Google takes aim at Skype with Blackberry & Android voice apps
Google Voice has added applications for Blackberry and Android phones which give you the ability to call and text with your voice number, voicemail transcriptions, and cheap international calls.
While only available to US consumers currently, and a select few at that, the move is an ominous step into Skype’s territory.
If you use more than one mobile Google voice enables you to use one number for all of them, along with the ability to make outgoing text messages and calls, and international rates that start from US2c per minute.
Google Voice now seamless integrates with your phone’s address book, and when you call or text someone they see your Google Voice number rather than your mobile number.
You can also view your call history and, via the transcription feature, read your voicemail – yes you read that right.
Google engineering manager David Singleton and product manager Marcus Foster assured that they were working on an iPhone app as well, and said it’s possible to use many Google Voice features via the mobile website.
While mobile Skype calling is limited to Wifi areas (unless you have an unlimited data plan), Google Voice apps should work wherever there’s a mobile connection.
As Mashable points out, “Voice is positioning itself as the only phone number you’ll ever need (or want), and its mobile apps will be a key part of that.”
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Comments
Makes no sense
This product will only be good for single people or those with young children who are no phone age yet. I am not going to have a google number when people reach me on my cell phone. I don't want a google number and have those calling the number get transferred to my phone if it's for my wife. It just doesn't make sense to me and i think this will get figured out very quickly. Until they add the possibility of using extensions, seems like a waste.
reply to Josh...
Josh, I don't think your picking up the whole idea.
I have a office phone, a personal cell, a work cell, and a house number. With google voice, I only give out the one number. My wife has a personal cell, work cell, and a home number, and she would have a seperate google voice number.
It's not supposed to have 'extensions' as the whole point is that the one number is designed to get a hold of one person, and one person only.
google voice for blackberry
not just that, but I have an office blackberry which I use for international travel, and get huge bills at the end of each trip. If google voice will work where there is data coverage, then with international data plan of $10/month, I can make calls on on google talk without the attendant $1/min international charge!
I love it!
Concept
Joshua,
I don't think you get the concept. Google voice has literally changed my life. I have 4 phones and now I have ONE number that reaches them all. It is amazing and people WILL catch on for sure. I have been using it for a year and if they started charging 20 a month tomorrow I would pay it.
Additional Savings: free Outbound Calls (US) & Great Quality
I've been using Skype and Yahoo for local outbound voice calls to reduce the cell minutes I use (saved me $20 this month). But the quality is not as good as my cell direct so I can not do this for all outbound calls, and of the two, only Skype allows setting a Caller ID number (I set to my cell, rather than the unprofessional default of "Unavailable").
Enter Google Voice: I set one of my five favorite numbers (mobile carrier's unlimited calls to/from these numbers) to the new Google Voice phone number I received this week. When I place a call through Google Voice, it calls my cell first using my GV number; this call is free because it's one of my five favorites. Then Google Voice conferences in the person I am calling.
My outbound cell phone calls are now free, I have true phone quality (unlike Skype or Yahoo Messenger Voice), mobility of using a cell phone (or with one click connect via my land line instead), and a centralized address book with Gmail/Google Voice.
dditional Savings: free Outbound Calls (US) & Great Quality
've been using Skype and Yahoo for local outbound voice calls to reduce the cell minutes I use (saved me $20 this month). But the quality is not as good as my cell direct so I can not do this for all outbound calls, and of the two, only Skype allows setting a Caller ID number (I set to my cell, rather than the unprofessional default oer Google Voice: I set one of my five favorite numbers (mobile carrier's unlimited calls to/from these numbers) to the new Google Voice phone number I received this week. When I place a call through Google Voice, it calls my cell first using my GV number; this call is free because it's one of my five favorites. Then Google Voice conferences in the person I am calling.
My outbound cell phone calls are now free, I have true phone quality (unlike Skype or Yahoo Messenger Voice), mobility of using a cell phone (or with one click connect via my land line instead), and a centralized address book with Gmail/Google Voice.
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