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Grand Central Becomes Google Voice
Suite of VoIP services gets re-branded
After acquiring VoIP outfit Grand Central back in 2007, the search giant had largely left the project alone, leaving many people in our forums wondering what was going on. It looks like we finally have an answer, the Google Blog noting that the service has now been repackaged as Google Voice. The suite of services let you better manage VoIP communications, offers a single number for communications, allows low-priced calling, and offers perks like automatic transcription of voicemail messages. According to Google, existing Grand Central users should be getting an e-mail about the transition shortly.
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nklb
Premium Member
join:2000-11-17
Ann Arbor, MI

nklb

Premium Member

No email yet

Haven't gotten the email yet, but I have been enjoying the service for a few years now. It's nice having a
"throwaway" number I can give out.

Hopefully incoming calls remain free!

swhx7
Premium Member
join:2006-07-23
Elbonia

swhx7

Premium Member

Phone to email !!!

According to the NYT article, GV will have the feature I've always wanted:
quote:
From now on, you don’t have to listen to your messages in order; you don’t have to listen to them at all. In seconds, these recordings are converted into typed text. They show up as e-mail messages or text messages on your cellphone.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Re: Phone to email !!!

said by swhx7:

According to the NYT article, GV will have the feature I've always wanted:
quote:
From now on, you don’t have to listen to your messages in order; you don’t have to listen to them at all. In seconds, these recordings are converted into typed text. They show up as e-mail messages or text messages on your cellphone.
Some see this as another privacy problem. Because the transcribed voice msgs will be searchable, they see it as another attempt by Google to invade your privacy and serve up more ads.
»tech.yahoo.com/news/pcwo ··· emailtoo

swhx7
Premium Member
join:2006-07-23
Elbonia

swhx7

Premium Member

Re: Phone to email !!!

It's true, it is. (See my post here.) I don't see how we can have this tech without this downside. Hopefully at least the same feature will be available from multiple providers.

FastiBook
join:2003-01-08
Newtown, PA

FastiBook to swhx7

Member

to swhx7
Creepy.

- A

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5 to nklb

Premium Member

to nklb

Re: No email yet

said by nklb:

Haven't gotten the email yet, but I have been enjoying the service for a few years now. It's nice having a
"throwaway" number I can give out.
Yes. I have been using it the same way. A nice way to give out a phone number you don't want to be bothered with but still get msgs if necessary.

ArrayList
DevOps
Premium Member
join:2005-03-19
Mullica Hill, NJ

ArrayList to nklb

Premium Member

to nklb
i just wish there was a way to change the number at some point at least the area code.

pcdebb
birdbrain
Premium Member
join:2000-12-03
Brandon, FL
ARRIS DG1670

pcdebb to nklb

Premium Member

to nklb
i dont have an email, but when i signed into "grandcentral" it has a banner saying i'm not ready to upgrade yet and to check the blog. I've had this number for quite a while, and originally i never used it. I havent had a problem with any call quality. One thing I do love is the retention of the messages.

googlygood
@sbcglobal.net

googlygood

Anon

Re: No email yet

Just upgraded one of mine...signed in and the link was there.




Life is good.

ptrowski
Got Helix?
Premium Member
join:2005-03-14
Woodstock, CT

ptrowski

Premium Member

End of a fun run....

I saw this on the site when I went to log in this AM...

" If you are a GrandCentral user, over the next few days you will be prompted to upgrade to Google Voice."

I assume upgrade means subscribe. I like having the abilities that Grandcentral had but I don't see myself paying for it.

I guess the clock has started.

funchords
Hello
MVM
join:2001-03-11
Yarmouth Port, MA

funchords

MVM

Re: End of a fun run....

I might pay for it, depends on the deal. That's a nice set of features.

One major turn-off, however, is how poorly Google has supported Grand Central over the past 18 months. Quite frankly, I figured they abandoned it.

ptrowski
Got Helix?
Premium Member
join:2005-03-14
Woodstock, CT

ptrowski

Premium Member

Re: End of a fun run....

said by funchords:

I might pay for it, depends on the deal. That's a nice set of features.

