Google Voice Its calling you from your grave...

[Jonnyabc 0]

I always try to write a topic while I'm still learning about it, because we all know that once you understand how something works from the inside out, it becomes all the more difficult to explain it very simply and basically to a novice. So as an experienced novice (how do you like that?), let me begin.Google Voice is NOT, repeat, NOT the same as Google Talk (their IM service). However, they are making headway to combine them together closer and closer every day. Yet I've still left you asking, what is Google Voice?Consider owning a master phone. One that you can take with you everywhere and use anywhere. Whether you're at work, home, or on the go, it can ring all places simultaneously. Call using your custom phone number (you get to choose it) and from almost any accessible phone. Check your voicemail at any location, and not only via phone, but also online. And if that isn't enough to sway you, how about it "automagically" transcribing those voicemails (or complete calls for that matter) to text and have it sent to your cell as a text, and/or your email (not including that it's still accessible anytime online).Need to make a long distance number? As long as you are within the US (and I believe Canada too), long distance is free. It will notify you if it is not. For international calls, you can stock you can stock your phone up with some cash and make incredibly cheap calls worldwide! Synced with your Google Contacts, you can choose who you want to ring what phone, pick a personalized greeting for that group, and choose whether you want to answer it immediately or thrown to voicemail right off. Light sleeper and tired of your phone ringing at the most inconvenient time? Tell Google to only allow each set phone an individual on or off schedule.Just today Gmail is now offering the ability to call straight from their page...I'm hoping this is transferring to Google Talk so that you can make phone calls straight from your PC! In November of 2009, they acquired Gizmo, which integrates Google Voice technologies into a desktop application, but after buying them out, Google shutdown the sign-up process. This is where my hopes lie.As always, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I happened to run across Google Voice when I was searching for a free PC to Phone service to access my company's no-so-close free conference service's phone number so that I wouldn't have to pay long distance on the landline and not eat up minutes on my cell for a business that really is within my area code.... That was my intent.However, after getting Google Voice setup and configured the way I wanted it to work, I began experimenting around. Eventually I called the conference number to access the system where I should be able to punch in the conference ID and join my party. However, it could not connect. After slaving to figure it out, and then more time trying to post in the Google support forum that said I had exceeded the 8012 character limit (when I clearly was less than 1000), I checked around again.Google apparently denies access to specific numbers if they are more costly to access than the typical home phone. Why on earth conference call numbers are that way (amongst others, I'm sure), I'm no phone technician or accountant to explain why, but they are. So Google...from the bottom of their red, yellow, green and blue hearts...removed that number. So now I'm left in the same predicament as before.Nevertheless, Google Voice seems like a great service to at least explore. Unfortunately, I found out the sad news today that Google Wave, one of my previous topics, was recently shutdown to any new developments, though they do say they plan to implement the system into other apps and open the code to developers. So hopefully Voice does not choke under pressure. But, that's the way they operate at Google (spend several billion dollars to come up with 10 new ideas and see if one or two of them will catch on to the general public).