googlevoice
Latest
Google Voice app now supports iPad and iPod touch, brings Click2Call
So, how exactly does a voice app work on devices without any cellular ties? Glad you asked! Google has just updated the iOS Google Voice app to include support for the iPod touch and iPad, but neither of them can make cellular calls directly. Instead, you can use the app to initiate GVoice calls with a nearby phone. The process is known as Click2Call -- users simply click any 'Call' button within the app and then choose which of their phones they want to ring. It's probably more time consuming than just grabbing your phone from the start, but hey, there it is. In other news, the app now disables text forwarding when you enable Push Notifications (to avoid double alerts), and there's a new Do Not Disturb option in the Settings tab for those who'd prefer to disconnect. Hit the iTunes link below to get your download on, and let us know how things shake out in comments.
Google Voice app update supports iPad, iPod touch
The Google Voice app for iPhone was updated today with support for the iPad and iPod touch. According to the official Google Voice blog, the update will let your iPod touch or iPad send and receive messages and enjoy other features of the service, except making calls. However, you can use your iPad or iPod touch running Google Voice to initiate a call on your iPhone with something called Click2Call. The way it works is simple. Just select the number you'd like to call, and then tap the phone you'd like to use. That phone will ring, and when you pick up, Google Voice will complete the call. I don't know why you wouldn't just use the iPhone in the first place, but there it is. There are some other cool features as well. For instance, enabling push notifications disables text forwarding, so you don't receive duplicate messages. Plus, a new "Do Not Disturb" setting sends callers straight to voicemail. Finally, there's a new Contacts button in the dialer tab for easy access, and texting is quicker with the removal of the OK button. It sounds like a nice update and you can grab it here.
Google Latitude makes brief appearance in App Store, gets yanked post-haste
Ah, the games that grown-ups play. It's a situation that's beginning to feel an awful lot like the Google Voice fiasco that made the rounds in mid-2009, but if it ends in a similar fashion, you won't find us kvetching about the teases. As the story goes, a bona fine Google Latitude app made its appearance in Japan's App Store hours ago, only to be yanked before it could sashay over to any other nation. TechCrunch reckons that it was El Goog doing the pulling -- it's quite possible that the folks in Mountain View weren't quite ready to publicly reveal it, and with all that Chrome action going down yesterday, it's not hard to imagine how an impending launch was overlooked. At any rate, the description of the app as well as most of the screenshots were in English, so we're cautiously optimistic that it'll resurface in the near future once a few Is are dotted and Ts crossed. With iOS 4 supporting background location, there's hardly a reason to wait any longer, right?
Google Voice for iPhone is finally out on the App Store
Turns out, when Apple announced it was a day you'd never forget, maybe it wasn't talking about The Beatles. Last we heard, Google Voice was expected on the App Store "soon" ... and now here it is. Apple has relented in the battle to allow Google Voice functionality on the iPhone, leaving Google open to release its own official app for the service. It looks just as good as you'd expect -- you can sign into the service from anywhere, access your voicemail or even send text messages or Google Voice calls, and get push notifications when you've got a new message incoming. Obviously, you'll need a Google Voice account to use the app, but those are free and easy enough to set up. The app is only available in the United States, according to its description, so those of you outside the country are out of luck (for now). It's also probably not compatible with the iPad -- the listing only says it's available for the iPhone so far. Our own Mike Rose & TJ Luoma [TJ comments below that he objects to the iPhone-only restriction on the app, as he would like to use it to send and receive SMS on the iPad or iPod touch] are jumping for joy on this one -- we've got a lot of TUAW Google Voice fans, and having this functionality available on the iPhone is a very nice bonus even with the third-party apps already on the market. What are you waiting for? It's here -- go download!
Official Google Voice app for iPhone hits the App Store
A few weeks after third-party apps started filtering in, Google's launched its own Google Voice app for the iPhone, and it looks to have all the most important features: call and text support, push notifications, and voicemail access (including transcriptions). It's available right now -- US only at the moment -- on iPhones with iOS 3.1 or higher as long as you've got a valid Google Voice account set up... so get to it. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Note: For some reason, you need to search the App Store for "googlevoice," not "google voice." Weird, we know.
Xcom Global international MiFi / data rental service review
A few months earlier in the year, we covered the arduous process of staying connected while traveling abroad. One of the ways we mentioned for jetsetters, backpackers and common tourists to stay jacked in while situated far from their homeland was a MiFi rental service from Xcom Global. The company has only been operating for a matter of months, but we recently took their services for a spin in order to give you a more detailed look at what to expect. The long and short of it? These guys are the guys to contact when you're about to grab your next passport stamp. Read on to find out why.
