The Voice of Google

I finally got around to migrating my GrandCentral account to Google Voice (GV)…feel stupid for not doing it earlier. GV is loaded with a ton of features and takes voice messaging to a whole new level.  The idea behind GV is that you get one phone number issued by Google and hand out that number to people.  Then behind the scenes you connect it to your cell phone, home, work, or Skype number.  Currently, GV is only available for the US and thus you can only get a US issued number. Also, GV does not forward to an international number which is an issue for me so I get around this by using a SkypeIn number. But of course, that means I have to be near my computer to answer calls and that defeats the whole purpose of mobility.

There are several real benefits for me:
– When people call my GV number, the voice message get’s transcribed and sent as an email in addition to the audio MP3 file
– I can use GV to call any US number for free by utilizing my SkypeIn number
– The iPhone interface for GV is slick but good be better

After using GV for the past several days, I’ve realized Google is intent on taking over my digital life.  There are several things that I would like to see before they announce a general launch:
– International numbers
– Forward calls to int’l numbers
– Integrate GV with Gmail for true unified messaging
– Ability to use PayPal and not just Google CheckOut to buy credits

Below are some screenshots