.
I installed it on SD, may be I lose some speed but I save a lot of power
sergiopi said:
I've tested TT6-TT7, IGO8
TT7 is the best IMHO. I use navigation SW mainly to have speed traps alert and with IGO isn't easy to add speed traps ad POI.
I installed it on SD, may be I lose some speed but I save a lot of power
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Besides superior overspeeding warning features, it also allow user to update road and share it with others.
I installed on MD. No concern with power because in the car, I always with my device charged.
Unlike eaglesteve and sergiopi, I use navigation software mainly for navigation, speedcameras are a bonus (and free with CP)
For navigation, especially contact integration, CP makes TT look primative IMHO
Confucious said:
Unlike eaglesteve and sergiopi, I use navigation software mainly for navigation, speedcameras are a bonus (and free with CP)
For navigation, especially contact integration, CP makes TT look primative IMHO
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disagree, sorry.
Speed camera is not speed warning. They are different.
1) In TT7, the legal speed limit of the road is kept, and if you travel above that speed, you get warning.
2) Speed camera, in another thing. In TT, there are the fixed speed camera and mobile speed camera. I think the mobile location speed camera is subscription base, and is optional. In CP7, there is only fixed location speed camera.
3) Finally, there is the red light camera, which warns you not to dash the red light at traffic junction.
4) TT7 also warns if we are near a school zone. In Australia, school zone's maximum, speed is 40 km/h at selected time only.
Integration with contact is so basic that we don't mention it. It's nothing to shout about. It's just taken for granted. iGO has it. Tom Tom has it. All contact database appears on the navigation software. If you make changes to the contact database, the navigation get the udpated address also.
In TT, if you choose "Navigate To" in the main menu, there is an item called "Contact", with exactly the icon as our Contact Application. Choosing that will bring up only your contact with addresses. The contact list is sorted in alphabetical order to faciliate locating them. Clicking on it will reveal the detail address. You can also use the FIND button to find the contact more quickly if your list is long. What else would we want that TT7 is not having in this regards?
One of the features of TT7 is to provide an onscreen button. If I see a speed camera that is not in the database, I can press that button while my car is at that coordinate. When the trip is over, I can go back and put in the details of the change I want to make. This can be used to correct the map, put in new POI, etc without affecting your driving. You do the actual update after the trip.
There are so many other features which are only seen in TT7. I was once a die hard iGO user ( and before that a die hard Copilot user), but now I'm completely won over to TT7. I'm not associated with TT in anyway, just like I was'tn associated with iGO or Copilot. I share what I think is the best to whomever want the best. Today, my top choice is TT7. Tommorrow? Who knows? May be Copilot 8. I have no blind allegiance to any software. If it is the best, it is my choice. I'm willing to be convinced that there are better software than TT7 out there now.
Speedcameras are not an issue for me, I have only ever been caught for speeding once (luckily I'd just slowed down so I was only doing 94MPH) and that was by a video camera in a police car - TomTom would not have alerted me to that.
The contacts in tomTom6 (I must admit I have not seen 7) is so clunmsy and slow I would have reached my destination before finding them - CP7 just uses outlook contacts and IMHO is just a lot better and I use it most of the time.
The interface of CP7, especially on the Athena is, again IMHO, a lot more user friendly than TT and allowing others to track me is useful so my g/f can see where I am.
I think we want different things from navigation software - i wouldn't rate TT at all and love CP - for you it's the other way round.
Guess it's lucky for the makers that we're not all the same!
sergiopi said:
I've tested TT6-TT7, IGO8
TT7 is the best IMHO. I use navigation SW mainly to have speed traps alert and with IGO isn't easy to add speed traps ad POI.
I installed it on SD, may be I lose some speed but I save a lot of power
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does anyone know when TT7 will be officially available? It's not on their website.
sergiopi said:
I've tested TT6-TT7, IGO8
TT7 is the best IMHO. I use navigation SW mainly to have speed traps alert and with IGO isn't easy to add speed traps ad POI.
