Google Voice

I signed up for Google Voice quite some time ago, but I have been playing with it only for the last week or so.  During these few days, I have begun to appreciate how cool and useful it is.  It used to be by invitation only, but Google has recently opened the service up to anyone in the US.  (Sorry, the rest of the world has to wait.)

Click here to go to the Google voice website.

First, what is Google Voice?

Google Voice is a comprehensive virtual phone system.  It enhances your existing telephone system in a variety of ways, including providing you with a phone number that can be forwarded to any of your phones.  Many readers are probably like me — you might have several phones and the best phone to reach you depends on the time of day and what you are doing.  Your friends and colleagues might try your office first.  If they get no answer, they’ll try your mobile phone.  Google Voice takes this all away.  When someone calls your Google Voice number, the call goes to any or all of your phones, and the first one to answer takes the call.  So, a single number to handles all your calls directing them to wherever you want them to land.  That in itself is pretty slick, but there are loads of other features too.

Think of it this way.  In the telephone world, each device or telephone has a number.  That is why you have a number for every phone you own.  Google Voice changes that idea.  The number is attached to a person rather than to the device.  In this respect, it’s like e-mail.  If you needed a new e-mail address for every computer you used, that would obviously be stupid.  With Google Voice, you have your personal number and you decide which phone you are going to use with that number — just as you do with e-mail!

Here are a few tips and tricks and descriptions of some of the features:

• Your choice of area code When you sign up, you get to choose the area code where you want your number.  So, if you live in the Napa Valley, but would prefer people to think you live in Piscataway, NJ, you can get a number with a Piscataway (I just love that name!) area code.  This might sound frivolous, but it could be useful if you have friends and relatives in a particular place and you want them to be able to get hold of you with a local call.  Think about the number you want carefully when you sign up.  You can change your number later, but it will cost $10 to do so.
• Vanity Numbers If you’d like a number that contains your name or your business, you can type in the word and Google Voice will offer you a variety of choices.  I managed to snag a very distinctive number with a Washington, DC area code.   DC isn’t just a cool place, but both of my adorable children live there and can reach me as a local call.
• Low International Rates Calls to the United States and Canada are free.  Calls to other countries are at very competitive rates.  For example, it costs 2 cents a minutes to call many countries, including England, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Singapore, Hong Kong.  Be careful when calling mobile phones, though.  These calls usually cost considerably more especially in Europe.
• Web Interface for calling I usually have the Google Voice web interface up all the time.  When I want to make a call, I  select the name of the person I want to call and the phone I want to call from.  First Google voice rings my selected phone and as soon as I pick up, it connects me to the person I want to talk to.  No long distance charges take place except for the modest charge if you make an international call.  This is a terrific feature that lets you make a long distance call without triggering a charge to the owner of the phone line, such as your employer.  In fact, I am beginning to use this for any call made from my office whether the call is personal or work related.
• Enhancement for your existing cell phone service With Google Voice, you can effectively turn your mobile phone plan into an unlimited calling plan.  Most cell phone companies allow you to call a select group of people (family and friends) without burning through your minutes.  With Google Voice, you can put your Google voice number on that list.  Then you can make calls by dialing your Google Voice number.  As soon as Google Voice answers, enter your PIN and then 2.  Then you are prompted to enter the number you want to reach and Google Voice connects you to that number.  As far as your mobile carrier is concerned, you have simply dialed your Google Voice number, which is on your list of favorites.
• Forwarding Schedules  You can establish schedules so that the right phone rings.  For example, my mobile phone rings on any call; my office phone rings on weekdays between 8:00 in the morning and 6:30 in the evening; and my home number rings on evenings and weekends.
• Voice mail transcription Many of my friends know how much I hate voice mail.  I won’t do that diatribe here, but I love the fact that your voice mail comes in as a text message or email,  So when some moron calls you, as so often happens, to tell you the time (I have a watch), their name (I have a contact list), and their phone number (I have caller ID), at least you can quickly glance at the text rather than waste time accessing your messages and listening to him/her droning on.  You can even use this feature as a dictation machine — call your number and leave a message while you are driving to work, and you get the message typed up for you when you arrive at the office.
• Smart Phone Applications There are applications for most smart phones that allow you to make your calls via Google Voice.  On my Blackberry, it adds this option to the menu associated with contact list.  It makes sense to use these applications when you call internationally or if you have defined the Google number as one of your favorite numbers and you’re trying to expand your minutes.
• Text Messages If you don’t have a plan that allows you to send unlimited text messages on your mobile phone, you can send them from the comfort of your computer at no charge.  Unfortunately, you cannot send international text messages any more.
• Support for people without phones Let’s say you don’t own a phone at all.  With Google Voice, you can still send and receive texts from your computer; you can pick up voicemail as a transcription or you can listen to it as it comes as an attachment to your email.  And if you stay with someone who has a phone, you can forward your calls to that number.  Also, you have somthing to write when a phone number is a mandatory field on an online form.
• Do not disturb Google Voice has a mode that will leave you in peace if you don’t want to take any calls.
• Call Screening Google Voice allows you to screen a call before opting to take it.  I don’t use that feature as almost every call I receive is identifiable because it is in my contact list.
• Elimination of long Distance Charges It seems that few people pay them now, but some people like to have a land line in the house.  With Google Voice, you can ask your phone company for the most basic plan with no long special long distance deal.  Then you can use Google Voice every time you make a call.  And if you use your computer to initiate the call, it counts as an incoming call so you could even consider eliminating a plan that offers a deal for local calls.

There seem to be very few drawbacks.  The only annoying limitation I have found so far is that Google Voice doesn’t allow you to send international texts any more.

So far, I love it!  Another way in which Google has changed my life!