Google Voice FTW

Hi all!

I think I mentioned Google Voice some time ago. It seems to be working real well and so far I have only heard one complaint about a voice mail giving a weird response.

If you do not have Google Voice but think you may want to try it you have to request an invite.  http://google.com/voice

What does it do…

Google Voice is a Centralized Voice-mail system. You can assign many phones to forward all missed calls directly to a single voicemail in-box. You can access these voice-mails on your phone like normal (with a new number to dial). You can also access these voicemails on the internet.

The Voice-mails once received into the Google servers are transcribed into the language of your choice. The transcriptions are not yet perfect but it almost always gets numbers and clearly enunciated words correctly. This is especially nice when you can just click a button and create a new contact with as much of the vital information as can be taken from the transcription. Of course you can listen to the original recording and like Network cell voice-mail the recordings will be saved for only 14 days. That is unless you save it separately which is easy to do.

Really the best part about it is the ability to access everything on the web. If you already have a Gmail account an if you’re using Google contacts the transition is easy and simple.

Another nice point is that if you get the free for life google phone number you can easily send and receive sms messages from the computer keyboard. These message just so happen to get stored in thread form for easy reading and archival.

With or without a Google number you can also dial a number to call someone on a separate phone. So you want to call your Auntie Em? You simple goto your Gmail contacts and select Auntie Em’s listing. Next to her number will be a call button. When you press this call button a dialog comes up and asks you which phone you wish to call from.  On my setup I can use either “My Cell Phone” or “My MagicJack”. You just select which phone you want to use and check if you want to save the settings. Clicky Clicky and Google voice will call the phone you selected, when you answer the phone it automatically dials out the correct number you wanted to call.

I think it is very cool, especially if your one of those people that is in front of a computer more often than not.

MagicJack, where is the magic?

Endgadget.com reports on a law suit instigated by MagicJack against bongbong.net.

For those of you that are not familiar with the MagicJack device, it is a USB dongle that connects your standard landline telephone to the computer allowing you to make VOIP calls for very cheep. OK actually very cheep is a misnomer because MagicJack only charges a yearly fee for unlimited calls.

boingboing.net reported some time ago about a few problems with the Magicjack EULA. The problem seems to be that the execs at MagicJack state that they can examine the numbers you call and that you do not have the right to sue them. These items are stated in the EULA (End Users Licensing Agreement)

The biggest issue seems to be that there are no links to the EULA from the website. No EULA shown to you when the SW installs or when you buy the device. SO, as a user you are expected to know and understand the EULA but MagicJack never gives you the ability to read it.

So, MagicJack CEO sued boingboing stating that the company was subjected to “Hate, ridicule and obloquy (ridicule)”

Thankfully the court system is smart enough to realize these things are wrong and boingboing was right, magicjack lost the suit and had to pay $54k in fees and assessments.

The original story at Engadget

The original story at Boing Boing

Rubik’s Cube

Can you solve a Rubik’s Cube?

My fastest time was 40 seconds, my average is around 60 seconds.

Take some lego pieces, a laptop and a lot of  time and you could create this…

A Lego Machine that can Solve the Rubik’s Cube in <11 Seconds… :eeks:

Darn Lego machine cheats by using a laptop.

I originally saw the link from Danny’s Facebook page, Thx for the link Dan!
Which pointed to an article at engadget ..

Here’s the video link directly

Pretty cool the way I see it!