Re: To Janina Sajka Soft phones?

[David Chittenden]

Yes, MagicJack is the most affordable option I have found for having a number 
in the US.

My mobile phone provider / plan now gives me free and unlimited calling to 
several countries, so I no longer use MagicJack or Skype.

Kind regards,

David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
Mobile: +61 488 988 936
Sent from my iPhone

> On 3 Jan 2018, at 03:27, 'Janina Sajka' via MacVisionaries 
>  wrote:
> 
> Hi, Donna:
> 
> You're most welcome, and never worry about time elapsing between emails.
> I've the same tendencies myself!  Probably, we all do.
> 
> I think your choices are exactly right. As long as you're cool with a
> new phone number, these are the easiest path. And, the very easiest is
> probably Magic Jack.
> 
> PS: I just learned there's a software version of Magic Jack. One of our
> European based list members uses it to have a U.S. phone number. Pretty
> cool!
> 
> Happy New Year!
> 
> Janina
> 
> Donna Goodin writes:
>> Hi Janina,
>> 
>> First, sorry it's taken me so long to respond.  I was traveling for the 
>> holidays when I saw this, and knew I wouldn't have time to give it proper 
>> attention till I got back home.
>> 
>> Thanks so much for providing such a lengthy and detailed response.  This is 
>> my first foray into this, so I really appreciate having such a breadth of 
>> info.
>> 
>> My immediate thought is that I'll either go with CallWithUs, or maybe just 
>> check out Magic Jack, for simplicity's sake.  I think I'll explore both.  At 
>> any rate, it's great to know what my options are.  I don't have any more 
>> questions for now, but I'm sure some will arise as I get further into all 
>> this. :)
>> Cheers,
>> Donna
>>> On Dec 26, 2017, at 9:42 AM, 'Janina Sajka' via MacVisionaries 
>>>  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi, Donna:
>>> 
>>> Yes, as you need PSTN support, I can be a little more specific. You need
>>> two pieces, a software application that will work accessibly on your
>>> Mac, and a gateway service that your Mac can register with that will
>>> carry calls back and forth to the PSTN.
>>> 
>>> 1.)On the app side I would suggest checking out an app called Bria:
>>> 
>>> 
>>> http://www.counterpath.com/bria/
>>> 
>>> 
>>> I have not used this app myself, but a colleague who I trust has it on
>>> his Iphone and is very satisifed with the performance as well as the
>>> accessibility.
>>> 
>>> Perhaps there might be others on the list who have some experience with
>>> Bria?
>>> 
>>> Among other things, Bria does support IPv6 connectivity, though this is
>>> rather a mixed blessing because there's only one service provider I'm
>>> aware of who supports IPv6. More on that below.
>>> 
>>> I get away with insisting on IPv6 because I also run my own PBX on a
>>> remote server in the cloud. To some extent that's a fancy way of saying
>>> I'm being my own phone company for myself. I'm doing that with an
>>> application called Asterisk.
>>> 
>>> The reason you might seriously care about this is that configuring your
>>> router to properly support your phone calls can become annoyingly
>>> complicated under traditional IPv4, where you have to insure you've
>>> gotten your NAT rules correctly configured. This is probably only going
>>> to be an issue, though, if you have more than one device using SIP,
>>> though there's some work even for one device. SIP wants lots of ports,
>>> 5060-5080 inclusive for SIP itself, then 1-2 for the RTP part,
>>> which is where the actual two way audio goes.
>>> 
>>> Now having said all this, another possible solution is Magic Jack. I've
>>> not used it either, but I understand it's quite trivial to use. I know a
>>> number of people who are by no means technical who are happily using
>>> Magic Jack for their phone calls. However, none of these folks requires
>>> accessibility, so I don't know about that--though I suspect all the
>>> Magic Jack smarts are in the USB device itself, so it's likely simple to
>>> manage.
>>> 
>>> Magic Jack is also very cost effective.
>>> 
>>> 2.)Service Providers
>>> 
>>> If you go the Magic Jack route, you have service builtin. If you go the
>>> Bria route, you need a contract with someone. Each of the services below
>>> are good choices. They're all pay in advance services. You pay in some
>>> money then spend down your balance making calls. I believe all of these
>>> services have flat rate monthly plans, though I'm paying by the call.
>>> 
>>> The technical term for getting a phone number is "buying a DID." That's
>>> what you want, a DID.
>>> 
>>> My current service is Vitelity, where I pay $1.49 per month for each
>>> phone number, except for my 800 number, which is a bit more, though not
>>> much more--I'm sorry I don't remember exactly. Then I pay per call at
>>> the rate of approximately 1.3 cents per minute. International calls
>>> outside of North America are more, though usually not more. Example:
>>> Europe is generally 2.1 cents 

Re: To Janina Sajka Soft phones?

