After years of uncertainty, Google announced Google Voice yesterday, the expanded version of its phone service GrandCentral. As a GrandCentral subscriber, I’ll be upgraded to the new service soon; it will be open to everyone in a few weeks. I am delighted and a bit surprised – there had been no indication that anything was being done with GrandCentral, which gave all the appearance of being deceased.
David Pogue has a nice description of GrandCentral and the new features in Google Voice. When you dial my GrandCentral number, (707) 703-1601, the phone rings in my office and on my cell phone, and I could have the calls follow me to other phones as well. I’ve always gotten email reminders about the messages you leave but those messages will now include text transcriptions of your messages. The new service adds cheap international calls, free conference calling, better text message handling, and a host of other features for people willing to dive in and explore the online control panel.
I’ll tell you more when I’ve had a chance to try it out!
