Google Voice, which is “an application that helps you better manage your voice communications” has been released to beta testers, and the online world is gushing and heaping praise on Google for what they have come up with. (click here to go the the Google Voice homepage for more information or to request an invite.)
The application is actually full of useful features. I bet you can not read through the following list and not pick out at least one that you would love to have right now:
* Call screening – Announce and screen callers
* Listen in – Listen before taking a call
* Block calls – Keep unwanted callers at bay
* Taking calls – Answer on any of your phones
* Phone routing – Phones ring based on who calls
* Voicemail transcripts – Read what your voicemail says
* Call record – Record calls and store them online
* Call switch – Switch phones during a call
But…and you knew that was coming, right? Yes, for me, there is a big ‘but’ in all of this euphoria. As of now anyway, you have to use a totally new, Google-provided phone number to enjoy using Google Voice and it’s features. That’s right, a new number to give to your friends and family and customers to reach you. (They call the Google number and the call gets forwarded to your handheld or home or office.)
Maybe that does not matter to some of you, if so, sign up and enjoy. But if you, like me, don’t want to hassle with training your friends and family, not to mention customers, to call a new number, then Google Voice in it’s current form is useless to you and you should not bother with it.
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