Google Voice: single number for all your phones

Google is all set to revolutionize the way we use phones. Google Voice, formerly Grand Central has released its first mobile app for BlackBerry and Google Android phones today. The app lets you make a call and have it show up in Caller ID as coming from your Google number and not your cellphone. The event follows Google announcement rolling out of Google Voice in March. Google started issuing a unique phone number that was tied with various numbers like cellphone, home phone and business line. Whenever your friends call your Google number all the other phones would ring, just pick any one of them to answer. The voice mails would reach all the phones with free transcription by Google.

The core idea behind the innovation, as Google senior product manager, Vincent Paquet explains is

my communication should be tied to me.

Following the announcement of Google voice, request for the unique numbers flooded Google. To fulfill those requests they let out the numbers gradually. From last week Google started releasing tens of thousands of numbers a day to meet the pending requests. In a short period the demand for the Google Voice numbers have rocketed and now they are being auctioned for as much as $100 on eBay.

Overcoming the Shortfall

With Google Voice phone number all the outbound calls are automatically routed through Google and reach the recipient. You might route the calls to mobile, home and other phones based on who’s calling and when. Now when you call out from your phones the recipient were not able to see the Google Voice number on caller ID. People can just see the numbers from whatever phone you are calling. What that means is your recipient won’t know who’s calling. To fix this issue Google launched the mobile phone app.

With the new app all the outbound calls are made to Google Voice and those calls are then routed to the recipient, enabling the person to see the Google Voice number of the caller. The Android app is more versatile and takes over the native dialer, address book and call number. However, the Blackberry app is less integrated, accessing only the native address book, and uses its own dialer. The users won’t be able to go into the call log and return missed calls. They would have to go back to the address book and select Google Voice to make the call. Afterall, the job is done.

Some commonplace benefits

Well, there are a number of benefits attached to the Google app that you’ll realize as you go using it. Let’s get into a situation, say you’ve phone numbers for work, home, cell and a separate car phone, and all this is merged into a unique number provided by Google. Wherever you are if you can get hold of any one of them you are done.

Hopefully, Voice might cut down the cellphone bill. Now, if you have a pay-as-you go cell phone and buying phone cards monthly, with the Google app you could make the most of your home land line.

This could be profitable for international calls. Google charges as low as 2 cents a minute for calls to Europe. While Internet phone service Skype has a similar pricing, most people make calls with  Skype on their computers using headsets. Google Voice would offer greater mobility and portability.

Further, according to Paquet Google is working on making it possible to “port” your existing phone number to use as your Google Voice number.

Registration for the Google service is still being accepted at voice.google.com.