['Janina Sajka' via MacVisionaries]

Hi, Donna:

You're most welcome, and never worry about time elapsing between emails.
I've the same tendencies myself!  Probably, we all do.

I think your choices are exactly right. As long as you're cool with a
new phone number, these are the easiest path. And, the very easiest is
probably Magic Jack.

PS: I just learned there's a software version of Magic Jack. One of our
European based list members uses it to have a U.S. phone number. Pretty
cool!

Happy New Year!

Janina

Donna Goodin writes:
> Hi Janina,
> 
> First, sorry it's taken me so long to respond.  I was traveling for the 
> holidays when I saw this, and knew I wouldn't have time to give it proper 
> attention till I got back home.
> 
> Thanks so much for providing such a lengthy and detailed response.  This is 
> my first foray into this, so I really appreciate having such a breadth of 
> info.
> 
> My immediate thought is that I'll either go with CallWithUs, or maybe just 
> check out Magic Jack, for simplicity's sake.  I think I'll explore both.  At 
> any rate, it's great to know what my options are.  I don't have any more 
> questions for now, but I'm sure some will arise as I get further into all 
> this. :)
> Cheers,
> Donna
> > On Dec 26, 2017, at 9:42 AM, 'Janina Sajka' via MacVisionaries 
> >  wrote:
> > 
> > Hi, Donna:
> > 
> > Yes, as you need PSTN support, I can be a little more specific. You need
> > two pieces, a software application that will work accessibly on your
> > Mac, and a gateway service that your Mac can register with that will
> > carry calls back and forth to the PSTN.
> > 
> > 1.) On the app side I would suggest checking out an app called Bria:
> > 
> > 
> > http://www.counterpath.com/bria/
> > 
> > 
> > I have not used this app myself, but a colleague who I trust has it on
> > his Iphone and is very satisifed with the performance as well as the
> > accessibility.
> > 
> > Perhaps there might be others on the list who have some experience with
> > Bria?
> > 
> > Among other things, Bria does support IPv6 connectivity, though this is
> > rather a mixed blessing because there's only one service provider I'm
> > aware of who supports IPv6. More on that below.
> > 
> > I get away with insisting on IPv6 because I also run my own PBX on a
> > remote server in the cloud. To some extent that's a fancy way of saying
> > I'm being my own phone company for myself. I'm doing that with an
> > application called Asterisk.
> > 
> > The reason you might seriously care about this is that configuring your
> > router to properly support your phone calls can become annoyingly
> > complicated under traditional IPv4, where you have to insure you've
> > gotten your NAT rules correctly configured. This is probably only going
> > to be an issue, though, if you have more than one device using SIP,
> > though there's some work even for one device. SIP wants lots of ports,
> > 5060-5080 inclusive for SIP itself, then 1-2 for the RTP part,
> > which is where the actual two way audio goes.
> > 
> > Now having said all this, another possible solution is Magic Jack. I've
> > not used it either, but I understand it's quite trivial to use. I know a
> > number of people who are by no means technical who are happily using
> > Magic Jack for their phone calls. However, none of these folks requires
> > accessibility, so I don't know about that--though I suspect all the
> > Magic Jack smarts are in the USB device itself, so it's likely simple to
> > manage.
> > 
> > Magic Jack is also very cost effective.
> > 
> > 2.)Service Providers
> > 
> > If you go the Magic Jack route, you have service builtin. If you go the
> > Bria route, you need a contract with someone. Each of the services below
> > are good choices. They're all pay in advance services. You pay in some
> > money then spend down your balance making calls. I believe all of these
> > services have flat rate monthly plans, though I'm paying by the call.
> > 
> > The technical term for getting a phone number is "buying a DID." That's
> > what you want, a DID.
> > 
> > My current service is Vitelity, where I pay $1.49 per month for each
> > phone number, except for my 800 number, which is a bit more, though not
> > much more--I'm sorry I don't remember exactly. Then I pay per call at
> > the rate of approximately 1.3 cents per minute. International calls
> > outside of North America are more, though usually not more. Example:
> > Europe is generally 2.1 cents per minute.
> > 
> > I get these prices because I'm not relying on them for voice mail, or to
> > be my PBX. All they're giving me is a phone number and routing.
> > 
> > Vitelity's web page is usable, but it's really an accessible horror.
> > 
> > Here are some service options:
> > 
> > 1.) Call With Us:
> > http://callwithus.com/
> > 
> > This is the only gateway service provider I know of that
> > supports IPv6. Also, they're very friendly to individuals like
> > you and me, as 

Re: Why Apple's "Batterygate" apology didn't go far enough

[Angie Nutt]

Hi

My husband and I have the 6s; he says he has noticed the slowdown, I haven’t. 
Mine is constantly used and the battery rarely goes flat; his is much less used 
and is often allowed to run down; I think mine is better looked after in that 
regard. 

