[HTC Flyer, EVO View 4G] Zanthexter:
I'm not sure there's enough life left here to worry much about going off topic. It's sad really, because I doubt that the number of View's in the world has suddenly gone down. They didn't just all up and die when the clock struck 12. Some might be sitting in drawers or on night stands getting little use, others may be running stock GB in the hands of non-technical folks content to live in 2011. A few have probably died, or have a battery that's not much use anymore. Most though are still around, and selling at bargain prices too. I truly wish we could get a fully functional JB, since what we have now runs so smoothly and we're just missing a few pieces like video.

Anyway, to clarify a common misconception about Google Voice on cellphones...

Google Voice is NOT a VOIP service. It does NOT connect over data. It uses cell phone minutes for calls.

Google Voice is, AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN, a glorified souped up call forwarding service.

The one exception is that Google allows a LIMITED tie in to Google Chat when you open GMail on a computer (not a tablet or phone). It's remained limited on purpose, as a way to remain exempt from having to meet the regulatory requirements full VOIP phone service would require. Probably also as a way to not compete TOO directly with regular phone and cell service companies that Google needs to work with.

What GrooveIP does is exploit the Google Chat via Gmail loophole, and "trick" Google Voice into thinking your phone is a desktop computer chatting via GMail. So it has a couple of limitations:

1) Only 1 Gmail chat client can connect at a time, the last one wins. So don't open Gmail on your desktop (if it's got Google chat enabled) or you're incoming calls won't ring on GrooveIP.

2) It doesn't have 911 service. Probably doesn't seem like a big deal, until you're having a heart attack or someone chopped a finger off. You can work around this by calling the direct number for emergency service in your area, and having the clear headed presence of mind to be able to rattle off your address and such while blood is spurting out the finger stump..... (in other words, the lack of 911 is kinda a real issue)

3) While the View really can work well as a Bluetooth "phone", or as a speaker phone, it sort of sucks to hold it up to your face and talk with it. I also haven't attempted BT with the JB releases. I've no idea how well it does or doesn't work.

To get around all three of the above limitations, take a look at the Obi. You likely would do fine with the least expensive model, the Obi100 currently $40 at both NewEgg and Amazon.

What it does: The Obi is a physical box. You plug it into your broadband internet connection, and plug a regular old POTS telephone into it, and voila! Google Voice home phone service! I have mine plugged into the base unit of a 6 line cordless phone system.

How it helps work around some of the GV limitations:

1) The Obi supports adding a regular VOIP provider in addition to Google Voice. You can add a 2nd provider to get E911 service for about $2-3 a month. (You just choose outgoing pay by the minute only service.) Several providers offer the service, not just the one I linked. The Obi will dial out using Google Voice for regular calls, and can be told to use the VOIP provider ONLY for 911. For international calling, you might get lower rates with a VOIP provider than Google Voice, so you can tell it to use the VOIP provider for those as well.

2) The Obi works the same way that GrooveIP works, by pretending to be a Google Chat client. The Obi helps you get around the 1 chat client limitation by acting as a VOIP gateway. So you can not only connect to the Obi using the phone jack, but also by using Obi client apps for mobile and a standard-SIP gateway program on a desktop. On the desktop you might use X-lite, on the View you might use the Obi app, and in your kitchen you'd have a cordless phone connected to a base station plugged into the phone jack. Oh, and regular Google Voice service that uses cell phone/land line minutes. And you'd just use whichever was handy.

3) Bonus: there are no geographical limitations to where you can use the Obi clients from. You could easily let an overseas friend/family member use your Obi for free US telephone service.

Now, I, personally, find the hassle and call quality problems involved using VOIP over cellular data to just not be worth it for DAILY use, but it's nice to have as a backup for times when "stuff comes up". I have a very broke friend that relies entirely on an Obi setup similar to mine, and while he occasionally misses calls and the quality suffers on his low grade internet service...things pretty much do work. For daily use, $49 a month get's me unlimited talk, text, and 4GB high speed data, unlimited low speed on my Nexus 4. I'd love cheaper, but I just need things to WORK, since, well, I use my phone for work :)

Owning the N4 is pushing me towards replacing the View with the N7. In the end, I just need things to work, and there are enough goodies in JB versus the older versions, that I want it to "just work" in JB. If JMZ has abandoned the View (I wish he'd say something about it), and no one else is going to take things further, sadly, I think it's time to find a Gingerbread happy buyer and get what I can for it. Kinda kills me too, because other than being faster, the hardware of the N7 isn't THAT much better, and faster isn't always worth upgrading.

Anyway, hope the Google Voice info was helpful to you :) Happy New Year :)