A sneak peek at Google Voice
03/18/09 17:25
I've used GV's precursor -- GrandCentral -- for almost three years now and am addicted to its powerful phone/voicemail features. Google bought GrandCentral in 2007, made the service a by-invitation-only private beta, and then went totally silent on any future plans. After 18 months of deafening silence, many observers thought GC was going to quietly fade away, but then last week GrandCentral was re-branded as Google Voice. The Google announcement said that GV would soon be open to the general public, for free.
Just what is Google Voice? Read this recent New York Times article -- it does a great job of answering that question. Here, I'll confine myself to briefly sharing a few favorite features, both new and old...
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Voicemails
can be converted to text and emailed to you. Google Voice doesn't
always 'transcribe' with 100% accuracy, but so far it's gotten
phone numbers and other key information correct. Any words that GV
is unsure of are displayed in gray.
Both in emails and on the GV site, you can compare the text transcript to the voicemail recording and keep one or both in the archives. You can also download voicemails as MP3 files.
International
calling has been added, with very
competitive rates -- some as low as two cents a
minute.
To place an international call, you go to the GV website and enter the overseas number you want. Google Voice immediately calls you at the phone of your choice, then automatically dials the other party for you.
"Call
Me" buttons for your website that keep your phone number
private. Callers click on the GV widget, enter their name &
phone number, and GV calls them back on their phone, then
automatically calls your phone, thus completing the call at no cost
to either party.
With this method, your phone number remains hidden from 'harvesting' spambots, and callers no longer have to worry about long distance charges when contacting you.
Number-specific
call handling is the killer feature from
the GrandCentral days, and you'll love it. Rather than give all
incoming callers the same greeting, you can choose caller- or
group-specific greetings. You can also determine which of your
phones ring, and at what times. You also have the option to send
certain callers straight to voicemail... or the Spam folder, in the
case of those pesky telemarketers or bill
collectors.
In the coming days, I'll post additional thoughts on the new Google Voice service and how its powerful features can be used day-to-day.
For more info, go to Google Voice. Be sure to register for Early Bird notification of the general public launch.
Questions? Suggestions? Click the "Call Me" widget, below, and let Google Voice connect us!
Both in emails and on the GV site, you can compare the text transcript to the voicemail recording and keep one or both in the archives. You can also download voicemails as MP3 files.
To place an international call, you go to the GV website and enter the overseas number you want. Google Voice immediately calls you at the phone of your choice, then automatically dials the other party for you.
With this method, your phone number remains hidden from 'harvesting' spambots, and callers no longer have to worry about long distance charges when contacting you.
In the coming days, I'll post additional thoughts on the new Google Voice service and how its powerful features can be used day-to-day.
For more info, go to Google Voice. Be sure to register for Early Bird notification of the general public launch.
Questions? Suggestions? Click the "Call Me" widget, below, and let Google Voice connect us!