[vox-tech] Nursing home wi-fi mystery

[Mark's tech help]

I'm just encountering this thread now..
is she definitely needing an old-school phone (those Western Electric's cant be beat) or could you get her to work with a mic/speaker into a computer working with a web page?  (I actually came across an old and a new MagicJack in the thriftstore, & the circuitry seemed it would be handy and they were only a buck or so, so grabbed `em.  But then I read online that they're reviled for privacy invasiveness etc.. have been meaning to poke around & see if Linux tinkerer/heroes have written drivers or what..)
While I'm hesitant to suggest a megacorporation who makes money off building databases on people, Google Voice (free when you sign up for gmail) lets you make all the free calls you want to USA phones.
$30/mo is huge to me--  then again I'm out of work. (Please help.)  When you have the free wifi, paying for a basic VoIP service would be more private than Goog, & likely under $8/mo.
Another thought about hardware--  I think the Ipod Touch has a free app to make it work via WiFi like a phone over a Goog Voice acct. If she could work one of those.

Just my $.02!

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