Posts Tagged News
Google Voice Disables International SMS
(VOICETALK.ORG) — On Sunday, June 6, around 10:30 p.m. PT, the world went quiet as Google Voice international text messaging suddenly became disabled. Having credit or no credit, it doesn’t seem to matter. After sending a text message to one of my contacts in Mexico, I received the message:
Error: this message was not successfully delivered
My other friends seem to have had the same results with Mexico over the past day. After doing a bit more research on the Google Voice forums, I found this post and a popular response by a Google representative.
All,
International SMS has never been officially supported by Google Voice but enough users started using it nonetheless for certain destinations where it worked that we had to actively prevent it until we can bill for it. We are working on a comprehensive international SMS coverage, which we plan to make available at very low prices soon.
Thank you for your patience.
Vincent Paque
Google Voice Immediately Available for Military
(VOICETALK.ORG) — In a brilliant patriotic move, the company with a credo of ”do no evil” is now allowing immediate availability of Google Voice to military personnel.
The Official Google Blog had a special guest blogger, Sergeant Dale Sweetnam, to announce a special Google Voice invitation that grants access within a day vs. the average wait time of a week or up to a month for civilians.
Sweetnam states, “I flew in Black Hawks over Balad and Baghdad working to generate news coverage about my fellow soldiers. The whole experience was physically and emotionally draining, but it was especially difficult when I called home at the end of the day and nobody was there to answer.”
Intended Use
The Google Voice service is probably not meant for live calling on the battlefield such as, “Sorry dear, I’m in the middle of bombing attack, can we discuss Bonnie’s poor grades at a later time?” The service is intended more for when a soldier gets back to a tent with Internet access so he can check voicemail and respond from a computer — SMS might actually be best.
Assistance with Account Creation
Many soldiers may find that their account cannot be created outside of the United States borders since Google restricts foreign IP addresses. Military personnel might need assistance from family or friends within the confines of the United States to complete the account providing the intended area code for use.
References
See the Official Google Blog for a special link to military personnel with valid .MIL email addresses.
Google Voice Competitor 3jam Arises
(VOICETALK.ORG) — 3jam, a San Francisco startup, has announced open beta of a new service that competes directly with Google Voice. 3jam began its debut within the SMS niche back in June 2008 with SuperText technology to route messages to a computer or mobile device, but they have apparently shifted gears with the voice routing business model.
Many of the features duplicate that of Google Voice including call-forwarding, visual voicemail, voicemail transcription, and SMS to email. A few things different include:
- Number portability which is currently proposed but not offerred by Google Voice.
- VOIP forwarding to Skype and other IM voice services such as Yahoo Messenger.
- International availability
- Service Charge
As noted above, a major difference separating 3jam from that of Google Voice is the premium service charge. The site promotes for “as little as $4.99 per month” with a 12 month committment, a 3 month bundle for $5.99 or pay per month at $8.99. Texting plans start at $5 a month.
FCC Questions Apple & AT&T About Google Voice Rejections
(VOICETALK.ORG) — Both Apple and AT&T are getting a little heat in regards to fair trade practices. Friday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) sent letters to Apple and AT&T questioning the rejection of the official Google’s iPhone application for Google Voice and the prompt removal earlier this week of two previously available App Store submissions GV Mobile and VoiceCentral. Apple was asked if they acted alone or if there was any influence by AT&T, the exclusive wireless provider for the iPhone.
A Google spokesperson said earlier this week that they would continue to pursue other possible technologies that would possibly involve the web browser to deliver the Google Voice service to the iPhone.
The head of the FCC’s wireless division, James D. Schlichting asked in the letter:
Did Apple act alone, or in consultation with AT&T, in deciding to reject the Google Voice application and related applications? If the latter, please describe the communications between Apple and AT&T in connection with the decision to reject Google Voice.
Chairman Julius Genachowski stated that the FCC “has a mission to foster a competitive wireless marketplace, protect and empower consumers, and promote innovation and investment,” adding, “Recent news reports raise questions about practices in the mobile marketplace.” Both companies have been asked to respond by August 21. It should be noted that the letters are not formal investigations.
Free VOIP Calls with Gizmo5 & Google Voice
Gizmo5, the VOIP service has added support for Google Voice this weekend. Gizmo5 has now a Google Voice Calling section within the member account section. Previously, Gizmo5 members needed to call their Gizmo5 number using their Google Voice number using a separate application. Now, the Gizmo5 application allows for direct calls to your contacts with Google Voice showing as your caller ID. Best of all, no callout credits are required.(VOICETALK.ORG) — Gizmo5, the VOIP service, has added support for Google Voice. Starting this weekend, Gizmo5 now has a Google Voice calling area within their member account section.This means that (1) now, you don’t even need to have a physical landline or mobile phone to use Google Voice.
This also means (2) direct dial from Gizmo5. Previous to this change, users of Gizmo5 needed to dial their Gizmo5 number from their Google Voice account by use of a thrid party application. Now, the Gizmo5 application allows for direct calls to Gizmo5 contacts with the Google Voice number showing as the caller ID. Best of all, no call out credits are required.
Adding Google Voice as an option sparks interest as to why a VOIP provider, previously seen as competing with Google Voice, would allow for use with Google Voice. It’s possible this collaboration might be padded by compensation by Google. Another theory is that Google may be examining Gizmo5 as a possible Google acquisition.
Gizmo5 has been an up and coming player in the VOIP field, competing with Vonage, Skype and magicJack. Currently, Skype does not allow for validation of Google Voice numbers meaning it doesn’t support having your Caller ID show up as your Google Voice number when making outbound calls.