September 26, 2009

The Hype around Google Voice


There has been a lot of different opinions going around about this service. I'm not here to clear up all those but I would like to throw my uses for this service out there so some get a little understanding if they are still on the side lines. There are a couple of reasons why I chose to use Google Voice.


First and for most it is the best number for me to but on a resume and not have to worry about having to reprint my resume because one of my numbers change. I don't know how many resumes I have thrown away because of a simple change to the header. More so how many times I have gone trough all of my job search resumes and change numbers there. I now have to never worry about that.

Second I can actually have some privacy from all my business contacts by setting a time frame for certain phones to ring. Just change the ring defaults for that group and its done. All of those contacts will go to voice mail and I can continue to watch the game. But lets say the Boss calls and he is in the business group. Well I have the settings for his contact info to ring my cell. So it can play out very well for you just as you use a company PBX at work.

There are many other perks to using Google Voice. Like free SMS and getting your voice mail transcribed then emailed to you. But what it is not is a phone carrier. The image people tend to see when they look at Google Voice is a service that will get them away from their carrier. Not the case. You still use what ever phone you currently have to make and answer calls. There are tricks to not only cut down your phone bills and using Google Voices as a VIOP service but that is not what Google Voice is put out to the public for right now. The service is nothing new. It is a rebranding that got some new tools. So the hype is that Google put its name on it. It all comes down to do you want to use it or not.

A quick note on GMail. You can now use Google Sync to sync your mail along with your calender and contacts. So it is pretty much a full mobile exchange package now.