Making Calls

Many VoIP providers have a free number you can call for testing we recommend calling this number first to determine the call quality from your network connection and provider.

The example on the right shows the Echo test number from Free World Dial up being called – this is a good number to start with since it allows you to hear what you sound like to the other end.

When testing with an echo test number you can hear the delay (called latency) introduced by the VoIP components and your particular network configuration. Do not forget, however, that you are hearing a slightly worse than normal delay (although not quite twice) since the voice must go to the other end and back.

If you experience voice quality or other problems during your call see the Troubleshooting section for possible resolutions.

Dialling

You can dial a contact using several methods:

1. Simply dial the number required on the screen

2. Enter the number (or name) to dial using graffiti or a PDA keyboard. If you wish to dial a SIP URL simply enter the URL without the preceding sip: (for example, 613@fwd.pulver.com calls the echo test number in the example)

3. Use the Lookup button at the bottom of the screen to select a number from your contacts list

4. Use the Recall button to recall the last number dialled (at the bottom of the screen when available).

5. From another application (e.g. Address book) invoke the Dial function. This can be disabled from the Settings... option in the Options menu.

The number to dial is show at the top of the screen – once you are ready to proceed with the call press the green dial button in the bottom left hand corner of the screen.

Progress of the call will be shown on the screen – and when appropriate tones will be heard through the PDA speaker. If the number dialled cannot be reached (if it is busy for example) this will be shown and you will be returned to the normal dialling screen.

Speaker Phone

If you intend using your PDA in a speaker phone type mode (i.e. Without a headset) then it is advisable to switch Echo Cancellation on otherwise the remote party may hear very bad echo effects.

The Echo Cancellation can be enabled from the Phone Settings... form from the Options menu.

Articulation uses a very simple type of echo cancellation – it detects voice from the remote party and mutes the microphone on the PDA while there is voice incoming from the remote party. In very noisy environments or on a noisy line it may incorrectly detect voice and mute the microphone producing a stuttering effect at the remote end. For this reason we recommend that a headset is used.

As an additional note, calling Echo test numbers while using the PDA as a speaker phone may cause very bad feedback effects (even with echo cancellation switched on).

In Call Options

While in conversation the screen will show the dial pad, a Mute button and an End button. The dial pad may be used to send DTMF digits to the remote end (for example, for entering options in a menu). You should note that DTMF digits you enter are not encrypted and may be intercepted en-route (in the same way that emails may be intercepted) so care should be taken when entering sensitive information.

The Mute button enables you to cut off the microphone at your end so that the remote party will not hear you; note that you will still be able to hear the remote party.

The End button allows you to finish the call and hang up – you will be returned to the normal dialling screen.

The example screen shot on the right shows the screen during a call; the elapsed time for the call is shown below the dialled number.

To increase or decrease volume during a call, the navigate rocker up and down may be used (scroll up/down on some devices).

In order to save battery power, the display can be switched off during calls. The time from the start of the call until the screen is switched off is set from the Settings... option under the Options menu. If you use the dial pad during a call, the screen will not turn off until it has not been used for the specified time.

Incoming Calls

In order to check that incoming calls work correctly it is advised that you make a test inbound call as soon as possible. In order to test the incoming call, you either need another VoIP phone subscribed to the same VoIP provider or a DID (direct inward dial) number that is used to access your VoIP phone from the normal telephone network – many VoIP providers will provide you with a DID (often this is the same as the user name).

If you are using Free World Dial up it is possible to schedule a call to your VoIP phone through the Call Me service on their web site. Simply login to your Free World Dial up account and select the Call Me link.

When an incoming call arrives an alert will be displayed on the screen, this includes the identity of the caller (if known). You have the option to either answer the call or to ignore it – if you select ignore the caller will hear busy tone.

If you answer the call, the display will switch to the normal call display as you used with the outgoing call (see the In Call Options section above). As before problems with the call may be resolved by referring to the Troubleshooting section; the call may be ended by pressing the red End button in the bottom right corner of the screen.

Note that Articulation does not support call waiting – if another incoming call arrives while you are busy on a call, the caller will hear busy tone (or may be directed to voice mail depending upon your VoIP provider).

To receive calls while you are running other Palm applications Articulation needs to run in the background. By default Articulation will prompt you when it exits, asking if you wish to run it in the background. You can change this setting from the Settings... option in the Options menu. Note that performing a HotSync and switching the network off will stop Articulation from working in the background.