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How to make free calls from a plane using Google Voice and Gmail
Right now, I'm cruising at 35,000 feet on a Delta flight surfing the Web with Gogo's Inflight internet access. My flight has been delayed, and I want to tell my wife that she can pick me up later. And it occurred to me: I wonder if Google's new "Call from Gmail" feature would work while flying. Sure enough, I opened Gmail's "Google Talk Plugin" interface, entered Gadling editor Grant Martin's phone number and pressed "call." As it turned out, he answered the phone -- and he could hear me.
What does this mean? Well, it means that, if you're in-flight, and you have a headset and a Gmail account (and a Gogo Internet pass), you can make free calls from the air (to the US and Canada only) to landlines. This is not new for VOIP (Skype's infrastructure allows this, though it's hit and miss), but this is a first for Google.
Is it a win for airline passengers? We're undecided at this point. While the convenience is certainly nice, do we really need to hear the girl next to us on the plane cooing to her boyfriend via her Gmail account?
| I love it! No more inflight movies for me - I'm going to call all my friends and tell them I'm calling from 35,000 feet! | |
|---|---|
| Hate it! If I notice anyone around me making phone calls, someone is going to end up head first in the airplane toilet | |
| Only if there is an emergency. And no - "please pick up pizza is not an emergency" |
Filed under: Airlines, Transportation, Budget Travel
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Grant Martin Aug 27th 2010 5:35PM
Note, Grant is not Willy's wife.
Scott Carmichael Aug 27th 2010 5:43PM
Did he sound drunk when he called you?
Bill Aug 27th 2010 5:48PM
Please; no cooing on airplanes. Or other mindless drivel.
Grant Martin Aug 27th 2010 8:57PM
Worked on my American Airlines flight from ORD-LGA over gogo. T minus 7 hours until gogo blocks the port.
Maladroite Aug 28th 2010 2:18PM
To those annoyed with this concept, that's what Noise Cancelling headphones are for. What do you do when babies cry on your flight?