I would certainly prefer some slowing than sudden shutdowns and I certainly 
wouldn’t want overheating.

All he best
Angie
> On 30 Dec 2017, at 16:30, Tim Kilburn  wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> T?he "dam slo down" is a matter of perception.  I'm still running a 6S?, so 
> is my wife and my daughter is running a 6.  I'd expect slowdowns on each of 
> those devices by now, especially my daughter's 6.  If the slowdown's are 
> happening, they're definitely not enough to decide that we need new iPhones.  
> I could use that as an excuse though and maybe my wife would cave and let me 
> buy one, but I doubt it.  Whether Apple is the best corporation around, or 
> not is actually immaterial.  They make a good product, and so does Samsung.  
> Samsung made a mistake last year with their batteries, maybe Apple was trying 
> to make sure that they didn't have those sorts of issues as well.  In either 
> case, Samsung is still a reputable corporation that makes good quality 
> product, and so is Apple.  We armchair executives may have multitudes of 
> opinions, but we're also not the ones answering to shareholders, the same 
> shareholders that encouraged Apple to quit putting so many costly resources 
> into accessibility, as it is not something with an excellent return.
> 
> Later...
> 
> 
> Tim Kilburn
> Fort McMurray, AB Canada
> 
> On Dec 30, 2017, at 00:21, lenron brown  wrote:
> 
> Well consumers probably thought they needed a new device in certain
> cases because of the damn slow down, When really all they needed was a
> new battery. This article got one thing right though. It will just
> blow over and most will act like this company is still the best at
> everything. The fact that they are selling the batteries for 30 bucks
> is mind blowing, because my thoughts are still why wasn't they doing
> this in the first place.
> 
> On 12/29/17, Tim Kilburn  wrote:
>> hi,
>> 
>> Thanks Mar for this.  Interesting take, but flawed in my opinion.  First, no
>> one was "forced" to purchase the new phone, that was a choice those
>> consumers made.  Second, the mention of all the customers that faithfully go
>> out and purchase the newest model would do so whether their phone was
>> slowing down or not, they just like to have the newest iPhone.  "Hungry
>> lawyers" though is spot on, along with some over zealous consumers.
>> 
>> Later...
>> 
>> Tim Kilburn
>> Fort McMurray, AB Canada
>> 
>> On Dec 29, 2017, at 19:46, M. Taylor  wrote:
>> 
>> Why Apple's apology didn't go far enough
>> By Jefferson Graham | USA TODAY Updated 4 minutes ago
>> In the grand tradition of past Apple fiascos like Antennagate (dropped
>> calls
>> on the then-new iPhone 4) and the launch of Apple Maps (directions that
>> weren't accurate), the tech giant apologized again to consumers this week.
>> The question is whether the iconic iPhone maker's apology went far enough.
>> We didn't think that it did.
>> First, Apple was forced to admit that it intentionally slowed down the
>> performance of older phones in order to keep up with declining battery
>> life.
>> It acted after a 17-year-old user performed a test that proved it.
>> Critics howled, the Twitterverse pounced and several consumer lawsuits were
>> churned out by hungry lawyers. One asked for a $5 million in compensation
>> on
>> behalf of all the consumers who felt forced to upgrade their otherwise
>> healthy older phones after they were slowed down by Apple's software
>> update.
>> They were not given the choice to opt-in for the battery-saving slowdown
>> feature.
>> Analysts had suggested Apple pen an open letter to consumers. While the
>> world awaited a beefier response from Apple than its initial admission, we
>> tried to do some of the work for them. We wrote the letter that we hoped
>> Apple would write, and posted it. A few hours later on Thursday, Apple came
>> clean and released it's own take.
>> One major difference between our proposed apology and Apple's: We suggested
>> Apple say they were sorry and offer free battery upgrades for any consumer
>> who wanted one. Apple saw it differently. It offered an apology but not a
>> free battery. Instead, it is offering a new battery at a discount: $29.99,
>> $50 less than usual cost. The deal is available starting in late January
>> and
>> running through the end of 2018 and only on iPhone 6 and 6S.
>> Remember, this is the world's most profitable company, a firm that paid CEO
>> Tim Cook $102 million in salary and bonuses in 2017. Apple generated $10
>> billion in profit for just the most recent quarter.
>> Yet it refuses to give away free batteries to inconvenienced Apple
>> customers
>> who have been suffering from slow 

Re: To Janina Sajka Soft phones?

