About Google Voice

I recently took my T-mobile cellphone into a water park... bad idea, it died. I was in a state that didn't have T-Mobile phone service (I was roaming with ATT), so the only replacement phone I could get right away was an ATT Go Phone. People tried calling me on my T-Mobile number, but couldn't get through. If only I'd pushed for them to use my Google Voice phone number months ago, it immediately would've went to my ATT Go Phone and I'd have had no interruptions.

For those of you who don't already know Google is offering a service called Google Voice (formally Grand Central) which gives you your own phone number and lets you do some amazing things. Here's a short list:

Use #1: Ring Multiple Phones Simultaneously

Change your phone number often (pre-paid phones)? Have a home phone, cell phone, etc? Google Voice will forward any calls to your Google Voice number to any other phone number you give it. Basically, you give out your Google Voice number, then your home phone, cellphone, and any other phones you want will ring simultaneously.

Use #2: Visual Voicemail

Tired of going through menus to listen to your voicemail while spending precious minutes? Use Google Voice for voicemail and you can see information and listen to the message online - even getting emails and txt messages when the voicemail is left. They also have a new service where they transcribe the message in a textual format, so you get a txt message saying what the message is about.

Use #3: Make Phone Calls

To make a phone call in Google Voice, you tell it a phone number, then it rings you. When you pick up, it dials the number you told it.

Free Calls

So how do you get "free" calls? Do you have a faves plan (ie. a plan that lets you get unlimited calls to/from a certain list of numbers)? Do you have broadband internet? If so, it's easy.

For a faves plan, just set your Google Voice number as one of your faves. Use Google Voice to make all of your calls (they call your phone from your Google Voice number) and make sure when someone calls you they use your Google Voice number. That way, it rings from the same number whether you're placing or receiving a call - which is free since that number is a fave.

If you have broadband, you have a few options. My favorite so far is Gizmo, which is similar to Skype in that it allows you to call people and make phone calls. They allow integration with Google voice so that everything is free, so all you need is a mic (or bluetooth headset, see below).

Problems

The biggest problem I've encountered so far is making phone calls offline. Say you only know me in your address book from my Google Voice number. The only way I can call you from that number is to go online and have it call you from there (or have a smartphone with a data plan). Otherwise, I have to call you from my cellphone, whose number you don't have. It's annoying.

Another problem I've had is unique to the Apple laptops. They have an audio in jack, but that does NOT mean it's a mic input. In other words, mics just don't work in it. The solution, buy a USB mic or bluetooth headset. I opted for the bluetooth, since it was wireless, directional (you only hear me when I talk), and a reasonable price.