Google Voice

General
December 4, 2010
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Skype gearing up for a huge cloud-based offering?

By on December 4, 2010 at 10:53 AM.

Skype gearing up for a huge cloud-based offering?

TechCrunch is reporting that popular voice service, Skype, is gearing up for a big cloud-based play. This would presumably include web-based voice-calling, and possibly even video and chat services as well. In addition to the web move, it seems that Skype is starting to focus and set the company’s sights on the enterprise world. With Google Voice now available for Google Apps customers (and some sort of Enterprise-styled Google Voice service possibly coming soon), we’re wondering Skype’s next move here. TechCrunch throws out the concept of having Skype possibly integrated into Microsoft’s cloud offerings, or even possibly extending the Skype relationship with Facebook into something much larger. More →

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mobile
November 29, 2010
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WP7 developers complain of missing payments, broken reporting tools

By on November 29, 2010 at 11:24 AM.

WP7 developers complain of missing payments, broken reporting tools

Microsoft is making good progress in its efforts to woo developers to the new Windows Phone 7 platform, but we hope the company is equally devoted to keeping devs on board once they arrive. As the Redmond giant struggles to become a leader once again in the mobile space, developers and the apps they build are integral to Microsoft’s success. But in a blog post last week, developer Nicholas Yu made some troubling comments. Yu found that the number one feature users are requesting of his app — a Google Voice client called GoVoice — is the addition of push notification support. Yu notes in his blog post, however, that he is hesitant to add the functionality. More →

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Breaking
November 16, 2010
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Official Google Voice application for iPhone lands in App Store

By on November 16, 2010 at 2:05 PM.

Official Google Voice application for iPhone lands in App Store

The day hath cometh. Today, an official — Google made — Google Voice application landed in Apple’s iOS App Store. The new program, which requires and iPhone and iOS 3.0 or higher, offers push notifications of text messages and voicemails and allows users to access GV’s settings and dialer directly from their device. If you’re a Google Voice and iPhone user, make sure to pick this up! More →

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Breaking
September 18, 2010
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GV Mobile + hits the App Store, finally

By on September 18, 2010 at 3:17 PM.

GV Mobile + hits the App Store, finally

We have been waiting for this day for a long time. Not just because we love GV Mobile + so much, but because it shows that Apple has finally relaxed some of their App Store policies and will likely start being a bit more competitive with other platforms (hopefully). Now, back to GV Mobile +… it has been approved moments ago, developer Sean Kovacs tells us, and the price is $2.99. It is packed full of features — everything you’d want in a Google Voice native application, and we can’t wait until everyone gets to try it out. So, what are you waiting for? We have direct linked the iTunes app listing for you.

Note: if the link doesn’t work for you immediately, it’s because it literally just hit the App Store servers and is being propagated throughout the world. Just keep trying, ok?

Thanks, Sean! More →

109 Comments
Exclusive
September 13, 2010
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GV Mobile + submitted to App Store, we talk with Sean Kovacs

By on September 13, 2010 at 8:04 PM.

GV Mobile + submitted to App Store, we talk with Sean Kovacs

We just got off the phone with our buddy Sean Kovacs, aka the Google Voice king of iOS, and he filled us in on the latest with his app and the development and submission process. If you aren’t aware, (please stop reading this site) Apple removed all Google Voice-related applications over a year ago when it decided that the apps “duplicated” functionality on the phone (phone app). People have been debating the real issue behind Apple’s move since then, but with the recently updated and reasonably straight forward developer guidelines now published, Sean Kovacs is deciding to try his hand again. Hit the jump for our conversation. More →

40 Comments
mobile
August 28, 2010
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Leaked T-Mobile G2 ROM brings Google Voice widgets for your existing Android phone

By on August 28, 2010 at 2:43 PM.

Leaked T-Mobile G2 ROM brings Google Voice widgets for your existing Android phone

If you’re a Google Voice lover, there is a pretty good chance you’ll jump at the opportunity to install the latest leaked version. Not only does it contain ever-exciting unspecified changes since it’s a new version, it also brings homescreen widgets. Something most people have been waiting for, the widgets allow shortcuts for composing a text message, seeing your Google Voice calling balance, settings access, and the ability to toggle Google Voice. It all comes from the leaked ROM for the T-Mobile G2, made by HTC, that’s been making the rounds lately. Going to give a go? We’re loading up the .apk now! More →

89 Comments
General
August 25, 2010
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UK style Google Voice phone booths to start appearing in U.S.

By on August 25, 2010 at 10:30 PM.

UK style Google Voice phone booths to start appearing in U.S.

At the same event where Google introduced voice calling in Gmail, the search giant also announced that it would be placing Google Voice phone booths in select U.S. locations. The GV stations, which will closely resemble the iconic red telephone booths in the U.K., will begin appearing on college campuses and in airports in the next few weeks. The purpose of the old-fashioned booths is to get people more acquainted with Google Voice, allowing them to see how GV’s voice call-quality compares with more traditional landline services. Google said they would release more details about the telephone-towers in the coming weeks. More →

27 Comments
Rumor
August 25, 2010
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Google testing Gmail VoIP feature?

