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Number of results 28 for Google

21/02/2010 - GVMax fills in the gaps for Google Voice

A few weeks ago, Google launched an app that mobile phone users could take advantage of, but the problem was it was a mobile web app and not a native phone app. Some of the functionality that Google Voice users love like SMS notifications haven't been carried along to the mobile web app so other developers have stepped in to fill the void. Enter GVMax, a free web service that monitors your Google Voice account and notifies you when you receive a new SMS or voicemail.

The work around uses Google Voice's SMS-to-email functionality using it to send the forwards to GVMax's servers which are then rerouted to the various ways a user wishes to be notified. When you recieve a new voicemail or SMS, the GVMax system can send you an IM, an SMS, an email or even a message on your Twitter account. The service not only fills in a functionality gap, but it also replaces a more cumbersome hack some user were employing involving having the notifications forward to an always-on home computer running a desktop app that would then pass on the notifications to users' mobile phones.

For more:
- read this blog post

11/02/2010 - Google's Buzz a UC play?

Google just launched a new collaborative tool called Buzz that serves to challenge Twitter, Facebook and possibly...unified communications and collaboration tools? Perhaps, posits PCWorld writer Tony Bradley. With GMail's features including email, text chat, video and voice talk, and now collaboration with Buzz, the suite of tools could be seen as a challenge to UC offerings from big league players like Cisco and Microsoft.

Just a few days ago Google revealed that it would be launching an enterprise version of Google Voice through its Apps suite for businesses. Combine that offering with the mythic Google VoIP, the new collaborative features of Buzz, the virtually unlimited inbox of Gmail, and Google's video chat features and you have many of the same features of UC packages. Bradley's article points out that the main thing holding back Google's UC suite is the lack of international VoIP support, but I am sure with the acquisition of Gizmo5 those details should be worked out soon--perhaps with the launch of Google Voice for enterprises.

For more:
- read the article

22/01/2010 - Truphone Brings Wi-Fi Calling to Nexus One

After releasing VoIP enabled Truphone for Android earlier this month, Truphone today announced that it has updated the application to operate on Nexus One, which makes the company the first to provide Wi-Fi calling on Google’s device.

07/01/2010 - CES: Ooma adds Pure Voice, HD and Google Voice

Ooma has announced new upgrades to their Ooma Telo service at CES this week. The new additions include Ooma Pure Voice, HD Voice, iPhone and iPod Touch calling, Bluetooth, Google Voice support and voicemail transcription.

Ooma Pure Voice insures that call quality is maintained even over congested home networks where family members are also streaming video or downloading large files. Google Voice users can now bring the Call Presentation, Listen In, and caller-ID features of Google Voice into with their Ooma system. Google Voice voicemail has also now been integrated. Interestingly, it seems the voicemail transcription is not just for Google Voice users as the release says all Ooma customers can use it.

For more:
- read the release

23/12/2009 - Top Stories of 2009: Google gets serious about VoIP

In some ways, the story of Google getting into VoIP isn't quite finished. The moves the Internet company has made are intriguing, but we haven't seen their end product yet.

The roots of Google's VoIP play began in 2007 when it acquired Grand Central, a Unified Communicaitons (UC) company. When the acquisition was completed, Grand Central disappeared into Google and eventually re-emerged in March as Google Voice with the promise of offerings like transcripts of one's voicemail, and archive and search of all SMS text messages you send and receive, plus easy access to Goog-400 directory assistance and the ability to make low-priced international calls. FierceVoIP wasn't too excited about this development at the time.

In May, Google reserved one million phone numbers with Level 3 causing speculation that a public launch of its Google Voice service was imminent, but Google Voice Product Manager Craig Walker dispelled those rumors via Twitter. Finally in June, Google did open the service to the public by emailing people who had expressed interest and giving them invites. Right after that, Google launched Voice for mobile, starting with the Android platform and Blackberry. In July Google submitted its Google Voice app for the iPhone, but it was pulled from the iPhone App Store because Voice overlapped with a number of features already offered by the iPhone. This move turned heads and the FCC probed the app removal looking for anti-trust violations.

