Google Voice: The Latest Roll Out from Google

If you thought Google was all about capturing the software and cell phone industry, you are wrong. The latest launch from Google will testify this. Google Voice is the most recent among the roll outs from Google and the application is presently available for Blackberry and Android. When asked if this move is to position Google as a “Next-gen telco”, the answer is effectively yes. An iPhone application is well on its way and users can use Google voice for SMS and voice calls; as per the preferences they set.

Google voice is the mobile version of Skype with the only difference that you are provided with a usable number here which is integrated with your contacts in the phone. Why this is touted as Google’s take on the telecom industry is because it attacks the user identification aspect which is done by the number your service provider provides you with. In other words, if you were to use Google voice to call or message someone, the number provided by Google voice will appear in the receiver’s caller id. This makes your original service provider number completely irrelevant since your carrier designated number plays no role in the call you are making and hence gets superseded.

So no matter what plan you are in, whose service you are opting for all that matters is your Google voice number since that is what will feature in front of the called party once you place a call or post a message. Therefore, you can change your service provider or your carrier designated number as many times as you like and your contacts will have no idea about it. As Om Malik says, “The Google Voice app essentially reduces the cell phone carrier to a dumb pipe.” The reason why Google voice is expected to be a hit among users in the market is because of the more integrated functionality it provides.

If Google voice succeeds in the market, no more worrying about call tariffs or informing contacts if you change your mobile number. If everyone were to use Google voice they would set the number provided as their primary number and use it for all voice calls and messages. All you need is an unlimited data plan which comes for around $15-20 and this is all it takes to satiate all your communication needs, in addition to Google voice of course.

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