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Call phones from Gmail
- Rhapso 16y agoLooks like Google Voice's integration of Gizmo5 is complete. And they they rolled out to Gmail which gives a bigger starting user base then voice would. I wonder what their profit angle on this is.
- technomancy 16y agoHopefully it's not complete until you can use the service from a third-party SIP client.
- andreyf 16y agoI wonder what their profit angle on this is. I'd imagine it would be to integrate voice into Gmail and Gmail into your cell phone.
- Ardit20 16y agoI suppose google would induce costs seeing as calling phones from skype is not free. Thus, I doubt that it is a gesture of well why not. Rather, the attraction of lots of data possibly. Just imagine how much more targeted advertising would become if they can analyse actual conversations. And also new users to gmail. Millions use Skype. That means, millions do not see the google adverts when using skype.
- JoachimSchipper 16y agoThis moves Google one step closer to the telco's businesses. With all the talk of mobile computing, I'm sure they can do something (use it as a basis for a "Google network", bargaining chip, just make them nervous, ...)
- pmjordan 16y agoI'm looking forward to this being rolled out beyond North America. I'd love a sensible Skype alternative (I hate Skype's UI with a passion, and it drops my calls all the time).
- cryptoz 16y agoI'm looking forward to this being rolled out to North America, which it looks like is a long ways off. This is fully USA-only right now and for the near future too. Sure, Americans can call Canadians. But Canadians can't call Americans! What's up with that?
- Locke1689 16y agoAs America's hat, Canadians aren't believed to have anything important to say. However, we like to call you every once in a while to tell you how well we're doing. ;)
- MikeCapone 16y ago> However, we like to call you every once in a while to tell you how good we're doing. ;) I guess that's why I haven't got a call recently. Not doing too well, eh? ;)
- pmjordan 16y agoAh, indeed. I failed to pick up on "calls to Canadian phones are free for now" != "available in Canada" during my quick read.
- jdagostino 16y agoI'm in Australia and have access.
- pkulak 16y agoWhat a surprise, it's not available for Apps users.
- cryptoz 16y agoNor Canadians. But these things will come, in time. :)
- metastew 16y agoI'm still waiting for Google Voice to make its debut in Canada. I think this will be a long time before this feature comes to Canada too.
- RK 16y agoYou do realize that Google has a strong political stance of annexationism with regards to Canada. That's why they withhold features from Canadians, to induce them to agree to annexation by the US. Google made their stance blindingly obvious when they named their phone Nexus One! Unity through annexation of Canada by America!
- pyre 16y agohttp://www.wnd.com/?pageId=38614 http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=38614
- BlazingFrog 16y agoI wonder how long can Google pretend to care about Apps users. The Gmail/Apps fragmentation is rapidly heading toward unsustainability.
- joezydeco 16y agoI'd be happy with some of the gmail labs being available in Apps. Like undo send? I'm with you. Tell us that Apps users matter, or don't. But say something.
- shrikant 16y agoCurrently not for users also outside the USA. (I initially thought it'd be for all users, but calls only to North America) This is as useful as Hulu right now :)
- Juha 16y agoYep, can't see it either (I'm in Finland). This would be useful for calling my own phone to find it from my apartment :) (I dont have skype open usually).
- camiller 16y agoI can't see it either (I'm in the US) I'm going to guess that it will take a bit of time to propagate across all Googles servers?
- AndrewHampton 16y agoSame here, looks like they're rolling it out over the next few days: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/chat/thread?tid=74c14d8ae82d4eec&hl=en http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/chat/thread?tid=74c14d...
- thought_alarm 16y agoWell, I'm in Canada and it works for me; I just called myself. Google Voice [1] now also works for me and displays my call history, but it won't let me upgrade. [1] https://www.google.com/voice https://www.google.com/voice
- ElbertF 16y agoI'm in Australia and just called myself from Gmail (not free though).
