This could change everything folks.
Alright, let’s give you a short breather from the whirlwind of Apple news that has been the centerpiece of this week and look at something a little different and just as exciting.
Mainly because it is going to scare the living daylights of phone carriers who more often than not don’t have the customer’s best interests at heart.
Let’s cut to the chase though.
You may have heard of it, maybe not, but very soon Google Voice (previously known as GrandCentral) might become all the rage in the world of phone communication. And with the popularity of smartphones continuing its ascent, it has a chance to become very, very popular.
So very quickly, what is it?
Using voice over internet protocol (VoIP) technology, users of Google Voice will be able to have just one number linked up to all of their different mobile devices meaning that if you own a BlackBerry, an iPhone 3G S and a Palm Pre and you have a number on Google Voice, all three will buzz if you receive a call or a message.
Honestly, that might not even be the best feature.
It also offers the ability to store and respond to SMS messages from your online Google Voice account, download voicemails, read transcripts of voicemails online, call screening, phone routing to particular phones and conference calling.
Another unique feature is the ability to switch phones in the middle of a call. This will come in handy for several reasons. One, if you are living in the Stone Age and are talking on a landline but have to run an errand yet still want to continue talking, you can switch right to your mobile and keep chatting.
It also appeals to the person who continually forgets to charge their phone meaning if you run out of batteries you can switch to another device before the person gets cut off and gets angry with your apparent rudeness.
It is on the verge of coming out very, very soon and the scramble to register numbers is probably going to be the online equivalent of a mob.
Meaning, get on there and get a number.
Or you can wait for number porting to come out and use the number you have coveted for the past some-odd years.
Who knows, one of your worst enemies might register the one you want to spite you.
There was a rumor coming from CNET’s Buzz Out Loud that it was going to come out today however according to a report by Gizmodo, a founder of GrandCentral tweeted that it won’t be out today but that they are working 24/7 to get it released.
So look for it to appear sometime very, very soon, possibly as early as next week.
It will be interesting to see how cell phone carriers react to this being opened up on a wider basis.
For more info: Contact Adam: admillios@gmail.com
Comments
There's a huge delay while on a call with Google Voice. Like I'm talking with somebody on the moon, takes a second or two before they hear what i say. I hope they are fixing that.
I've been using google voice (back when it was grandcentral) for a while now and I'd like to point out another fun feature.
You can customize your contacts to receive different voice mail prompts, ring specific phones at specific times, and listen in to them leaving a message live.
Fantastic service, because I still have a functional number when I lose my phone. (which I do often)
How about the best feature being free cell minutes. Set you friends and family or fav five to include your Google voice number. Set your Google voice to display your Google voice number as your inbound caller ID. Tell your friends to call the Google voice number and the incoming is free but does not display their caller ID. Then place your calls through the Google voice number and that is free also. This is probably a violation of terms of service but I don't see how the mobile carriers can stop the practice.
How did you get in to use the app? I get sent to a support page saying "wait for it!"
I have a Google Voice account because I had an account on GrandCentral which is what it was before Google bought it. It's a great service, but it's not going to have much impact on the phone companies. The main revenue for the phone companies these days is cell phones and broadband. Google Voice may cost them some long distance revenue and they may lose some voicemail customers, but that is not going to be a big deal, since those businesses are already in decline.
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