[Donna Goodin]

Hi Janina,

First, sorry it's taken me so long to respond.  I was traveling for the 
holidays when I saw this, and knew I wouldn't have time to give it proper 
attention till I got back home.

Thanks so much for providing such a lengthy and detailed response.  This is my 
first foray into this, so I really appreciate having such a breadth of info.

My immediate thought is that I'll either go with CallWithUs, or maybe just 
check out Magic Jack, for simplicity's sake.  I think I'll explore both.  At 
any rate, it's great to know what my options are.  I don't have any more 
questions for now, but I'm sure some will arise as I get further into all this. 
:)
Cheers,
Donna
> On Dec 26, 2017, at 9:42 AM, 'Janina Sajka' via MacVisionaries 
>  wrote:
> 
> Hi, Donna:
> 
> Yes, as you need PSTN support, I can be a little more specific. You need
> two pieces, a software application that will work accessibly on your
> Mac, and a gateway service that your Mac can register with that will
> carry calls back and forth to the PSTN.
> 
> 1.)   On the app side I would suggest checking out an app called Bria:
> 
> 
> http://www.counterpath.com/bria/
> 
> 
> I have not used this app myself, but a colleague who I trust has it on
> his Iphone and is very satisifed with the performance as well as the
> accessibility.
> 
> Perhaps there might be others on the list who have some experience with
> Bria?
> 
> Among other things, Bria does support IPv6 connectivity, though this is
> rather a mixed blessing because there's only one service provider I'm
> aware of who supports IPv6. More on that below.
> 
> I get away with insisting on IPv6 because I also run my own PBX on a
> remote server in the cloud. To some extent that's a fancy way of saying
> I'm being my own phone company for myself. I'm doing that with an
> application called Asterisk.
> 
> The reason you might seriously care about this is that configuring your
> router to properly support your phone calls can become annoyingly
> complicated under traditional IPv4, where you have to insure you've
> gotten your NAT rules correctly configured. This is probably only going
> to be an issue, though, if you have more than one device using SIP,
> though there's some work even for one device. SIP wants lots of ports,
> 5060-5080 inclusive for SIP itself, then 1-2 for the RTP part,
> which is where the actual two way audio goes.
> 
> Now having said all this, another possible solution is Magic Jack. I've
> not used it either, but I understand it's quite trivial to use. I know a
> number of people who are by no means technical who are happily using
> Magic Jack for their phone calls. However, none of these folks requires
> accessibility, so I don't know about that--though I suspect all the
> Magic Jack smarts are in the USB device itself, so it's likely simple to
> manage.
> 
> Magic Jack is also very cost effective.
> 
> 2.)Service Providers
> 
> If you go the Magic Jack route, you have service builtin. If you go the
> Bria route, you need a contract with someone. Each of the services below
> are good choices. They're all pay in advance services. You pay in some
> money then spend down your balance making calls. I believe all of these
> services have flat rate monthly plans, though I'm paying by the call.
> 
> The technical term for getting a phone number is "buying a DID." That's
> what you want, a DID.
> 
> My current service is Vitelity, where I pay $1.49 per month for each
> phone number, except for my 800 number, which is a bit more, though not
> much more--I'm sorry I don't remember exactly. Then I pay per call at
> the rate of approximately 1.3 cents per minute. International calls
> outside of North America are more, though usually not more. Example:
> Europe is generally 2.1 cents per minute.
> 
> I get these prices because I'm not relying on them for voice mail, or to
> be my PBX. All they're giving me is a phone number and routing.
> 
> Vitelity's web page is usable, but it's really an accessible horror.
> 
> Here are some service options:
> 
> 1.)   Call With Us:
>   http://callwithus.com/
> 
>   This is the only gateway service provider I know of that
>   supports IPv6. Also, they're very friendly to individuals like
>   you and me, as opposed to business clients who might buy bigger
>   blocks of connectivity. Their web pages are also very
>   accessibility friendly.
> 
>   The only reason I'm not on their service is that they don't
>   support LNP, which stands for "Local Number Portability." This
>   is where you get to keep a phone number you already have with
>   someone else. If you're OK with getting a new phone number, go
>   with these folks.
> 
> 2.)   Flo Route:
>   https://www.flowroute.com
> 
>   It's business oriented and fairly technical, but it's a 
>   good service. Web interface is very workable last I used it.
> 
> 3.)   Vitelity.net
>   

Re: Connecting usb devices in vmware fusion.