- ebun 16y agoI'm in Japan and can see it. However, I also have a Google Voice number which was automatically associated with it. I suspect that may take precedence over geographic location
- mad44 16y agoWouldn't this improve the number of spam calls I get? It looks like there won't be any cost to the caller to place a call.
- swolchok 16y agoFantastic, now I don't have to pay for Skype Out any more.
- ashishbharthi 16y agoonly till end of this year.
- ashishbharthi 16y agoI think now Skype has some real competitor. This is also going to add lots of value to Google Apps product.
- sandipagr 16y agoyeah it really does. I call international a lot and the prices are almost half for me compared to skype. So, if the phone service is good, I am definitely off from Skype.
- snorkel 16y agoWay to rain on Skype's IPO hype.
- bradendouglass 16y agoDefinitely a comment that is worth a prop. In addition, I am completely impressed with the lack of lag in the voice calling that I constantly have issues with in Skype. If you could pick up in Gmail, have solid to no lag, Google could produce a podcaster's wet dream
- bradendouglass 16y agoDefinitely a comment that is worth a prop. In addition, I am completely impressed with the lack of lag in the voice calling that I constantly have issues with in Skype. If you could pick up in Gmail, have solid to no lag, Google could produce a podcaster's wet dream
- s3graham 16y agoI suspect it was probably more like Skype rushing to get the IPO done after Google bought Gizmo5. They had to know it was coming pretty quick.
- ebun 16y agoSkype is obviously concerned but I wonder if this is also part of a longterm "Google Me" strategy against Facebook. Facebook already has email and chat, so one logical next step would be video chat and then calls. People already list phone numbers in their profiles and when I look at FB contacts through their mobile interface, Calling is always an option. This is, of course, just speculation, but I wouldn't be surprised if both turn out to be true
- Locke1689 16y agoI wonder how it will integrate with Google Voice. Unfortunately, I'll probably continue to use Skype because Skype has a working iPhone client.
- saturdayplace 16y agoI just logged into my Voice account. It shows I have a $1.00 calling credit, but when I click on the question mark next to that note, I get the following: Calling Credit shows how much credit you have available to make international calls from Google Voice. Calls made within the U.S. and Canada are free and don't affect your balance.
- jkincaid 16y agoOne thing to note: the blog post says that calls in US and Canada are free at least through the end of the year. I asked about this during the Q&A (seemed like a pretty big asterisk) and they said they have every intention of keeping it free as long as they can, provided that the margins on international calls cover the expenses for the free US/Canada calls. Fingers crossed.
- ugh 16y agoWait, what? They use the rest of the world to subsidize their free US/Canada calls? That’s certainly a convincing reason for me (= rest of the world) to never ever use that service.
- thrdOriginal 16y agoWhy? If the prices are still cheaper than what you would pay otherwise, would you still boycott it? This isn't a novel business concept - airlines do this too with business/first class subsidizing economy - does this mean you don't fly either?
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- tuxychandru 16y agoLook at it this way. When I fly business or first class I'd be subsidizing for those who can't afford a normal flight cost. I don't think it would be right to claim whole of US can't afford paying for GMail calls while the entire world outside it can pay more to keep it free for Americans.
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- vecter 16y agoWow, that dialpad looks remarkably like the iPhone dialpad.
- callahad 16y agoI wonder if this portends integrated VOIP calling in Android?
- gvb 16y agoI'm hoping so. There are many times when I have sucky T-Mobile coverage but have access to wifi (like when I'm in the back corner of our building :-O) where this would be perfect.
- aplusbi 16y agoI was really lucky in that I got a Gizmo5 account shortly before they were acquired by google. They created an Android app called Guava that did just that (limited to 3 minutes at a time unless you pay). It comes in handy when I'm traveling internationally as I can make free 3 minute phone calls to the US. Since Google owns Gizmo5 now and I'm assuming that this new browser calling feature is a result of the acquisition I wouldn't be surprised if an Android app is going to be out soon.
