Google Voice Opens to All Comers, No Longer Invite-Only
I’ve got a Google number, and it’s pretty slick. It will go with me anywhere since it’s not really tied to a local [I picked one local to me now however.] It will ring any or all of my phones to find me for a caller, it does voicemail, and it lets me know who’s calling before I answer by recording their voice greeting before it puts the call through to me…
Voice, which premiered in invite-only fashion a year ago, provides you with a single phone number that directs calls to your mobile, home or work phone, depending on the rules you set. Beyond that, it includes a basketful of features including transcribed voicemail sent as e-mail or text message, free conference calling, free outbound domestic calls, and call-screening. The service is free, except for international calls, which cost a fraction of what the phone company charges per minute.
Google Voice used to be known as GrandCentral before Google bought the company in July 2007. Craig Walker, the former CEO of GrandCentral, now runs Google Voice, which he says has a million active users.
“That’s a big number for a service that is invite-only,” Walker said.
New users get a free new number, hopefully somewhere near their local area, and in anticipation of a rush, Voice has bought a bunch of numbers spread across the country (though Hawaii and Alaska remain “challenges”).
“We are pretty optimistic there will be a high demand,” Walker said.