[Andrew Lamanche]

I’m just having a similar issue with my usb super drive.  I wanted to install 
something from a CD, I plugged my superdrive into my macbook pro and had to add 
virtual something or rather to my VMWare via settings but Windows still doesn’t 
recognise the drive and I can’t use it. 

Andrew
> On 1 Jan 2018, at 22:52, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
> 
> Hi anders,
> 
> Yeeah it’sa crazy I know but ust check it,
> I found that the USB by default would be picked up by the mac so you have to 
> eject it then tell fusion to pick it up and add it to your vm.
> 
> Hope that works for you.
> Good luck
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 2/01/2018, at 3:39 AM, Anders Holmberg  wrote:
>> 
>> Hi Simon!
>> I haven’t tried that one yet.
>> But will do.
>> Thanks for the suggestion.
>> /A
>> 
>>> 31 dec. 2017 kl. 02:43 skrev Simon Fogarty :
>>> 
>>> Hi Anders,
>>> 
>>> Just check before anything else,
>>> 
>>> Is the mac os picking up on the USB device, 
>>> If so have you ejected it from the mac os,
>>> 
>>> What I mean is check in your mac finder for the USB device and then command 
>>> e to eject it but don't pull it out 
>>> Try adding it to your VM,
>>> 
>>> I know I had to do that with my vm's both fusion and virtual box.
>>> 
>>> -Original Message-
>>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
>>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Anders Holmberg
>>> Sent: Sunday, 31 December 2017 11:55 AM
>>> To: 'Chris Blouch' via MacVisionaries 
>>> Subject: Re: Connecting usb devices in vmware fusion.
>>> 
>>> Hi!
>>> I did all that but no go.
>>> I am now at the vmware knowledge base to find the problem.
>>> /A
>>> 
 29 dec. 2017 kl. 21:17 skrev E.T. :
 
 Disconnect the USB drives from the Mac then reconnect them and see if that 
 works. If the drives are visible on the Mac, then go to the menu bar, 
 Virtual Machine, scroll down to USB devices and find your drive in the sub 
 menu and press enter on the drive to connect it.
 
 From E.T.'s Keyboard. . .
 "God for you is where you sweep away all the mysteries of the world, 
 all the challenges to our intelligence. You simply turn your mind off 
 and say God did it." --Carl Sagan (1934-1996), Contact
 E-mail: ancient.ali...@icloud.com
 
> On 12/29/2017 10:17 AM, Anders Holmberg wrote:
> Hi!
> It seems that the windows 7 virtual machine i have has no access to usb 
> devices which are connected to my mac.
> Normally fusion asks what to do but not in this case.
> When i check the usb/bluetooth settings the table there is empty.
> But there is a button to remove the usb controller which i’ve tried to do 
> and then re-add it again.
> I would like to have the braille display and a harddisk connected but it 
> can’t be done as there seems to be no usb devices.
> Do i have to add them manually in windows?
> Thanks in advance.
> /A
 
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Recommendation for WiFI extender

[Adrienne Chalmers]

Simon

Sorry I’ve been a bit slow with this. 

I think I should have said nodes rather than points.

Here is a link to an article on T3 about mesh wifi systems which might be of 
some interest:-

https://www.t3.com/features/mesh-networking-router-showdown-6-top-systems-compete-to-take-your-network-to-the-next-level?utm_content=buffere8cd5_medium=social_source=twitter.com_campaign=buffer
 


Obviously, I haven’t used the other types it mentions, but it seems pretty 
clear that the Google Wifi system is pretty easy to set up and use.

The associated app will even give you some recommendations as to where to put 
your nodes to get the best results. For example, I had two nodes, one on my 
desk plugged into my router and one was in my kitchen It kept telling me to 
shift that one nearer the one tied to the router and I got a much better signal 
in my kitchen even though I moved the node further away.

The key thing about these mesh systems is that each unit Doesn’t dissipate the 
signal, it amplifies it.

HTH

Adrienne

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list.

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feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
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