Google Voice started out as a feature that seemed unpolished and hastily produced, and since it’s release back in March of 2009, Google has been adding some finishing touches. Boy, have they made it a great product! Google Voice allows in new subscribers the same way they allow users to subscribe to their Gmail service now that it’s no longer in the Beta phase. This is one of the great things about Google, that their acquisitions of companies such as Gizmo5 (which led to the broswer based call feature which we’ll hightlight in just a bit) lead to great products which connect and correspond with existing services like a puzzle. Google Voice, now extended into Gmail with one click is called Google Call.
Google Call was introduced only two days ago and has already hit 1,000,000 calls in a little under 48 hours. Google Call is essentially a free version of Skype (do we smell a competitor?) and allows calls over the internet anywhere in the world through the already available chat system in Gmail. Calls within the US and Canada are absolutely free and will be until the end of the year. International calls are very low, ranging anywhere from 10 cents to 20 cents and based on country. Google is expecting to extend the free calls within the US and Canada into 2011, only if their paid international calls show promising revenue. Seems like another winner in my eyes! Call quality is exceptionally clear and the international call I made sounded clearer than an actual phone call. Subscribers who have both a Google Voice account (with a number) and a Gmail account have quite a duo in their hands. If one places a call through Gmail without a Google Voice number, the person on the recieving end of the call will see a random number, but if the person does have a Google Voice number than that number will show. Google Voice also allows free texting through the web, alongside it’s newly introduced calling feature. Google has done it again and is looking to lead the web based market and stay at the top once and for all.
