This video is a very limited overview of just the only one number feature of google. But it's good and simple!
Here is a basically FAQ page or an overview and here is Google's Official Blog announcing Google Voice.
Also, you may have heard that the iPhone (apple and at&t) has banned/removed/rejected the Google Voice app.{read quick blurb here} {longer thought-invoking blog here} <-- and that last link right here also gives some insight into the similarities and differences between Skype and Google Voice. Yes phone companies are going to be upset about this because all the features are offered for free and can be accessed from your computer as well as your phone and they -cell phone companies-can't charge you for that. Well, not to worry, you will still be able to access a google voice portal on the internet which will let you do all the same things, just not by convenience of the app.
So, check it out....What's your favorite feature? Will you get a google voice number?
I got my invite some time last night/ this morning. Took about 5 minutes max to set up my account. I got a number that only one digit off from my cell number. You can have more than one number tied to your Google voice account. So if your mom calls your home number it will still ring. The account is free. The only mention of paying was for international long distance and I heard rumors that it is cheap. I run a jailbroken iPhone so I downloaded GV mobile after the @sses at Apple/AT&T yanked it. But really I should thank them. I got it for free instead of paying through the app store. Setting up GV took about 40 seconds. I haven't used any of this yet as it is 7:30 in the morning and I should be getting ready for work instead. I'm most excited about the free text. I'll try to use this as much as I can over the week and post up. Go ahead and apply for the Google voice invite as it takes about a week to get an invite.
Ok, first impression is that Google voice kicks major butt. GV Mobile is an awesome app that harnesses the power of google voice. The author of GV Mobile is working on push notification and landscape keyboard for text. GV mobile is of course just available from Cydia on jailbroken devices but man is it worth it. I sent a flurry of text messages today and as I kept tabs on my data usage I noticed I was being charged still. Huh? I thought the texts were free? Well they are but my account was set up as default which sends a text to my iPhone to tell me I have a text in GV Mobile. That's where my data usage was coming from. I logged into google voice in Firefox and under settings editied my cell number to not get text notification on my cell. Now my text are truly free. Only downside is no notification yet. I have to fire up the GV mobile app. But like I said earlier push notification as well as other updates are coming for GV mobile.
Oh, FYI. Email addresses from .mil are getting invites to Google voice with only a 24 hour wait. Mine took about a week.
So, you go and tell people you have a new phone number, and then forward all calls from the google number to your iPhone?
---When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.---
Correct. You get to choose the number you want but choose carefully because changing it will cost you $10.00. You can forward your Google voice number to any number you want. Google will make you confirm ownership of the number though. They call you and make you enter a code.
YAY for Google they are giving this service FREE to those in the Military:
For servicemen and women who are constantly on the move, having a single number and an easy way to retrieve messages from loved ones can be invaluable. To help our service members communicate with their loved ones and show our support to those serving our country, Google is launching a new program. Starting today, any active U.S. service member with a .mil email address can sign up for a Google Voice account at www.google.com/militaryinvite and start using the free service within a day.
yay! got my google voice number the other week and i'm setting it all up! can't wait to fiddle around with it!!!
~karma: i'm countin on it~
hahah, maaaan, I can already see all kinds of devious things happening with some of those offerings. Like the voicemail sharing for example ... some of those 'private' VM's people might be thinking only the person they are saying it to is going to hear ... .
Personalize Greeting: Say "hey buddy" to one person and "screw off" to another.
Call recording.
Bunch of fun stuff there
Google Voice added a new feature. You can now forward SMS to email. I turned off forwarding to my mobile number and instead now forward all SMS to email. When I get a new text Gmail send me a notice of new SMS. I open up the mail app on my iPhone and can reply right there from in the mail app. The other person sees it as coming from my GV number. Awesome. The advantage is I can now cancel my text package and still get instant notification of my new SMS. I use GPush (99 cents iTunes) to get push Gmail to my iPhone. I did some tests and it worked smoothly.
Wellington Florida
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I haven't given google voice a chance yet but I will check it out. I have read a number of articles on the war that seams to be between google and apple, kinda funny (don't piss off the G ppl apple).