Google Voice clarifications?

[FractalSphere]

I have just recently signed up for Google Voice and played with it for a few days. Am I correct in reading and understanding that Google Voice is worse for your per-minute plans than regular cell calling on Sprint and the HTC EVO? There's no need to use Google Voice which uses landline minutes when I call my friends cellphones, when I have the Any Mobile plan which has unlimited calls to mobile phones on any carrier.

I also see that the Gizmo5 service is bust, bought by Google and locked up currently, is there any other way to get Google Voice to use its service over DATA (either 3G, 4G, or WiFi) rather than wasting minutes off my plan?

It would be a very easy choice to use the Google Voice number more often, or even as my primary, if it was really VoIP and not calling through a landline and eating up minutes. (if I understand correctly??)

 

[2CupsWithString]

You understand right, there is a way to get it to dial over VoIP. It's on these forums and I remember reading it on the google forums also. It involves signing up for 3 third party account though, it didn't seem all that difficult from what I remember.

I use GV as my primary number, my g/f uses it just for it's messaging functions and sometimes she'll text from her browser w/it.

I have just recently signed up for Google Voice and played with it for a few days. Am I correct in reading and understanding that Google Voice is worse for your per-minute plans than regular cell calling on Sprint and the HTC EVO? There's no need to use Google Voice which uses landline minutes when I call my friends cellphones, when I have the Any Mobile plan which has unlimited calls to mobile phones on any carrier.

I also see that the Gizmo5 service is bust, bought by Google and locked up currently, is there any other way to get Google Voice to use its service over DATA (either 3G, 4G, or WiFi) rather than wasting minutes off my plan?

It would be a very easy choice to use the Google Voice number more often, or even as my primary, if it was really VoIP and not calling through a landline and eating up minutes. (if I understand correctly??)

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

It's better to use GV for texting (except on sprint texting is included in the everything plans). GV for international calling is good. Calling cell phones is better using regular minutes. I have my voicemail forwarded to GV (that's really all I use it for). That way I can access them from any computer and my phone if I need to.

 

[PM-Performance]

I just signed up for one a few minutes ago. I simply plan on using it for having a different number to distribute. Having resumes out online leads to annoying recruiters and scammers wasting your time. I did this in hopes of putting the GV number on my resume and that way if people decide to spam my phone and keep calling and wasting my time from finding my resume on online sites, I can atleast disco that GV number . . . . atleast that how my logic works. . lol

For mobile calls though, I would just use your sprint plan. I cant see much benefit unless using over wifi/voip and milking more landline or international minutes from it. ( i do not know much about this function yet though, so correct me if my logic is skewed)

 

[illwood]

Google Voice (GV) may not be the least expensive option for cell calling until they release a VoIP verison, but it is more than just a Android app.

I had to temporarily relocate, so I am working for my company remotely. I have my work phone set up to forward to my GV number. I have GV set up to ring my home phone only for that Caller ID (CID), so work calls never go to the cell phone unless I tell it to (if I'm on a business trip, for instance).

The CID is also set up so that if my wife, friends, and family call the GV number, it rings both the home phone and my cell. It also allows me to have my business voicemail greeting for work calls and a more casual voicemail greeting for personal calls.

To PM-Performance, the GV number has some very nice features, so you don't have to give it up if you start getting spammed. You can just set up "unkown" calls to all go to voicemail, without ringing any of your phones. If there is a particular number that is junk, you can send it to a voicemail that gives the "number disconnected" tones and message.

I also use the GV number to give to people that may have a temporary need to get me on my cell, but I don't want them to keep calling it when they need me, so I can control how things are forwarded.

 

[sasha]

I use my GV number mostly for guys I meet, you know in case they turn out to be creeps I can just block them! LOL...I can also turn on the do not disturb feature when I don't wanna be bothered. Using landline minutes don't bother me because I don't spend a lot of time talking on the phone outside my house. I get home from work at 6 and my free minutes start at 7! I love GV

 

[PM-Performance]

I also use the GV number to give to people that may have a temporary need to get me on my cell, but I don't want them to keep calling it when they need me, so I can control how things are forwarded.

That is likely how I will continue to use it also.

 

[bmcclure937]

Google Voice is a nice service for certain situations. It is not meant to entirely replace your phone plan (at this stage in its life). It is meant to supplement your normal phone use.

For example, you can provide your Google Voice number so you can easily screen calls, receive transcribed Voice Mails, offer different voice mail messages for audiences, and ring multiple phone lines with one global contact number.

Google recently introduced the Google Talk aspect of Google Voice... which allows calls to be made through GMail. This service is currently free through the end of 2010 and is VoIP (they finally implemented the functionality from the Gizmo5 acquisition).

This is neat because you can dial a number using GV from your PC and then if you want to leave you can transfer the call to your cell phone

The functional benefits of Google Voice are obvious... but the $$ benefits are not as clear. Using Google Voice would be a bad choice in cases when dialing a number on your regular line would be free. It is a good choice though, if you have services such as "Fave 5" where you can choose numbers for unlimited calls. It is also nice for SMS if you do not want to purchase a texting package.

 

[NicksGarage]

I'm just using it so I can finally get rid of my land line. Only reason I hung onto it was to use the number for business calls and for companies I have accounts with that I don't want to give out my cell number out to. I really like how I get the voicemails where I can just read them. And if I really need to call them back I can use the GV number for the caller ID.