I installed it on SD, may be I lose some speed but I save a lot of power
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you on this, I also installed on SD to save power. I actually delete my microdirve and never reformatted it. It was not reliable so I had no reason to have available for anything. I am wondering after not using the for while does it get better or reliable, may be I should format on my next reboot
wgary said:
Does anyone know when TT7 will be officially available? It's not on their website.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is some information on TT7 http://www.theunwired.net/?item=available-tomtom-releases-tomtom-7-20-maps-for-the-o2-xda-diamond
Guys, what about Garmin Mobile XT?
Al936 said:
Guys, what about Garmin Mobile XT?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apparently some people like it - mainly in the US I believe.
Choice of navigation s/ware does seem to depend on your location!
Al936 said:
Guys, what about Garmin Mobile XT?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tell us what do you like about it please. I'm open minded.
eaglesteve said:
I'm open minded.
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Click to collapse
hehe - I hope I am too but reviews like this http://www.coolsmartphone.com/article768.html and others I've seen put me off, although I've not tried it myself.
Just to declare what some people might think a conflict of interest:
I bought CoPilot when it first came out on the SmartPhone - well, 1 month after it did, because someone bought it then got a company car with built in Sat nav so I got it cheap (another thing CP does well is transfer between devices). That was V5, I then upgraded to V6 and I think, all things being equal I would have prefered TT6 for my purposes.
I then beta tested CP7 so disn't pay for it but if I had the choice of which to buy TT6 or CP7 it would definatly be CP7. I have not seen TT7 but don't believe it is that much different from TT6?
Lots of people in the UK like iGo8 but Garmin XT and Route 66 (again popular in the US) are not that popular.
In the US you have to buy the maps of the whole US for CP7 which does make it wuite expensive and hence not as popoular as some cheaper options and although speedcameras are improved in CP7 it is one area TT still beats it but, as I've said, that is not the most important feature for me.
Different people want different things and the availability of maps and other s/ware in your area will all affect your decision, but for me CO7 wins hands down.
So far....

Opinion: Best GPS Navigator?

Hey all,
I routinely use my Titan browser to look up the address of a business, then put that address in a GPS Navigator program to navigate to that address. I was wondering what you all think is the be all/end all program to complete this task. I've been using iGo 8 as it's got by far the best interface and maps, though you can't look up a business while in the program. I've also used Google Maps which does a great job of looking up the business address, but a crap job of navigating you to it. Finally, I've used Yahoo Go! a little bit, which is ok, but not the best. I welcome all your opinions...
Mapquest Navigator does a good job for me after using SprintNav for a long time for free....... Lots of feature and 50 bucks a year is alright.
i use tom tom 7 with maps usa & canada works great locks in 5 seconds in the basemant also names and addreses i am gettin from live search and save them in contacts list so its easy to navigate in tom tom
Not sure if its the best, but I've been very happy with iGuidance.
Once I got gpsGate and aGPS it has been flawless.
hbenz2008 said:
Mapquest Navigator does a good job for me after using SprintNav for a long time for free....... Lots of feature and 50 bucks a year is alright.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Crud, apparently mapquest navigator does not support verizon?!?
fvultee said:
Crud, apparently mapquest navigator does not support verizon?!?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My guess is they say that because Verizon locks down the gps so you can only use it with VZ Navigator, but if you're on this site, I'm sure you have enabled it on your XV6800, so I would still give it a try.
Microsoft Live Search.
It does a great job at searching and the routing isn't bad either. It only has a 'ding' as you approach a turn, no voice navigation.
I have TomTom and hate it. IMHO, Live Search is very good compared to TT.
I'm a Garmin XT user my self. I've loaded City guide and Topo maps on it so if I'm in the city or out in the woods I've got it covered. It uses the same maps and charts that have been produced for Garmins other devices. I haven't looked in to it yet but the Ocean navigational charts should be able to load on there also.
Due to my rural location data is not reliable. When hiking hundreds of miles from the nearest tower its not even an after thought. So i prefer to have all of the map data located on my 8gb HCSD. The entire Island of Newfoundland is ~20 mb for each map.
The Dir. on the device is 4.8 mb (for V5) the rest is on the card.
The City guide maps are the most detailed i have seen yet. Many of the smaller roads in my area were not on Tom Tom.
The down side is that it costs quite a bit. I have mapsource software from other devices so it wasn't that much for me. I have seen reference to a "re-pack" from other discussions, located on the torrent sites but that's at your own risk.
