Image: Google
Review: Google Voice
Posted on Mar 22, 2009 / 11:33 PM CT
Some were scratching their heads and wondered why Google bought the online telephone service, GrandCentral. After the purchase, Google did nothing to the service for three years. Many current GrandCentral users wondered if GrandCentral would go the route of Dodgeball – buying the service and letting it die.
Now is GrandCentral is back with new features and a new name – Google Voice.
Currently available to existing GrandCentral users at the moment, moving your existing grand central account to Google Voice is easy, you just have to wait until your account is selected to move over. Once your account is selected, be sure to back up for voicemails as they will be deleted when you move to Google Voice. New users will be able to sign up for a voice account later on in the year.
The old features from GrandCentral are still there: one phone number can ring multiple lines like a landline, cell phone, and even VOIP applications like Gizmo; free voicemail; and the receiver can listen in as callers record their voicemail.
New features that were added: SMS, actually using your number to place a call, and voice-to-text messaging.
SMS integration is one of several features added to Google Voice. Your Google voice number can now send and receive text messages. Plus, those messages can be sent to you mobile phone and you can respond to those messages from your mobile phone as well. Best of all, using your Google Voice number for sending and receiving text messages are free – unless, of course, your messages are forwarded to your phone (which you can turn off), then the rates/and or text message package do count.
One feature that’s missing is ability to block calls, especially text messaging. I can see this feature being abused and if your text messages are set to forward to your phone, they can rack up the bill.
What GrandCentral blocked during the beta, Google Voice rolled out – using your phone to call other lines, even internationally. Calls are free to all landlines in the United States, including mobile and 800 numbers. The rates for international calls are not expensive, with the Solomon Islands being the most expensive rate per minutes at $0.71.
Best of all, you can use your landline or mobile phone to call other places. GrandCentral required users to use their online phone software with a microphone attached to the computer. This is perfect for international calls or if you don’t feel comfortable giving your landline or wireless phone number being displayed as the caller ID.
Another feature added to Google Voice is voicemail-to-text, however this feature is in extreme beta. Take this test message from my friend, Adam:
Hey Greg, it’s Adam. I’m leaving you a message on your new number or whatever it is you wanted me to do. You’re welcome, bye!
This is how Google Voice transcribed the voice message to text:
Since voice-to-text is not 100% accurate, Google Voice bolds the words that the computer identified as correct and the rest is up for the person to guess what the message is without listening to the voicemail. Voice-to-text has never really caught on in terms of accuracy. Hopefully, over time, this feature may or may not improve.
GrandCentral has been resurrected as Google Voice. Work still has to be applied to voicemail-to-text and a big downside is that Google Voice is only available in the United States. However, SMS integration into the existing features of GrandCentral make this the perfect solution for an office number or if you don’t feel like giving you landline or cell phone number to an unknown person or company.