Google Voice due on the App Store soon
TechCrunch has reported this morning that the Google Voice iOS app has been approved and should be on the App Store soon. They quote "sources" who claim that the app simply needs some tweaks for iOS 4 multitasking, and that it should be out within "the next few weeks." This is potentially huge news for Google Voice customers. Getting to this point wasn't easy to say to the least. Here's a brief recap of the saga. First, Apple pulled all Google Voice related apps from the App Store in July of 2009, which prompted an FCC inquiry. Apple responded by saying, in so may words, "Uh, we were just studying Google Voice." Google shot back with, "Uh, that's not true." Since then, a mobile Web version of the service has been released, and it's quite clever, but it's not a native app. Several native apps, GV Mobile + (US$2.99) and GV Connect ($2.99) have made it to the App Store and are filling the niche until the official Google Voice app appears. Perhaps the development guidelines that Apple released on September 9th allowed Google to identify just what they needed to do to win approval. If TechCrunch is right, we'll find out in a few weeks.
Talkcast Tonight: Join us at 10pm ET to talk Blu-ray, new apps, and Stevemails
It's Sunday, which means it's time once again to get ourselves into a TalkShoe chatroom, and have a lively talk about what's been up during the last week of Apple news. Tonight on the show, we'll be talking about Microsoft's stance with Apple on Blu-ray, the arrival of VLC and Google Voice on the App Store, the coming glucose meter for the iPhone, and if we have time, we'll chat a little bit about Stevemails and just what they mean. Should be fun -- tune in if you're around! To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, the embedded Facebook app, or the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for maximum fun, you should call in. For the Web UI, just click the "TalkShoe Web" button on our profile page at 10 pm on Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (take advantage of your free cellphone weekend minutes if you like): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 -- during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *8. If you've got a headset or microphone handy on your Mac or your PC, you can connect via the free Gizmo or X-Lite SIP clients or by using the TalkShoe client's ShoePhone tool; basic instructions are here. We'll kick things off at 10pm ET/ 7pm PT. See you there!
Google Voice apps returning to iPhone app store (update: they're here!)
(function() { var s = document.createElement('SCRIPT'), s1 = document.getElementsByTagName('SCRIPT')[0]; s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.async = true; s.src = 'http://widgets.digg.com/buttons.js'; s1.parentNode.insertBefore(s, s1); })(); Digg It's been a long time coming -- now native Google Voice apps have finally returned to the iTunes App Store. This, after a fourteen month hiatus in which we saw an FCC investigation into the matter that culminated in a loosening of App Store restrictions. So far, we're only seeing the $3 GV Connect app in the store with GV Mobile + coming sometime Saturday morning according to its developer, Sean Kovacs. No word on when the official Google Voice iPhone app will make its appearance, but surely it can't be long -- Phil must have had a chance to study the app he personally rejected didn't approve by now, right? Update: We'd been checking our iPhones all day long to no avail, but it's finally here. As of 1:30AM ET, GV Mobile + has been formally approved and is now available for $2.99 on the iTunes App Store.
GV Mobile+ for Google Voice on the iPhone released
GV Mobile + has returned to the App Store. If you live in the USA and therefore have access to Google Voice, grab a copy of GV Mobile + for $3 and celebrate the return of arguably the best Google Voice app for the iPhone. (We also reported that another app by the name of GV Connect is available for the same price. The biggest initial difference is that GV Mobile has been well-known and developed for several years.) The original app, GV Mobile, had to be renamed to GV Mobile + because Sean Kovacs, the developer, deleted it once it was removed from the App Store, and wasn't able to reclaim the name. That means that even if you owned GV Mobile you'll still have to pay for GV Mobile +. Yes, that's frustrating, but let's keep things in perspective: it's $3, not a kidney. Deleting the app was a very understandable thing to do when Apple removed all Google Voice apps from the App Store and gave absolutely no indication that they would ever be allowed to return. Click Read More for additional information about GV Mobile+. Note: we received the iTunes link directly from the developer, but it usually takes some time before it is available to all iTunes users. To quote Han Solo, "it's not my fault."
Google Voice for Android gets refreshed with widgets in tow
Google just pushed out a fresh build of its Google Voice app for Android, and it looks like the improvements are focused on a pair of new home screen widgets (previously, it had none). The inbox preview widget does exactly what you might think, letting you flip through recent voicemails -- complete with questionable transcriptions -- while tapping on a message will take you to it in the actual app. The aptly-named settings widget, meanwhile, lets you compose text messages, change dialing preferences, toggle Do Not Disturb mode, and see your available balance. Revolutionary? Not exactly, but a welcome addition for a service that's quickly becoming a standard for many Android users stateside.
