Comments on: First Impressions: Google Voice

By: ziare

ziare — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:56:57 +0000

I’m guessing this is only available in the US..

By: afewtips.com

afewtips.com — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:54:46 +0000

I was able to sign up last month. Maybe after my first attempt I shouldn’t have used the invite link again. A normal signup was fine.
The service is kinda cool. I have the same last 4 and area code as my home and cell phones (I got my cell phone back when you could choose numbers) and when a call comes in on my GV number, it tries all of my registered numbers. Other than that a ability to screen calls, I don’t see much more use. International calling doesn’t help me and my Long distance is free from my cell.

By: Charles

Charles — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:27:19 +0000

I am interested in testing Google Voice but it isn’t available in Canada yet.

Charles

By: stjkatz

stjkatz — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 06:08:12 +0000

If you have verizon, just make the google voice routing number one of your top 5, and all of a sudden you get all your calls (that get routed through google voice) unlimited minutes.

By: afewtips.com

afewtips.com — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 12:19:57 +0000

I got my invitation but wasn’t sure what number to pick. My first attempts were not available. So I exited and came back and lost the chance to get a number. I thought that was stupid. You get 1 shot and that’s it??
It’s not a pardon from jail. “Walk now or get back in the cell.”

By: Lynn Dye’s Thoughts On Technology » Blog Archive » Google Voice-One Number for Life

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:14:02 +0000

[...] yet to dive in to my Google contacts to set all the controls and instructions, but Paul Stamatiou has and has some great screen shots and shows the multitude of possibilities at your [...]

By: The Apple, AT&T, and Google Voice Controversy

The Apple, AT&T, and Google Voice Controversy — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 19:00:28 +0000

[...] sounds like a really useful application. You can see that from Paul Stamatiou’s excellent review of Google Voice and from ExpanDrive’s post on why it is important to their [...]

By: j5_jhallgren

j5_jhallgren — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 06:16:05 +0000

I still am using my GrandCentral acct that I got back in Jan 2007 and haven’t converted over yet…waiting till I just have to as I like the existing setup with customizable rings.

The only real problem I have with making calls via GC using landline is when you call a VRU or anything that uses key tones! You can’t do it as GC (and GV as I understand it) intercepts certain digits as function codes for it…phooey!

By: Shiva

Shiva — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 23:37:03 +0000

I don’t understand why everyone assumes it is difficult to business in any other country except the US. It is true that most early adopters are in the US, but it is a chicken-and-egg thing.

Unless companies like Google take the lead in getting tech to the other parts of the world at the same time as they release it in the US, there will never be a large enough market.

I’m pretty sure that over the next decade, web companies will need to tap into large consumer markets and will not be able to afford to keep themselves insulated to just the US.

For instance, something like Pownce would have been far more successful if they tried to tap into a market of a billion phone users (China + India) rather than a few hundred-thousands in the US

It’s only the web where the rest of the world trails the US in spending — cars, lifestyle products, entertainment – the growth is in Asia

By: Daryn St. Pierre

Daryn St. Pierre — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 23:27:55 +0000

@ Shiva

I agree and think it’s a bummer that GV is only initially introduced to the US, but I’m sure there are some issues that were involved as well. I think one of them could be the acquisition of phone numbers to allocate to all new users. Google might not be able to immediately acquire phone numbers in countries like England for whatever reason.

By: Shiva

Shiva — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 23:23:36 +0000

Great post on all the goodness that Google Voice brings TO ONLY THE F***KING US. I’m sick of seeing all this technology companies completely ignore every country which is not US. It doesn’t quite help that google is trying to do this in only one country.

Wouldn’t it be easier if they put pressure by making the service available in say 5/6 countries at once. Big audience, more consumer pressure, and further it might even be easier in markets like India (already a lot of low cost options), China (iron fist regulation), to get this kind of things done?