Chris
Live search and Google maps.......best free apps....I prefer Livesearch......
Sprint Navigation is also great for a free app....
TT7 is my software of choice. i dont know about anyone else, but i kinda like variety in my GPS, so i pretty much have all of them and pick and choose based on what im feelin and whichever one i press first.
I've tried a number of programs:
iGO: Beautiful maps, great interface, good voice prompts, very accurate... but it's a HUGE memory hog. You can't do anything else when running it. I've even had my phone fail because of lack of memory. Not acceptable if I can't make and receive calls.
iGuidance: Very low memory usage. Accurate. Buttons are small, hard to use when in the car. Graphics are not great looking. I had some quirks with the display when switching between Landscape and Portrait modes.
TomTom: Graphics are better than iGuidance, not as good as iGo. Buttons are large and easy to use in the car. Accurate. Memory usage is low. I was able to plot and follow a 2.5 hour trip and play my music with Media Player without an hitch in TomTom or the music.
All things considered, I'd love to use iGo, but the huge amount of memory usage makes it a not go for the Titan's wimpy 64megs. TomTom uses a lot less memory and is only a small step down from iGo's graphics.
Garmin Mobile XT with the newest patch/ver
I am useing Garmin Mobile XT and am on ver 5.00.20wp and it works great and new features integrate onling functions very well. Graphics are best I have seen and it gives gas prices, locations, speed limits, cameras, and google looks up stuff thats not in your database of poi's.
madman34 said:
I am useing Garmin Mobile XT and am on ver 5.00.20wp and it works great and new features integrate onling functions very well. Graphics are best I have seen and it gives gas prices, locations, speed limits, cameras, and google looks up stuff thats not in your database of poi's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another vote here... Garmin Mobile XT seems to integrate the best of the online services (gas prices, traffic, etc) with the ability to be used as a true standalone GPS (not reliant on a data connection). I travel a few places where I lose my data connection (no phone service at all) and Garmin doesn't even blink, with all the map info stored on the microSD card.
IGo 8
IGO 8 is by far the smoothest, sexiest and quickest recalculating map and trust me I have used them all.
Cons: You must disable everything running in the background before using. I have never had a problem with receiving calls. I leave my bluetooth headset hooked up while navigating so my device can remain in holster. Just do a soft reset before you run the program run oxios hibernate and if you have about 25 megs free initially I drove 2600 miles with it recaluculating and just sitting still while I went in no problems.
Garmin XT is my second choice because I find it easy to use and very dependable.
Live Search and Google Maps require internet connection and were useless in the smokey mountains, except to prime agps.
Garmin XT
I have Garmin XT and it's great. I also use Google maps from time to time, it's better if you want to check out an area you kind of know real fast and also it has the sat maps which can be nice sometimes. But for actual naviagation Garmin blows Google away. Memory is sometimes an issue but with the latest DCD 3.2.6 it's less and less of a prob.

Navigation software

wasnt sure if i should put this here or in the general forum.
Disclaimer: I used igo with my winmo device (ATT tilt) so i may be a bit biased. igo was also the first navigation software i used
So i do not have a data plan, i use wifi most of the time. Does anyone have a recommendation on the best gps software for our phones (unlike most people my gps works, even though it takes about 2-3 minutes for a cold fix.
Here are the ones i know:
COPILOT 8
I got copilot 8, sweet interface (truly the best gps interface out there), runs quite smoothly. only one problem:
-It calculates the best route horribly.
-POIs are great.... if you do not like popular chains ( can you beleive it has no burger king, mcdonalds, popeyes or any of the popular fast food places).