One major turn-off, however, is how poorly Google has supported Grand Central over the past 18 months. Quite frankly, I figured they abandoned it.
I saw that it said it will be free, but something tells me that will not be the case.

TechyDad
Premium Member
join:2001-07-13
USA

TechyDad

Premium Member

Re: End of a fun run....

I was actually wondering when they'd make a "GrandCentral For Business." Imagine setting things up so that you called your co-worker and their office phone and cell phones rang (thus getting them wherever they were). For jobs that require high-availability (say, a server admin), you could also add in home number. You could make it so that when someone in your department calls you both all your phones (including home) ring but when someone from out of your department calls, only the office phone rings. This could be useful to many businesses.

ReVeLaTeD
Premium Member
join:2001-11-10
San Diego, CA

ReVeLaTeD

Premium Member

Re: End of a fun run....

said by TechyDad:

I was actually wondering when they'd make a "GrandCentral For Business." Imagine setting things up so that you called your co-worker and their office phone and cell phones rang (thus getting them wherever they were). For jobs that require high-availability (say, a server admin), you could also add in home number. You could make it so that when someone in your department calls you both all your phones (including home) ring but when someone from out of your department calls, only the office phone rings. This could be useful to many businesses.
They already have this. It's called Call Bridge. VoIP phone systems like AVAYA have this technology and I miss it dearly.

fifty nine
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ

1 recommendation

fifty nine to ptrowski

Member

to ptrowski
At least you get to subscribe to GC. I'm still waiting behind the velvet ropes to be let in.

funchords
Hello
MVM
join:2001-03-11
Yarmouth Port, MA

funchords

MVM

Re: End of a fun run....

said by fifty nine:

At least you get to subscribe to GC. I'm still waiting behind the velvet ropes to be let in.
That's not velvet.

ArrayList
DevOps
Premium Member
join:2005-03-19
Mullica Hill, NJ

1 edit

ArrayList

Premium Member

Re: End of a fun run....

yep its Valure
CaptEd
Premium Member
join:2003-01-25
Overland Park, KS

CaptEd to fifty nine

Premium Member

to fifty nine
Me, too! BTW, here's a link to the new invite. They say if you already signed up, there's no need to duplicate.

»services.google.com/fb/f ··· einvite/
Fisamo
Premium Member
join:2004-02-20
Apex, NC

Fisamo

Premium Member

Could be interesting...

One new feature that will be good to have:

3. Conference calling: If you want to talk to more than one person at once, just tell everyone to call you on your Google number. When you get a call waiting notification, you will have the option to press 5 to add them to your existing call.

This comes from the Google Voice blog, linked here: »googlevoiceblog.blogspot.com/
BuzzDar
join:2006-01-28
West Frankfort, IL

BuzzDar

Member

New Web site

»www.google.com/voice

NY Tel
Premium Member
join:2004-04-09
Smithtown, NY

NY Tel

Premium Member

Re: New Web site

This site also give a really good summary of the service:

»www.techcrunch.com/2009/ ··· ry-good/

wifi4milez
Big Russ, 1918 to 2008. Rest in Peace
join:2004-08-07
New York, NY

wifi4milez

Member

Will they fix the latency???

The only real problem I have with GC (I have used it for years) is that when someone calls your GC number, then it connects to you, the call sounds TERRIBLE. The quality is fine, however the latency makes you feel as if you are talking on an international call. You need to speak, wait for the other person to respond, then repeat. Its almost like a "walkie talkie" in that you need to take turns speaking, half duplex style. If Google fixed this problem then the service will be awesome.

Koil
Premium Member
join:2002-09-10
Irmo, SC

Koil

Premium Member

So...uh...Hey my Best Buds!!!

I would just like to take this opportunity, while I potentially have a captive audience of Grand Central account holders, to shameless taint this thread and my dignity by asking if anyone can possibly provide an invite?