Meanwhile Google added pseudo-mobile number portability to forward cellphone voicemails to Voice. Google also got into some trouble for enabling a traffic-pumping workaround on Voice. Google Voice now has over 1.4M users and partners with Level 3 Communications, Global Crossing, Broadvox Communications, Bandwidth.com, Pac-West Telecomm, iBasis and Neustar. One of the biggest moves towards a becoming a real VoIP competitor came when Google bought Gizmo5 which was being looked at by Skype. The Internet VoIP provider competes with Skype with peer-to-peer and low-cost VoIP calls and would now allow Voice to place calls over the Internet and from mobile devices with SIP calling. Later it was announced that Gizmo5 was migrating user PSTN numbers to Voice and that Google was shutting down GrandCentral at the end of the year.

The final bit of news that may or not be true was the theory that Google would be launching a VoIP-based phone. Although the latest Google phone to surface looks like a regular wireless Android-based phone, there is still hope that a data-only Google Voice phone is in our future.

14/12/2009 - Hype: Google VoIP phone pictures hit the Internet?

Google is getting everyone to rewrite their holiday wishlists this week with its leaks of what some claim are pictures of the new Google VoIP phone. Sure it looks kinda like the T-Mobile MyTouch I already have in my pocket, but that wont stop tech nerds from ranting about it, and I--dear readers--am one of those tech nerds. That said, this latest hubbub seems like hype and speculation to me.

The new Google phone that is currently being analyzed across the Internet is called the 'Nexus One' and is an HTC handset running on T-Mobile that was given out to Google employees to test out new features for Android over the holidays. The phone features an updated Android build with some 3D elements, more home screens.

Noticeably absent from the recent reports were mentions of the phone being a data VoIP-based calling phone. Most reports just discussed the phone working with GSM based carriers like T-Mobile, which to me means this isn't the same phone we were talking about a few weeks ago. In fact, it looks to me like just another HTC phone that will be launched on T-Mobile running Android. Don't worry folks, I still have hope that a Google VoIP phone is in our future--it just might not be under my Christmas tree until next year.

For more:
- see this photo
- read Engadget's exclusive first look
- read what the WSJ had to say
- read the CNN blog take
- and this blog post

10/12/2009 - Primer: What is Google Voice?

PCWorld has a nice introduction to what Google Voice actually is. They claim it's not the be-all end-all of telephone service, but maybe oneday? Article

23/11/2009 - Google to do both Jingle and SIP calls?

VoIP Survivor muses about what happens when multiple technologies collide over at the ever growing Google VoIP empire. Blog

23/11/2009 - Google shutting down Grand Central

It will be the dawn of a new year for Google Voice users, as GrandCentral will be completely shut down by the last day of this year. Assimilation has already been completed, but the Google empire has yet to close down the old GrandCentral site.

In a note to GrandCentral users, Google asked that they download any old messages or contacts that they might have stored on the site in preparation for the imminent shutdown. Google has already transitioned GrandCentral users over to Google Voice, but up until now, users could still use the website to access old messages. Those messages will be lost at the end of the year unless these legacy users download them for safe keeping.

Last week rumors started to emerge about a new Google phone that would use data for VoIP-based voice calls. I guess it's about time to unify all their voice offerings under the correct brand names.

For more:
- read this blog post

02/11/2009 - GoogleVoice has 1.4M users; reveals partner companies

Whoops! According to BusinessWeek, Google accidentally revealed its user numbers in filings to U.S. regulators. Although later redacted from the documents, BusinessWeek was quick on the draw and managed to get ahold of the originals before the 'less informative' documents replaced those originally made available to the public.

According to the letter to regulators, GoogleVoice has 1.4 million users of its single web-based phone number and voicemail service. The service is used regularly by about half that figure. Prior to being acquired by Google, the service originally called GrandCentral had 'tens of thousands' of users. As these numbers grow, the service could become quite disruptive, at least in the consumer VoIP arena where users aren't as worried about security or QOS.

