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Between the Lines

Larry Dignan, Andrew Nusca and Rachel King

Google Voice: Will the masses adopt it?

By | June 22, 2010, 12:44pm PDT

Google Voice is now open for business for everyone in the U.S. Now we’ll get to see how Google really does as a telecom switchboard.

The search giant’s Voice service is very handy. It’s a central switchboard that rings all of your numbers. Those of us that have used it seem to like it. However, Google’s Voice was basically a big invite-only experiment.

In a blog post, Google claims to have more than 1 million active users so far, but it has been unclear how widely adopted this application can be. Now we’re about to find out.

Among the key questions we’ll have as Google Voice goes public:

  • How many active users will Google Voice get on a constant rate?
  • Can the service grow beyond the early adopter types?
  • Will the average bear use their Google number as their primary one?
  • How active will these average Joes and Jills be on Google Voice?

Make no mistake: Google Voice is a great service. But the real proof will be in the adoption rates well beyond the geek set.

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Topics

Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and SmartPlanet as well as Editorial Director of ZDNet's sister site TechRepublic.

Disclosure

Larry Dignan

Larry Dignan has nothing to disclose. He doesn’t hold investments in the technology companies he covers.

Biography

Larry Dignan

Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and SmartPlanet as well as Editorial Director of ZDNet's sister site TechRepublic. He was most recently Executive Editor of News and Blogs at ZDNet. Prior to that he was executive news editor at eWeek and news editor at Baseline. He also served as the East Coast news editor and finance editor at CNET News.com. Larry has covered the technology and financial services industry since 1995, publishing articles in WallStreetWeek.com, Inter@ctive Week, The New York Times, and Financial Planning magazine. He's a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism and the University of Delaware.

For daily updates, follow Larry on Twitter.

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RE: Google Voice: Will the masses adopt it?
azieser 25th Jun 2010
I love the service, voice mail set up could not be easier. Plus you can always remove it from the phone if needed. But having a number that is not tied to any one phone is just amazing. Now I can change phones without going through any hassle or add multiple phones also hassle free!

I am thinking about using my smart phone with only a data plan from Verizon then using Google voice as the phone part. Unlimited data means free phone service for as long as I want.

But for now just using it with my existing phone plan is wonderful. I just moved to the cheapest plan with the fewest minutes and use Google Voice for my calls and the plan minutes if the service is not available or is having difficulties. So far though no one has noticed other than I am calling from a new number.
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I was tired of paying the big telecom $100+ a month. I've switched to using my Google # as my primary number and simply route to my prepaid cellphone. Now phone service is less than $90 a YEAR. Got data for my laptop with CLEAR so I didn't need to continue a data plan for a phone. Plus, Google's voicemail is excellent.
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@buddysnipes Although right now numbers are in limited quanities, they are buying up huge swaths of numbers for Google Voice all across the country!

Meanwhile setup is simple and the features are fantastic. I can't believe this is all for free. How's the competition going to keep up with this all coming from Google? .....and like you say, who needs a hardwired home phone anymore, when you get services like this for free. It also acts like a buffer between G-Voice, your home and cell phone. Too bad iPhones can't do this! shocked haha... well they can DRM themselves to hell... in behind their Garden Walls and make believe they're big n bad. Like standing in the DMZ of a router's firewall! ....meanwhile I can give this number out to anybody and feel safe about how I can control it's connection to me!!!

Another thing is all their enhanced security rocks, integrating and hiding your actual other accounts like YouTube. I hated YouTube before when it was so insecure and people were getting hacked and accounts stolen w/o anyone doing anything about it. Now this makes everything much harder to discover remotely! a.... Dream Come True for me!!! grin
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@buddysnipes Ok, that sounds fantastic. $90 a year?! HOW CAN WE BE DOWN??!!

(For those who don't speak Ebonics, that means, "Please share more details with the rest of us who are interested in adopting this practice??!!")
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@buddysnipesOk, that sounds fantastic. $90 a year?! HOW CAN WE BE DOWN??!!

(For those who don't speak Ebonics, that means, "Please share more details with the rest of us who are interested in adopting this practice??!!")

Also, can you say more about CLEAR data? My Google search wasn't very successful...
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@quicknight Clear.com (4G); Net10.com (prepaid cellphones)
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@buddysnipes Thanks, Buddy. I looked at the net10 site and they are offering plans starting at $15/mo. which would be $180 a year rather than $90. STILL AN AWESOME DEAL, but am I missing something?!

Thanks for posting the details, btw.
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@quicknight Bummer. Clear doesn't come to my area yet. The reviews are mixed. People who love it, really do. People who hate it complain about reception. I imagine that will improve over time as more WiMax towers go up....but this isn't a forum about Clear. Sorry!
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@quicknight I'm buying the cheapest phone they have 4x per year. It comes with plenty of minutes for my needs and 3 months of availability. It's the refurbished Samsung. Actually, $21.60 with tax. I keep the same Google number but just switch the forwarding! Just a quick note: ever since it was announced that G# was available to all, I've had occasional echo problems.
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Cylon Centurion Updated - 22nd Jun 2010



How long before Voice ends up on Tom Foremski's Blog?
Android that are a run-away success. And, as you guys said of criticism to MS products like Windows Phone 7, it shows that people are really scared of those products. So, I think that means your fear is showing.
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Beat it kid
Cylon Centurion Updated - 22nd Jun 2010
I don't need you telling me what I hate or don't hate. Their services/software are poo. No fear here.
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MS propeller heads like Google too!
DevGuy_z 22nd Jun 2010
@DonnieBoy
Well, I like apple hardware, the OS is ok too. We get along.
Linux is Ok too. I am cool there too.
Like Google search and many of their apps.

