Tango

Sam was looking at the ASUS ZenPhone AR because of Tango and Daydream from Google, but Leo says it's terrible, and he should not get it. Tango is Google's imaging capability that they have since stopped supporting. It's kind of like Apple's face recognition technology, but it pointed outward instead of inward and it had 3D mapping. It turned out that no one wanted to make a phone with the Tango hardware because it was too expensive, added too much complexity, and required too much battery.

Bernie wants to know about his data. He's worried that he's going over his data caps. Leo says that cell phone companies are moving towards Voice over LTE, which will use data to do phone calls because the quality is better. Can he get a data only device and do that? Leo says he can use apps like Tango and Skype to do that, but he's still paying for data. No cell company offers a mobile phone with just data only.

Aaron is looking for an alternative to Skype for voice over IP (VOIP) calling. Is Google Hangouts a good idea? Leo says that Hangouts is a good option, but Google hasn't been giving it much attention to it as of late and may kill it.

Lane is looking for a good voice over IP (VOiP) phone option. Leo says that Ooma and 8x8 are good because they are rather invisible and he can use regular phones to make calls. To use his mobile phone with it, he'll need a SIP app (session initiation protocol), but they require a SIP provider. There's a company called Obihai which provides the SIP access. Ooma has built up enough of a network so that it's more affordable and a good choice.

Rene wants to cancel her wireless service and just use Wi-Fi to make phone calls. She also wants to just buy a data plan and use VOIP to make calls, but she can't seem to do that. Leo says one way is with Skype. She can Skype out/In. She even get a regular phone number through that. Tango, Viber and Line can also do it.

Norman wants to make his phone calls over the internet instead. Here's a list of apps that would let him do this inexpensively, or free:

Mark got a new Android Phone with T-Mobile and wants to know if he can use Google Voice instead and avoid using his minutes. Leo says no. Google Voice would still use Mark's minutes. Voicemail uses only data, though. Options for data only usage include include Tango, Skype, and Talkatone.

Mary wants to know about alternatives to Jajah, a VOIP service that she's been using and is going out of business.

Leo says Skype is one solution and she can use Skype with a phone number on a mobile phone with the app. It's very inexpensive. She can buy a Skype Out account, and that lets her make calls to regular phones. Leo did that with his daughter when she was studying overseas. Mary is worried about governments listening in when she calls overseas. Leo says that unless she's Jason Bourne, nobody really cares.