Google Voice

[dintymoore]

I just checked out a new service from Google that gives you free telephone service throughout USA and Canada. It's similar to Skype but there are no charges to call regular phones plus you get a phone number and you don't need any gear you don't already have.

If you go on the main Google page and choose "more" and then "even more" and then scroll down to Google Voice that's it. You have to sign up which took 5-10 min.

Then you dial a number on Google on your computer, then your home phone rings and it's calling the number you called on your computer. Then you can shut off your computer or use it for something else, it's not involved. The whole thing works through your home phone for free.

I phoned a friend in NYC (I'm in Hawaii) and it was crystal clear. Then he phoned my new number back (I chose a NYC number) and my home phone rings and a robot chick asks if I want to talk to my friend who had to leave his name, and I connect.

Very odd how it works through your home phone. It also works through mobile phones.

Also: it automatically transcribes your phone messages (!!!) and saves them as text files so you can search them and read them at places like meetings or movie theatres.

The Jetsons would be proud.

 

[moresound]

Looks to be really cool Dinty .
You sure are one to find all of the free calling applications! Must be that your stuck in the middle of the Pacific on a small piece of volcano that is sticking above sea level.

In the read of the 1st page of Google voice it says free for 2010, Do you think that there may be a charge in the near future? It almost sounds like a trail period to see if they like it or we like it.

Have you made friends with that robot chick yet?

 

[dintymoore]

It is kind of an odd setup where you dial on your computer then your house phone rings, you pick it up and it's dialing the number you entered online.

I can imagine that the regular phone companies wouldn't be too thrilled that Google is taking their business and at the same time tying up the phone lines.

As far as the robo-chick: ya they sound great, but when you finally meet them they are about 50 transformers overweight, have hard drive boobs that bruise their knees and digital sweat pants covered with RAM stick stains.

Once was enuf.