1 Number To Rule Them All
Google Voice – One Killer Web App
Does Google have Skype on the menu? Voice Over IP (VoIP) is one of the hottest topics around. There has even been talk of late that the traditional P.O.T. network may be going to transition to VoIP in the future. I have written previously on this subject, but of late there has been some new additions to this service. Google Voice, or Grandcentral, it’s previous name is one of the most simple concepts when it comes to telephony. One Number for all of your other numbers.
The original concept of Grandcentral was to have one number that would ring all of your other numbers or certain numbers at a predetermined time. This in itself is a concept that is so simple it borders on brilliant.
When Google acquired Grandcentral they added some additional features such as voice transcription and messages via email, plus some other tweek’s to the service. Even though I have been using this service since Grandcentral days and as good as it is, it does have some limitations.
- You can only have one cell number attached to a GVoice number.
- You can only have two GVoice numbers attached to the same landline.
- You must have your GV account tied to a Gmail account, it will not work with Google Apps account.
As Google Voice is still in beta, we are all hoping for increased functionality.
Looking to lower your min. on your cell phone bill. Set your GV to show your GV number when it rings your cell. With your cell phone carrier, set your GV number as one of your favorite numbers and all incoming calls from your GV number to your cell phone will be free min.
What’s Next:
Recently, Google acquired Gizmo5.com, Gizmo is a full fledged VoIP service. This makes Google a full player in the VoIP market and gives Skype notice.
Gizmo 5 has been around for quite awhile and started out as an open source project. In short it is very similar to Skype with both desktop and mobile applications. As with most Google buy outs, they have suspended new sign ups while they decide how to incorporate. Of course if you are a Gizmo5 users your account is still active during the transition.
This incorporation of Google Voice and Google Gizmo has many of us waiting with anticipation. Skype has had it pretty easy of late, now they have a competitor. As I’m sure you can appreciate, when there is competition, innovation is not far behind.
Update…
The Google Phone. I was reading an article today about the yet unconfirmed Google Phone. It has been rumored that developers on the Google campus are using a prototype and that the phone will be data only and based on VoIP. There has been talk that Google has been speaking with AT&T and other carriers to provide the data service. Now the acquisition of Gizmo5 has more relevance as Gizmo5 has a desktop and mobile app that works on multiple platforms and is based on open source.
This is going to be an interesting story to follow over the upcoming weeks and months to see if Google is going to make a Google Voice phone.
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