You Can Phone Home From Gmail

I really like this feature.  It is so convenient.  Most say this is nothing new, but it is to me. 

After downloading the plug-in, I gave it a whirl.  I called my house phone and surprisingly it was very clear.  The next day, I needed to make a long-distance phone call and since, I was on my computer, I decided to use the new feature.  I dialed the number, it rings, I'm place a queue as according to the recording my "call will be answered in approximately 5mins".  When the rep answered, I said, "hello" and proceeded to explain my dilemma.  In the middle of my explanation, I hear "hello, how may I help you!"  Argh!  She couldn't hear me.  What a disappointment.  I decided to search online to see if others were having the same problem...and they were.

I decided to update my drivers, reboot and try again.  I tried calling a friend locally.  The keyboard stated, it was dialing, but I couldn't hear it. Ugh!  I then re-installed the initial plug-in, reboot and retried.  This time I called my mom, who is local.  I can hear the dial tone (yay!). 

Mother: "Hello"

Me: "Hi"

Mother: "Where are you? "Whose number is this?"

Me "You can hear me!" *smiling*

Mother: "Yes, I can. Stop yelling!"

Me: " It works!" *smiling*

Mother:  "What are you up to now?"

Me: "I'm calling you from my laptop, through my gmail account."

Mother:  "You and these gadgets"

Give it a try if you have a gmail account and if you don't sign up for one.  Remember to update your drivers (sound) and then install the plug-in for the feature from Google.  Long distance calls are free now; not sure for how long.  International calls have a small fee.