Techie Talk

rudolf- I bought mine on eBay. Just search for 'German Keyboard', or whichever localization you prefer.

rudolf: If you're using Windows, you can also generate accented letters by holding down the Alt key and typing in that character's code. For example, an e with a grave accent, can be generated by typing in Alt+0233.

The Windows Character Map utility in Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools will show you the codes. Just click on a letter in the map.
Alt+Binder

So to end the saga (for now). Woot had a refurb 12 inch Asus netbook for $240 with $5 shipping. So I went for it. The specs are somewhat weak compared to what I was looking at, but it has the screen resolution. I had tried one of the most important programs I am going to be running on there, which is the remote control for the DSP in my sound system.. I brought the resolution on my laptop down to 600 high.. and it was really a too tight fit and would not work out, important controls off the screen. And I am trying to watch my money right now because I am making some major investments in my sound system.. investments that are going to earn themselves mostly back in the next month, but nevertheless it is a lot of money. So I decided that I would prefer to get more of a bargain now, and later on splash for one of the really nice high resolution 10 inch models and sell this one or give it to my girlfriend.

So let's say I'm sick of my landline, and I want a skype phone.
Does there exist any hardware that allows you to hook a real phone up to the PC to use as a skype phone?

Yes there are. D-Link makes one.

Someone gave me an APC PDU.. which is basically just a really heavy duty rack mount power strip with a lot of outlets and a 30 amp plug on it. Which I can totally make use of. The only problem is, it doesn't have the little L brackets to mount it into the rac... Anyone have some spare APC PDU brackets lying around???

Thanks :)

Yes I could make some. Kind of overextended at the moment, also have no idea where my hacksaw is...

So let's say I'm sick of my landline, and I want a skype phone.
Does there exist any hardware that allows you to hook a real phone up

to the PC to use as a skype phone?

Mixed media not getting the job done for you anymore? I think the real trick for you is going to be getting your phone number ported out from under the FiOS without cancelling your service. And didn't you agree to a two year contract a few months ago?

Anyway, as Pulse mentioned there are several brands of Skype-to-POTS adapters available. Most of them seem to be USB attached, though, so it's likely you'll need a dedicated computer (or a VM with a USB connection passed through to it) for this purpose.

Does it have to be Skype? If you're just looking for any phone service, most other VoIP services will give you an Ethernet-attached adapter that you can plug directly into your local network.
Vonage is the best known one, but if you'd rather go with someone trustworthy and local, our friends at Ace Innovative offer an *excellent* SIP service.
I used it for years before I got FiOS.

And if you're looking to go super cheap, you should also check out Magic Jack.

It's not worth all the taxes and fees (which I may yet pay if I go with somebody else) for the little bit that I use my landline, but I do occasionally need to be on the phone for 4 hours, and the pay as you go cell phone bill would be outragoues so I'd need some way to make long cheap calls, just really rarely.
I think I only signed a 1 year agreement, and according to what is working on vzons website, it expires 6/2010 so it's about time to start rethinking my strategy. can I port a landline number to a voip service? I didn't think you could do that. That would be neat to keep the phone number, esp since I'll be moving soon and if I can keep my phone number that'd be nice.
Good point, no it doesn't have to be skype, I'll look into vonage, and I'll check out ace. Thanks.
Any chance this stuff runs on linux? I'd rather not have to run it in a vm if I didn't have to.

oh I see, the whole thing is in one box you just plug it in to your router.
I like.

Most VoIP providers will let you port your landline number to them. Ace definitely will; I've done that with them before. You'll have to ask them if they have a way to port your number out from under a FiOS service without cancelling the service. I know they had a way to do that with DSL.

If you're moving, it might be easier to wait until then. Port your number to a new service, cancelling FiOS in the process, and then at your new location you can order service (either FiOS or Cable or whatever) and then bring your ATA along with you and plug it in -- poof, your old number is now at your new home.

Or move to my neighborhood and I'll share my bandwidth with you :)

I know Vonage can port a land-line number as well. My parents have been using Vonage for at least two years now and they've been happy. They had a local land-line beforehand and their number didn't change.

Frankly, I didn't even know they'd switched to Vonage until they told me about four or five months after the fact.

I thought ace was expensive until I looked at vonage. I think vonage actually costs more than verizon, but it's hard to tell with all the fees.
magic jack has a 30 day free trial so I ordered it, although it sounds like you have to run their softwar so e so you can see their ads, but that's what a vm is for I guess.

Anybody know of any other cheap options? The thing is I almost never use the phone but when I do it can be for a long time, so I really want an all I can eat plan for really really cheap. :-)

http://www.iconnecthere.com has a $25 unlimited plan, and they also have $0.02/minute without a plan.