Tuesday, September 14th, 2010
We’re always on the look out for new and exciting mobile technology so when we saw the latest offering from Gradwell Mobile, we thought it was worth sharing on here.
Now, Gradwell’s services won’t appeal to everyone as they only offer services to business, but if your company uses a PBX system, or relies on both landlines and mobiles to get things done, then I’d take a look at what they can offer you.
A lot of companies already use a PBX or telephone system, which is great for transferring calls all around your office building, but what if you’re not always in your office or don’t want to commit to long line rental contracts if you’re always moving about?
That’s where Gradwell come in. They can offer the same services that you’d get from a fixed line phone system, but using just your mobile phone and your PC and without long and expensive contracts.
I’ve been able to play with their system for a few days now and I’m surprised at how simple it is. My previous dealings with PBX systems has often left me confused, but even though there’s a lot to take in, the service I tried from Gradwell was far easier to use than you’d think. If you’re new to telephone systems or haven’t used them before don’t worry, I’ll try to keep this as simple as possible.
How does it work?
With a standard telephone system it can be quite costly to set up. You need some fairly expensive equipment installed in your office, along with a number of phone lines and the phones themselves. You then need an engineer to come out and program it all to get it working how you want it. Most systems are limited to fixed line numbers on the same network too, although more expensive systems can allow you to transfer calls to other locations.
With Gradwell’s solution, you don’t need any expensive equipment other than your PC and a 3G mobile phone. You can invest in a physical desktop phone if you want, but you can use a free PC application to handles your calls. You don’t need an engineer to visit either. The whole system is managed through a straight forward and easy to use website. Once you’re logged in, you can control the order in which the phones ring, specify times for the phones to ring, set up queuing, set and record voice prompts and IVR, upload music for hold and much more.
The service works in two parts, a VoIP service and a Mobile Service.
VoIP isn’t really anything new – it’s been around for a few years but complicated set up and confusion over which devices will work with it have made the take up of the service relatively low. That’s all starting to change though and VoIP is looking like a very strong alternative to standard voice calls.
The Mobile Service is what really makes this stand out though. It’s new and very different to that provided by the likes of O2, Vodafone, 3, Orange and T-Mobile. All your calls are routed through your virtual phone system over the mobile network – acting in pretty much the same way as it would if it were an ordinary landline plugged into the wall. This means that you can promote just one phone number and fully control where that call is routed.
With Gradwell Mobile you can have a geographical number (01,02,03) as your mobile number rather than a traditional mobile number that starts 07. Any calls and texts that you send will then appear as if they have come from a landline number.
Benefits
There are so many different types of business that can benefit from this service, for example, a company employing home workers or people that work on the road all day could provide each employee with a mobile for their calls. All outgoing calls would have the main switch board number as their caller ID. Anyone calling the back on the main landline number could then choose from an IVR who they wanted to speak to and be routed through to them quickly and easily. This would give the appearance of everyone being in one office. Calls could also be routed to the user’s PC running a VoIP client.
Why would you switch?
That’s exactly what I asked when I was first given this to review, but having spent time with it, I can see exactly why this would be a better, cheaper option for a lot of businesses. The package I’m using is £18 per month (ex VAT), that gives me up to ten extensions – these can be Mobile phones (with the Gradwell Sim Card) , PC’s with a VoIP client installed, VoIP deskphones or a Smartphone with a SIP client (such as Fring) installed. Calls aren’t included, but calling rates are much cheaper than those charged by the mobile networks.
Recommended Handsets for Gradwell Mobile
To get started, you’ll need to sort yourself out with a Hosted PBX service from Gradwell, and if you want the flexibility of being able to divert calls to your mobile without having to use a third party VoIP application, you’ll need a Gradwell Mobile Sim and a compatible sim free 3G phone – Nokia E Series and BlackBerry handsets are ideal.
