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You can now sign up without invitation for Google Voice and
1) choose a Google Voice number in your (or any) area code (10 digits)
2) make free long-distance calls (within US, anyway) from your phone
(dial your GV number, *, 4-digit PIN, and the 10-digit number)
3) use their voicemail (you get no choice, and it rings 4 times)
4) forward calls from one or more other phones to the GV number
5) send and receive text messages via a browser

You can do all of this without a computer except for signing up in the 
first place, and text messages (perhaps there is some way to hear them on 
the phone?).

To sign up you need to have internet access (any place) and at the same 
time access to your phone that you want to forward the calls to.  If you 
have dialup internet (and want to forward to the same number), you either 
need to have a friend with phone internet come over, or leave someone at 
your landline phone and go to a friend's house with broadband or cell 
phone, and phone to give them a 2-digit code that they need to press after 
answering a google phone call which google makes as soon as you submit.
(You don't even get 2 seconds to end your dialup connection so your phone 
can ring).

To actually use the account on a computer, you need a compatible browser.
Google transcribes all your voice mails and you can read them online and 
either call or text them back.  THere are ways to change your settings 
using the phone but the phone menu did not even offer a way to delete 
messages, just archive them.

Opera accesses the inbox but you cannot click on the 'text' link.  It is 
not a link.

Seamonkey 1.1 (gtk1 version from http:///www.seamonkeyproject.org, 
conributions - don't download the gtk2 standard version or Seamonkey 2) 
complains about scripts not working but you can reply to something in the 
inbox with a text message.  'text' is not blue and underlines despite 
setting all links to be blue and underlined in preferences.

Things don't display quite right but it may be my preference settings.
If I try to text someone who did not first phone me, the menu overlays the 
words underneath and is hard to read.  With images turned on.

Firefox 2 (Bon Echo lifted from DamnSmallLinux) complains about even more 
scripts and does not even display the contents of the inbox.  Nor can I 
send a text message from the link for that (which works in Seamonkey 
despite overlaying another menu).

I did not try Firefox 1.5 which Stephen found.

I have been resorting to Puppy Linux or even OS 10.4 to access the web 
when all the above fail.  I hope someone can put together a GTK2 package 
(which might need a 2.6 kernel) for BL2 soon.  I will try.   Puppy won't 
even recognize the modem on my Thinkpad which works with BL.  OS 10.4 has 
some nice browsers (iCab, Omniweb).

Google is one of the slowest sites on the internet, as usual.  My reason 
for setting it up is to switch from landline to broadband with VOIP.

Thanks to James for steering me to GV.  It is the only way I know of to 
use VOIP with a local number and also receive text messages, which you 
need to do to pay for the cheaper VOIP providers.  10 euros/120 days plus 
about 1 cent/minute if you go over.  You can make free calls via the 
computer if you have broadband without using up minutes.  Or 3 cents/min 
to landlines in Ireland or Moscow among others with GV (probably the same 
with a VOIP provider).  Takes about 30 sec to have GV initiate the call 
and call your computer at your GV number.

$20/month for the cheapest broadband plus $4/month for VOIP phone service, 
vs 
$29/month for the cheapest landline phone service (and extra for long 
distance).  We are switching on Monday.


Sindi Keesan