Source: www.voip-news.com
VoIP News of the UK says that Ofcom wants reverse VoIP tracing for emergency calls in the UK.
Smith on VoIP says that niche applications are driving the adoption of video calling.
Network World says that Google has grabbed 1 million phone numbers for Google Voice. Whoa.
Source: www.voip-news.com
VoIP Watch says that Google Voice is going to support local number portability. YAY! That’s a good move on their part.
Smith on VoIP wonders which you’d prefer: good service or good pricing for VoIP … since you just can’t have both. Or can you?
A new smartphone that supports Skype video conferencing? Yep. Elektrobit MID Reference Device does that. Read about it on VoIP & Gadgets Blog.
Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com
Google keeps expanding its franchise on world domination by now offering a free directory assistance service called GOOG 411.
You don’t need a computer, an Internet connection, or even the keypad on your phone or mobile device. GOOG-411 is voice-activated, so you can access it from any phone (mobile or land line), in any location, at any time. For free. (*)
Dial (1-800) GOOG-411. Say where. Say what you’re looking for. GOOG-411 will connect you with the business you choose.
If you are calling from a mobile device, GOOG-411 can even send you a text message with more details and a map. Simply say "Text message" or "Map it."
Source: www.voip-news.com
VoIP News of the UK report that college tutors are using VoIP to get parental contact with their students.
The VoIP Weblog reports that the founders of Skype want their company back.
VoIP Watch reports that there are Google Voice apps coming for the iPhone.
Source: www.voip-news.com
So, I haven’t had the pleasure of giving Google Voice a test run yet (hello, Google! I am waaaaaaaitttttttting!). The new service allows you to synchronize multiple phone numbers into one convenient Google Number that will ring you on multiple lines, take messages, deliver transcripts and voice files to your email and even make free domestic and cheap international calls. It’s VoIP, voicemail, call forwarding and call transcription all rolled into one.
Sounds awesome, right?
Well, a Wall Street Journal reporter took it for a test run recently and her impression seems to be par for the course from the service, which is in beta. While it does have a number of really useful features, ultimately Google Voice leaves a lot to be desired with its less than stellar transcripts and hiccups.
(Read her review here. You can’t help but laugh at the transcripts.)
Ultimately, at this point, people are seeking ways to cut back on the changes (hello, phone number porting between cell phones!) and make things easier. Unfortunately, Google Voice is a mixed bag of desireable features that still need bumps worked out and hassles (like having to use a new new number and dial extra digits for the number to show up on caller IDs).
Is it all that? Not yet. But if Google works out the kinks, it could be.
Source: www.voip-news.com
With Google Voice in beta (for previous GrandCentral users, that is), there is a lot of buzz around about the new service. Wondering what everyone is saying?
Here’s a roundup:
Source: www.voip-news.com
ooma is capitalizing on the release of Google Voice by creating a set of ooma Premier Google Voice Extensions to simplify the use of Google Voice.
“When consumers combine Google Voice with ooma in the home, they realize superior voice communication functionality with the greatest cost savings of any personal unified communications system available today,” said Rich Buchanan, Chief Marketing Officer at ooma. “We look forward to enhancing the features of Google Voice for our current and future ooma Premier customers.”
So, what are the features?
According to ooma:
Some of the features that make ooma the optimal home platform for Google Voice users include:
ooma GVE Outbound Caller ID Integration
ooma Premier Google Voice Extensions allows ooma users to display their Google Voice caller ID on outbound calls from ooma systems with no need to dial additional call prompts or 20 digit phone numbers.ooma GVE SMS text integration
With ooma Telo™ handsets (available this coming August), Google Voice SMS messages may be displayed on the handsets in the home, not just on a cell phone.ooma GVE Home Phone Integration
ooma Premier Google Voice Extensions allows calls sent to an ooma home phone to be forwarded directly to a Google Voice number for routing just as if the call were originally directed to a Google Voice number. This overcomes the limitation of not being able to port phone numbers to the Google Voice service. This is made possible by the patent-pending Instant Second Line™ feature found in ooma Premier.ooma GVE Call Announce
In households where multiple Google Voice accounts exist, ooma Premier Google Voice Extensions can allow for different Google Voice accounts to forward calls directly to specific handsets in a home. The GVE Call Announce feature will also voice an announcement of who in the household the call is intended based on which Google Voice account originated the call.ooma GVE Listen In feature
ooma Premier Google Voice extensions allows a user at home to monitor and intercept a voicemail as it is being left without dialing any additional call prompts.ooma GVE One Touch Voice Mail
ooma Premier Google Voice Extensions allows ooma users to access their Google Voice mailbox with a single touch of a button on an ooma Hub, Scout, or Telo handset. This eliminates the need to dial a Google Voice number and then password to gain access to voice mail.
Source: www.voip-news.com
I have to admit, I am a little weirded out by Google’s latest move. When Google was just an awesome search engine, I embraced it with open arms. When Google launched email, I happily jumped ship from Hotmail. And when Google became the instant messenger of choice, I downloaded it at lightning speed.
But Google … and VoIP?
Come on, there has to be a point where Google’s giant outstretched arms encompassing browsing, photo sharing, blogging and more just becomes too much, doesn’t there?
Here’s the detes on their latest:
GrandCentral Communications, founded in late 2005, had a simple yet powerful appeal. It provided one phone number on which you could receive all your calls forever. You could have calls forwarded to any landline or cellular phone simply by entering the phone’s numbers via GrandCentral’s Web interface. It meant you need never again lose contact with people when you moved or changed jobs. But after Google bought it in July 2007, GrandCentral seemed to disappear. It still supported existing customers, but it stopped signing up new users or offering new features. Now it has reemerged as Google Voice, with several new features and capabilities.
Read more in this VoIP-News feature.
Source: www.voip-news.com
Verizon Business has launched a hosted OCS offering. Read about it on The VoIP Weblog.
Gradwell is using Spinvox to convert voicemail to text. Read about it on VoIP News of the UK.
Drum roll please …. Grand Central is now Google Voice, reports VoIP Watch. Is there any area of the internet that Google doesn’t want to invade?
Smith on VoIP is talking about businesses and Skype … is voice quality the issue?
Source: www.voip-news.com
The Call feature on Google Talk has issues. I swear.
First of all, it dials when you don’t mean it too — and then finding the button to stop it is akin to the search for the Holy Grail.
Secondly, it has no regard for whether or not the person on the other end can actually talk back to you — so you can call someone who can’t say a word because they have no microphone. That makes for exciting dialogue.
And should it accidentally dial without you realizing and if you have your sound off, the person on the other end can hear you – until you realize your faux pas – as you stumble through life.
I think this one might need a few more check and balances.
Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com
With Mobile Google Apps for the iPhone you can…
Search with your voice so you don’t have to type. New!
Search with My Location makes finding business, weather, and movie info easy. New!
Suggestions appear as you type to save you time.
Launch Gmail, Google News, and more from one place.
Source: voip-tech.blogspot.com
Arrives on the USA market the first cellphone that show off the new open-source operating system by Google, named Android.
The cellphone is the T-Mobile G1, on the official website there are the presentation and the descriptions of its all features, with pictures and detailed movies.
iSkoot, software house that co-operate and bring the features of Skype™ on cellphones and produce free VoIP software for many cellphones brands and models, presents its new software dedicated to Google Android, that will be soon availabe in the Android Market.
Unfortunately it’s not still possible to make VoIP calls using the Wi-Fi connection of the above cellphone, but only using the GSM connection of your service provider.
