Gizmo5 for Mac4.0

Well, more than one year after Google acquired Gizmo5 it seems that they kill the desktop application (like their own GoogleTalk client in Windows). The last Gizmo5 for mac crashes consistently on OSX 10.5 and 10.6, the possibility to place calls using another SIP provider disappeared, the GUI is getting ugly… Only plus point is the xmpp compatibility and the use of SIP protocol.

--- Google news --- Oh no: Big G assimilated Gizmo ! Let's see if Big G is going to respect privacy (and data privacy)... .

It is crashing only.

Wow, I thought Gizmo for Mac was dead, it's so crashy-bad. If they can make this app work again, it'd be awesome.

I personally use it for instant messaging. I use it for instant messaging because it does AIM, Yahoo, and some others. Yahoo Messenger for mac doesn't have photo sharing, so there's no other reason to use something else besides Adium. I've never had a problem using Gizmo for voice chat, though Skype usually works a little better in sound quality.

F***ers wiped out my account balance and now don't recognize my registered email address, though they keep sending me spam there. Grrr...

Gizmo5 (which is actually version 4.0... duh!) fails to launch after updating to 10.5.5.

not bad, just needs a little more put into it

Well the rating is bad, bcs i would recommend anyone to stik with the old 3.1.2 version, even so it has no video function, stability and most of all the ACF function works. To explain: ACF = All CAlls Free, which means the buddies on your list may become ACF members, and then you are able to call landline/or even mobile phone of those for free. The new version seems to get nuts on this feature, it marks almost everyone as active ACF (curiously some are marked inanctive ACF (so i can use this plan in the old version). Which means in fact : The new version shows peoples number like you are able to call for free, but EVERY CALL you do is charged! Even the ones previously used to be free! This is a big step backwards most annoyingly cannot rely anymore on the ACF Status. Even so it might make your acount settings confused! So if you like the ACF plan of Gizmo you better do not touch this Version ! PRO : Well it has no video and like always Computer to Computer is free anyway CONTRA : Using it for mobile / landline you never know , if you are charged or not (well most of the times you are charged)

I needed an extra number for incoming calls and the occasional outgoing call and Gizmo works perfectly with my Macs. I've had it with the high costs of traditional, old tech phone companies. The Gizmo interface could be a little sleeker and more compact but it's not a problem. I wasn't keen on becoming a supernode for Skype, dealing with Euros or payment issues (I had them). I waited forever for Google's GrandCentral and for iChat to be something more than AIM. Overall, a fine program.

It does have that Mac-ish feel, but there is definitely some clutter.

Works, but after the free credit, it let me buy credit, then sent me an email saying it was refunded. Seems to have bias about not letting some places, like whre I live, buy credit. Would save me money, but if you can't buy credits, it is useless.

Gizmo has better feedback cancelation than Skype. They both accomplish the basic VOIP functionality well. Gizmo's Call-Out within the US is 1¢ while Skype's is 2¢ normally (Skype's call out is free for the rest of the year). Considering the features of Skype and Gizmo are essentially the same, I found Gizmo's interface to be cluttered and confusing. I also find Skype's interface to be cluttered, but Gizmo's is far worse. The better solution would be for Skype and Gizmo to both contract with Apple to add support for their protocols into iChat so we don't have to suffer with these bad Windows-ported interfaces. Overall I'd say Gizmo has a better feature set. But the interface is so horrible that even Skype is better in comparison.

I live in France but have a lot of friends in Canada since I use to lived there for 10 years. When I use Gizmo for France to France call, the soud is garbled. But calling from France to Canada sounds perfect, even if sometimes it takes about 10 atempts to get the line (The number you dialed is not valid...) And I know it is. Anyway, this app saved me a lot of bucks on international calls.

Great program. Very impressed, keep up the good work!

Truly excellent application. Much better sound quality than Skype and just a better app in general. The only thing that Gizmo is missing is direct file transfers, but I'm sure that will show up eventually. I highly recommend this app to anyone looking to do VOIP.

