Optimize your GrandCentral experience with TalkPlus
Yesterday I posted some news and thoughts on the GrandCentral service. After thinking a bit more about the ability to merge most of my phone numbers (mobile, home, Gizmo) into a single number, along with some advanced inbound call features, I then wondered how I could get all of my contacts to start using the GrandCentral number. I could send out an email or let them know when I talked to them in person, but my preferred method to add people to a contact list is to use the caller ID functionality on my mobile phone. However, GrandCentral is an inbound call management service so if I called someone from my mobile phone or my home phone then that number would appear and not my GrandCentral number.
I then thought about other Voice 2.0 services that I learned about in the last couple of months and TalkPlus immediately came to mind. TalkPlus is an outgoing call management service that allows you to use a second number (up to 10 with TalkPlus Pro) or mirror your existing numbers when placing calls. The service allows you to call people on the road and make it appear like you are in the office or at home when you are actually on your mobile phone. TalkPlus is a Java application that I have tested and used on various Nokia S60 3rd Edition devices and the T-Mobile Dash.
So with these two services in mind I decided to go into my TalkPlus account and add my GrandCentral number as a profile. This was simple enough, but then when I tried to verify the phone number I was not receiving any calls on my GrandCentral number and mobile phone. I did however receive a couple of text messages informing me that there was now incoming voicemails. So the TalkPlus verification call was going to voicemail on GrandCentral. I discovered that I had to go into my account preferences and turn off the caller screening feature of GrandCentral. After that I initiated another verification call and entered my five digit PIN to verify the number. I now have my GrandCentral number in my TalkPlus call list so I can place calls with TalkPlus and the call recipient will see my GrandCentral number on their caller ID and they can quickly and easily update my number.
This is one method to integrate these two innovative services that I currently use, but I think the services are really targeted at two different kinds of users and after a bit of Google searching I found a great article by TheVoIPGirl that presents the differences between GrandCentral and TalkPlus. Andy Abramson also has an excellent blog post about making a mashup of some other Voice 2.0 services. And as Andy stated
Now to go to the next level. Sitofono, iotum and GrandCentral makes knowing a person's phone numbers irrelevant, because for the global number hopping, SIM swapping, SIP routed world you can change your number and not worry about having to tell the world as your services know where to locate you.
Andy also ended his article with:
P.S. I could add in TalkPlus and this would be a foursome, but if I did that concept for now would be total 'foreplay' but someday soon, a reality, for all these Voice 2.0 services can play very nicely together.
It is an exciting time in the Voice 2.0 arena and users are no longer tied into the restrictions of their carrier. Try out some of these services and unleash the power of your mobile phone.