-you need to specify a city to find the street (just never liked that)
-super fast and smooth, no lag and hardly any choppiness except when panning the map
- live weather (traffic to come soon)
- great detour options (can choose to avoid any road on your route)
- displays pois right on the map so you can see every POI right on the map without having to go searching in the menu.
kinda nice just to click an icon and see everything around you.... now only if it had half of the things around you in its database
-uses your default keyboard (could be good or bad)
* the poi issue can kinda be fixed if you have a data connection, it can do an internet search for places, then you can save them to your favorites, but next time you want to find some other place you have not been to, get ready to use the internet again. but if you want that, might as well stick with google/bing navigation
so basically copilot 8 UI : SUPERB
actual navigating: Crap
IGO
so igo has 2 navi softwares, and unfortunately for us, none work on our devices properly.
igo motonav (the one i actually tested): resolution is meant for motorola android devices, which are 54 pixels longer.
igo myway: resolution is way smaller (320 x 480 i think), only takes up about a third of our screen real estate.
there is a work around for motonav to make it fit our screen, but for some reason it still produces a very choppy/laggy experience, but still very useable.
so basically: igo has the great navigation capabilities
-, an ok UI,
-EVERY POI YOU WILL EVER WANT
-ability to search for a street without specifying a city
-also has live traffic
-NO OPTIONS FOR DETOURS, only detours i could find was traffic detour, and that it does automatically if it finds too much traffic on your route.
-has its own keyboard, kinda makes it easier for finding places since it eliminates letters while you type
-You do have alternate routes depending on how you want to travel (fast, economical, short etc)
SO OVERALL:
igo: better maps, poi and actual navigation
copilot: better UI, ease of use, smoothness/speed of software and quite a few more navigation options.
does anyone have any suggestions on a gps app that combines both igos 'actual navigation' ability and copilots 'features/smoothness'? Or a quick fix to get better POIs on copilot easily
hopes this helps anyone looking for navigation software, feel free to leave input
I don't have a data plan either. And I'm a CoPilot fan simply cause due to it's ease of use. Plug in an address, it gets you there. Usually when I need a GPS I'm in a hurry somewhere and rely on the GPS to get me there as fast as possibly so this is why I appreciate the CoPilot.
I also like how pretty it looks on the Vibrant. Very high resolution, responsive, and it has VOICE! I'm not sure if Igo has voice but for me, that is a BIG feature while driving. I integrate it with my music so I listen to music and every now and then a nice voice tells me where to go. I don't need to look at it much. I love it
I have been using Copilot since September of 2009. Earlier versions had all sorts of problems and imagine it running on G1 - slow and paiinful. It was working very well on my Vibrant pretty from the software side but the Vibrant GPS problems made it rather hit or miss as my device would accasionally freeze or reboot. So, following suggestions of many, I have finally bit the bullet and reset my Vibrant to factory settings. I reinstalled Copilot from the Market but now it tells me that my trial period has expired and I am not able to go past that to enter my product license key. Earlier this year I have even bought the live traffic for a year for $20 and I have a separate product license key for that as well. However, as a result of being completely locked out of the software by the initial activation (where you have to enter your Google checkout number and Copilot ID) screen, I am unable to use it anymore. I paid $35 for the software and $20 for the traffic addon and I am completely unable to use it as if I was a pirate that stole the darn thing - great job ALK Sofware. I opened an online support request but they are notorious for not answering these requests so I am not holding my breath at this point for ever being able to use their software again - unless I change my Google account and buy the software again I guess but that is just not going to happen. Very frustrating...
Bottom line is, Copilot is great when it works but once you have problems with it, good luck getting their support and fixing your issue.
So, since Copilot is quickly turning into a throwaway for me, does anybody else have some comparable or hopefully better suggestions? Has anybody heard of or used Sygic Aura for example? How about Destinator? Any input and reviews will be greatly appreciated since I seem to be in a market for a new navigation software. Thank you in advance...
if you search the internet hard, you could find people who have modified igo to fit our screens
I've been using Sygic Mobile Maps for some time now. Have used it on Windows Mobile and it's even better (more responsive on my Android (Galaxy S i9000).

[REQ] Offline Voice Dial, Voice Search, Voice to Text

Request:
I am looking for an offline version (replacement) of the stock Voice Dialer and Voice Search features.
My situation:
I am not always online with my phone. I have it on a Pageplus plan and not Verizon. My plan only has 50MB of data, so I just leave the data connection off and use WiFi all the time. When I am driving or away from a Wifi spot I can't utilize either feature because they require a live data connection to work. It is very inconvenient to have to turn on data just to voice dial a phone number or voice launch an app. The same thing applies with the keyboard that has the microphone to do 'voice to text'. All these features are linked and require a live data connection.
I have tried a couple market apps that have the voice features, but they require a live data connection also.