On a G-4 with 10.45, I cannot get thi to log in. The on-line help and forums etc. are really not that much help. Apparently it is a firewall problem at my end but I canÕt seem to find any advice on how to set this up. I use Skype. It ran right out of the box with no problems so I will continue with Skype for now.

A really great application and the free credit to get you started is a great way to push people to using it! I've been using it for a while now and it's a bit better than Skype, in my opinion. When I've received calls with Skype, they are often garbled and staticy, but no so with Gizmo. I'd recommend it. After all, it's free to try and you get a few cents of free credit. What's to lose?!

Wow. it will be GREAT when it comunicate with GoogleTalk users with VOICE also. :D

Great VOIP app and works well with SIPhone. Better performance than Skype.

Excellent application! I haven't had any problems and i am quite satisfied. No more skype for me ;). Probably doesn't have as much features as skype but i hope to see more features soon.

Works as advertised, minor pick with slight echo/static heard by receiving party, but that might be a result of not tweaking the sound adjustment to an optimum level. Interface is straight forward, basically 1 can sum up to say it's iChat on steroids. The 25¢ credit to get U started is a good selling point. I'm using Vonage so this isn't too practical but for those to lazy to pick up a phone or want to dump their landlines ... then this is for U!

So far so good. Comes with twentyfive cent credit to test making out going calls to phone lines-- worked a treat! At one cent a minute this can't be beat. Agree, interface kinda bloated but I'm sure the developer will figure out how to trim the fat without sacrificing features. Considering how well Gizmo works, for such a new product, I'd say it really comes out swinging.

Excellent app but they should really clean up the interface, looks cheap.

Realy nice app and looks better then skype. But today i load this new version (1.1.0.90) and i cant start Gizmo. The app calls, there are no audio input devices. Thats correct. My mac mini didn't have this and i dont need them. I used Gizmo only for text messages. And i find it "stupid" that i must buy an audio device to use Gizmo.

Still not able to log in. "Unknown error" pops up after 45 second log in attempt. I'm using a MAC G4 Powerbook. I can't use Skype. What to do...

Been using Gizmo for a bit now. I have to say the prices are right and the program itself is pretty good. A little bugs here and there but it does not crash just uses around 2.5% cpu constantly when idle. So the program itself still needs work but in overall it's worth it.

I use Gizmo since two month now, and it's working as good as skype for me, no prob, really a good soft, lot better and open than skype. This new version add instant messaging, and also Jabber support: it's so a good news ! Nice work guys!

Can't get it to work... Failed to register with server, an unknown error occurred. Any help?

I've been using this for a few weeks now. I can use it along with my SIPPhone appliance at home, having my "office extension" be my laptop. I do have an issue that the program crashes when I trip to use my Bluetooth headset to answer an incoming call. Has a lot of potential. On an opinion note, anybody using this software should realize that this is beta software. Skype is very good, stable and has been out a bit longer. So, naturally it will be better. Give these guys a chance and some time (maybe some $). If you want full functionality maybe you should shell out a monthly fee to one of the bigger VoIP companies who support soft phones. There a lot of whining here. Gimzo is damn good for beta software.

I'm not sure what a lot of folks are complaining about. I just got back from Europe where I used Gizmo in England and Italy, over both LAN and wireless, to call back to the States. I loved the $.02 per minute fee, the quality of the sound, and several other folks used my laptop to call home. Works great for me!

One major drawback of both Gizmo and Skype is that they dont support the audio from Video cams.

A lot of the earlier reviews of Gizmo were by turns whiny and scathing, and I'm not sure why. This software fills a useful VOIP gap that Skype doesn't (and never will as a proprietary application), though the developers make no bones that it's still very much in beta status and under heavy development. Furthermore, I think we Mac users might find it in our hearts to be a bit more forgiving of Gizmo's faults. The developers proudly display the Mac version of the client, unlike nearly every other cross-platform commercial software developer that has the gaudy WinXP version on its home page. That's gotta be worth something, no?