I know...I know...what times are these when a perfectly respectable man, such as myself, would throw himself at the feet of others for the simple invite to an application that some would say is less than stellar. Well, I am here to tell you that dignity comes cheap on the internet, and none of you people know me anyway, so meh...not a big deal.

Anyway, I would be most grateful if someone could possibly provide one.

Just hit me on IM if you're willing!

Thanks!

The Beer
I Love It When A Plan Comes Together
Premium Member
join:2001-07-24
Lincoln, NE

The Beer

Premium Member

Re: So...uh...Hey my Best Buds!!!

They took the invites away some time ago =(
hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

hottboiinnc4 to Koil

Member

to Koil
they are not allowing anyone to sign up anymore at this time and took the invites away.

Also I have noticed the terrible voice issues with Grand Central as of late as well. Generally its during the day the issue happens.

I for one will most likely NOT pay for the service. If i want a throw away number I can get one from Skype probably much cheaper than Google and have it forward to my cell phone the same as GC.

Koil
Premium Member
join:2002-09-10
Irmo, SC

Koil

Premium Member

Re: So...uh...Hey my Best Buds!!!

ahhh....ok, tyvm guys! Dignity restored!

PolarBear03
The bear formerly known as aaron8301
Premium Member
join:2005-01-03

1 recommendation

PolarBear03

Premium Member

Re: So...uh...Hey my Best Buds!!!

said by Koil:

ahhh....ok, tyvm guys! Dignity restored!
Oh no, you gave it up; it's gone now forever!

Smile__
Premium Member
join:2008-10-10
New Freedom, PA

Smile__ to Koil

Premium Member

to Koil
Yeah.. I tried to invite my mom more then 9 months ago and she never got anything... Sorry, as it's a no go.. I really loved the feature that would allow me to see if a customer was calling one of my stores as it would call me to. Just had to use the same number for all the store business cards..

mlong
Premium Member
join:2000-05-27
Parker, CO

mlong

Premium Member

I love GrandCentral

I've had a number for a while with GrandCentral mainly because I moved to Colorado and I would use it since I still have a Arizona cell phone number. Now I put it on all my business forms so I can screen the sales calls which seem to come nonstop. I can't wait to try out Google Voice.
hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

hottboiinnc4

Member

Re: I love GrandCentral

You're willing to pay for a service that you once got free from Google? I screen calls all the time and I don't pay for it. Another way for Google to make money and people don't seem to care after they said before it would remain free. But this is Google so people don't care if they charge. If it was MSFT or someone else people would be all over it saying they're gonna cancel.

I guess after Google signed up all the homeless people out in SF Bay they decided they needed to make some $$$ off them. Yah smart move Google.
67845017 (banned)
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL

67845017 (banned)

Member

Re: I love GrandCentral

It probably will stay mostly free, with pay components (for those instances where it actually costs Google to provide a function).

••••

Fox McCloud
Crazy like a fox.
join:2006-07-23

1 edit

Fox McCloud

Member

well

Hopefully it'll still have free incoming calls.....let's hope "click2call" remains free to the US and Canada (or at least US) as well...but I have my doubts.

edit: I'd check my e-mail, but hotmail is down *grits his teeth and growls*
JasonX
join:2008-04-08
Houston, TX

JasonX

Member

what do callers hear?

So how does Grand Central actually work? Do callers hear just a normal ringing sound, or do they hear some kind of recorded message?

geek
Mad Scientist at Work
Premium Member
join:2002-01-07
Southbury, CT
TP-Link Archer C7

1 edit

geek

Premium Member

Love It!

Love me some Grand Central. Been using it for over two years with no issues. Great service.

More on the changes »googlevoiceblog.blogspot.com/ (sorry this link was already posted)

Fox McCloud
Crazy like a fox.
join:2006-07-23

2 edits

Fox McCloud

Member

Free still!

Well, at least, for now.

I got this message when I signed into GC:
Upgrade to Google Voice

We're happy to announce that your GrandCentral account can now be upgraded to Google Voice.