Does anyone know of an offline solution to this problem?
Voice interpretation software is too large, therefore its done on a remote server somewhere. Best of luck finding a solution. I hate to say it, but the outlook is bleak.
Sent from my Nonsensikal Froyo Eris of beastly-ness.
Voice interpretation software is too large, therefore its done on a remote server somewhere. Best of luck finding a solution. I hate to say it, but the outlook is bleak.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rubbish - Microsoft managed it years ago on the WinMo devices and managed to cram in voice dialling, application starts, statuses & even media selection into a 7MB app. I would be more than happy to lose 200MB to an SD card to have this functionality offline and with some of the processing power available in our hands now, I totally refute that theory of the software being too large given that it was done (and very well) over 6 years ago with Microsoft Voice Command 1.6. If they've made Maps now available offline with caching, this same functionality MUST be possible with Voice Actions; even if just limited to a set of commands such as voice dialling, starting applications & selecting media as what synaptyc was referring to.
Yeah this would be very good!!!
i am looking 4 an app like this as well!!
I did find an app that can do basic stuff..
But it can't reply back to you.. ;(;(
It should be pre-installed with your phone!!
Its called voice dialer, it can open apps
and call people and thats about it!!
androidboss7 said:
Yeah this would be very good!!!
i am looking 4 an app like this as well!!
I did find an app that can do basic stuff..
But it can't reply back to you.. ;(;(
It should be pre-installed with your phone!!
Its called voice dialer, it can open apps
and call people and thats about it!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
synaptyc said:
Request:
I am looking for an offline version (replacement) of the stock Voice Dialer and Voice Search features.
I have tried a couple market apps that have the voice features, but they require a live data connection also.
Does anyone know of an offline solution to this problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can try my app. It works offline. Application is named VoiceButton. You can find it in GooglePlay.
I think this is what you need.

My experiences trying(and suceeding) to make my GP a primary phone

Over the last year or so I have been weening myself off of my Verizon feature phone. The journey didn't need to be anywhere near as arduous as I made it out to be, but for a time I had competing goals that sent me in different directions. Here's what I finally settled on. Before you read any further understand that, to my knowledge, this will only work in the US and it will cost you about $5.50 a month for unlimited calling.
Device: Samsung Galaxy Player 4.0(US)
Kernel: TerraSilent 1.3.5 courtesy of Dark_Balor
ROM: Icy Fusion release version 2.3 courtesy of Klin1344
CPU governor: SmartAssV2
Scheduler: deadline(no idea why but this scheduler works markedly better than others for this task)
Min CPU speed: 400MHz(Skype stutters if set lower)
Max CPU speed: 1200MHz
Wi-Fi Sleep Policy: Never
Apps needed for this: Skype, Google Voice, SetCPU(requires root)
Sign up for Google Voice. The settings are rather spartan, but the key issue that people encounter is that they need a phone number. Yes, Google Voice let's you choose a number but that is not tied to a device. What Google wants is for you to give out your Google Voice number and have that ring your cell phone, home phone, work phone, etc. but what if you have a Samsung Galaxy Player without a phone number? Skype, but more specifically we'll need pay features.
Sign up for Skype. We need two things for this to work and for it to be relatively cheap. First you'll need a calling plan from Skype(I chose unlimited US and Canada for $2.99 month to month). Once you have that you will see offers to purchase a Skype Number for 50% off($30 a year after discount). Once you have those items you can go back to Google Voice, click on Settings, under the "Phones" tab click "Add another phone" and then have Google Voice call you to verify that your Skype Number is yours.
The really cool part is that Skype let's you display your Google Voice number when you dial in Skype so the Skype Number essentially disappears. When someone dials your Google Voice number it will ring on your Galaxy Player, your PC(if you run the Skype client), or any other number you specify.
The downside
You're locked into Skype. No matter how you slice it it won't be free unless you forgo the Skype Number and calling plan which obliterates any hope of dialing to phones. If you opt for the calling plan then skip on the Skype Number you're forced to wait for someone to call, miss it, get the notification of a missed call, then dial them back. The Skype app itself has been buggy in the past. Running the Skype app 24/7 definitely cuts into the performance of our devices since they are at the far low end of the hardware spectrum. Can you multitask? Yes. Is it pretty? Not really. I can be assured of not missing a call and listen to music, but if the device syncs other application in the background then everything else beyond music and Skype grinds to a halt for a good 20-30 seconds.
