Update - 09/27/2010 - Link added for Free International Calling
I've been using Google Voice http://www.Google.com/voice as a FREE voicemail and re-direct service for many years... mainly as a way of giving some companies a phone number that wouldn't bother me with telemarketing calls since they would always get a voicemail. I even used this type of service LONG before Google bought out the previous company I was using, GrandCentral. It was FREE for incoming phone calls that went straight to a voicemail or re-directing the call to another phone number, etc... but not for out-going phone calls. For those, I either used my cell phone or my MagicJack VOIP phone for $19.95 a year ($1.70 a month).
This morning, when I signed into my Gmail account, I noticed the little pop-up saying that Google Voice now allows calling to the USA and Canada for FREE!!!!
Technically, someone doesn't even have to have a home phone any longer as long as they have home internet service. In the past, Bellsouth aka AT&T made folks get a phone line before they could get DSL internet service but a couple of years ago, they dropped the requirement for having a home phone number so folks could just sign up for DSL service. BTW... there is a price war of sorts going on between Bellsouth DSL internet service and Cox Cable internet service.
LOL... while I was typing this, I had Fox News Channel on and they just announced this too... probably because Clayton Morris of the Fox And Friends Weekend Team is a computer geek... I almost said "too!" but then I remembered that I'm *not* a computer geek, mainly because I'm too old to be a computer geek... right??? LOL
I don't know if Google will keep the outgoing phone call service for free forever but their history certainly leads me to believe that they will. BTW... here's my Google Voice phone number... 504-410-5824... but I need to finish setting it up so call me at 504-667-5111, which is my Skype Phone Number but as soon as I set up my new Google Voice phone number that I recently set up for "Lenny The Computer Guy", I'll probably start phasing out my Skype number since it costs me a couple of dollars a month. I'll still have the Skype IM service where folks can Skype me at LennyTheComputerGuy for instant messaging purposes. Of course, Skype might have to follow suit and lower their costs or give their basic service away for free so we'll just have to wait and see.
I almost feel sorry for the *normal* phone companies out there... and their customers who still pay HIGH rates for phone service. There are SO MANY more affordable options out there... between MagicJack, Skype Phone and now Google Voice... and of course, cell phone service, I don't know how the regular phone companies even sell their land-line services any longer.
I'll update this blog as I fool around with the new Google Voice outgoing service this weekend.
1st Update - 08/28/2010 - 0945 CST:
I had to download an Active-X add-on to my IE8 browser to get it to work and the Google Voice calling and recieving calls applet only seems to work on the Gmail page, not on the Google Voice page. It's probably a glitch that Google will fix. While on the Google Voice page, I can dial out but when I tested incoming calls, the calls went to voicemail. On the Gmail page, I can dial out and when I tested an incoming call, a little pop-up gave me the option to answer the call. Call quality was good.
Probably due to the massive call volume they are having this morning, about 1 out of 5 times when I would test call my number, I would get a recording saying I have reached a non-working number... or something to that effect. Calling right back usually got me through. Hopefully, this is just a temporary glitch due to the massive call volume this morning... Google probably wasn't expecting Fox News Channel to feature this just yet. For every call that did connect properly, the call quality was good.
So far.. things look promising.
Edit - Updated 09/27/2010 - I had this link in my Favorites folder for FREE International Calling and thought it would be good to add it to this post. The website use to go to Talkster.com but it seems Rebtel.com has acquired Talkster.com. You can still get at least one FREE International call but I'm still poking around the new website for how much additional calls will cost. http://www.rebtel.com/en/Learn/Make-Free-Calls/
Here is Gmail's Help page for the Google Calling feature.
http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=188269
Lenny Vasbinder aka Lenny The Computer Guy
(see my contact info near the top left)
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