"The downside to Google Voice has always been that it’s not actually a phone. When you dial someone with the Voice app, it dials your contact, then dials your real phone, and connects you together – you can’t just dial right out on a computer or non-phone smart device like an iPod touch and use a headset."
On a computer it can "dial" GChat, so you don't need a "real phone." I don't own a landline or a cellphone so I would know.
But I never knew you could make calls from apps. I have an iPod Touch 4, so this is going to be awesome. Now my friends might actually think I'm normal.
The quoted claim is false. I use Google Voice on Android. There's an option to "make all calls with GV" in which case all your outgoing calls go to the corresponding proxy number. There's also an "ask every time" option.
Although I'm pretty sure doing that in android still uses your mobile number and cell network to make the connection, not the WiFi or data connection. So it's still not true VoIP/WiFi-calling like it is on the iOS version of hangouts.
Look up 'Talkatone' in the App Store. It does let you place and receive Google Talk calls on your iOS device without having to use a PSTN phone of any sort.
On a computer it can "dial" GChat, so you don't need a "real phone." I don't own a landline or a cellphone so I would know.
But I never knew you could make calls from apps. I have an iPod Touch 4, so this is going to be awesome. Now my friends might actually think I'm normal.