Jon's Phone Tool lets you make VoIP calls via your Mac's speakers
Not being a Mac person, I had only the most passing of familiarity with Jon's Phone Tool up until now. But I did notice that Version 3.0 came out yesterday, so I thought I would research it.
'm guessing some of you Mac users will be interested.
This $14 utility uses a Bluetooth mobile phone, your Mac’s modem, or speakers to dial the phone. It is compatible with Mac OS x 10.2.8+, including Mac OS X 10.4-Tiger.
According to information on the Jon's Phone Tool site, the dialer can also make calls via Vonage, CallVantage, Skype, Ovolab Phlink, Parliant’s PhoneValet, an Asterisk PBX server, IP-based telephony devices (including Cisco IP Phones), or SIP softphones by Xten Networks, Inc. for use with many VoIP services.
This is how you would use JPT to set up a call over a Cisco IP Phone:
You can, we're told, enter a number manually or you can use the integrated search tools to find numbers in your Address Book, Microsoft Entourage, Now Contact, or Palm Desktop databases.
To me, the kewelest part is dialing via your speakers. Looks like this:
I'll let whizbang scriptbuilder and developer Jonathan Nathan- the "Jon" in Jon's Phone Tool, take over on how to use JPT to make VoIP calls via your speakers.
As he writes in the Speakers section of the JPT site:
To dial via the speakers, simply hold the receiver up to your Mac’s speakers when the numbers are played — make sure your speakers are not muted! To dial using the modem, make sure both the modem and your phone are connected to the same phone line. As soon as the modem dials the number, simply pick up your receiver. The modem will bow out and you may continue your call. For non-mobile phones, this external phone must be an analog phone (i.e., a standard phone found in most homes). If you wish to use JPT with a digital phone (such as a PBX in an office), you’ll need some sort of converter to allow your modem to communicate with your phone.
Although Jon's Phone Tool costs $14, downloaders get a 14-day free trial. (I guess the number 14 is your lucky number, Jon?)
I'd love to get TalkBacks from readers who have tried Jon's Phone Tool. What do you think?