* In addition to the current GrandCentral features, Google Voice has free voicemail transcriptions, SMS, conference calling, and more.
* You can also use your Google Voice account to make low cost international calls and free calls to anywhere in the United States.
* Your GrandCentral number, voicemail messages, forwarding phones and PIN will be moved automatically to Google Voice.
* You will have to re-record your name and greeting and update any custom settings or WebCall buttons after you upgrade.

We hope you enjoy the new features.
so, it looks like free calling is still in place for the US, but it might have been axed for Canada...*shrugs*
International Calling: For free calls within the US and great rates on international calls, just call your own Google number and press 2 to connect. Once you get the dial tone, enter the number you would like to call. And remember to add 011 for international calls.
Interesting...

»www.youtube.com/watch?v= ··· U&fmt=18


looks like "click2call" is still available as well...and the "call your Google number, then call someone else" is interesting...but you're still using your mobile minutes.

This brings up an interesting scenario....will the dialers for mobile phones have to be redone and the one command prompt dialer (which is posted here) be redone, since this "Google Voice" goes off of your Gmail account and not your GC account? HMmmm.

As long as Google Voice will forward to Gizmo, I can receive free incoming calls, and I can use a dialer (even if I have to wait for a redone one) to make 'outgoing' calls for free as well, I'll be, overall, happy.

•••••••

thebakeman
join:2004-03-25
Etobicoke, ON

thebakeman

Member

Says won't work outside USA now

I live in Canada and have had Grandcentral almost since it came out for family to call me free from North Carolina. Now when I clicked to do the upgrade to Google Voice, it tells me the service is for USA only. Anyone else see this? I hope it's only temporary.

•••

whathappened2
@omcastbusiness.net

whathappened2

Anon

To the @grandcentral.com e-mail address forwarding?

What happened to the number@grandcentral.com where you could forward it to your e-mail address? I used this for paging when systems went down, etc.

ReVeLaTeD
Premium Member
join:2001-11-10
San Diego, CA

ReVeLaTeD

Premium Member

My GrandCentral number

Is the only number I give out now. I don't know what I'd do without it, even though I only have it going to my cell phone, it gives me the greatest level of control over who calls me and who doesn't, which is important to me. They'd better let me keep my custom internal ringer - I have the Japan one, and people comment on it all the time.

My main complaints:

Need an easier way to make outbound calls from the number. Something like, call your own number from a mapped phone, have it prompt you to call someone else.

The SMS to/from the number was a big deal for me and I'm happy to see it on the new Google Voice.
B04
Premium Member
join:2000-10-28

B04

Premium Member

Re: My GrandCentral number

said by ReVeLaTeD:

Is the only number I give out now. I don't know what I'd do without it, even though I only have it going to my cell phone, it gives me the greatest level of control over who calls me and who doesn't, which is important to me. They'd better let me keep my custom internal ringer - I have the Japan one, and people comment on it all the time.
Sorry, it's gone. Now people can comment about that!

»www.google.com/support/v ··· ssues.cs
The functionality to set RingShare ringback tones for your incoming callers is not available in Google Voice. Thanks for your understanding.
-- B

ReVeLaTeD
Premium Member
join:2001-11-10
San Diego, CA

1 edit

ReVeLaTeD

Premium Member

Re: My GrandCentral number

We'll see. I bet they change that.

gigahurtz
Premium Member
join:2001-10-20
USA

gigahurtz

Premium Member

To those who don't like Google..

It's really quite simple, DON'T USE THEIR SERVICES/PRODUCTS. I think this will be great for those who want to use it. If you don't feel comfortable with Google searching through text to deliver ads to you, than don't use their products. No one is forcing you to use them.
tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Brooklyn, NY

tmc8080

Member

fee vs free service ?

skype is no longer free, other companies struggle to be marginally profitable and utilize adertisements or connection tarrifs to pad the bill where they can. i wonder how google will fit into the mix of what is already out there....

i think with all the wifi enabled smart devices out there, this would be a great boon to getting into the voip makrket. from portable media players, to netbooks, to smart phones-- the ability to make wifi calls anywhere will be a competitive force to the wireless industry and help force their pricing downward (hopefully).