

Google Voice open for everyone (In the US) - yanw
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/google-voice-for-everyone.html

======
risotto
Getting everyone to use my GV number is really paying off these days.

I don't pay any carrier anything for SMS service. I use Google Voice,
generally via my gmail inbox, for all SMS>

Then my iPad is running a soft phone, configured with Gizmo5 SIP credentials.
So at home, calls to my Google Voice number ring both my iPad and iPhone. I'm
using the jailbreak `backgrounder` app now, but iOS4 will offer a sanctioned
solution.

This is my mashup for shitty AT&T cell service, fast cable modem, no land-
line, and nice and shiny but power efficient Apple hardware.

~~~
santry
When you write "generally via my gmail inbox, for all SMS" do you mean it's
all email based, or is there a magical Google Voice/Gmail integration I'm not
aware of?

~~~
sahaj
although you can reply to a sms from gmail, there is still no way to initiate
a sms converstaion directly from gmail.

~~~
risotto
There is, I have plenty of saved Joe Schmoe (SMS) email addresses in my
address book now. Writing a fresh email to this address sends a txt.

~~~
sahaj
again, that person had to have text-ed you for you to be able to reply.

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robk
The combination of a Nexus One <-> SIPDroid <-> PBXes.org <-> SipSorcery <->
Gizmo5 <-> Google Voice is a complex one but pretty damn amazing. As long as I
have a half decent wifi or 3g (or sometimes GPRS) connection, I can make and
receive calls for free to and from the US wherever I'm at, worldwide. Pretty
sweet.

~~~
protobuf
You could cut out the middle pieces and use Guava:
<http://gizmo5.com/guava.html?loc=guava>

~~~
robk
Guava looks cool, but seems to ( _) cost you outgoing call fees in Gizmo5.
SipSorcery allows you to configure the routings back through Google Voice so
your outbound is free in the domestic US as well as inbound.

_ [http://androinica.com/2009/07/24/android-google-voice-
guava-...](http://androinica.com/2009/07/24/android-google-voice-guava-sim-
free-calling-options/)

~~~
mieses
I read that Guava is a fork or a simple copy of Sipdroid, which probably
explains why Gizmo was ashamed to market it.

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abrahamsen
I hate not being included in "everyone".

(Google Voice is not available in your country.)

~~~
sounddust
I'm in France and was able to sign up. You just need access to a US phone
number for a few minutes, and there are many ways you can get one. One is to
signup for 3jam for one month, another is to get a SkypeIn number. It's
probably possible with Twilio as well.

That having been said, you don't get as much use out of it as if you lived in
the US. But I use it for free unlimited SMS (incoming and outgoing) to my
friends in the US, and for voicemail with an American number .

~~~
sdrinf
How do you jump the enter-digit verification via 3jam? Tried linking 3jam to
my Skype account, to no avail; do you forward it to your mobile phone?

~~~
sounddust
Yes. With 3jam you can forward to your (European) mobile, although there's a
per-minute charge (Of course if all you're using it for is GV signup, then it
shouldn't be much - 1 or 2 minutes of talk time).

------
kylec
I wish they supported number porting - that's the only thing preventing me
from completely switching to it.

~~~
ja27
They do, but not for all features:

[http://googlevoiceblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/google-voice-
wit...](http://googlevoiceblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/google-voice-with-your-
existing-number.html)

~~~
robk
That's not true number porting, just auto-forwarding. It's like changing the
email header on your email to say it originates elsewhere (and changing the
reply-to). In the end, dialing in directly to your old PSTN number and having
it go straight to Google isn't supported (yet).

~~~
mikeknoop
Apparently Michael Arrington was able to have his number ported, it's probably
just a PITA to automate currently.

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mieses
The best thing about Google Voice is Gizmo SIP support. It makes Google Voice
almost useful. I say "almost" because Google Voice carefully limits the user's
ability to make pure VoIP calls (to protect the wireless carriers). For
example, the Google Voice app for Android requires a cell signal to place
calls.

~~~
robk
Hence SIPSorcery and the related stack, which do let you take advantage to
call over 3G/GPRS or Wifi

~~~
mieses
SIPSorcery looks useful, based on what i've pieced together so far. The web
site could use a little less (or more) emphasis on the Silverlight UI
(depending on the vision for the project). edit: i need to read the sipsorcery
docs. it's not clear to me how sipsorcery helps in placing the call from a
wifi-only android device, for example.

~~~
lutorm
I just played around with this last night, and it seems like SipSorcery,
through the Ruby dial plans, have hacked up a way to make the sip call appear
to come from your GV number.

