yeah, they're like $10. k. bit of a project, but clear resolution.

if i ever decide to get a smartphone (i'll probably get an android eventually), i should be able to hook it into this for cheap talk and text, then rely on free hotspots for data. but i currently have no desire for this.

wait. usb. obviously.

hrmmn. second thought, those voip phones are a lot. laptop it will be.

laptop is good for skype and shit, too.

so, again, can i convert a modem into a wall plug that connects through voip? seems exotic, but not impossible.

i know, headset, but there's something comforting about having something that actually rings.

yeah. i probably wouldn't need the laptop at all, actually, if i just get a voip phone.

ok. problem solved. for now, anyways.

no google voice.

no skype-in.

why, thank you, bell-rogers corporatocracy!

currently? a little irritated.

there are potential workarounds, but they're annoying.

for now, this looks like a better idea than getting a sim card at the 7/11. 0.25 v 0.01 is a big difference, and the monthly cost for the number is less than 7/11 will charge for 9-11 access.

http://www.voip.ms/features.php

on average, that's going to cost me about $1.05/month. i put $20 down in credits, it'll last me well over a year.

google voice would be ideal, though - wouldn't even cost that - because i really just need a voicemail for people to leave messages (chances of answering the phone are zero). the site up there has the voicemail-to-email feature that converts voice messages to text messages, which i really really like....

i don't want that software on any pc i'd use for anything else, though. luckily, i have an old laptop i can convert into a dedicated, glorified phone.

last thing to check is if i can integrate this "normally" into an ip phone through software on the laptop.