You'll need to manually add your contacts to Skype.
It costs money. This point cannot be understated. It may be less than $6 a month but some people may not want to tack on the price of two trips to Starbucks for something they would rarely, if ever use. There are a lot of apps that will let you make calls for free and even if the quality or limitations blow free is still free.
Using a BT headset with the Skype app is hit or miss. The latency is noticeable.
But what about GrooveIP or Google Mail calling?
Amazing app in that it seamlessly works with Google Voice and Google Contacts, but I never got decent call quality. I could always hear everyone crystal clear(really, it was amazing quality), but no one could hear me all that well. I tried for months to make it work, but I could not replicate some success other Android users experienced even if I copied their settings. Skype worked almost immediately and people love the quality. Additionally I love taking calls on my PC with Skype. Yes, you can use Gmail(on a desktop) to make and receive calls but my experience was that that is more of an oddity than a solution. I can't get Gmail calls to be loud enough and I've had countless experiences where I close a tab(Gmail) thinking I was done with it only to miss a call. The stand alone Skype application for Windows combined with the Android Skype app is the best solution I have found.
"My device pissed all over itself. Skype sucks."
The Galaxy Player is ridiculously underpowered even compared to the Samsung Galaxy S. I have gotten Skype to work well by throwing almost everything else overboard. I was messing around with Winamp and for some reason Skype kept signing out and nothing I did short of a reboot would get it to sign back in. I uninstalled Winamp and all of the sudden I can Skype, play music, and use Firefox at the same time with no issues other than Firefox being noticeably slower than usual. Phones from 2010 sucked. The Galaxy Player is below the standards of a phone from 2010. You will need to treat Skype delicately to say the least.
I set up an ipbxes.org account and linked my SIP to google voice so I can just use the native dialer in android with internet calling. it's a lot less power-thirsty than skype and has a much better interface IMO. plus you don't need credits.
halomademeapc said:
I set up an ipbxes.org account and linked my SIP to google voice so I can just use the native dialer in android with internet calling. it's a lot less power-thirsty than skype and has a much better interface IMO. plus you don't need credits.
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Awesome solution. I settled on Skype because it was brainless and worked with software I already enjoyed(Skype for desktop Windows). I tried Ekiga(my only venture into VOIP outside Mumble/Teamspeak/Ventrilo) a few years back but I didn't like it for some reason. Anyway, if you have time I'd love to see a write up of what you did.
halomademeapc said:
I set up an ipbxes.org account and linked my SIP to google voice so I can just use the native dialer in android with internet calling. it's a lot less power-thirsty than skype and has a much better interface IMO. plus you don't need credits.
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Click to collapse
Wait, can you tell me the process to making the native dialer work? And what is ipbxes.org? When I enter the url it says "Webpage not available."
the playa! said:
Wait, can you tell me the process to making the native dialer work? And what is ipbxes.org? When I enter the url it says "Webpage not available."
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I think the "i" was an accident. The correct website is "pbxes.org". You will have to be on a non-stock-based ROM ICS or JB to use the native dialer. Open the dialer, Menu -> Settings -> at the bottom, "Internet Calling" -> enter credentials for SIP account.
Mevordel said:
I think the "i" was an accident. The correct website is "pbxes.org". You will have to be on a non-stock-based ROM ICS or JB to use the native dialer. Open the dialer, Menu -> Settings -> at the bottom, "Internet Calling" -> enter credentials for SIP account.
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Aw man, I HAVE to have Nebula/LinICS?
I know of a better simple way of doing it (making the sgp into a phone). I
There is a device called gmate and basically what you do is you take sim card (tmobile or at&t are the only carriers that use a gsm signal) put ur sim into the gmate and it just bluetooths the signal to your device. There you have it now your sgp is a phone
Please read more into it their is a thread on here somewhere
Sent from my YP-G70 using xda app-developers app
Here in the UK the carrier "3" and if I'm not wrong also GiffGaff sell a MI-FI to tether their 3G to any wi-fi capable device.

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