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Friday, June 26th, 2009
The Qstik EVO Q is more than just a standard Bluetooth Headset. It may not be made by a big household name, but that doesn’t mean that the Qstik EVO Q is missing out on features – if anything it has more than some headsets by Nokia and Sony Ericsson. I’ve been using the Qstik for the last week in place of my usual Stereo Bluetooth headset, to see how it measures up against its rivals. In this review I tested the headset using the Nokia 5800 Xpress Music and the Apple iPhone 3G running iPhone OS 3.0.
Qstik Evo Q Bluetooth Headset
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Monday, June 8th, 2009
For a number of years now it has been possible to use a Bluetooth Headset with your phone and more recently we’ve seen the introduction of Bluetooth Headphones and Stereo Bluetooth headsets that allow us to listen to music and make calls on our phone without the need for wires, but what if we want the same amount of freedom when using other devices such as PC’s?
We’ve compiled a list of our top 10 Bluetooth Headsets and Bluetooth Headphones / Stereo Headsets.
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Monday, June 8th, 2009
For a number of years now it has been possible to use a Bluetooth Headset with your phone and more recently we’ve seen the introduction of Bluetooth Headphones and Stereo Bluetooth headsets that allow us to listen to music and make calls on our phone without the need for wires, but what if we want the same amount of freedom when using other devices such as PC’s Stereos and TV’s?
The way that Bluetooth has been advertised is that it’s only for mobile phones – but this really isn’t the case. With more and more of us making calls using VOIP services such as Skype, the need for a wireless headets that you can use with your PC is just as strong as it is to have one for your phone. What you may not realise, is that the equipment you need for your PC, is in most cases, exactly the same as you need for your phone.
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Tuesday, June 17th, 2008
To use your Bluetooth headset with VOIP programs such as Skype, you will need to pair your headset with your PC, authorise it to access Skype, and then configure Skype to use Bluetooth audio devices. The process is fairly straight forward, but varies slightly depending on the dongle and driver that you are using.
The steps below assume that you have installed the software that came on the CD with your Bluetooth Dongle, not the generic Windows drivers, and that Skype is already installed on your PC running Windows XP SP2.
To determine which Bluetooth drivers you are using, you will need to access Device Manager. To do this, press the "Windows" and "Pause Break" keys on the keypad simultaneously. This will then open System Properties. Click on the Hardware tab, and then you will see a button to launch Device Manager – click it. This will then open a new window listing all devices connected to your computer. Towards the top of this list you will see Bluetooth Devices, click the plus sign to expand the list. The top line should say Bluetooth Enumerator, the second line will tell you which driver you are using and will be either Broadcom/Widcomm, Toshiba, or BlueSoleil. Make a note of your driver manufacturer and close all windows. If you see Microsoft listed, it means you have the generic Windows drivers installed, and probably won’t work with Skype unless you update the drivers. For information on how to do this, read our post on updating your Bluetooth drivers.
Please note that drivers are specific to the dongle you are using, and you can only use the driver manufacturer that is supplied with your dongle. You cannot, for example, use a Toshiba driver with a BlueSoleil supported dongle.
Broadcom / Widcomm – Skype Compatibility Rating 5/5
- If you have already paired your headset with your PC, delete the pairing.
- Right click the Bluetooth icon by the clock and select add a bluetooth device. This will then launch a wizard to guide you through the pairing process.
- The wizard will search for available devices, select the headset you want to use and click on next.
- The next screen will ask you to confirm the services you want to use. Mono Bluetooth Headsets will list only Hands-Free Unit, Stereo Bluetooth Headsets will also list Stereo Audio.
- Ensure all boxes are ticked and then click next.
- Click OK on the pop up and then click finish on the confirmation screen. You may then see a further pop up confirmation message. Click ok.
- The next screen will ask you to confirm the type of headset. Regardless of your headset, select personal handsfree device with no display.
- You will then be asked to confirm what applications the headset will primarily be used for. Make sure Skype is ticked – click next,
- Now switch over to Skype, you should see a pop up alert by the clock asking you to allow a program to access Skype, you need to allow this add on.
- Once you’ve allowed it you’ll see a message at top of the Skype window.
