Google Voice

[Sylvus]

Anyone using Google Voice (formerly Grand Central) yet? I just signed up and got an invite last night, and it looks super cool. Pick any available number from any area code as your new number, and it's device independent. Send calls to that number to up to 6 different phones, based on groups that you create. Voicemail tanscription, a gmail-like interface to view all your vm's/texts/placed/received calls. Widgets you can put into web pages to make Google set up a call between a number that the user inputs and you, without revealing your number.

And then there are mobile apps that I haven't even gotten into yet.

Go to the link above and click the "get an invitation" link at the bottom. It seems like it might be pretty cool.

[Fairweather Pure]

I use it on my iPhone. I use a lot of the voice functions on that, but the google voice function is almost always easier than trying to key in a search.

[Animalor]

I was reading this morning that Apple pulled the google Voice App from the iTunes store because it "duplicates default functionality".

http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/28/goog ... connectio/

[Sylvus]

I'm speaking less of the mobile app, and more of the service in general (of which the mobile app is a subset). Seems pretty interesting to have a device-independent phone number, kind of like an email address.

Oh, you can also press 4 during a call and it'll record the conversation. Pretty cool!

[Winnow]

I was reading this morning that Apple pulled the google Voice App from the iTunes store because it "duplicates default functionality".

http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/28/goog ... connectio/

Google Voice is now available for free if you have jailbroken phone via Cydia.

[Xouqoa]

I got my invite today.

I tried to get (xxx) GO-WINGS or (xxx) RED-WING but there were no numbers available.

T_T

[Fash]

I got the invite for this last night... cool! I now have a new number,,, 570-630-0790.

[Aabidano]

I signed up and got a number just because, still unsure what I'll use it for.

[Funkmasterr]

I got my invite a while back and am thinking of using it on my G1, but I wanted to read more on how it works. The one thing I don't want to do is have to change the number I give to people.

[cadalano]

k this is the coolest shit ever

my # is (515) WOO-HOO7

Drunk dials welcome

[Animalor]

It's lovely that there are no plans by Google to offer this in any market than the US.

[Aslanna]

I would imagine there's technical or licensing reasons for that. Or something. Big business is involved somehow that much I know!

You could always move to the US. It's not Google's fault really. Not every service they offer has to be for the global market.

[cadalano]

alright now that i have seen how awesome it is i picked a less gay number

830 HED-SHOT

BOOYA


also, cry more canada. stop ruining bacon

[Aabidano]

It's lovely that there are no plans by Google to offer this in any market than the US.

Other countries privacy laws likely forbid their nefarious plans for it!

Or they just haven't figured out who to shop the data too yet...

[valryte]

It's lovely that there are no plans by Google to offer this in any market than the US.

Trust me, it has nothing to do with Google. I've worked in the Telecom industry designing/developing products and working with telcos all around the world and I can tell you it's more of an issue with telcos outside the US than Google. Telcos outside the US are a pain to work with, are extremely slow, do shit ass backwards sometimes, pricing is a huge headache, I could go on and on. A product like Google Voice (previously Grand Central) would practically never get off the ground if it was started outside the US.

I find it amusing how 10 year old technology is now moving forward. I guess back then when I worked on it, it was just too far ahead of it's time for people to really find it useful or maybe it's just the Google factor...

[Winnow]

Word on the street is that Google Voice will be integrated into Boxee but not XBMC!

[Aslanna]

I signed up on GrandCentral back in Feb 08. But I never used it and now either don't remember my login info (reset password doesn't work as they say there's no account associated with my email) or they zapped all accounts that were never used. That wasn't very nice of them!

[Bubba Grizz]

Can someone tell me what the practical uses for this would be? I can't think of what I would want to use it for other than if it works as a replacement for Vent.

[Aabidano]

All your lines ringing on one number, voice to text voice mail, & the ability to put an anonymous widget on a webpage for people in your Hello Kitty Adventure Island Club to call you on.

[Sylvus]

In addition to those, you can set it up so that your Google Voice # rings to different lines at different time (say, work during the day, home at night, cellphone when on vacation), or so that it rings to different lines based on contacts (work contacts all go to work line, your wife always rings to your home phone, mistress to your cellphone). And it's one number for you, so you could move or change home/cell phone #s as often as you like, and never have to give out a new number to people.

[valryte]

Word on the street is that Google Voice will be integrated into Boxee but not XBMC!

Great, soon Winnow will be able to do a voice conference while he faps to his streamed anime!

[valryte]

In addition to those, you can set it up so that your Google Voice # rings to different lines at different time (say, work during the day, home at night, cellphone when on vacation), or so that it rings to different lines based on contacts (work contacts all go to work line, your wife always rings to your home phone, mistress to your cellphone). And it's one number for you, so you could move or change home/cell phone #s as often as you like, and never have to give out a new number to people.

This was more useful 10 years ago when people actually had multiple phone numbers and guess what, it didn't take off then. It's even less useful now with more and more people cutting down to only having one phone line. Seriously, paying for a cell phone AND a land line is so 90s.

[Aslanna]

That's why I just pay for a land line.. Problem solved!

[miir]

I have a land line and a work cell.... that's one phone number too many for my liking.

[Animalor]

I have Vonage at home with my work cell. works well enough

[Winnow]

I haven't had a land line since 1997. Hate the phone companies!

[Aslanna]

Cell phone providers can still be considered "phone companies" !

[Winnow]

Cell phone providers can still be considered "phone companies" !

I hate them too! The iPhone "package" sucks from AT&T, they rape you for simple SMS which cost them practically nothing.

[Xouqoa]

I have Vonage at home with my work cell. works well enough

Same here.

[Winnow]

Skype on the iPhone seems to work fine. That's wireless only though.

[Aabidano]

...SMS which cost them practically nothing.

Used to cost them nothing anyway, if it makes you feel any better the unlimited text message packages have caused all sorts of havoc. What used to be delivered on "left over" resources is now digging into other revenue generating bandwidth.

Crackberries are a killer as well, they tax resources far more than the subscription cost warrants, in contrast to a regular phone.

[Boogahz]

AT&T Reverses Policy on iPhone Internet Calls

Applies more to Skype than Google Voice :/

[Siji]

Google Voice Arrives on iPhone With HTML5-Powered Web App

http://mashable.com/2010/01/26/google-voice-web-app/

http://googlevoiceblog.blogspot.com/201 ... webos.html