Google poised to become your phone company

(Wired) — Google is set to become your new phone company, perhaps reducing your phone bill to zilch in the process.

Seriously.

Google has bought Gizmo5, an online phone company that is akin to Skype  but based on open protocols and with a lot fewer users. TechCrunch, which broke the news on Monday, reported that Google spent $30 million on the company.

Google announced the Gizmo acquisition on Thursday afternoon Pacific Time. Gizmo5’s founder Michael Robertson, a brash serial entrepreneur, will become an Adviser to Google Voice.

It’s a potent recipe — take Gizmo5’s open standards-based online calling system. Add to it the new ability to route calls on Google’s massive network of cheap fiber. Toss in Google Voice’s free phone number, which will ring your mobile phone, your home phone and your Gizmo5 client on your laptop.

Meanwhile you can use Gizmo5 to make ultracheap outgoing calls to domestic and international phone numbers, and free calls to Skype, Google Talk, Yahoo and AIM users. You could make and receive calls that bypass the per-minute billing on your smartphone.

Then layer on deluxe phone services like free SMS, voicemail transcription, customized call routing, free conference calls and voicemails sent as recordings to your e-mail account, and you have a phone service that competes with Skype, landlines and the Internet telephone offerings from Vonage and cable companies.

That’s not just pie in-the-sky dreaming.

Ask longtime VOIP watcher and consultant Andy Abramson, who introduced the idea of integrating Gizmo5 and Grand Central (now Google Voice), long before Google bought either.

“Google is now the the uncommon carrier,” Abramson said, punning on the iconic 7-UP commercials and the phrase “common carrier.” That refers to phone companies that operate on the traditional publicly switched network — a status that gives them benefits and obligations.

“If AT&T is Coca-Cola, Google is now 7-UP,” Abramson added.

“All of a sudden you have something that offers more than Skype,” Abramson said, saying the combo could now put Google in competition with phone and cable companies, IP “telephony” (VOIP) companies and Vonage. “But now you can do everything with Google and pay nothing and have a platform where engineers can build new things.”

(excerpted; more via http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/11/13/google.phone.service/ )

Thursday, November 12, 2009 | 2:30 PM

(via http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/google-apps-highlights-1162009.html

I am really hoping to get some dedicated import / export tools for all things (especially email); this would certainly aid portability, and probably bring more people into the Google Apps fold, if they felt they could also back out if need be.

Personally, I’ve had a devil of a time with a full-featured (i.e. multi-labelled, using colors, with rules, etc.) populated Gmail account going over to an Apps email, or vice versa, or even Apps email –> Apps email. Exportability to some standard format would greatly help; I wish there were an XML format for this, that could handle all of the possibilities; by definition, it should be extensible, but with at least most functionality supported by all of the major players.

• Customizable options for Gmail offline
• Google Docs bulk export
• Visual indicators for edited and all-new items in Google Docs
• Administrator controls for Chat

These are certainly positive steps for Google however; I am continuing to hope for further expansion in what I think is pretty much the best-of-breed out there, for “free cost” environments. It may not rival all of the features I was used to in Microsoft Exchange 2010, but it also is not hosted internally, and Google is soaking up the hardware and software costs associated, in exchange for the advertising, etc.

I am looking forward to further integration via Google Voice and Google Wave as well.

Have a great day!

FYI, from http://www.sprintusers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=197188

Google Blog post and Engadget post both discuss how Google Voice (sign up here; the new requests are happening more quickly these days!) can take over for the voicemail on your cell phone. (current google voice folks : hit this, then choose “Activate Google voicemail on this phone” by your cell number listed there; follow instructions carefully)

Extremely handy, since you can now check those voicemails over the phone (@ your GV number), or via email as a clickable audio link. In addition, if you need to keep a copy of the message, you can download it from GB as an .mp3 file.

https://www.google.com/voice/voice/sprint and http://newsreleases.sprint.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=127149&p=irol-newsArticle_newsroom&ID=1347107&highlight= also highlight how Google Voice / Voice Mail (GV / VM) will work with the Sprint network.

Another snippet basically says :

Application Development Addresses Voice Services and Data

Voice services continue to play a central role in mobile communications, even as data grows. Application developers have created a number of voicemail and messaging services that take advantage of call forwarding capabilities. Sprint announced today that it will not charge customers for certain types of call forwarding. Conditional call forwarding for busy calls or calls not answered using the customer’s wireless phone will be free, beginning mid-November. (Standard charges will continue to apply for immediate call forwarding.)3 This change will give Sprint customers the opportunity to access third-party voice services, including the new voicemail feature in Google VoiceTM.

Google Voice lets users manage and control their voice communications and comes with a suite of voicemail and text messaging features. On Monday, Google announced it will offer a Google Voice feature that allows mobile phone users to take advantage of Google Voice without having to sign up for a Google Voice phone number. Further illustrating its open, collaborative approach, Sprint is working with Google to develop additional functionality to support services such as Google Voice that will deliver an even richer experience to Sprint customers.

“We’re excited Sprint customers will be able to take advantage of Google Voice voicemail with their mobile phones. We look forward to continuing this relationship and working closely with Sprint in the future,” said Bradley Horowitz, vice president of Product Management at Google. “Free call forwarding and Sprint’s Open approach create more opportunities for developers, large and small, to build innovative and useful applications.”

Here’s the small print:

3 Although no charges will be applied for conditional call forwarding (meaning busy calls or calls not answered), some Sprint customers may incur a $0.20 per-minute charge if they choose to forward calls directly into voicemail or to another number without first allowing the call to try to reach the number and getting a busy signal/no answer. This is called unconditional call forwarding (immediate).

Also :

“Looks like it will be free on 11/08/09! ”
“Google Voice™ – starting 11/8/09, all Sprint price plans will include free conditional (no answer/busy) call forwarding (*73,*74,*28). ”

http://insidesprintnow.wordpress.com…sprint-110809/ for more information on Google Voicemail, check http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10384414-1.html

Sprint folks : note the text warning GV displays; charges may be incurred for now, so safer to wait until after the 8th of November. Cool bits!

As always, you can send Google your continuing feedback about the Google Voice service. iPhones and many other cell carriers also supported :

“As of now we only officially support the following carriers listed on our site (Alltel, AT&T, Cricket Wireless, MetroPCS, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Verizon). We are working on extending the support to more carriers soon. Please note that Google voicemail for your existing number won’t work with phone plans that don’t support conditional call forwarding. Currently, T-mobile prepaid plans do not support this feature. Please contact your phone carrier for more information.”

Have a great day . . .

Closed platforms – happen.

Analysis: Apple, AT&T and Google Voice – News and Analysis by PC Magazine

excerpted below, please click above link for full article

Analysis: Apple, AT&T and Google Voice

By Sascha Segan

Geek test asistance requested :

Telephone me via Google Voice at no cost

Sure, I know, you actually have to be in the mood to say a few words.  It’ll come to ya

To email me please use this form and don’t forget to select “John” in the pulldown menu. Thanks!

Apple thwarted. It’s really, really hard to stop technology. Like any tool, it can be used indifferently, or for good, or for “not so good®”

http://stefantribble.wordpress.com/2009/08/07/google-voice-with-your-iphone/

Yeah.