Yesterday I got wind of a Google Voice announcement. Om captured the details as have others. Here's where I see the value here:
1) Take an unlocked Android out of the USA, use a local SIM, pay their low rates.
2) Point the GV number to a Truphone number and make calls at USA rates and client Truphone handles the international call leg at low rates.
3) Bridge your calls and have better voice mail with text delivery by SMS and email and keep all your messages in one place.
Who is google going after. It's not the telco or Mobile operator, it's also SpinVox and PhoneTag, GotVoice and YouMail here by offering a more complete experience that the mobile operators will have to now figure out how to replicate. For PhoneTag, Truphone and the rest this is like the best business development invitation around as the MNO's will now need to figure out how to offer a GoogleVoice like unified, one number calling experience which is easily duplicated by the service previously known as Webley, and is now called Communikate.
The integration with Blackberry and Android is a great first step, but the real heat will be seen when an Apple iPhone app comes along and a Symbian Series 60 app for the Nokia N & E series simply because of user base size in my book.
Still, this is a great toe in the water for Google Voice.
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