Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

The Google Voice Blog introduces the updated version of GrandCentral that runs on Google's infrastructure including:

voicemail transcription
SMS support
conference calling
GOOG-411 integration
low cost international calling

Transcriptions
Now, in addition to being able to listen to your voicemail messages, you can choose to have your new voicemails automatically transcribed. You'll see these transcriptions in your inbox and will be able to search for voicemails. Transcriptions are also included in email and SMS notifications. They are fully automated, so they aren't perfect, but we'll be working to improve this in the future.

SMS support
When somebody sends an SMS to your Google Voice number, that SMS will be relayed to each of your forwarding cell phones and stored in your inbox. You can reply from your computer or from any of your mobile phones and the conversation will be saved in your inbox. You'll be able to read through the conversation thread and search for past messages.

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.

Enjoy!

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

Looks like my inbox has not been upgraded yet...

UPDATE: Got the upgrade.

1. Since I wanted to keep my GrandCentral address book, I had to export it from GrandCentral and import it in Google Voice.

2. No more call presention (No more 'press 1 to accept the call')!!! Calls connect directly when I answer my phone. Exception: Google Voice didn't respond when I answered using RTCOM/sipphone.com/Gizmo

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

Mine hasn't been updated yet either. As I posted in DialCentral 0.9.0 thread ( http://www.internettablettalk.com/fo...099#post271099 ) I hope to port DialCentral to this as soon as possible. Probably not this weekend due to Pi Day celebration preparations though.

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

No upgrade notification in my inbox yet either. One of the main things I will like about this new version is having the option of turning the screening totally off so i dont have to hit 1 to answer a call.

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

If you're outside of the USA you can't upgrade. Ugh.

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

I humbly request that the people who upgrade, please report any caveats. I just logged into GrandCentral on my PC and it says "your GrandCentral account can now be upgraded to Google Voice". Can.

Probably later that will change to must. For now I'm thinking if it ain't broke don't fix it.

I've used GrandCentral with Gizmo5 to turn my 770 into a phone, for 20 months now. As far as I know, I'm not really using any of the features of GrandCentral...in other words I believe Gizmo alone would do the same thing for me (address book, messages, etc). It's just that GrandCentral makes it all free, so I love it of course. I haven't paid anything at all, all these 20 months. Please advise. Thanks!

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

dmphzhopjrbffx, Can I ask, do you ever have trouble with this set up? I try using the GC+Giz setup now and then, but I'm constantly getting either very poor connections, or no connection at all. That is, giz will ring on my tablet, and when I answer, it won't connect to the desired number. Sometimes the people on the other end will have their phone ring, but I won't be there. Instead they get some message from GrandCentral about leaving ME a voicemail.

Anyway, I was just amazed that you seem to have had such good luck with GC. I've been hoping that the change to Google Voice would make it possible for me to have the same experience you have had.

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

dmphzhopjrbffx: I'm getting massive battery drain with Gizmo on my N800. I take it you're not seeing that.

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

Some first notes. Contacts from GC are not automatically imported as Google Contacts. You do keep access to GC though, maybe a read only mode though

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

I'm interested in using this for SMS... but I wasn't able to use the free Google SMS before (only works to select few US carriers), so it probably still won't work for me...

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

lm2, I have intermittencies too. sondjata, it probably works the battery pretty hard. Quite often I'll just fire up Gizmo to make calls. For receiving them, I'll just check my GC messages frequently via the browser instead, kinda the effect of having a pager that's off more than on.

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

Does the 770 have the communications profile/package that the n800/n810 have? Cause that's how I use it. I use my Gizmo number in there.

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

Receiving (and sending) SMS works great!!!
-send before receive not needed

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

I'm just looking forward to when I can actually sign up. It says they will open it to new users in a matter of weeks. Do you think then we'll still be able to get and make free calls as described here: http://www.internettablettalk.com/fo...t.php?p=122035

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

while i am glad to see this come, google also shut off sms from gtalk, as it no longer works for me when tethered to phone

It think they are blocking sms addresses from ip blocks known to be cell phone carriers as it still works when connected to my home wifi

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

oh, now it doesn't work through pidgin on desktop either

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

According to this page:
http://www.google.com/support/voice/...?answer=141925

Calls within the US will be free. They even added an explicit "Call" button where you can call someone by phone number without adding them as a contact first

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

David Pogue's article in NYT title One Number to Ring Them All.

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

Oh, how precious for google. Grandcentral said their goal was one number for life. Hopefully that doesn't cut both ways, a la, you can never get rid of it :(

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

How does the free sms from grandcentral integrate with the n810?

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

Not sure that it will at all which is a huge bummer. They say in their sms video that you can send sms messages you receive to multiple 'phones' so I am guessing to a registered phone number only.