- callahad 16y agoIIRC, Guava was actually based on Sipdroid, which is under active development. If you pair your Gizmo5 number with your Google Voice account, and sign into your Gizmo5 account with Sipdroid, you can easily make free Google Voice calls on your device. It's just a little roundabout. For outgoing calls, I think you have to initiate the via Google Voice's web interface, then answer the connecting call with Sipdroid. Works like a charm. http://sipdroid.org/ http://sipdroid.org/
- RK 16y agoI hope so for several reasons. One being that I don't normally have gmail open (I prefer thunderbird/IMAP + an XMPP app for IM), but my Nexus One is always on.
- ceelee 16y agoLike many people here, I keep Gmail open all day long -- so this feature goes a long way towards making Gmail a complete communications platform. Combined with browser plugins like Rapportive, the utility of Gmail just keeps increasing.
- ramki 16y agohow do they make money out of calls?
- rman666 16y agoThey listen for good stock tips and act on them.
- d2viant 16y agoSuch as the Skype IPO
- sorbus 16y agoTraining voice recognition, perhaps? Or monitoring all your calls and using them to target advertisements, as they do with email. It's all probably in the fine print. Note, however, that I don't have any proof of it; these are just my first thoughts of how to make money off of calls. Other people have suggested that they're going to hope that international calls cover the cost of domestic calls, and otherwise potentially start charging for local.
- fjabre 16y agoAPI?
- sandipagr 16y agoit would be awesome to have an api for this.
- levesque 16y agoNow if only they could get us google voice in Canada...
- fjabre 16y agoWhy is this a plugin?
- gvb 16y agoTo get reasonable (any) access to your computer's microphone, speaker, and video.
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- fjabre 16y agoI guess Flash isn't reasonable...
- Timothee 16y agoThey probably want a reliable and streamlined access to the audio and video. With a plugin they're probably able to go at a lower-level in the OS and have much better control and quality.
- ja27 16y agoIt just showed up in my Gmail and I got a message "Flash is required to make a call." (I keep plugins disabled for most sites.) So it looks like you have to have both Flash and Google's voice plugin installed and enabled.
- Timothee 16y agoThe bridge that this is adding between Google Voice and the browser is really great. It really adds a lot of value to Google Voice, because you don't end up starting a call from your browser to then have to pick up your phone. You can, if you want to, do everything from your browser. They put the accent on Gmail but I see the value more on the Google Voice side where your computer really becomes part of it by being an end point as much as your other phones. addendum: in my personal case, this is a serious threat to my use of Skype. And I also won't be surprised if a version of this makes it to Google TV. At least, I wish it will: phone screening and conversations from your couch, easy transfer to other phones, etc.
- megamark16 16y agoAnd if you have Google Voice setup to handle voicemail for your cell phone it will forward missed calls from your cell phone to Gmail before dropping them into voicemail. This is awesome for me because sometimes I'd rather answer a call through my headphones and keep my hands free than pick up my cell phone. This integration is definitely going to increase my use of my Google Voice account.
- spydez 16y agoToo bad some of us have a Google account for Google Voice, and a different account for Google Apps for Your Domain (email). Guess my GV number will always be disjointed, unless they add GV to the Apps and have some way of transferring an old account in...
- rryyan 16y agoThere was some news from a few weeks ago that Google is testing out this functionality: http://lifehacker.com/5578666/google-apps-vs-google-accounts-parity-coming http://lifehacker.com/5578666/google-apps-vs-google-accounts...
- drivebyacct2 16y agoYeah, but Google seems to continue to launch features with an opened ended ETA for when it will reach Apps users. This is why I'm just sticking with my Google account and using my Gapps account for my personal email and nothing else Google related.
- megamark16 16y agoBecause I have Google Voice setup to handle my voicemail for calls made to my T-Mobile phone number, when I miss a call to my T-Mobile phone number (or send it to voicemail) it pops up in Gmail and gives me a chance to accept the call through Gmail. This is awesome.
