[LINK] Google Voice

Mon Jul 6 10:33:07 AEST 2009

Note also that calls to US cell phones charge the caller the same rate as a
landline to landline call, with the recipient paying for the mobile
termination costs. The costs in AU fall on the caller. This is a barrier to
services that seek to treat all termination numbers the same, and adds
substantially to the operational costs, as you will be aware if you have
ever diverted a landline to a mobile.
Regards,
Michael

2009/7/5 Scott Howard <scott at doc.net.au>

> I've been using Google Voice (or GrandCentral as it was previously known)
> on-and-off for a year or so.
>
> The concept is good, but at the moment there's still a few major flaws in
> the implementation.
>
> The idea is basically that you give people your Google Voice number, and
> then do intelligent routing of the call based on who is calling and the
> time
> of day that they are calling.
>
> eg, if a family member calls, then 24 hours a day it will ring both your
> home phone and cell phone.  Business contacts might only ring your cell
> between 9am and 5:30pm, and at other times they will go to voicemail, etc.
> (Keep in mind that landline and mobile/cell numbers in the US are basically
> equivalent and there's no way to tell them apart like there is in
> Australia.
> In fact, I recently ported my landline number over to a cell service
> without
> any difficulty)
>
> The two biggest problems to date have been Caller-ID and SMS.
>
> SMS was a problem because Grand Central didn't support it, so if someone
> sent an SMS to your number it was simply lost.  Google has fixed this now,
> and as of the release of Google Voice it will now forward your SMS onto
> your
> cell phone.
>
> The bigger problem is caller-id. Even if you give someone your Google Voice
> number, when you make a call from any of your phones it will present the
> caller-id of that phone - not your Google Voice number.  That means that
> people find out your real number, which largely defeats the purpose.  This
> is also true of outgoing SMS.
>
> They have now introduced a way that you can call via Google Voice which
> will
> send the correct caller-id, however from what I've heard it's awkward.
> There is talk of them releasing a phone app that will get around this
> problem, at which point it might become a worthwhile service.
>
> The voicemail-to-text is an interesting concept, but still very much a work
> in progress in terms of accuracy.
>
> Previously you did need to have a US phone number in order to set it up,
> and
> I presume that's still the case. Of course, that doesn't stop you getting
> an
> account if you're not in the US, but it does make it a little more
> difficult
> (I got mine when I was still living in Australia by using a US VOIP number
> for my other number).
>
>  Scott.
>
>
> On Sat, Jul 4, 2009 at 5:47 AM, <stephen at melbpc.org.au> wrote:
>
> > Hi all,
> >
> > Not sure of the details of this Google initiative opening soon (maybe
> > initially for US residents only, who knows?) though it sounds stunning.
> >
> > Google Voice:
> >
> >  http://www.google.com/googlevoice/about.html
> >
> >
> > Google Voice is a service that gives you ONE number for ALL your phones,
> > and voicemail that is easy as email, and, many enhanced calling features
> > like call blocking & screening, voicemail transcripts, call conferencing,
> > international calls, and more ..
> >
> > Google Voice will be open to new users soon. We expect to have the
> > service ready for new users in a matter of weeks, and are focused on
> > opening it as soon as possible. The service is free.
> >
> > Google Voice Features:
> >
> > One number for all your calls and SMS
> >
> > Call screening - Announce and screen callers
> > Listen in - Listen before taking a call
> > Block calls - Keep unwanted callers at bay
> > SMS - Send, receive, and store SMS
> > Place calls - Call US numbers for free
> > Taking calls - Answer on any of your phones
> > Phone routing - Phones ring based on who calls
> > Forwarding phones - Add phones and decide which ring
> >
> > Voicemail as easy as email, with transcripts
> >
> > Voicemail transcripts - Read what your voicemail says
> > Listen to voicemail - Check online or from your phone
> > Notifications - Receive voicemails via email or SMS
> > Personalize greeting - Vary greetings by caller
> > Share voicemail - Forward or download voicemails
> >
> > More cool things you can do with Google Voice
> >
> > Conference calling - Join people into a single call
> > Call record - Record calls and store them online
> > Call switch - Switch phones during a call
> > Mobile site - View your inbox from your mobile
> > GOOG-411 - Check directory assistance
> > Manage groups - Set preferences by group
> >
> > --
> >
> > Cheers
> > Stephen
> > Victoria
> > Australia
> > _______________________________________________
> > Link mailing list
> > Link at mailman.anu.edu.au
> > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
> >
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