I think I am going to try to get a clickatell account and have my own clickatell-->http--->xmpp set up. Clickatell's incoming sms are 1/3 of a credit which is about 1 cent, still much cheaper than most cell phone providers.

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

I thought they said it can send sms to email. Maybe I misread that....

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

That would be alright, but even better if sending sms through google chat would show as originating from your grandcentral #

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

It says my account is not ready to be upgraded. Is this normal?

Few questions to people on the new service:
1) Does nationwide free calls still work (incoming and outgoing)?
2) Is there now support for nationwide SMS?
3) Does it still give the option to route calls to SIP(Gizmo5)?
4) Do you get to keep the same number?


I ask this because we also use GrandCentral for our business, and have grown to depend on its free services...

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

Can't get sms to work with the built-in chat client, so for now I've been using -

https://www.google.com/voice/#sms
OR
https://www.google.com/voice/m/i/sms (for slow connections)

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

I think they specifically want to limit sending sms through one of their own web interfaces in order to minimize use, IMHO

Sounds like they got burned on the sms through gtalk thing

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

For Canadians who have been forwarding a US Grandcentral number to Canadian phones, that won't work any more on Google Voice. You can still forward to a gizmo number though.

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

Actually I am now wary of the google. In the same week they admit to behaviorally targeted advertising they also unveil features to transcribe your voicemail, thus we can wholly assume that if you were to use gmail, gtalk, and gvoice, google would be able to index your 'behavior' from all of your emails sent and received, all of your chats sent and received, all of your voicemails that people have left you, every sms, every search you have performed. Oh yeah, Picasa too maybe?

That is just crazy. I am not a privacy nut, but letting one entity(real person or corporate person) onto so much of your information is just nuts.

Then again if I sign up and use all of their services, they can probably tell me exactly the products I need that I didn't know about.

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

So, as a Canadian, I don't want them to upgrade hobble my account to Google Voice... Sigh...

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

Yup, that's why I try to obfuscate my data. And keep anything that is somewhat important away.

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Google is indeed getting pretty scary. We all need to sit back and ask ourselves why they are spending billions of dolars to give us free services. Advertising. I cant remember where I read it but google has gathered more data on people than anyone esle ... ever. That's where the profits come from and at some point "Do no Evil" will become "Do nothing really bad ...." (i.e. China) will become "Do make lots of money". I'm not trying to say I am a security freak either. I'm pretty lax about it to be honest. My wife constanly tells me how my identiy will get stolen blah blah blah. I use google for everything right now. I'm starting to get a little worried about personal data tho. Do i really want everything I have ever said on a phone sent to my inbox? Thats a dangerous situation. Some things arent meant to be kept on file, not if you want your marrige to survive.... (drunken phone calls to and old college buddy? Not something I want recorded)

Anyway, just some thoughts.

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

The tools to protect yourself, even from google, are already available.

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

I guess in that instance you would just have to use two phone numbers (like I do now). But in the long run, no matter what you do, you rely on somebody's backbone (cell phone networks, internet provider, etc..). So if you want something private, don't share it.

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

For those of you that use your n810 to call people with, what headset do you use. I have tried using the headset that came with my device, but the headphone is pretty uncomfortable.

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

Just realized this "Voice" make over comes with a cost. Calls to canada (and maybe US) are no longer free. How do I downgrade back to grandcentral????

Feel I was tricked by google!

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

I use this to call my friend/business partner in Canada for free not looking forward to having to pay for it.

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

The cost is one cent per minute which is practically free. The annoying part is that you can't forward to an "international number".

Note that if you give people a web button, they can still call you for free.

Even with the upgrade, grandcentral still appears to work so you can use it for a while until google voice gets more of the options you need.

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

Does Google Voice act as a SIP provider for SIP phones/software? (ie. can you use the N810's SIP capabilities with Google Voice?)

I wonder about using them with ZER01 (http://www.zer01mobile.com/). With the upcoming HSPA enabled Maemo 5 platform, ZER01 as your WWAN provider, and Google Voice as your voice/sms transport ... that could be your Maemo phone right there.

(or, if ZER01 ports their software to Linux and/or Maemo, you could skip Google Voice and just use ZER01 as your voice transport ... but I don't think they're doing SMS)

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

Google voice allows you to set up gizmo as a forwarding phone. In other words, if people call your google voice number you can have it ring your n8xx via sip.

Conversely, if you're always connected with a data plan, then you can put the google voice web page up in your browser and use it to dial out.

People who have sip can dial your gizmo sip.

Re: Google Voice - GrandCentral New Version
 

I just upgraded my account, everything works good so far, and dialcentral still works for placing outgoing calls from the tablet, at least for now. Unfortunatly You cant seem to send sms to cells anymore via googletalk using the +12345678900@sms.talk.google.com formula anymore.