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google voice posts

Filed under: News, Google, VoIP

Google Voice getting ready to go global?

Nothing is more frustrating when reading about a hot, new app or service only to learn that it's not available in your area. Yes, geotarding sucks - there's no denying that. It's keeping most of us from getting to use awesomeness like Hulu, Spotify, and Google Voice.

In the case of the latter, however, it looks as though there might be light at the end of the tunnel. Business Week recently got a peek at a letter Google submitted to the FCC with regards to the blocking of certain rural and "red light district" phone numbers.

While the original letter included "formatting errors" and has since been replaced with a heavily redacted public version, BW's Arik Hesseldahl reports finding good news for those of you outside the US waiting for Google Voice.

Hesseldahl states that the letter reveals Google has working agreements with several "international service providers for inputs to Google Voice." At least the groundwork is in place, but there's no telling how long we'll have to wait. The letter goes on to say none of those services have launched as of yet.

So, how about it, Google? When does the rest world get to take Voice for a spin?

[via TheNextWeb]

Filed under: Utilities, Macintosh, Google, VoIP

Voice Mac is a native Google Voice client for OS X

We recently told you about an Adobe AIR-based Google Voice client with a pretty small featureset. It puts your SMS and voicemail messages close at hand on your desktop, but that's all it does.

If you're on a Mac, though, you can do a bit better. Voice Mac is a Google Voice client with a threaded SMS view, voicemail downloading, and the ability to make calls and send texts, and Address Book integration.

Voice Mac is certainly not gorgeous, but it has a ton of functionality.

There's an SMS and voicemail/call history browser, and it also has a built-in reverse phone lookup, so you can try to figure out who any mystery calls are from. If you don't use your Voice account frequently, the web interface might be fine for you, but if you're a Voice addict - especially one who uses SMS constantly - Voice Mac is worth a download.


[via Lifehacker]

Filed under: News, Google, VoIP

Google answers to FCC, (mostly) stops blocking numbers in Voice

Looks like Apple's not the only one drawing the ire of the FCC when it comes to Google Voice. AT&T filed a complaint with the FCC, forcing Google to explain why it was blocking a bunch of rural phone numbers from its Voice system. Google's answer? Because it's really expensive!

Telephone providers are common carriers, and they're required to provide access to some phone exchanges out in the middle of nowhere. That's extremely costly to do, compared to providing the same service in a large, dense city. Google was hoping to get around paying the additional costs, so they blocked some of these more expensive numbers. While still arguing that they shouldn't have to provide service, Google just told the FCC that it's now blocking "fewer than 100 numbers" in total.

[via Engadget]

Filed under: Utilities, Productivity, Google

Google Voice desktop app keeps your SMS and Voicemail handy

With Google Voice now able to take over the voicemail from your mobile number, there are more reasons than ever to keep your Google Voice messages close at hand. There's cross-platform Google Voice desktop app that does just that, giving you quick desktop access to your voicemail and SMS messages.

The desktop app's features are very basic: just your inbox and contacts, in a compact layout. It's good for making sure you don't miss incoming messages, but don't expect too much else from it. If you're on a Mac, you might prefer to use Fluid to create a standalone browser for Google Voice.

[via Lifehacker]

Filed under: E-mail, Web services, Google, VoIP

Google Voice now forwards SMS to email

Being able to read and reply to incoming text messages makes Google Voice pretty convenient, but it just got even better. Now you can have SMS messages forwarded to your email account, and reply from your voice number via email, too. You can enable the feature in your Google Voice settings under Voicemail and SMS. Third-party services have been doing things like this for a while, but Google Voice does it at no charge, through a service you already use.

Getting SMS by email has plenty of advantages. The biggest of these is that you can turn off SMS to your phone, so you're not paying for it, and read messages by email instead. You don't have to keep separate Voice and Gmail windows open to read text messages and email in your browser anymore, either. Also, you can file your texts in the same inbox as your Google Voice voicemail, so all of your incoming phone-related messages have one unified location. Finally, if you're using a threaded email client (like Gmail, as Google helpfully points out), your sms conversations will be threaded, too.

[via Lifehacker]

Filed under: Utilities, Office, Productivity

3jam: Google Voice may have some competition


3jam offers a bundle of phone-related services, all connected to a virtual number. It's like Google Voice, but it does a few neat tricks that Google Voice doesn't. Incoming calls can ring simultaneously on your phone, IM or Skype. If you don't use your landline, you can even port that number to 3jam. 3jam also handles text messages, visual voicemail (with transcription), and SMS-to-Email conversations.

3jam is also working an enterprise angle by offering numbers for groups, which is kind of handy if you're a small business or a community organization. 3jam's services will cost you a monthly fee, but the idea is that it will be cheaper and offer more services than your existing phone service. The rates are reasonable, with 5-cent texts in the US, and international rates that seem competitive. Call forwarding rates from the most expensive countries top out around 35 cents, but most are much lower, and it beats paying your cell carrier's long distance rates.

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