Google Voice Now Open

[Coach]

We've had a few threads related to Google Voice, a free service that you can use to help manage voice communications. Availability has been limited, but now they have opened it to all. If you've been waiting for an invitation, your wait is over.

Google Voice

Coach

 

[DallasGuy]

I use it for making free US long distance calls from my home phone landline. No catches. Quality seems pretty good. I've been using it for 4-5 months with little or no problems.

 

[dex]

I just joined - looks like a great service. The cost for international calls looks better than I was paying. Also, it looks as if there isn't a monthly fee for the service.
Thanks

 

[TromboneAl]

It's a great service. I hope that letting the riff-raff in won't ruin it.

 

[HFWR]

It's a great service. I hope that letting the riff-raff in won't ruin it.

I haven't joined yet...

Have begun using Skype, though I was really only a test dummy for loading it on a lady friend's computer, so she could chat with her daughter in San Diego. Maybe I can get her to do a video hootchie-cootchie show for me as a reward!

 

[travelover]

It's a great service. I hope that letting the riff-raff in won't ruin it.

Too late. I joined today. I got my name as a permanent phone number. I'll use the free phone calling instead of a Costco phone card.

 

[dex]

Aside from the international calling; I wonder how they plan to make money from this.

 

[JustMeUC]

I have been Google Voice for probably about a year now and have spent at least $100, maybe more, on international calling. The rates for the country I call most (calling to cell phones) are even cheaper than skype rates though just barely. My call quality has been excellent. I have hundreds of minutes and had only a couple dropped calls and that could have been the cell phone I was calling so maybe can't even blame GV for this.

I like that I get immediate email updates on my cell phone with any VM's or Texts if I don't answer.

 

[schmidtjas]

FYI to anyone from Canada, it isn't available to us yet. Seems like a neat service though.

 

[TromboneAl]

Aside from the international calling; I wonder how they plan to make money from this.

I'm guessing from ads on the site, although there appear to be none there now. They'll probably add targeted ads (like the ones on the gmail page) based on messages that people leave on your voice mail.