Posts Tagged ‘voicemails’
October 8th, 2009 | 
Author: Google Voice is a call forwarding service by Google, providing a single number that can ring your phones. The service provides free calls for all inbound and domestic outbound calls, while international calls are billed.
The service is configured and maintained by the user in a web-based application, like Gmail. According to the number one search engine, its vision is much more ambitious, to replace the hotchpotch of passwords, formats and contact lists in your premises or gadgets with a simple, one-stop platform, easily accessible anytime and anywhere. It can help you to organize all your communications, whether it’s calls or SMS, and would place in the cloud, which are accessible to you.
Google introduced the application in March, which is an upgraded version of the GrandCentral product it had acquired last year. To use Google Voice, users must sign up at its website and wait for an invitation that often takes weeks. Google has not announced that when it will make the service freely available.
New features of the application:
Google Voice application has retained many of GrandCentral’s features, with several additions.
1. It offers a single Google number for all users’ phones that provides free calls and SMS in the country but charges on International calls, which are very competitive to other vendors. With the application, you can skip the extra steps of dialing toll free numbers or enter the codes.
2. Call screening: You can block calls, listen recording from voicemail or can announce callers based on their number.
3. Users can send, receive and store their SMS online and can answer an incoming call from any of your phones. You can route the calls and with the help of voicemail transcription, you can even read the voicemails online.
4. Users can personalize their voice mail greeting for different groups like friends or co-workers, or even for individuals.
5. Further, you can do conference calling with the application.
6. Users can check their web inbox from a mobile device/phone.
Few drawbacks of the service:
1. The application is not supported by Apple’s iPhone. Apple had rejected the voice application by Google and removed those created by others, citing duplicative features. But, it is supported by Android and Blackberry Smartphones.
2. For international calls, Google is not the cheapest option. For example, if you want to call Afghanistan, it is costlier than 2 NayPinoy phone card from PhoneCardSmile.com.
3. Google Voice requires too many keystrokes to become part of my everyday phone use, which is against for today’s busy life.
Conclusion
Google Voice is not the first to offer this sort of savings on international calling. Services from vendors like Rebtel and Jajah do pretty the same. These services have the added advantage of working from phones that are not Internet-enabled. But, Google offers some more features that make its system somewhat more compelling.
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Article Source: Google Voice: Now personalize your mobile calls
Business VoIP services allow companies to integrate the existing equipment of their data and voice networks. VoIP takes the high-speed Internet connection that a company uses for its Internet accessibility and uses it to run the phone system. This combination of hardware offers businesses a unique set of features that cannot be found from a traditional telephone provider.
The Elimination of “Phone Jacks” and IT People
VoIP leverages the office computer network and high speed Internet connection . IP phones, needed for a VoIP system, get connected directly to the LAN or even daisy chained to a computer, not to a phone jack. This connection of telephone hardware to an IP network allows the business to run more efficiently, while offering major cost savings at the same time. The reduction of hardware saves money in and of itself, while also eliminating the need for a dedicated ‘IT Guy’.
Further, a single high speed Internet connection to the outside world can support both data needs (web surfing, email, IM, etc.) and business VoIP. With a business voip service, there is no need for a local loop or POTS lines (traditional telephone lines) from the telephone company.
Listening to Messages via Email
Combining the voice and data network infrastructure, business VoIP offers valuable features that can dramatically improve productivity and communication. One of these is Voicemail to Email. Instead of logging into a voice mailbox throughout the day, voicemails can be sent to an email address. This will let the employee hear their messages from any computer that has access to email. Employees will be able to access daily email and voicemail messages in real time via their selected email address.
Using a Wi-Fi Connection to Make Calls
VoIP even allows employees to use their Smartphones in eye-opening new ways. VoIP systems create a virtual office environment, perfectly supplementing Smartphones’ ability to access work email. VoIP users can download applications to their Smartphones that will allow them to use their mobile phones as if they were their desk phones. Any calls made and received this way will use the employee’s office phone number as the caller ID, and keep hidden the private cell phone number.
Even more importantly, calls made in this fashion do not use the cellular plan’s minutes! The office phone network is accessed via the Smartphone’s Wi-Fi (data) connection, bypassing the cellular phone network used when making a normal call from a cell phone. VoIP transforms a cell phone into a portable desk phone, allowing employees to make and receive work calls on the go.
Business VoIP services, like OnSIP by Junction Networks, are developing new and useful features that are especially critical in today’s fast-paced work environment.
Article Source: Business VoIP – The End of The Dedicated Office Telephone Network
Over the years we’ve gotten used to Apple delivering us quality products, and our attitudes there haven’t changed. When it comes to the Apple iPhone, we expect quality, innovation and continuous pleasant surprises. In fact, when it comes to any Apple product, we expect these things. Is the iPhone keeping up with or exceeding our expectations? Mostly. Even the great Apple Corporation, which has stood steadfastly by its commitment to quality and innovation despite the constant influx of cheaper competitive products, is not infallible. Nor should we expect it to be. The breakneck speed and unstoppable momentum at which technology progresses almost guarantees that no new electronic toy can ever completely satisfy us. We’ve been trained to always look for more and better. This being said, the new Apple iPhone 3G still easily moves to the front of the pack.
Most cell phones aren’t just phones anymore; that’s no surprise to anyone. We do, however, still expect them to give us good quality cell phone service. The Apple iPhone 3G gives you easy contact storage, and calling or text messaging anyone on your contact list is as easy as tapping their name. Nor do you have to sit through five voicemails to hear the one you want. When you get voicemail, the names and dates are on screen, and you simply tap the one you want to listen to. Most people are surprised to find, though, that there are limitations to the ringtones that can be used with the Apple iPhone 3G. We’re used to customizing our ringtones however we want, and this is restricted with the iPhone. To most of us, that’s downright shocking!
You do, of course get the iPod with your iPhone 3G, and there’s no doubt that the iPod remains the most popular MP3/video player today. It delivers music and video with the clarity we’ve come to expect. There are constant improvements, such as touch-screen controls and wider screens, and no doubt the improvements will keep on coming. Apple delivers consistently in this area. The wireless Internet service available on the iPhone 3G is delightful, and with the larger screen it really is a pleasure to browse the net. You get almost all of the features you would get with a regular laptop computer.
The camera on the Apple iPhone 3G can stand proudly with some of the best mid-range digital cameras on the market today. Sending your photos off to your home computer, or anyone else’s computer, is a breeze. Though this is something we now all expect from almost any cell phone, with the iPhone we really are pleasantly surprised by the consistent quality of the photos. Last but not least, there’s the GPS system that comes with the iPhone. We haven’t quite gotten used to having those on our all-inclusive cell phones yet, but that won’t take long.
Scott Allen Barker is the founder of Apple iPhone Resources
. which is a one-stop center for finding out everything you need to know about the Apple iPhone, including the constant additions and improvements that are an inevitable part of Apple’s commitment to quality. For one of the best places for keeping up with the Apple iPhone features and to get honest assessments of how these features are keeping up with our needs, visit Apple iPhone Resources
Article Source: The Apple IPhone – Does it Deliver?