Another interesting tidbit from the Google letter was the list of various companies who make GoogleVoice happen. Level 3 Communications, Global Crossing, Broadvox Communications, Bandwidth.com, and Pac-West Telecomm are all involved. iBasis, an international voice carrier and wholesale provider, helps connect outbound international calls, while porting and carrier lookup services are provided by Neustar, a directory services provider.

Last week, Google revealed that it was no longer blocking huge swaths of numbers by denying access to certain telephone prefixes. GoogleVoice now uses a workaround by blocking only about 100 specific phone numbers on its much-anticipated Google Voice.

For more:
- read this article

Related articles
GoogleVoice no longer blocking convent
AT&T finds Google Voice blocking calls to convent
Congress members ask FCC to investigate Google Voice call blocking
AT&T extends VoIP over 3G to iPhone users
Speakeasy.com's blocking of certain VoIP calls to trigger FCC action?

27/10/2009 - Google Voice adds mobile number portability

Google has announced a new feature for Google Voice that will allow customers to use their current mobile phone numbers to receive voicemails in their Google Voice inbox.

Before this new feature was available, users needed a special Google assigned phone number to receive voicemail to their Google inbox, but with this new offering, users enter a special code into their main mobile phones to have unanswered calls forwarded to their Google Voice inbox rather than their regular voicemail box. An upgrade from the traditional voice mail system, Google Voice sends voice mails to a users' email account, transcribes them and stores them indefinitely. Landline number portability is still not available.

For more:
- read this Reuters article
- read this Business Week article

07/10/2009 - AT&T Enables VoIP over Its 3G Network for iPhone

After “evaluating customers’ expectations and use of the iPhone compared to dozens of others AT&T offers,” the operator has finally taken the steps necessary so that Apple can enable VoIP applications on iPhone to run on AT&T’s wireless network.

Previously, VoIP applications on iPhone were enabled only for Wi-Fi connectivity. At the same time, AT&T has offered a variety of other wireless devices that enable VoIP applications on 3G, 2G and Wi-Fi networks.

24/08/2009 - Apple Explains the Removal of Google Voice from App Store

Not long after Apple removed the official Google Voice application and any other applications that use Google Voice functionality from its iPhone App Store, the Federal Communications Commission has asked both Apple and AT&T to clarify the reasons of the removal.

The companies just answered FCC and published their statements.

A bit surprisingly, Apple stated that the company has not rejected the Google Voice application, and continues to study it.

20/08/2009 - Vonage launches expanded international calling plan

Vonage may finally have seen its first profit ever of $1 million in the second-quarter of 2009, but it came with a net loss of 90,000 subscribers and a 3.2 percent rise in customer churn. To help stem the bleeding, the service provider announced this week that it will extend its international telephone service offering to 73 countries in an effort to curb ongoing subscriber loss, while keeping VoIP rivals Skype and Google at bay.

For $24.99 a month, users will be able to make unlimited international calls and convert voice mails to text form via technology from Nuance Communications. Beginning today, the new service will add India, China, Mexico and several others to the service. Vonage's current plan limits unlimited international calling to about 13 countries.

Marc Lefar, Vonage's CEO, said he hopes the expanded service will appeal to new customers who want unlimited international calling and possibly prevent existing Vonage customers from canceling their service. In particular, Lefar believes the offering could be relevant to not only current AT&T and Verizon voice customers, but also international calling card users who require callers to remember cumbersome access codes.

"You don't have to be a particularly heavy user of international calling on a pay-per-minute basis to convert to our plan ... and see significant savings," Lefar said in a Reuters interview.

For more:
- Reuters has this article

30/07/2009 - D2 Technologies Showcases its mCUE Converged Communications Client with Embedded VoIP for Android

D2 Technologies has demonstrated its mCUE converged communications client for Android-based devices at an event designed to promote the adoption of Google's Android operating system beyond mobile phones.
During this demonstration, the embedded IP communications software platform specialist showed OEMs and ODMs how embedded software products such as mCUE can enable VoIP, video chat and other IP communications capabilities in stationary Android-based embedded equipment and consumer electronics devices.

28/07/2009 - Google Voice app pulled from iPhone App Store

You just had to have the feeling this wouldn't last long. Apple has removed the official Google Voice application and any other applications that use Google Voice functionality from its iPhone App Store, citing overlaps between the Google services features and ones native to the iPhone.