By on August 25, 2010 at 7:55 AM.

Google testing Gmail VoIP feature?

CNET is reporting that “Google is testing a Web-based service within Gmail that will allow users to place phone calls from their in-boxes.” The new reported service will allow users to make VoIP calls to landline and cellular phones, not just other Gmail or Google Talk users. CNET explains, “This is the likely culmination of Google’s work to integrate Gizmo5′s similar product, which it acquired late last year, into its arsenal.” Details on exactly how the service will work were not revealed to the site, and it is not clear if a Google Voice account will be required. When asked to comment on the report, the search giant would only say: “Google is always testing new features and products, but we have nothing specific to announce right now.” What do you think? Would you find functionality like this useful? More →

19 Comments
Software
July 22, 2010
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Google Voice app updated, Android and BlackBerry get faster dialing

By on July 22, 2010 at 3:55 PM.

Google Voice app updated, Android and BlackBerry get faster dialing

google-voice-app

Google has released an update to its Android and BlackBerry Google Voice applications, and is promising faster connection times. As Google states, “Our mantra is faster = better.” Here’s how the updated clients will expedite calls:

Until today, the Google Voice app had to make a request to the Google Voice server every time you wanted to make a call to send us the phone number you wanted to dial. Then the call would be connected via a Google Voice access number. With direct access numbers, we assign a unique phone number to every person you call. This means that we no longer need to use your data network to access the server each time you make a call, so calls will be placed much faster.

We’ve got the rest of the press release queued up for you after the bounce. We’re curious, how many of you give out your Google Voice number exclusively? More →

51 Comments
Services
July 7, 2010
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Peek firmware glitch sends SMS and Twitter feeds to wrong recipients?

By on July 7, 2010 at 1:29 AM.

Peek firmware glitch sends SMS and Twitter feeds to wrong recipients?

peek-issue

Folks who updated their Peek with the latest firmware are reporting a serious bug that is misdirecting SMS messages and incoming Twitter feeds to the wrong users. The issue began several days ago when Peek rolled out an update that enabled some social features including Google Voice support. Since then, things have gone horribly awry with users receiving the incorrect Twitter feed and even SMS messages intended for other recipients. If that was not bad enough – rather than receiving incorrect information, some Peek users are receiving absolutely no information at all and are questioning whether the service on their Peek is down. This situation would be mildly humorous if it wasn’t such a serious privacy breech with very personal and sometimes embarrassing messages landing in the wrong hands. Any Peek users out there care to comment?

Thanks, Andrew! More →

4 Comments
Services
July 2, 2010
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Unreleased desktop version of Google Voice demoed on video

By on July 2, 2010 at 8:15 AM.

Unreleased desktop version of Google Voice demoed on video

google-voice-desktop

Thanks to TechCrunch, the world can get a sneak peek at an unreleased version of Google Voice for the desktop. Running on OS X, the desktop client launches as “Gizmo5 by Google” and retains much of the branding of its original developer Gizmo5, a small development company that Google acquired in November 2009. Surprisingly, the leaked desktop client was fully functional. It appeared as a handset within the Google Voice web interface, grabbed all the pertinent data from the Google Voice service, and was able to send and receive calls. Testing of the application revealed not only the editor’s phone numbers, but decent call quality as well. Before you get your hopes up, it is unknown whether this desktop application is a newer version of Gizmo5 that Google is revitalizing or an older version that was presumed to have been canned. If you interest is piqued, hit the jump for the full, four-minute video preview. More →

9 Comments
Services
June 22, 2010
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Google Voice now available without an invite

By on June 22, 2010 at 1:35 PM.

Google Voice now available without an invite

Screen shot 2010-06-22 at 10.06.12 AM

Wave wasn’t the only Google service to be opened up to the public this week, as Google has now lifted its invite only restriction on its popular Google Voice service. It’s still only available to residents of the United States, but now the only thing standing between you and: free calls, free SMS messages (to anywhere in the U.S. and Canada), voice mail transcripts, and having one number for all of your phones is logging into voice.google.com with your Google account and picking out a number. More →

23 Comments
General
May 18, 2010
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Google buys Global IP Solutions, adds to VoIP holdings

By on May 18, 2010 at 9:13 AM.

Google buys Global IP Solutions, adds to VoIP holdings

top-logo-global-ip-solutions

Google, Inc. has purchased internet VoIP company Global IP Solutions for a cool $68.2 million; a 27.5% premium over the company’s current stock price. While Global IP may not be a household name, you might be familiar with what they provide and to whom they provide it: the back-end VoIP engine used by the Yahoo!, AIM, WebEx, Baidu, and Lotus chat systems. Google continues to bolster its portfolio of acquired companies that supplement its Google Voice and Google Talk services — you may recall Google purchasing internet chat/VoIP company Gizmo5 several months ago — but we have yet to see any drastic feature changes/additions in said services. The future looks bright for Google Voice and Talk…although we do wonder about the VoIP fate of Yahoo! et. al now that Google owns their voice over IP engine. More →

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