Google Voice

[TWD-Tony]

Just had this land in my inbox today - it's a new service (currently invite only / beta) that is basically Google taking on the virtual switchboard market... http://www.google.com/googlevoice/about.html#

On the one hand you have to say that there are lots of very cool features in the Google Voice system - transcribing voicemails etc BUT there has to be major privacy / data mining concerns because it's Google!

I have been looking for a good virtual switchboard type service for a while and although there are some very good existing services out there I think that the Google offering will very soon overtake them simply because of the Google name... Plus you can easily access if from your current Google account without having to remember other log ins for 3rd party services.

At the moment it looks very USA orientated but I have no doubts that Google will roll this out this year unless there are any major technical or legal issues in other countries...

Now Google will not only know what site's you visit, who you email (and what you said) but now it will know roughly where you are at anytime and what you are saying on the phone! Be affraid.... Be very affraid!

[Brian Turner]

I seem to recall Google Talk - VoIP service - bombed.

Really can't see Google Voice doing any different.

Google just never has been able to break out from being just a search engine with a few funky geeky services added on.

[Alec]

Originally Posted by TWD-Tony

Just had this land in my inbox today - it's a new service (currently invite only / beta) that is basically Google taking on the virtual switchboard market...

On the one hand you have to say that there are lots of very cool features in the Google Voice system - transcribing voicemails etc BUT there has to be major privacy / data mining concerns because it's Google!

I have been looking for a good virtual switchboard type service for a while and although there are some very good existing services out there I think that the Google offering will very soon overtake them simply because of the Google name... Plus you can easily access if from your current Google account without having to remember other log ins for 3rd party services.

At the moment it looks very USA orientated but I have no doubts that Google will roll this out this year unless there are any major technical or legal issues in other countries...

Now Google will not only know what site's you visit, who you email (and what you said) but now it will know roughly where you are at anytime and what you are saying on the phone! Be affraid.... Be very affraid!

Interesting stuff. If/when they roll it out over here they're bound to be cheaper and will hopefully offer the ability to record your own messages without incurring additional costs.

As long as I can use my 0800 number as a my 'google number', i'd try it out ^^

[underpressure]

Everyone thought grandcentral had just been a forgotten acquisition by google but then they re-launched it by special invite as google voice (not to be confused with google talk).

It's part of google's play at world domination.

- they have web search already
- Android takes over mobile OS
- Chrome browser takes over web
- Chrome OS (the OS not the browser) takes over PC
- Gmail takes over email
- Youtube takes over TV
- Google voice provides SPN (single personal number) ie. they own your phone number so will take over your phone service
- Google talk takes over voip
- Google wave (pretty cool, if you have not seen it check out the youtube broadcasts) blends everything together.

And we could go on......