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Posts Tagged ‘Google Voice’

Google Voice Arrives on iPhones with HTML5-Powered Webapp [Webapps]

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

iPhone/Palm Pre: Apple and/or AT&T don't want the Google Voice service to have its own iPhone app, and we think that stinks. Google is finally releasing the next best thing: a mobile site that basically replicates a dedicated Google Voice app.

The big advantage of Google's new Voice app (which is already showing up for Voice users at Lifehacker HQ) is the direct contact access. Rather than having to store secondary numbers or use the somewhat old-school-looking Voice mobile site to pull up your contacts, Google Voice's new webapp provides super-quick, as-you-type access to your Google Contacts. The interface is similar to what you see when you visit Voice in a full browser, with the same mobile look and feel as Gmail, Reader, and other products have recently received.

When you dial, it's not the familiar experience of having Google Voice call you, then call the other person—it's a direct dial to that person, probably using those same secondary numbers Google seems to have stockpiles of.

You'll want to make sure your phone's contacts are synced up with Google if you're keen on using Google's Voice app. It's a free service, and requires a Google Voice account (which we hear they're giving out more regularly).

If you're already seeing the new Google Voice app in your iPhone or Pre browser, tell us what you think in the comments.

Google Voice [via Gizmodo]
Google Voice for iPhone and Palm WebOs [Google Voice Blog]

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Tags: Google Voice, Palm pre, Voicemail
Posted in Contributors, SMS, Webapps, iPhone | Comments Off

Google Voice Chrome Extension Makes Calling and SMS Even Easier [Updates]

Monday, January 25th, 2010

Google Chrome: Google Voice Notifier, one of the 18 extensions we loved at launch, has seen a major update. It now converts phone numbers on the web to automatic dialing links, and initiates calls and text messages from a drop-down box.

The extension previously did little more than notify Google Voice users of the number of unread SMS messages and voicemails sitting in their inbox, as well as doing a little spin animation when updated and opening the inbox when clicked. In the new version, nearly any phone number in a recognizable format is converted into a click-able link. Hit that number, and a pop-up box asks you which phone you want to connect to. Oddly enough, it doesn't work on Google Maps results, where I'd kind of most want that behavior, but does work from Google search results.

The new version also makes starting a call or text message to any of your known contacts very easy. Click the extension button, and a drop-down box with auto-filling fields appears. You can switch between calls and SMS messages easily, and if you click the extension button when you've got messages, you get a quick preview of your inbox.

The Google Voice extension is a free download, and works wherever extensions work with Google Chrome at the moment—Mac users will have to use the development channel version in this case. If you already had the extension installed, you should see it update automatically the next time you load up Chrome.

If you're looking to sign up with Google Voice but don't have an invite, we hear they're getting a lot more invites out to those who ask for them.

Google Voice (by Google) [Google Chrome extension gallery via Download Squad]

Tags: add-ons, Chrome extension, Featured google chrome extension, Google Voice, Voicemail
Posted in Chrome, Contributors, Downloads, Extensions, Google Chrome, Google Chrome Extensions, SMS, Updates | Comments Off

Googsystray Notifies You of New Activity Across Google Services in One System Tray App [Downloads]

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

Windows/Linux only: Google has so many different services these days that installing a notification app for each one gets cumbersome quickly. Free system tray utility Googsystray watches Gmail, Google Voice, Calendar, Reader, and Wave so you can set it and forget it.

After installing Googsystray, you can configure which services you want it to watch and what you want it to do for each—upon receiving a new email, SMS, calendar alert, RSS article, or wave, you can have it play a sound and even run a command. The icon of the given service will also pop up in your system tray. Right clicking on it gives you a Growl-style popup with more detailed information about the notification, such as email subject or SMS content. You also have limited actions you can take depending on the service.

Google Voice is the most feature-filled, allowing you to send SMS messages with a hotkey and read voicemail transcripts. You can have Gmail monitor your inbox or specific labels for new messages, as well as mark messages as read, spam, or delete them. Google Calendar support is limited to alerts on upcoming events, and Google Reader can notify you of new RSS articles, although you can tell it to stop notifying you when the number of unread articles reaches a certain point. Google Wave support merely notifies you of new and unread waves, along with a preview.

Googsystray is a free download, works on Windows and Linux (Python and pygtk required for Linux). Thanks, Aldeniszen!

Googsystray [Sourceforge]

Tags: Google Voice, Google Wave
Posted in Contributors, Downloads, Gmail, Google, Google Calendar, Google Reader, Linux, Windows | Comments Off

Google Voice Gives Users Invitations to Hand Out to Friends [Invitations]

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

Getting a Google Voice invite has, until now, involved either dropping a request penny down the well, being a legacy GrandCentral user, or knowing someone at Google. Now Google Voice has started giving established users invitations to hand out.

They're being "rolled out gradually," three at a time over the next few weeks, so users can look for them in their account's lower-left corner—and their friends can begin the begging process starting now. If you're new to Google Voice, take a gander at our first look at Google Voice. If you end up with an invite in your inbox soon, then head over to our guide to easing your transition to Google Voice.

Invite a friend to Google Voice [Google Voice Blog]

Tags: Cellphones, Google Voice, Invitations, Voicemail
Posted in Contributors, Google, SMS | Comments Off

Google Voice Growl Pushes SMS Alerts to Your iPhone [Google Voice]

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

If you're eager to get Google Voice text messages pushed to your iPhone (so you don't have to waste texts) but know that's not likely until Apple stops rejecting Google Voice apps for the iPhone, web service Google Voice Growl can help.

The free service integrates with the previously mentioned Prowl iPhone application to send push updates to your iPhone for virtually any kind of application. Unlike our guide to setting up Prowl with Gmail, this service doesn't require you to keep a computer running in the background at all times. To get it working, you'll need to sign in with your Google account, add your Prowl API key (if you're signed into Prowl on your computer, you can get that key here), then set up a Gmail filter that will forward Google Voice SMS messages to the site's special email address. It's a bit convoluted considering how easy it could be if Apple hadn't killed the official Google Voice app, but it's a decent workaround. (View the site for the full instructions.)

If you're concerned about privacy, the site's developer has put together a pretty comprehensive privacy statement. I set my account up with it earlier today and it works like a charm. I still had Google Voice forwarding new SMS messages to my phone, and the Prowl push notification arrived about a second after the forwarded SMS. If you don't want to pay the extra cash for AT&T's unlimited texting plan, this is certainly a viable workaround.

Google Voice Growl/Prowl