- johnthedebs 16y agoI don't see this in my Gmail account, and I didn't see any mention of how they're rolling it out. Any ideas as to when it'll be enabled for all US users? Edit: Nevermind, found it. "We’re rolling out this feature to U.S. based Gmail users over the next few days, so you’ll be ready to get started once “Call Phones” shows up in your chat list (you will need to install the voice and video plug-in if you haven’t already)."
- Bitmobrich 16y agoSo when will this make it in to Google Apps?
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- drivebyacct2 16y agoWhy on earth is this not available through, you know, http://google.com/voice http://google.com/voice. Or is Voice going to get rolled into Gmail?
- Timothee 16y agoI believe that Google sees Gmail as the primary app that people use and are rolling the other one into it. One is much more likely to keep a Gmail tab open all day long than a Google Voice one, so it makes sense to have it in Gmail. Note that it integrates with Google Voice: the outbound calls show up with your GV number and inbound GV calls can ring inside Gmail. I would be surprised if ultimately GV is not completely inside Gmail.
- drivebyacct2 16y agoWith the overhaul of the Gmail UI (especially Mail/Contacts/Tasks being where they are, I would not at all be surprised to find that you are correct.
- senjin 16y agoNow if only my Google voice number wouldn't give a busy signal to half of the people that try to call me, I would love this.
- qusiba 16y agoAnyone know if it's going to be available in Canada?
- oldpatricka 16y agoI'm a Canadian gmail user, and I can use it.
- qusiba 16y agoThanks. So it's just a matter of time then.
- gcb 16y ago"free" calls in the US is a lie. as most operators bill you for received call minutes. And calls to google voice (even the call back feature) does not count as "free cell phone minutes" according to bloodsucking at&t
- bricestacey 16y agoIt's free for the person initiating the call on their computer. Cell phone companies never, as far as I know, extended free minutes to incoming calls as is the case for land lines. So, obviously any minutes on a cell phone would be charged any fees regardless.
- chronomex 16y agoThe per-minute charge for cellphone minutes is intended to cover the cost of delivering the call over a radio channel, which is an expensive and limited resource. European cellular carriers will often charge the caller the full cost of the call (using a special area code which has a higher per-minute rate) and allow customers to receive calls without using up their own money. This was tried in the United States with area codes 500 and 533. It didn't take off, probably because callers didn't like the cost of a call being unpredictable (carriers could set a different call cost for each 500-NXX block).
- gcb 16y agoin Brazil any number starting with 7,8,9 are cell phones. you know you will be paying cellphone call price. Just like it is with VoIP. In California i waste most of my minutes receiving "usted ganhaste la loteria" calls.
- gcb 16y agohow exactly is it free then? person X sitting on their computer, they click call person Y. google will first call person X's mobile (he will pay to receive) and then call person Y's mobile (he will also pay to receive) and connects both. so, where is the free part? And since the monetary currency in mobile bills are minutes, you are paying the exact same thing as if person X just picked the phone and called person Y. actually, if he did that, then it may be really free as operators gives more minutes for mobile to mobile calls! which is not the case when receiving a google voice callback by starting the call in the browser.
- thisorthat 16y agowhy isn't this feature in google voice instead?
- invisible 16y agoOr both :)?
- RoyceFullerton 16y agoI can't call my Google Voice number from Skype out. It says the number doesn't exist or is not in service. Is it possible that Skype could be blocking known Google Voice numbers? It seems unlikely but possible. Has anybody else encountered this problem?
- iamelgringo 16y agoI love the idea of Google voice, and I want to like it. I've installed it 3 times on my Android phone, and then uninstalled it. But, then I realize that they already have my email, schedule, internet search and probably have a very good idea about my web traffic even though I don't use them for analytics. I'll stick with Skype and Vonage rather than give GOOG access to a library of my voice conversations.