TechCrunch's Jason Kincaid is pretty positive this is the result of handwringing and pressure from Apple's exclusive U.S. iPhone distribution partner, AT&T. Since Google Voice allows for free SMS messages and cheap long distance, AT&T is likely attempting to protect its legacy service revenues from Google's alternatives.

Will Apple follow suit in removing other VoIP applications and free SMS applications from the iPhone App Store, or is this more of a direct Google snub?

For more:
- see the TechCrunch post here

15/07/2009 - Paltalk sells back shares to VC, sees continued stability

Paltalk, the video-based social chat network, announced it has repurchased a 20 percent stake in the company it had sold to Softbank Capital for $6 million five years ago. Judy Shapiro, senior vice president of marketing, said the company purchased the shares with cash on hand, and now is completely in control of its strategy going forward.

Shapiro said company CEO Jason Katz approached the VC about the buyback, and Softbank agreed the terms were amenable.

"Softbank has been an excellent partner and will remain a powerful part of our DNA," Shapiro said. "We now have more flexibility to acquire or merge, and Softbank was able to monetize their investment, so it really worked out well for all involved."

Shapiro said Paltalk has 3 million to 4 million subscribers and generates revenue from about 5 percent of them. The company has survived for 10 years and still retains the four initial members of its original development team, according to Shapiro. As part of the deal, Softbank Capital's will give up its seat on Paltalk's board.

For more:
- see the paidContent.org article here

09/07/2009 - Handling of Google Voice reminds AT&T vet of Ma Bell

Google has made numerous product announcements over the past several months: Google Wave, Google Voice, the Chrome web browser and now its new Chrome operating system. Paltalk's July Shaprio, who did a long stint at AT&T, has an interesting piece taking a look specifically at Google's treatment of the old Grand Central. Since it's outside of Google's "core competency," the acquisition, its handling, and Google's "public" launch of Google Voice reminds her of some of the original Bell company's moves into the home security and PC markets in the 1990s.

With all the buzz, questions, and skepticism surrounding Google Voice, it's a worthwhile read.

For more:
- see Shapiro's piece at AdAge here

25/06/2009 - Google Voice begins accepting new users

Google announced it has begun accepting new users for Google Voice today, though public sign-up for the site is still unavailable. After much speculation about when the service would finally go live, Google began sending emails to users who requested notification of its availability in March.

Google did not say how many invitations would be sent at this time for the service or when general sign-up will begin.

For more:
- see the Google blog post here

19/06/2009 - Google Voice won't leave beta this week

Google reserved 1 million phone numbers with Level 3 last month, ramping up speculation that the long-awaited public launch of its Google Voice service was imminent. It was widely rumored that Google Voice, which is the product of Google's acquisition of GrandCentral, would go live June 18, but Google Voice Product Manager Craig Walker dispelled those rumors via Twitter.

When it eventually leaves private beta (restricted to previous GrandCentral users), Google Voice also is likely to come with number portability, according to a TechCrunch story, which would make switching to the service very easy for people who want to keep their current number. The service offers a single phone number that will route incoming calls according to whatever number the recipient has selected or who the caller is.

For more:
- see the Network World article here
- see the TechCrunch post here

17/06/2009 - Google Voice Testing Number Portability

Google Voice is testing a number portability service that would allow users to have calls transferred from an existing number to any device chosen.
Currently, the service gives users a new number for all their phones, as well as voicemail and many enhanced calling features like call blocking and screening, voicemail transcripts, call conferencing, international calls.

13/03/2009 - Google Voice: Much ado about nothing

It's hard to get excited about Google Voice. I'm not so sure anyone should until the company starts putting stats on the table about the number of customers and revenues the project brings in.

The facts, as we know them, are as follows: In July 2007, Google paid $50 million for GrandCentral. One of the few blog postings after the purchase, dated April 22, 2008, "promised a ton of cool new features." It's now March 2009, and the "cool new features" turn out to be 1) Voicemail transcripts 2) Archiving and searching of SMS text messages, and 3) Low-cost international calls.

