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Google today announced Google Voice, an improved version of the GrandCentral service it’s been offering since acquiring the company back in 2006. Before you jump for joy, realize that yes, there is a wait list for invitations and people who signed up for GrandCentral will get first dibs. Among some of the new features Google will be rolling out with Voice include voicemail transcripts, Goog-411 integration and of course, the ability to use one number to ring all your phones.
I like where this is going. It shows a new-found commitment from Google to its GrandCentral purchase. Now if only my damn invite would come!
I’m one of t hose anxiously waiting for my invite to use Google Voice. But I have two reservations, none of which will cause me to NOT use GV, but which I hope will be solved quickly.
1. People will call you back on the number they see on their caller ID — not your Google number no matter how much you tell them to do so. There is software available which can cause any number you want to show on t he caller ID when you call someone. I know telemarketers use this method a lot. Why can’t GV give it to us as well — we do not propose to use this to fool anyone — it is the callback number we want others to use when calling us.
2. I know you can block any number you don’t want to be answered. But can you also block any area call, calls from which you do not want answered — like toll free numbers with area codes of 800, 866, 888, etc., which should be used for incoming calls so others don’t have to pay to call you, but are very often used by telemarketers who call many numbers outside their own area codes, and thus want a cheaper way to call out. I allwys refuses to answer any such incoming call, irrespective of what the rest of the number may be. And I want GV to be able to do this for me as well.