
Google Voice’s Secret Weapon: Number Portability - peter123
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/06/14/google-voices-secret-weapon-number-portability/
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zacharypinter
Though I'm really looking forward to Google Voice, I'd prefer for phone
numbers to just go away and for phone companies to just become wired/wireless
internet providers.

Let the internet decide how it wants to address people for voice
communications. Area codes and phone numbers are a relic that should be done
away with.

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iamelgringo
Hasn't Vonage had these features for years?

I've used Vonage as my primary phone service for about 5 years. I've had an
800 number that's followed me in two states and four cities. I give it to
everybody as my primary contact number. I can forward that number to any
number of my choosing. My voicemail goes to email. I can create any number of
virtual numbers with any area code that I want. For an extra $5 a month, I
could get a soft phone to make calls from my laptop. It's not really worth it
for me, since I don't travel that much, and my cell phone is much more
convenient.

Am I missing something? What else does Google Voice have that Vonage doesn't?

The only thin that Google Voice seems to do that Vonage doesn't is filter your
incoming calls based on rules. That would be handy, but not the "killer app".

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atarashi
_What else does Google Voice have that Vonage doesn't?_

In addition to the rule-based filtering that you mentioned, surprisingly
decent (and searchable) automatic voicemail transcription and the ability to
send/receive SMS to/from the Google Voice number. And, with the exception of
outbound calling, it's all free.

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anigbrowl
Well, that's just great, but in the meantime I'd settle for being able to use
it without number portability. It's still not available to the general public.

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mbrubeck
I wonder if they're waiting on number portability before they release it to
the public. If it launched without portability, then all the new users would
have to get new numbers, notify all their friends and family, etc., and then
if number portability came along later it would be too late for them.

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blasdel
I have a Google Voice account grandfathered in from GrandCentral, but I don't
use it -- because of precisely this issue. It doesn't help that the number I
do have gets a couple collections calls a week!

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kylec
So it's more or less call forwarding on steroids. I don't see anything
groundbreaking that I can't do using the call forwarding on my AT&T plan, with
the exception that GV's more automatic and Googley (and will, though not yet,
make the number you appear to be calling from your GV number)

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joeyo

      > and will, though not yet, make the number you appear to be
      > calling from your GV number
    

In my (limited) testing, I've found that it does indeed present your GV number
to caller id when you make outbound calls.

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kylec
Well I was just going by what the article said. Do you have to install
software on your phone to do that? If not, how is it accomplished?

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joeyo
The way it works is you use a web interface to enter the number you wish to
dial and the number you wish to dial _from_. Then your phone rings, you pick
up, and the number you are calling subsequently rings and the connection is
made.

Incidentally there is a 3rd party app for the android that transparently
handles all this for you-- you just enter a number to dial and it connects you
with GV.

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smhinsey
I'll be interested to see how this plays with the carriers (t-mobile in my
case). If I want to transfer my number to Voice, I'll need a new one for my
phone. Does this result in a new contract or termination fees?

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mikeliu
Show of hands for those that want to be spared of M.Arrington's ever-lasting
songs of praise for all things Google.

