Eight Things You Need to Know About Google Voice
For starters, it'll give you malaria. Oops, sorry -- that's something you need to know about mosquitoes. Should you care about Google Voice? Yes, I think so. It might not be for everyone, though, as Rick has already discussed, so I've put together this list of eight things you absolutely should know about Google Voice -- four good, and, for equal time, four bad. Read 'em and make up your own mind.
The Good
1. One number to rule them all. Google Voice lets you give out a single photo number that will ring any or all of your phones -- home, mobile, work, you name it.2. Voicemail transcriptions. Every voice mail automatically gets transcribed, stored online in text form, and sent to your cell phone as a text message, which is incredibly handy.
3. Call screening. When you get a call, Google Voice tell you who is calling, so you have a choice to pick up or send the call to voicemail.
4. Call recording. At any time during a call, just press 4 to record the call. In the past, I needed Rube Goldberg-esque software and contraptions to record phone calls for interviews. Now I can do it with the touch of a button in Google Voice.
The Bad
1. Do you really want to give out a new number? Changing your phone number isn't like going to the dentist, it's like making every single client, partner, co-worker, friend, and ex-spouse you've ever had go to the dentist.2. Mixed messaging. For the most part, there's no way to make your phone dial out using your Google Voice phone number (thanks, Apple). One huge exception: the Palm Pre has an app that can make calls using your Google Voice number. So unless you have a Pre, your outgoing calls won't match the number you gave out in Bad #1.
3. Uncertainty about the future. It's free today. There are no ads today. What about tomorrow?
4. How reliable is the cloud? See bad #3. Will the service even be here tomorrow? Probably. But what happens when there's a service outage and you can't access your voice mail?
By the way... looking for a Google Voice invite? You can request one from Google.
What do you think about Google Voice? Give me a call and let's chat about it. Or you could leave a note in the comments.
Photo by david.nikonvscanon