Hands on with Safari-based Gmail phone calls
Now that the inconvenient duplicate emails are a thing of the past, TUAW had a chance this morning to put Gmail's new calling feature to the test. With Gmail phone calls, you can place free US-to-US calls directly from your browser or pay a low fee for international access. Calls use the Google Voice service backbone (and technology from the Gizmo5 acquisition), integrating voice features with desktop applications. The installation is straightforward, and it begins with downloading the Google Talk video chat plugin if you don't already have it. Grab the installer from your Gmail homepage, quit your browser, install, and then re-launch Safari. Navigate back to your Gmail account and you'll be ready to place outgoing calls. To begin, click the Call phone button at the left of the Gmail web page.
Google introduces Call from Gmail, free calls to US and Canada (update: impressions)
Rumors have been buzzing about since June, but Google just made it official -- the company's baking Google Voice calls right into Gmail today. Like the Google Chat text, voice and video chat integrated into the web-based email client in prior years, full phone calls will also be an option using VoIP technology from the Gizmo5 aquisition. Google's demoing the "Call from Gmail" service for us in San Francisco this morning, and it's looking like it's not free, but fairly cheap -- a product manager just called Paris for $0.02 a minute. Incoming calls pop up as a chat window in Gmail (and ring your Google Voice-equipped phones simultaneously) and you press a "Call phone" button that appears near the top of the Chat window to send an outbound call, at which point a dialer appears where you can copy and paste numbers or tap them in manually. Users can screen incoming calls or send them to voicemail with a single tap. %Gallery-100379% You'll be able to make calls to US and Canadian landlines completely free of charge, buying prepaid credits using Google Checkout for international landline calling at $0.02 a minute and a good bit more (We saw $0.19 to Spain) for calls to international mobile devices. Google will sell its own credits for the program (via Google Checkout), which should be available in a few weeks, but the Voice in Gmail service goes live today in the US and will begin rolling out to users immediately. Google's only committed to free calls to US and Canadian landlines through the end of the year, as paid international calls are the sole revenue stream here: "Our hope is we'll be able to make enough margin on international calls to keep offering it at that low price," a product manager told us. We're going to give some VoIP goodness a spin right now, check back later for impressions! Update: Google Voice product manager Vincent Paquet confirmed that the service's newfound VoIP functionality does indeed stem from the Gizmo5 acquisition -- Call from Gmail is partially based on Gizmo5 technology, was developed by a team including Gizmo5 engineers, and resides in part on Gizmo5's backend. He wouldn't comment any more specifically on the technology than that. Also, that cherry red phone booth up top apparently isn't just for show -- Google's agreed to trial free calling booths at an airport and a pair of universities! Update 2: We've just tested Call to Gmail and Skype side by side using the exact same setup, and found Google's service boasts surprisingly competitive voice quality to the reigning incumbent. When we called a fellow editor's iPhone 4 from a Gmail-equipped laptop, the sentences he spoke sounded much clearer than through Skype, with each individual word crisper and more recognizable even as volume and pitch sounded much the same. Unfortunately for Google, the inverse wasn't true -- Skype did a much better job canceling noise from our integrated laptop microphone in a crowded room.
Vlingo bows to Google Voice Actions, makes Android version free of charge
When Google Navigation hit the scene, it sounded the death knell for paid GPS on Android, so you can imagine the doom and gloom at Vlingo HQ last week when Google released the similar Voice Actions for free. As it turns out, however, Vlingo's not going to give up that easily; Vlingo for Android, once a $10 download, is now free as well. In a surprisingly gracious blog post that genuinely congratulates Google on the accomplishment, CEO Dave Grannan explains that he wants Android users to be able to freely compare the services as Vlingo adds features further down the road, and makes one valid point in his firm's favor -- you can try Vlingo now if you've got Android 2.0 or above, but Google's service only runs on Froyo. Interestingly enough, Vlingo on Android was the only version that actually charged; on Nokia, Blackberry and Windows Mobile, however, you could purchase a "Plus" license. Perhaps the company's not quite as generous as we thought, but there's still no arguing with a free voice command service that also reads your email aloud -- go ahead and give it a try.
MagicJack announces software for completely free internet-to-phone calls, places femtocell on hold
For $40 (plus $20 per year), MagicJack's USB VoIP dongle will let you make free unlimited telephone-to-telephone calls, but this week the company's announced MagicTalk, a piece of software for internet-connected phones and computers that will waive even those upfront costs. The Associated Press tracked down one of our favorite ruthless salesmen, MagicJack CEO Dan Borislow, who described a service much like Google Voice and Skype, number portability and all -- except it adds the whole allowing-free-calls-to-regular-ol-telephones bit by charging the companies that carry incoming calls. The service will reportedly be available on Windows and Mac next week, with iOS, Blackberry and Android by October, but speaking of promises, Borislow said plans for the company's legally-ambiguous femtocell are now on hold -- the device can't legitimately muster up enough power without a cellular carrier on board. In other news, NetTalk announced last week that its pair of competing VoIP boxes now support free video calls. We imagine the timing (and naming) of MagicJack's new service isn't making 'em feel too good.
