[bikedogrun]

OK - I really, REALLY want Skype for the Blackberry (Tour) which I had on my iPhone (when I had an iPhone). That app worked very well. I was able to make calls @ .07 cents per minute from the iphone in the US to my daughters cellphone in Russia and make calls from my iPhone while in China back to a landline in the US for approx that same .07 cents!

I have Google Voice for the Blackberry, runs fine on my new Tour. I have a Google Voice account and phone number. I've been able to use GV on the Tour to send no cost text/SMS and calls from the US to overseas are approx .02 cents to .05 cents per minute.

Before I go to China on business in 3 weeks, I would love to hear from anyone who has used a Tour or other BB with Google Voice while roaming overseas... were you able to use GV while on GSM networks to make low cost calls back to the US???

Thanks.../BD

[awu2]

Well, from what I've learned about GV, it seems like GV uses the phone plan to dial to a GV dialing center and then they dial to the number destination. I think it would be free calls back to the US, but I think it might be very expensive for the initial call to Google. But I have no clue, I have also been looking this up since I am also going back to China in the near future and would love to have cheap calls here back home.

[bikedogrun]

Well, from what I've learned about GV, it seems like GV uses the phone plan to dial to a GV dialing center and then they dial to the number destination. I think it would be free calls back to the US, but I think it might be very expensive for the initial call to Google. But I have no clue, I have also been looking this up since I am also going back to China in the near future and would love to have cheap calls here back home.

Hmm... interesting.

If GV "really" works that way, worst case might be one 1 minute long distance call on Sprint from China back to the US to Google's server (cost of $2.99) and then the rest of the call should be .03 cents per minute via Google Voice.

Does that make sense?

/BD

[nofez]

No, that doesn't make sense to me.

GV numbers are US numbers. You're outside of the country connecting to a US number, whether you dial directly or through GV.

[awu2]

So GV does not allow you to forward to a number out of the US, so it might not work using a foreign SIM card in the first place. If it does work, then since your number is a foreign number and you need to connect to google, I think it may cost both the charge per minute from google AND the charge per minute (plus connection fee if applicable) from the service provider you are using while in China.

If it's a business trip, you may want to consider the global package, it is pro-rated in terms of cost and in this case GV should work as normal. I don't know how the coverage is, nor what the quality is, but this is the route I am currently planning to take when I take my trip to China.

[bikedogrun]

If it's a business trip, you may want to consider the global package, it is pro-rated in terms of cost and in this case GV should work as normal. I don't know how the coverage is, nor what the quality is, but this is the route I am currently planning to take when I take my trip to China.

Do you mean the BB Intl Data Plan? I've used that before, no problems... but it only covers email + data. Not voice calls.

If you use Google Voice, doesn't it still need to make a voicecall to a Google server in the US?

/BD

[bjpayne03]

I would really like to know about this as well, I have not used skype nor google voice but have heard alot about it, Im moving to Australia for a year and that would be a great setup if I could set up cheaper calls home

[AdamG#AC]

1st thing to note is that Skype will not work the same on bb as it does for iphone. It will not use data. Reg calls to access numbers and callbacks.
I won't bog everyone down w the gory details, but you can email me at adamgATcrackberryDOTcom if you need help w setting this up. What you want is called a DID Number for whatever country you're in. Many free ones if you search the net. Then you want to buy some minutes from a VOIP provider. I recommend voip.ms for both, after much research. You'll set both up on a pbx. pbxes.com offers free accounts to do this. Then with a foreign SIM, you'll dial your local DID number, hopefully for free with tour SIM purchase. You'll enter a PIN of your choice, get another dial tone, then you'll be dialing out to the US for 1 cent per minute. Also works to dial overseas from US for cheap with a free US DID number. This is essentially what all the bb dial out for cheap apps do but w out the app

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[AdamG#AC]

Another thing you can do that is absolutely free and works on the principal stated above is go to Talkster free international calling and enter the number you'll be calling from then the number you'll be calling. You will both get a local dial in number(DID) that connects the intl call. So you are in China on a local SIM, you call the local number you got to call your home in the US. You have 20 seconds to tell the other party to hang up and call u back on their number, while you stay on the line. They dial in and you have unlimited intl talk time for the price of each party's local call. Not really convenient for a full address book, but for a few key numbers while on a trip, it sure as **** works.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com