- Click on the BTSTAC~1.exe file name, then on the pop up screen make sure that the check box next to "allow this program to access Skype" is ticked,
- In Skype, go to Tools, Options and select Audio Settings. For each of the 3 drop down boxes select "Bluetooth".
- Check the "Ring PC Speaker" box if you want incoming calls to ring through the PC speakers as well as ring in the Bluetooth Headset then click on save,
- Make a test call. There may be a brief delay when it connects initially, but you should then be able to hear and talk through your Bluetooth headset.
Toshiba Drivers – Skype Compatibility Rating 4/5
- If you have already paired your headset with your PC, delete the pairing. You can do this through the Toshiba Bluetooth Control panel.
- You’ll see the name of your Bluetooth headset, and three buttons underneath – new connection, detail and delete. Make sure the headset is disconnected and then click delete.
- Launch Skype.
- Go back to your Bluetooth control panel and click on new connection.
- On the wizard that appears, you need to select CUSTOM mode.
- Turn your headset on and put it into pairing mode then press next. Your PC will then search for Bluetooth devices in range, if it doesn’t find your headset on the first scan, click refresh to do another search.
- Select your headset from the list of discovered devices and click next.
- On the next screen you may be prompted to select the type of device you wish to connect. You should see two or three options – Audio Sink, Handsfree, Headset. (Audio Sink may only show up if you are using a stereo headset.)
You need to select Handsfree on this screen and click next.
- You will now be prompted to enter Pin or Passkey, this can be found in your user guide.
- The next screen you see should ask you if you want to use this in cooperation with a VOIP application. You need to make sure that this box is ticked. If its not, you won’t be able to use it with Skype.
- On the final screen you will be given the option to rename your headset and place a shortcut to the connection on the desktop.
- Click finish.
- Now switch over to Skype, you should see a pop up alert by the clock asking you to allow a program to access Skype, you need to allow this add on.
- Once you’ve confirmed it you’ll see a brief confirmation message in the main Skype window.
- Click on this message and make sure that the check box next to "allow this program to access Skype" is ticked.
- In Skype, go to Tools, Options and select Audio Settings. For each of the 3 drop down boxes select "Bluetooth wave" – Click on save.
- Make a test call. There may be a brief delay when it connects initially, but you should then be able to hear and talk through your Bluetooth headset.
BlueSoleil – Skype Compatibility Rating 2/5
BlueSoleil drivers aren’t the best for working with Skype. The latest version of the drivers, 5.0.5, doesn’t support VOIP services such as Skype unless you pay for an upgrade. You can download version 3.2.2.8 from the BlueSoleil web site which does support VOIP at no extra cost, but I found it to be more difficult to use than Toshiba and Broadcom. The following guide is based on Software version 3.2.2.8.
- Pair your Bluetooth Headset to your PC as normal and then launch Skype.
- To begin setting up Skype, click on Start -> All Programs -> IVT BlueSoleil -> BlueSoleil VOIP Plug In.
- After a few seconds you should see a pop up notification by the clock asking to allow access to Skype, you need to allow this add on.
- Once you’ve clicked on it you’ll see a message at top of the Skype window.
- Click on the .exe file name.
- On the pop up screen make sure that the check box next to "allow this program to access Skype" is ticked.
- Connect to headset, (either by pressing call button on headset, or by right clicking on the headset icon in the bluetooth control panel and selecting connect.)
- In Skype, go to Tools, Options and select Audio Settings. For each of the 3 drop down boxes select "Bluetooth SCO" – Click on save.
- In some cases, "Bluetooth SCO" may not work, in which case set these to Bluetooth AV.
- Make a test call. BlueSoleil is a little slow, and you will find that your call initially is played through your PC, but will be transferred to the headset after a few seconds.
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Tags: Bluesoleil, Bluetooth, Broadcom, case, cases, Click, computer, dongle, Downloads, Driver, drivers, headset, install, installation, pair, Pairing, screen, skype, software, speakers, test, Toshiba, update, voip,
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