But I love developing for Microsoft, they have the best tools, support and ecosystem
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Google voice is an attractive alternative, but I wonder how well it will go over for professionals who are looking for a reliable and flexible system?
- Will it be reliable enough for businesses to trust.
- Will they be able to scale it fast enough as new users come on.
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RE: Google Voice: Will the masses adopt it?
DaveDonaldson 22nd Jun 2010
@terry flores I suppose that will depend on your profession and what you want it to do. I think of it as a phone call management system rather than a service and it works very well for that.
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I started using Google Voice as my primary business number about 6 months ago after I became a home-based employee. It gives me a business phone number that routes calls to my home phone and/or my cell phone. Works great, and the price is right.
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Google Voice
bigdaddyellison 22nd Jun 2010
As a Droid owner who has had Google voice for 6 weeks, I can't imagine being without it. My work cell number now rings my phone and my desk during the day, at night it rings my cell and my house. Even better, when someone calls and I am in a meeting, I can read the voice mail to decide if it is urgent or not. Of course the announce feature which allows me to screen calls is cool too.
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I've been using it for almost a year now. No more giving out my cell or home number. I can text people using my keyboard for free! No long distance charges from my home phone to other states.

If people know enough about it, I think they'll use it..
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I think Google Voice is great, but if its free for the user, how is it paid for? What is Google's business model for this service?
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@dadown
"...if its free for the user, how is it paid for?"

International calling will probably be a significant revenue stream. I'm spending maybe $30 per month with them, and consider it a serious bargain. Pre-payment through Google Checkout is simple.
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Google Voice
fmgj@... 22nd Jun 2010
I've used Google Voice for over a year. I'm very happy with the service. Wouldn't be without it! It has become my primary number.
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Great for hearing-impaired; frugal.
Exile_z 22nd Jun 2010
My wife is can't use a cellphone for voice because of hearing problems. She gives out her Google-Voice number and we have it set to automatically go to voice mail, transcribe the message and then send it to her as a text message. Works great.

I, on the other hand, don't text much so I don't have a texting plan on my cell. Instead, I tell people to text my Google-Voice number instead of my cell number, which I have set to forward the text to my G-mail account. I can even respond from the G-mail message and it will be sent to the sender's cell account. All for free, I might add.
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RE: Google Voice: Will the masses adopt it?
Loverock Davidson 22nd Jun 2010
Nope. Its from Google and they have been screwing up like no other lately. People just don't trust them anymore.
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Loverboy is getting depressed.
DonnieBoy 22nd Jun 2010
NT.
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@Loverock Davidson
I guess it's good that the masses have you to speak for them.
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RE: Google Voice: Will the masses adopt it?
Loverock Davidson Updated - 22nd Jun 2010
@shawkins
Darn right it is. I share their Google frustrations.
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I am out of the US a lot and GV is of no use to me once I leave the country. Until GV offers forwards to non-US numbers it remains a toy for me.
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Marketing?
CobraA1 22nd Jun 2010
Biggest issue I see is that it's on nobody's radar. Without some marketing, doubtful it will expand much.
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@CobraA1
Look at Gmail. It has reached the mass market with no marketing. Even when it was in beta for a decade or so. happy
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So Google voice is a call management system, why then do I need it if I already have a cell phone with a number? Why add another layer to my phone, just to say I have Google voice or a Google number? Pretty useless to me. Tech people really go for anything new!
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@e_ecruz does your cell phone transcribe your voicemail? Allow you to selectively block callers? Allow you to customize your outgoing voicemail message? I didn't think so. It may be useless to you, but it's not "just to say I have Google Voice."
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I have had it for six months and really like it. The voice mail online is far superior to comcast. I also like the fact that it sends a text of the message to my phone. It is great.
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I have had it for six months. I use it as one of my business numbers .I forward all my phones into it and then have it ring only my cell which turn sends me a text and an Email.Listening to the messages from my computer is a lot better than Comcast's Digital voice Excellent!
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I've been using GV for about a year
TranMan 23rd Jun 2010
Love it! Hooking my office phone and my cell together means way less missed calls.
Also, my son is attending college in Brazil, and I can call him on his cell for .15/minute--way less than any other method I could find, and the connection quality is always excellent.
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I love the service, voice mail set up could not be easier. Plus you can always remove it from the phone if needed. But having a number that is not tied to any one phone is just amazing. Now I can change phones without going through any hassle or add multiple phones also hassle free!

I am thinking about using my smart phone with only a data plan from Verizon then using Google voice as the phone part. Unlimited data means free phone service for as long as I want.

But for now just using it with my existing phone plan is wonderful. I just moved to the cheapest plan with the fewest minutes and use Google Voice for my calls and the plan minutes if the service is not available or is having difficulties. So far though no one has noticed other than I am calling from a new number.

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