Google is going to undercut Skype by a couple of cents per minute on L-D, and that's cool?

Maybe the time is right for The Goog to strike because most of the other me-too VoIP players imploded, leaving a relatively clean playing field. Google can subsidize the effort with all that fat cash coming in from its ad revenue.

And maybe Google has a trick or two up its sleeve to scale GrandCentral to move out of individual accounts and into the more lucrative SMB and enterprises spaces - something that would give the Skype major heartburn considering it wants to play in the business world.

But I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid that just because Google is Google it will magically suck in new users to its IP telephony service and take users away from Skype. The guys at Skype have an established a worldwide customer base, a long-term plan to proliferate Skype everywhere from cell phones to HDTV sets for video conferencing, and a full-bore communications plan to let everyone know what it is doing.

Google just buys stuff, lets the programmers tinker with it, and then throws it out in a Darwinian fashion as a beta or preview or whatever you want to call it. On the scale of ad revenues Google generates, voice is a hobby and likely to stay that way relative to the efforts of Skype and Vonage. For Skype, voice revenues are its lifeblood.

If Google buys Vonage or Skype, that would be another story. But I don't think Skype wants to be bought anytime soon.

- Doug

19/02/2009 - What the rest of the Fierce family is up to this week

If you have an interest in wireless or what Google's head lobbyist is thinking about, you may want to visit Fierce's other sites this week.

FierceWireless is on the ground at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain this week, with Sue Marek, Jason Ankeny, and Phil Goldstein making the rounds. Over at VoIP Watch, Andy Abramson was bemoaning the fact that a lot of analysts, press, and bloggers had taken a pass on MWC. Our sister publication is providing on-site coverage, so you're welcome to read between the lines on that. (And FYI, FierceVoIP has already been to CES and ITEXPO East this year and you'll see us at VoiceCon in Orlando as well).

I would also like to note the first appearance of Phil Goldstein on FierceTelecom's (web) pages. Phil conducted an extensive interview with Rick Whitt, Google's Washington Telecom and Media Counsel. It makes for insightful reading in terms of Google's objectives to influence policy and how it is going about doing so. We hope to see more features from Phil in the future - even if we have to keep reminding him that there's more to telecommunications policy than his home beat of wireless.

Finally, you may want to wander over to FierceOnlineVideo to "follow the money." There's quite a bit of venture capital going into online video projects these days in spite of the stalled economy. We'll have to check in with Scott Wharton over at VidTel in the next few weeks to see how he is doing.

- Doug

29/01/2009 - eBay To Sell Skype?

Skype's future as an eBay company is looking increasingly unsure as speculation mounts over its possible sale.
eBay's chief executive, John Donahoe, has done nothing to ease expectations of a sell-off. Last week he told analysts that "synergies between Skype and the other parts of our portfolio are minimal" and that it is "a great standalone business".

23/01/2009 - Truphone Anywhere Launches on Android G1

Truphone has announced its Truphone Anywhere application is now available for Android-enabled mobile handsets.
The offering coincides with T-Mobile's announcement earlier this week that the G1 mobile phone is be rolled out into various continental European markets.

06/11/2008 - JAJAH Available For T-Mobile G1

JAJAH has confirmed the availability of its service for owners of the newly released T-Mobile G1 Google Android phone.
The announcement came as the IP communications company was named in the annual FierceVoIP "Fierce 15" list.

29/10/2008 - iSkoot is First VoIP Application in Android Market

iSkoot has announced that its mobile application, iSkoot for Skype, is launching in the Android Market.
It is the first VoIP solution available on Google’s new mobile application store.
Available immediately for download, iSkoot for Skype also runs on nearly all major mobile platforms, including J2ME, S60v3, UIQ, Palm, Windows Mobile and BlackBerry.

08/09/2008 - 3 UK launches next-generation Skypephone

Mobile operator 3 UK has unveiled the next-generation Skypephone handset, the 3 Skypephone S2.
The new device gives users access to Facebook, Google and Windows Live Messenger and enables free Skype calls and instant messaging.

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