Google Voice now open to the American public
Tired of waiting for the invite that'll never arrive? Not so eager to snap up an Android phone just to automatically get ushered into the party? Good news: Google Voice is now open to the US public at large (sorry, everyone else!), enabling everyone who wishes to get a single number to ring all of their phones, have voicemail that acts more like email and send / receive free calls and texts within the US. Currently, Google has over a million active Voice users, and we suspect that figure will skyrocket after today. If you've been ignoring this hoopla until the invite barrier was crushed, feel free to hop on past the break for a video demonstration of what's on offer. Then hit that source link to sign up. Happy calling... callers.
How-to: stay connected while traveling internationally
It's a harsh reality that every avid traveler faces, and unless you're fortunate enough to have been born in a generation where you're not expected to check your inbox every half-hour, glance over Twitter updates every 7.23 minutes seconds and tell the world where you're at this very moment via Foursquare, you've probably found yourself wondering how on Earth you're going to remain connected once your swipe that passport and leave the comfy confines of a native network. Staying connected while traveling abroad is no easy task, and while the internet may feel ubiquitous to tech-savvy smartphone owners who remain planted within the borders of their home nation, the world wide web suddenly becomes a whole lot less easy to track down once you plop down on foreign soil. Looking to splurge on a little international travel this summer, but can't figure out how you're going to (affordably) upload those Twitpics and YouTube videos once you get there? Fret not, young jetsetter -- we've got the keys to keeping you connected whilst overseas just beyond the break.
The saga of changing from an iPhone 2G... to an iPhone 2G
My wife's iPhone 2G is broken. The power switch always thinks it is being pushed down, which means that the iPhone turns itself off fairly regularly. As you might expect, it's fairly annoying. Because I have a lot of nice, good, and generous friends, many of whom are also gadget folks, I asked on the Twitter if anyone had an iPhone 2G that was sitting in a drawer after they had upgraded. My friend Jim Ray sent me his. Did I say "friend"? I mean best friend. I took both iPhones home, swapped the SIM cards, and we all lived happily ever after. Ha ha! No, not really. Of course it wasn't that easy! As soon as I swapped the SIM cards, the phone showed the "connect to iTunes" logo. When I did that, iTunes said "Hey, congrats! You bought an iPhone! Let's get you setup with a two-year contract with AT&T!" Well, as you may have heard, there are some pretty strong suspicions that a new iPhone is going to be released soon, and the last thing I wanted was a new 2-year contract with a 3 year-old iPhone. Read on for the rest of the story...
Google Voice is now your real-time pusher (on Android)
Once upon a time, Google undercut its own infant OS by offering rival platforms some of the best features of Android. Those days are long gone, and once again -- as much as we love Google Maps Navigation -- the poster child for only-on-Android functionality (in the US) is Google Voice. That's because as of this week, the Android version supports push notification of incoming messages in real time, as well as a neat interface for your reply (as evidenced by the above pic). Feel free to tease your iPhone and Pre-addicted friends, people; multitasking or no, they're not going to get a heads-up of incoming voicemail transcriptions with plain ol' HTML5.
Black Swan brings Google Voice back to the iPhone without the App Store
Google Voice on the iPhone has been something of a sore subject for me. If you need a full-recap of the whole sordid iPhone/Google Voice story see this story from December or more of our coverage. I even started a little site devoted to waiting for Google Voice on the iPhone called IsGoogleVoiceAvailableForTheiPhone.com. It has been 6 months and 19 days since Apple claimed it had not "rejected" Google Voice but was "studying" it. During the course of Apple's "study" the company moved to purge all existing Google Voice apps from the App Store. There were three reactions to this from developers: Google revamped the Mobile Google Voice page so that it looks a lot nicer on the iPhone. GV Mobile released its app for free on Cydia for those who have jailbroken iPhones. The folks behind Voice Central went a different route. They decided to make a web app instead. I've been using it in beta for the past few months, but as of today it has been released to the public as Black Swan. The difference between the Mobile Google Voice site from Google and Black Swan is that Black Swan is stored locally on your iPhone, like Pie Guy from Neven Mrgan of Panic.com. Riverturn calls this a "weblication," which is a fairly awful name, but apparently they aren't the first ones to use it.