Don't use GIZMO, it does not encrypt the ocnversation: http://support.gizmoproject.com/index.php?_a=knowledgebase&_j=questiondetails&_i=65 Skype encrypts all conversations, file transferes, messages. If security is a point, go for Skype.

I use Skype and I use Gizmo. Both programs have positive and negative aspects. For all users who don't know Skype, here's the link: www.skype.com :-)

Gizmo call quality is better. The rates to the US are lower than Skype. Call recording ROCKS. Call hold music ROCKS. "Baby monitoring" feature ROCKS. Call sound effects ROCK. The UI ROCKS. Call Mapping ROCKS. Gizmo has been updated 3 times since I got it less than a month ago and each time it has gotten 1-2 more killer features. I bought CallIn and CallOut with Paypal and it was posted to my account in about 3 minutes. Dude, forget Skype, Gizmo is the Shiat.

The Gizmo client is really getting good. stable software and better connections and sound quality than Skype when I make a call from Belgium to a mobile in Egypt. On the other hand, making these same calls with Skype is cheaper (a lot cheaper). So I always first try to make a connection with Skype and if I am experiencing problems I switch over to Gizmo.

The software is better than Skype's and it seems that the system is using better line system than Skype (they use old lines that are failing a lot when calling a land line). The voice mail is free, you can record a conversation and you can map a caller, etc. So it seems a very good alternative to Skype. Also, why is "garbage" allowed to spam the board with 1 star rating? Admin, you should remove one of his/her posts.

Does not detect video camcorders. I use my panasonic camcoreder for the audio and both Gizmo and Skype cannot detect audio input. iChat and other similar apps work fine. This thing is too limited..

" Is my profile information public? Yes, it is. Most of our members prefer to make it easy for others to find them. If you have privacy concerns, then you are welcome to leave your profile blank, or fill it with false (or perhaps humorous) information. You're billing address, and other information submitted during a purchase are not published, and are not available to be viewed." Stay away from these spammer lovers!!!!!!!

I use version .8 v48 and I think it rocks. I have a lot of problems calling out with Skype in Canada and on European cell phones. With Gizmo, no problem at all and connections are of better quality. I just hope calls get cheaper.

Piece of shite. Worked well for 1 day then zip. Charges you for unconnected calls, busy signals, and out of service recordings. Skype has NOTHING to worry about.

............................................. I'm marking this down heavily because : 1. They take all my credit card info & give no credits. 2. Absolutely no respnse to trouble ticket after 4 day's. I'm making a complaint to the authorities & my credit card company.

please backup your claims with reasons Call out function does not work properly on Mac OSX version. I used my moneybookers account to send $10 but the app never showed that this amount had been allocated. Even though 25 cents credit was assigned by GP tells me that I do not have any credit. The help is not well organised - it is hard to find what prefix needs to be dialed to make an international call. All of the other help needs to be organised into a logical format such as You'd like to make an international call? Here's an overview. If while reading the overview, you'd like to drill down for more detail just click on links within the overview document.

It is much like Skype but it claims to be an open network based on SIP Phone. When you register yourself you get 25 cents of free calling time to a land line, so I tested it and it works swell. I was really excited about it and tried to buy Call Out minutes. No dice. I tried my credit card twice but nothing ever worked. No error, no warnings, but no confirmation of any kind AND no additional Call Out minutes appeared. Worse, after three days, their so-called 48-hour support line had not bothered to respond to my trouble ticket. So with no way to generate revenue and no support these guys are NOT going to make it. Plus there is the possibility that I have been Phished with this.

Looks pretty cool, but the problem is that I don't know anyone who uses it (yet).

"... designed to look like the popular iChat ..." Uhh, it looks more like Skype than iChat to me.