Also, would the this phone meet the requirements to make the free Google Voice calls easily?

Lastly, would it matter if I bought a CDMA versus GSM version of this phone? I assume either way I need to unlock it. The GSM version is much more expensive, but I do have a GSM prepaid sim card that could be used as a backup way to make calls for an emergency. However, the GSM version of this phone is out of my price range. Any ideas from you would be appreciated!! Thanks again.

My information may be a little out of date, because I switched to an Android phone about a year ago and haven’t used Fring or WinMo since then. I’ll tell you what I know, but understand that I could be mistaken.

The instructions that mention Gizmo are obsolete. SipGate is my preferred alternative, and Gizmo can be completely disregarded. My understanding is that Google turned Gizmo off completely last Spring.

If you had a SIM in your phone, you could have Google Voice forward to your cell number. You are correct- this would use your minutes.

Regarding Fring:

If you set Fring up with a 3rd-party SIP service such as SipGate, incoming calls through that service should not cost you anything. My understanding is that the only way you would have to pay money to Fring is if you buy FringOut credit. I think FringOut works similarly to SkypeOut, and you wouldn’t need Google Voice or SipGate to make calls that way.

Regarding SipGate: Last time I looked at their website, they said they had run out of phone numbers, had ordered a new batch, and were waiting to receive them. It’s possible that they may open up the service to new sign-ups at that time, but there’s no indication when that will be.

I did a quick Google search for alternatives to SipGate and found this thread on Google Groups: https://groups.google.com/a/googleproductforums.com/forum/#!category-topic/voice/getting-started–tips–tricks/-FAQgo20ebA

A combination of Google Voice, IPKall, Future-nine and Fring may be the way to go. It’s one more link in the chain and not as elegant as using SipGate, but if you’re in a hurry to set this up it may be your best option. IPKall is a DID (normal phone number) to SIP service, but they don’t want you using their service directly from a softphone or device. Instead, you could forward your IPKall number to a Future-nine SIP address, which you could then connect to Fring. It would look this: Google Voice –> IPKall –> Future-nine –> Fring on your WinMo device. You’ll find the links to all those services in the Google Groups thread linked above.

I may test this out and write more detailed instructions in the future, but that’s not a high priority for me right now, as I’m primarily exploring and writing about Android. By the way, if you really like Google Voice, Android may worth considering for your next device purchase. Android 2.3 has SIP support built right into the OS, and you can configure SIP accounts in your Call Settings Menu.

Good luck, and feel free to drop a line and let me know if you get this working.

Since Google absorbed Gizmo do I need to substitute anything in your list for this?

Also, like you mentioned I can use GV mobile to make an outgoing call. For me this calls my home line since my cell phone has no number (no sim). I assume if I have a sim it would charge my plan minutes. Is this correct?

Lastly, if I add Fringe to get a number and to then have GV forward my calls to my Fringe. Wouldn’t I have to pay Fringe for each incoming call?

Really looking forward to your answers.