There have been very few game-changers in phones and phone calls since the invention of the cellular phone.  Sure, we have more sophisticated devices that rival the PCs of just a few years ago and those devices are capable of storing the phone numbers of our friends and family, but the way two people connect hasn’t been improved by much.  If you want to call your friend (let’s call him Troy), you need his number and he needs to be there to answer the call.  If Troy isn’t answering, you can leave him a voice mail (which he can check when he gets a chance) or you can send him a text and see if he responds to that message.

In a world where most everyone we communicate with has a cell phone, a work phone, a home phone, an email address, a Facebook page and (sometimes) a Twitter account, “getting in touch” with someone should be easier than ever.  Instead, you have to play the guessing game of where to start “looking” for Troy.  I think that must have been the issue that Google focused on when they decided to start Google Voice.  I was lucky enough to participate in the BETA of Google Voice (for about a year now) and the application/tool is now available for everyone to use.

What is Google Voice

Simply put, Google Voice is one phone number to rule them all.  Use your existing mobile number and add the Google Voice features or start with a brand new phone number.  Tie all of your phones (home, work, cell) to that one number and end the guessing games for everyone.  I could go on in detail, but Google has put together a great video to explain what Voice is all about:

Features

“The list of features goes on and on..”  That quote from the video above is an understatement at best.  There are hundreds of features within the Google Voice system and I think everyone will find something they like.  I won’t detail them all, but here are a few of my favorites.  These are features that I have used many times over the last year.

Voicemail Transcription – The Google Voice service converts your messages into written form and stores them within the application, forwards them to you as a text and/or emails them to you.  The next time you miss a call, just read the message and, if you want, listen along.  While the transcribing technology is far from perfect, it is nice to make out the general idea of a message before bothering to listen to the whole thing.

Personalized Greetings – Have one message for friends, one for family and another for business associates.  You can record as many greetings as you want and determine who will hear what, when they call.  Your boss will never have to hear “leave a message at the beep dawg!” again.  (side note: Hey Google, what does the guy in the sombrero have to do with personalized greetings?)

SMS to Email – Never miss a text again.  Have your texts sent to an email address (or several) and reply to them directly from your email inbox.  This might seem silly at first, but just leave your cell at home one time and see how handy this feature is.  And now, you can text at work while it looks like you are busy on that report that is already late.

Screen Callers – I’ll admit it, I screen my calls.  With Google Voice you can instantly push any call to voice mail, listen to the message as it is being recorded and jump in (if you want) or stop listening at any time.  This feature is also handy if you get a call while in a noisy area or somewhere you can’t talk.  Use the time to decide if you should excuse yourself and take the call outside.  I’m looking at you movie-goers!

Contacts – Although it is not listed as one of the primary features of Voice, the integration of Google Contacts with Google Voice is simply amazing.  See pictures of your friends as they call, save new callers into your contacts from the Google Voice application and add new numbers to existing contacts with the touch of a button.

Mobile App – Not only is Google Voice FREE, but so is the app for your smart phone (Blackberry, Android and iPhones).  Send text messages from the app (without affecting the number of texts on your monthly bill), check your messages and even place outbound calls from your phone without paying for the minutes on your cellular contract.  This might be a feature you want for your son or daughter.  After all, 5000 texts a month can get quite pricey without an unlimited plan.

Try it Out

Try out Google Voice today for FREE and begin playing with all of the features.  Sign up for the one new number you will ever need again.  Next time you change your home number, cell number, work number, etc. it won’t matter.  Your Google Voice number will never change.  While Google Voice does not currently solve communication issues with Facebook or Twitter, I think it is only a matter of time.  After all, it is Google!!!

Link to Google Voice Site – Click Here

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