By: Brian

Brian — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:22:04 +0000

GV mobile is now available in Cydia … if you jailbroke your iPhone! Nice! This is the first time I ever replaced an app I paid for in the app store with the same “outlawed” one.

By: BUGabundo

BUGabundo — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:09:06 +0000

I only have 1 BIG prob with this:
I finally got the invite, only to find out sec later that its not available in Portugal.
It’s *very* stupid from Google to give me an invite when it knows I wont be able to use it in my country.
Come on, its *Google*, it knows everything about me!!!!

By: Paul Stamatiou

Paul Stamatiou — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 23:01:49 +0000

hehe it might be related to this http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/07/28/best-comment-ever/

By: Mike Vail

Mike Vail — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 23:00:58 +0000

I don’t see why AT&T wanted the app pulled since there was a app in App store for GrandCentral. They never did anything about that one.

By: Sol Young » Blog Archive » Google Voice Migration

Sol Young » Blog Archive » Google Voice Migration — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:29:36 +0000

[...] up my set up and migration to Google Voice. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I’m linking to Paul Stamatiou’s review. He sums up my impressions, likes, and dislikes perfectly and has good instructions and [...]

By: Californian

Californian — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:18:53 +0000

Great review. There are a few other useful features (specific voice mail messages to prank your friends but not have a future employer decide not to hire you after all). I love Google Voice, and the number porting wouldn’t even have been that useful because I changed my GV number as I’m moving for college.

By: Bryan Villarin

Bryan Villarin — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:11:26 +0000

Good write-up, Paul. For now, I'm using the dialing hack to call contacts through Google Voice without needing to remember their number. (See call-backs at "How to Ease Your Transition to Google Voice") That "406" number can also be used to call-back those contacts. That way, you wouldn't need to use that dialing hack. (Hat tip: Brett Kelly) So, if your contact is using a Google Voice number, you don't need to worry about any of this. As for mobile-to-mobile minutes (I'm a Verizon Wireless user), I'm using Devin Reams' hack.

By: Chris Martin

Chris Martin — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 21:51:24 +0000

Hey Paul,

Positive side affect of Apple/AT&T pulling all of the GV apps from iTunes is that GV Mobile is now legitimately (by Sean Kovacs) available for free in Cydia. Bonus for folks like me that only had the free version while waiting for something official from Google.

http://www.modmyi.com/forums/iphone-news/678991-gv-mobile-now-cydia-modmyi-repo.html

-Chris

By: Google Voice | My Digital Life

Google Voice | My Digital Life — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:52:56 +0000

[...] just read a good article with some first impressions of Google’s Voice service. It’s worth a read and cover most of [...]

By: Jonathan Chan

Jonathan Chan — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:54:51 +0000

GV Mobile is now on Cydia for free. Just another reason to jailbreak. :).

By: The Crazy Colombian

The Crazy Colombian — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:37:37 +0000

Great article – very thorough and comprehensive. Well done!

You asked if I am not using a Google Voice number, why not. Reason is simple: I haven’t got an invitation. Besides, I am in Australia and as I understand it, you can only get a GV number in the US.

The implications of GV for the future are mind-boggling. Telcos – be afraid, be VERY afraid!

By: Paul Stamatiou

Paul Stamatiou — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:37:18 +0000

hehe I already had that linked in the post (under the Expanding Google Voice section), great article!

By: Ken

Ken — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:43:35 +0000

I got my invite yesterday, but I want to be sure I don’t sign up and create it in a way that would make it harder to use.
Are there any details I should know before I start setting it up?
Also, how do you pick the phone number you get? Do you get much of a choice?

Thanks

By: First impressions of Google Voice by Paul Stamatiou by Colin Devroe

First impressions of Google Voice by Paul Stamatiou by Colin Devroe — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:32:29 +0000

[...] If there is anyone that can grok Google Voice, review it, and relay that information in a way we can all understand – it is Paul Stamatiou. Here is Stammy’s first impressions of Google Voice. [...]