Google is the king of the web. Not many people will argue that except maybe Facebook who is giving Google a run for their money. Google now is getting ready to release Voice to the world. I started a while back, cutting my use of Google (more details on why). They have too much information nowadays.
So, now they are going to have all of your communications data. Not just email, but text messaging, phone calls and voicemail. Here is a list of features they talk about:
One number for all your calls and SMS
- Call screening – Announce and screen callers
- Listen in – Listen before taking a call
- Block calls – Keep unwanted callers at bay
- SMS – Send, receive, and store SMS
- Place calls – Call US numbers for free
- Taking calls – Answer on any of your phones
- Phone routing – Phones ring based on who calls
- Forwarding phones – Add phones and decide which ring
Voicemail as easy as email, with transcripts
- Voicemail transcripts – Read what your voicemail says
- Listen to voicemail – Check online or from your phone
- Notifications – Receive voicemails via email or SMS
- Personalize greeting – Vary greetings by caller
- Share voicemail – Forward or download voicemails
More cool things you can do with Google Voice
- Conference calling – Join people into a single call
- Call record – Record calls and store them online
- Call switch – Switch phones during a call
- Mobile site – View your inbox from your mobile
- GOOG-411 – Check directory assistance
- Manage groups – Set preferences by group
Don’t get me wrong, this is cool stuff. I would use it if I did not know they would be using my conversations as ways to advertise to me. I would happily pay for this kind of service. Another option you could have is to setup your own PBX (phone system) and you would have most of these features.
Google is going to be the Big Brother to not only the US, but the world soon.
l8r
Good job! on this page & your linked one re goog policies. Thanks for sifting through and posting the goog’s specific policies. I love their stuff too (gmail search gvideos earth maps etc) but I definitely don’t trust them either. Where to run, where to hide, as the saying goes. :-/
Did you see the Charlie Rose interview of Eric Schmidt maybe a year ago now? (PBS). Lol as Charlie asked him outright if goog spies on our emails, etc.
Eric said No of course.
Another blog comment I just read at mashable from earlier this year re goog voice, the person said goog are members of the CFR, which I didn’t realize but am certainly not surprised.
What got me started today on this was I got an unexpected invite to goog voice a few days ago & was googling Google Voice & New World Order, & Google Voice – Big Brother.
What a mess the world is!
I love Google Voice. There SMS feature really got me into it. I can send free text messages to Bangladesh, India, and USA. It saves me some good money on my texting program from Verizon Wireless because I can use that to send now. I think Google always does a wonderful job of giving customers what they require and need. I have heard in the future they are incorporating Voice with the Android. Plus they purchased a new VoIP company which they will incorporate with the other two to give some quality features. I need to get me a Androind now haha.
And now it looks like they will be incorporating video as well.