It works for me (though I used Sipgate since you can't sign up for gizmo5
anymore). The only problem I had was that when people call my GV number, the
Caller ID when sipdroid rings says that it's from my own Sipgate number, which
the original number displayed in brackets. (And perhaps that when you have
both a sim number and the sipdroid one, both the normal phone app and sipdroid
rings at the same time, so you have to make sure you answer the right way...)

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megaman821
It would be nice if they would release an api now. It is one of the only
products that doesn't have one.

~~~
jackowayed
There sort of is one, it's just not documented and not as complete as it
should be. But besides for that it's great :)

Here's a python library <http://code.google.com/p/pygooglevoice/>

And here's a post by the buy who wrote the Google Voice Firefox extension
somewhat documenting it: <http://posttopic.com/topic/google-voice-add-on-
development> (it's the first comment in that thread)

------
DavidPP
Same here (from Canada) : Thanks for visiting Google Voice. We're not yet open
for users outside the US.

Guess they should specify it in their communication.

------
pilif
I know that the availability as a free service more or less depends on free
local calls, which is probably why it's not available outside the US.

Still. Voicemail and call routing alone would be something i'm willing to pay
for. If I had a wish, it would be for-pay google voice in Switzerland :-)

------
albemuth
* everyone = US users

~~~
protomyth
is there a list of numbers somewhere that is still blocked by Google Voice?

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robk
Everyone in the United States only :(

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klous
Since using Google Voice to create a phone number to track call responses or
do some A/B testing for call response on a specific campaign is tough to pull
off (You can only forward calls from a single Google voice number per line)
What would be a suitable alternative?

~~~
johns
Twilio (I work there)

------
gojomo
When I sent an SMS to a GV number, and it was forwarded to their iPhone, they
saw a number other than mine as the sender. Is this an inherent limitation of
the service?

~~~
techsupporter
Yes, but it's not a limitation. The "from" number is re-written so that the
reply will go back through the Google Voice infrastructure. In this manner,
text messages are free, at least for the Google Voice user who is receiving
the message.

------
GrandMasterBirt
I've used google voice for over 3 months, and have switched away from it.

My main goal was to replace my voicemail. I never check it (currently have 10
messages). Most of them are hang-up messages from my mom or family member, so
I mostly ignore them. I almost never get useful voicemail. So. Google voice to
the rescue.

First apparent problem (not so bad). The speach to text is horrible. Maybe 40%
of the voicemail was correctly transcribed. maybe less. But never really
useful. Ever. I only got the gist of if I should or should not listen to the
voicemail, which really is good enough for me because it solved my voicemail
problem.

Second hidden problem (maaaaaaaajor, the reason I quit): Calls are not
instantly forwarded. This might sound like I am picky, but check this out: If
for 3 out of 4 rings the call is being forwarded, I only realize someone is
calling when they hang up. (this feature was necessary so that people calling
my regular cell would immediately get my google voice voicemail vs my regular
voicemail). Actually often the forwarding would be so slow that the person
already got to voicemail by the time my cellphone rang. People mostly thought
my cell was off.

So overall until their speeds SIGNIFICANTLY increase I can't use gv. And I am
not even doing this as a business. So their little graph of how google voice
revolutionizes telephony is kinda bs. Wait 5 years and the pudding will tell.

What is nice is if I DONT use my gv number, then I can switch away from it
without problem. If people start only calling my gv phone number I will be
trapped in the crappiness of google voice. I am glad they let me use my
regular phone number vs gv phone number.

~~~
Terretta
Google Voice transcription is a (really bad) toy. If you hate checking voice
mail but want transcription that's immediate and even better than deciphering
audio yourself, try <http://www.phonetag.com/>

PhoneTag is more accurate than our most human receptionists.

Agreed on the lag. I had to change cell phone voice mail to delay 30 seconds
before answering or calls were going to GV voicemail for "no answer" before I
could get to the cell phone. To the caller it had rung 5 times, to me, once.

------
pierrefar
Who cares about the rest of the world? Everyone = the USA in the eyes of
Google.

~~~
melling
I was going to say that...or I was going to say that it's probably just
simpler to open to one market where all issues are resolved then open it to
other markets as issues in those markets become resolved.

Can't decide which one sounds more logical. Were Gmail, Picasa, Buzz, Wave,
and Google Docs available only in the US first when they were first released?

~~~
jarek
No, but none of these require dealing with telcos and probably governments.

~~~
Alex63
That's the key point. It's hard enough dealing with one regulatory
environment, and one set of threatened incumbents.

~~~
borism
Skype was available Worldwide since launch, my dear US friends!

~~~
Alex63
But, unless I am mistaken, Skype does not represent the same threat that GV
does. Skype does not offer services like voicemail and personal hunt-groups
that potentially undermine telco value-added services.

