Laptop phone calls

[Tuffgong4]

OK I've been looking at skype. I've seen Skype pro and Skype in and Skype out but for some odd reason I can't wrap my head around it. I'm going to end up traveling a lot for my new job (mainly day trips) and I want to be able to make and receive phone calls on my laptop (or desktop when I'm at home).

I'm looking for an all in one service that will provide me with a local number (312 area code) and let me make and receive phone calls through my desktop or laptop.

OR

If I could just have calls forwarded from my cell phone through a phone service so that if someone calls my cell I can not answer it and it will end up on my soft phone on my computer? If that's not picked up it will end with voicemail on my cell phone.

If I'm crazy with my demands let me know but I'm heading to Barcelona in March and I want to have a local number people can call or I can call from that will let me only do local calling instead of paying international rates for the people that I will talk to and me.

I'm clueless or really stupid! :cry:

 

[falconguard]

Run a dual boot with a version of linux, most of these come with Voip built in, and save yourself some more money. Opensuse has several versions of Voip programs along with Ubuntu and most other distros.

 

[Tuffgong4]

well I used to install and run asterisk based phone systems for my old company. But I'm just looking for a simple way to get my own phone number and make and receive calls over the internet and you usually need a provider like skype or yahoo.

 

[Psyborg]

this might be just what you're looking for-

http://www.voip.com/mn_index.aspx

you get a local number, and it doesn't matter which device stores your voicemails, it ain't free tho 🙁

 

[Tuffgong4]

I tink I'm just going to go with skype out. I think that will do me the best. I'm assuming me calling from barcelona will be covered by that through my laptop.

 

[Tuffgong4]

I just used Skype to place calls from my laptop to landlines and mobiles and it works great. I'm using like 4 devices wirelessly on my home lan and the sound quality was perfect. I'm very happy about it and will be using it to call my wife when I am in Barcelona in March...