The new Google Voice is still a diamond in the rough with more than a few rough edges, but for many users, it is likely to be life-changing.

The new service is actually a relaunch of GrandCentral, which Google snapped up 2007. It lets you to choose a local number that will simultaneously ring up to six phones, for example, mobile, home phone, office phone, and whatever other relative’s phone you are staying with at the time. This handy gadget does not only do simultaneous forwarding, it also can take voice messages that can be listened to online, from your mobile or read thanks to a function that transcribes voice messaged and sends them via email ( I love this!)

If you have multiple phones, and a person that is always on the move, having a single number to reach you makes your callers’ lives easier (and that is important if your callers are your clients). It can also save space on your business card by not having to list separate numbers.

The call-recording feature is super awesome. At any time during an incoming call, you can press 4 and start your recording; to stop recording press 4 again. That can be handy if you are driving or simply do not have a pen and a notebook handy and someone is about to dictate important information you need to write down to remember. Please do not forget that you cannot just start recording every conversation you have without informing your callers that they are being recorded and asking for their permission. I have actually been told that this kind of announcement may be built into the feature’s operations. That would be great, but it pays to check.

Google Voice also allows you to make free conference calls. Up to 4 people can be connected at no extra cost.

Another great benefit is for those of you that occasionally make international calls from your mobile. The rates to be offered by GoogleVoice are markedly less that those charged by telcos.

Over and out

MobileGeekette