One Million Numbers Strong, Google Voice Prepares for Takeoff
Earlier this year RWW reported that Google had made plans for the telephony service it acquired in July, 2007 called GrandCentral. GrandCentral was reborn as Google Voice, which includes all of GrandCentral's features and much more. Google Voice's free service will allow users to unify all of their phone numbers and transfer calls to all of their devices, convert voice calls to text messages, call multiple parties at once and make discounted international calls.
This week, John Fontana of Network World reported that Google has reserved 1 million phone numbers with communications and information services company Level 3. The company has not announced anything yet, but on the GrandCentral website it says "if you are a GrandCentral user, over the next few days you will be prompted to upgrade to Google Voice". These look like clear signs that it is getting ready to go live any time now, so check those emails and get ready to claim your number, they could go fast.
Google has continued to keep the old GrandCentral service, but has not allowed new users to sign up. Currently only GrandCentral users have access to Google Voice and new numbers are only available for American area codes. The GrandCentral users we spoke with love the service and are thrilled to try Google Voice. Our own Frederic Lardinois says it looks like a winner; "it takes the best features of GrandCentral and adds a number of important and interesting new features...clearly this is one of the most important products that Google has released in the last couple of months".
Judge for yourself. Below are three videos that show how easy it is to place calls, set up a conference call and how the phone calls are routed. There is some speculation about future integration with Android and we are certainly looking forward to that as well.
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A simple piece of software that runs through a list of numbers sequentially with a timeout on no-answer is a "seriously heavyweight product"? What a joke! Did you receive a seriously heavy payoff from Google to tout this?
Hmmm.. Except for the re-reporting of someone else's new of the 1 million number registration claim this article is totally out of date and I dare say linkbait. I expect better from RWW.
You said : "These look like clear signs that it is getting ready to go live any time now, so check those emails and get ready to claim your number, they could go fast. "
Google transitioned ALL Grand Central users to Google Voice starting more than three months ago.
You might take a look at the Google Voice Blog from three months ago.
http://googlevoiceblog.blogspot.com/
Thanks for erroneously getting my hopes up that there was actually some movement on the service which Google promised in March to generally release 'within weeks', and which still languishes in closed beta.
:-/
Sounds interesting but how will this make money? Or is it one more of those beta services that will eventually help by driving people to search? I seriously doubt if people are really looking for services like this.
Who said a "seriously heavyweight product"? Not me. I don't think Frederick did in his post either. We do not receive payouts from Google or anyone else to tout their products.
Can't wait for this! Any guesses on a public launch date?
This is not a 'heavyweight product' by itself, but imagine the disaster for phone companies when android will start competing with them with just a wireless plan.
Wow, so much hate for a truly revolutionary product.
"Sounds interesting but how will this make money?"
@Ravikant
Adsense, just like Gmail and search. Every voice mail left is transcribed into text, and its frightening accurate by the way. The same way the text of emails is match to "best guess" Adsense ads in your Gmail account. When you get a call via Google voice, you have the option of recording the call, that too is transcribed into text, and sits in your Google Voice "in box". The text of hour long conversations by multiple people ( GV allows conference calls ) will lead to some weirdo Adsense ads being thrown on the screen!
Not mention in this post ( wft? ) is the ability to make your Google Voice number your home phone or your mobile phone's permanent number. "Number portability" pass as law a while back, and the phone companies must honor your claim to your existing number when moving to a new carrier. Google plans to invoke this same law and allow you to have all calls routed to your Google Voice account as well as all calls made by up pushed up and out onto the PTSN through GV....
...*THAT* is big. I imagine there has been a sharp spike in the sales of pepto bismolo in and around the headquarters of all the big phone companies.
You are welcome to call me at my GV# and hear it work for yourselves: 18175000822
Will this work worldwide. Google should make this work as free VOIP worldwide from Android phones to other Android phones and roaming to other networks that also want to provide free worldwide VOIP services.
Users who were already trying the new interface prior to conversion are being invited in as of Sunday.
Some of you may not think it is cool to have your voicemail forwarded to you as an email attachment, but I think it's great. And, how do you argue with filters that queue different greetings? Someone who is already in the corporate-funded highest heights of the techosphere may not care, but Joe Average Freelancer? Jane Average Homebiz? Hello?
This sure sounds exciting.
For one - many cellular operators allow unlimited calls to a single number for a small fee.
If you set this to your google number, you can effectively get unlimited voice calling!
iPhone app/winmobile app for this, anyone?
If this works worldwide - the business of calling cards could get swallowed for calling USA - since this is free.
A big plus for consumers - not so nice for the calling card companies (but that's progress - right?)
Totoally looking forward to google voice. Heard about this a few months back. Can't wait for data to be charged for like any other data transmission via the Internet. Wrote up a post on sick and tired of being charged extra for SMS and voice a while back attacking this industry "standard" head on. Great background info from other bloggers.
Google Voice looks like an exciting product. It looks like what Skype or Gizmo should have grown into being. I can see many uses for this, especially for location independent professionals or travelers.
Does anybody know if this service will be available for European users?
This article confused me. Google Voice has been out for months now and all the Grand Central users have already been prompted to move over to it. If you were a Grand Central user then you already have a number so there's no need to "check those emails and get ready to claim your number, they could go fast." There are no new numbers available except to Google employees and a few special individuals who they want to give them out to. Previous Grand Central users don't have any invites to give out (I wish we did).
Maybe when Google Voice "opens up" there will be new numbers but I'm still confused about what the article is saying. :(