Gizmo limits free outgoing Gizmo Voice calls to 3 minutes

I previously wrote about using Gizmo Voice to integrate your Gizmo and Google Voice accounts for free incoming and outgoing calls.  Unfortunately, Gizmo voice is no longer completely free.  Incoming calls are still free, as before.  Outgoing domestic calls are free during the first three minutes, after which you will be charged $0.02 per minute.

You can still make free calls by using the Google Voice web interface or DialCentral on your N810.  In Google Voice, click “Call” in the upper left.  Enter the phone number you want to call.  Under “Phone to Ring,” select which of your forwarding phones you want to use for the call.  Google Voice will ring that phone.  When you answer, it will ring the number you are calling.  Gizmo will consider this an incoming call, so you will not be charged.

It’s always disappointing when a free service stops being free.   To the user, it feels like a bait and switch.  I was really excited when Gizmo Voice was first released, because I have two phones set up with an analog telephone adapter to receive Google Voice calls, and this seemed to be the missing link for seamless integration.  I was disappointed when I found out Gizmo would charge for use of this feature.

I’m not sure that Gizmo will make much money from this service.  The original incoming calls workaround still works.  For those of us who own N810’s, or who don’t mind dialing through the web interface, the Google Voice + Gizmo combination is still free and will be as long as Gizmo offers free incoming calls.

Happy dialing!

© 2009, Jonathan Johnson. All rights reserved.