New in Google Voice: Receive and Reply to SMS by Email
Starting today, Google Voice users can route around yet another feature their cell phone carriers would like them to pay for: text messages. Google Voice now allows users to receive and reply to text messages by email without incurring any charges from their cell phone carriers. By default, Google Voice still forwards SMS messages to the cell phone a user has on record with Google Voice. Now, however, this new feature allows users to simply forward these text messages to any email address. Responding to these messages is as easy as replying to the email.
Google Voice gives users a new phone number that can then ring any other phone, as well as free voicemail transcriptions, SMS messaging, and cheap international calls. It is important to remember that Google Voice is not a full VoIP service like Skype, however. While the Google Voice backend relies on VoIP technology, users can't completely route around their landline or mobile phone carriers as Google actually calls a user's home phone or cell phone number to initiate a call. At least to receive and reply to SMS messages, however, users now don't really need their carriers anymore.
If you want to save some extra money and you don't need Google Voice to forward any of your SMS messages to your phone because you're at your computer anyway, make sure you turn off SMS forwarding under Settings -> Phones -> Edit.
While Google Voice is still an invite-only service, Google is slowly opening the service up to more users. Apple, of course, is still 'reviewing' whether it will allow the Google Voice iPhone app into the App Store, but there can be no doubt that Google Voice has the potential to drive some revenue away from cell phone carriers. International calls are cheap, transcribed voicemails that are forwarded to your email are free, you can easily record calls, and you don't need to pay for SMS messages you receive. Over time, Google will surely add a few more features to Google Voice (and maybe bring back some features it dropped from GrandCentral's original feature set). Users still have to connect calls through the cell phone carriers' traditional phone network, but that's about the only service a user would need from AT&T and Co (besides a data plan, of course).
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"While the Google Voice backend relies on VoIP technology, users can't completely route around their landline or mobile phone carriers as Google actually calls a user's home phone or cell phone number to initiate a call."
That's not true at all. One only needs a (free) account at gizmo5.com. Then configure Google Voice to also call the Gizmo5 number. Voila, free incoming DID. Use the click-to-call callback method to initiate, or other more clever options.
A self-promoting, yet explanatory, howto:
http://mrkunkel.com/2009/08/08/using-the-g1-with-google-voice-and-without-cellular-service/
Re : "While the Google Voice backend relies on VoIP technology, users can't completely route around their landline or mobile phone carriers as Google actually calls a user's home phone or cell phone number to initiate a call."
To clarify, it is in fact possible to go VOIP entirely with GC after initial setup with a landline or cell phone. Google Voice officially supports routing calls the Gizmo5's VOIP SIP service. If you wanted you could turn off calls to all other landline and cell phones after initial setup and use a SIP phone only (a software SIP client on your computer or a hardware SIP phone). Gizmo5 also allows configuring it so that all outgoing SIP calls route through GV, for free so your call recipients always see your GV Caller ID from your SIP phone.
Cheers.
I should probably point out the more beneficial result of this new SMS via Email feature.
Gmail pushes a user's email to android phones, but the Google Voice application polls for new SMS and voicemail every 5+ minutes.
This enables 'instant' SMS notification, or at least more instant than waiting for GV to refresh.
I don't understand why the Google Voice interface is separate from my Gmail interface. Google is in a position to give use unified messaging it feels like it should all be in one place.
Now Google voice sounds good. The next evolution of the web has started through Google. The quite interesting fact is no the Google Voice users have the ability to forward inbound text messages to email and even better, reply from email is also possible. Nowadays every transaction with sites are happening through the convenience of an email or an SMS. But the Google voice credentials will be unsecure. So Google will maintain their dignity and will be the most widely used apps instead of going to the sites, all the websites will come to the platforms!
The technical statement in your article that Google Voice's backend uses VoIP is incorrect.
Google Voice can works with a landline, wireless or VoIP phone. Its inner workings actually have nothing to is NOT VoIP whatsoever.
Google Voice's underpinnings simply takes advantage of the 'Number Portability Database'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_number_portability
Fred,
It is very interesting to know that GV underpinning is taking advantage of the 'Number Portability Database'. I would like to learn more about this. Anyway we could connect ? My GV number is 703@594@1231. send me a SMS. Thanks.
I've sent out a few test sms to people in random countries, and they replied, but I never got anything on my gv indicating so.