Google Voice Is Cool, But Do You Need It?<http://lifehacker.com/5304800/google-voice-is-cool-but-do-you-need-it You've read about the features<http://lifehacker.com/5173793/a-first-look-at-google-voice, you saw the invites going out<http://lifehacker.com/5302430/google-voice-invites-going-out-to-reser..., but you might be wondering what, exactly, Google Voice<http://lifehacker.com/tag/google-voice/ could do for you. Here's our guide for the curious and uninvited on whether your phones need some Google juice. We're not going to explain every feature, quirk, and option in the Google Voice <http://lifehacker.com/tag/google-voice/ service, which is slowly giving out invites to those who request them<https://services.google.com/fb/forms/googlevoiceinvite/. We've already taken a first look at Google Voice<http://lifehacker.com/5173793/a-first-look-at-google-voice, and Google Voice's own Getting Started guide<http://www.google.com/googlevoice/about.html# does a nice job explaining the service's ins and outs. We're looking to answer the question we seem to hear most often from commenters, friends, tech pundits, and just about everyone: What would I get out of it?  The wild card: number portability If the rumors prove true<http://lifehacker.com/5291135/google-voice-may-be-testing-number-port..., Google will, at some point this year, allow you to port, or at least integrate, your existing cell phone number with its service, requiring none of the millions of phone numbers the search giant is supposedly securing. That would eliminate three of the service's biggest barriers to entry:    - Having to call Google Voice, and then dial a number, to place a call     with your Google number, so it shows up on caller ID as such    - Having to store and reply to a separate SMS number for each of your    contacts so that, again, your Google number shows up    - The time and hassle of getting your contacts to call you at your new    Google Voice number, despite the fact that your old numbers still work If number portability/integration became a fact, we'd likely have to adjust this list of might likes/might nots, but for the time being, we're hoping to answer a few questions _base_d on tests of the service in its invite-only phase. You might like Google Voice if you:    - *Regularly use two or more phones:* If you've heard about one feature    of Google Voice, or its GrandCentral predecessor, this is it—and for good    reason. Google excels at giving you one phone number for others to have,    then letting you fine-tune which phones that number rings to an OCD level.    If you want your wife to ring through to your work line between 9am and 5pm,    but not your chatty, unemployed friend, you can do that. If you want your    home landline to ring along with your cell during the hours your carrier    charges for minutes, you can do that, too.    -    - *Loathe standard voicemail:* Please enter your passcode, followed by    the pound sign! You have ... two ... new messages. To hear your —You know    what we're talking about. Using cell minutes and precious time just to hear    your friend say Try you again later is almost as annoying as trying to    wipe the voicemail icon off your phone screen. Google Voice makes it easy to    play voicemail audio and read semi-correct tran_script_ions<http://lifehacker.com/5304626/testing-google-voices-tran_script_ion-powers from    a single web page, and it's a good bet it'll be integrated into Gmail for    even easier access. When you're away from your browser, Google Voice sends    voicemail notifications through email or text message, making it easy to    know that you really don't need to step outside and call your sister back    just to confirm you prefer Diet Dr. Pepper to Diet Coke.    -    - *Enjoy text messaging <http://lifehacker.com/tag/text-messaging/, but    not phone keyboards (and fees):* For anyone whose friends chide them    about short or nonexistent text message replies, this is a game-changing    feature. When sent to your Google Voice number, text messages are organized    on the Google Voice site like chat conversations, with back-and-forth    dialogue and options to reply or mark as read and archive. Writing a new    message is also easy—hit M or click the SMS button, start typing a name or    phone number, then choose the contact and type away. You'll still be charged    for texts you receive on your phone, but it can be a real money saver when    you're near your plan's limit for the month. Those with iPhones, Android    handsets, or other smartphones can also make use of Google Voice messaging    on the go with apps like the previously mentioned GV (Android)<http://lifehacker.com/5194098/gv-integrates-google-voice-into-android     and GV Mobile (iPhone)<http://lifehacker.com/5227441/gv-mobile-makes-google-voice-the-defaul...    .    -    - *Want better filters on who reaches you, and when:* Google Voice has    four levels of annoyance resistance available to weary phone hostages. You    can activate Call Presentation to have every unknown caller say their name    to Google's servers, which then call you and ask if you want to take the    call. If the annoyance is someone you know, you move them into a particular    group (like Annoyances ) and make that group always go to voicemail. If    they *sometimes* call about something important, Google Voice's ListenIn    features lets you send them to voicemail, but hear what they're saying and    pick up, if necessary. If you absolutely can't get a telemarketer or    semi-stalker to take the hint, the video at left explains how you can simply    have them hear something that sounds like an old-school disconnect notice.    -    - *Are down with Skype-like VOIP calling:* Want to make calls over a    computer-connected headset and not pay a dime for them? Google Voice allows    you to add a phone number from the Gizmo Project <http://gizmo5.com/pc/ and    control when it rings through. Make a call through Google Voice's web    interface, set it to ring your Gizmo number when it's connected, and the    other party just sees your standard Google Voice number—you're effectively    making an outbound call for free that Skype and the like would charge you    for.    -    - *Make a lot of international calls:* We haven't done a price    comparison, but Google Voice's rates to international landlines and mobile    numbers are said to be competitive, and you can call from your own phones    without having to hunt down the right calling card.    - *Record calls regularly (and legally):* Just hit the number 4 during a    call and Google's robotic queen announces Call recording on. Right now,    it only works with incoming calls<http://www.google.com/support/voice/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=115037,    but the finished recording is ready for playing, downloading, or _embed_ding    in your Google Voice inbox in a matter of minutes. It's how I recorded my Jonathan    Coulton phone interview<http://lifehacker.com/5294280/jonathan-coulton-on-making-songs-and-ge... for    later transcribing and audio clip pulling.    -    - *Have or want an Android phone:* iPhones, BlackBerries, Symbian-_base_d    models, and Windows Mobile devices will likely get Google-built apps for    integrating Google Voice into their dialing, voicemail, and SMS interfaces.    But Android phones already have an impressive third-party app for doing so, Evan    Charlton's GV <http://docs.evancharlton.com/docs/GV, and would be a    pretty good bet on being the first, or at least among the first, platforms    to get the Google Voice team's attention. Fully integrated Google Voice    means free, conversation-threaded SMS, fewer hassles with your    one-and-a-half phone numbers, voicemails that don't require talk time, and    much more. You *won't* like Google Voice if you:    - *Rarely use your cellphone and/or text messages:*Unless you're that    rare breed of VOIP headset lover who doesn't ever talk on a cellphone,    there's not a lot to recommend Google Voice to landline-focused folks. Your    office's phone system offers (hopefully) most of Voice's features, and    residential internet phone providers can fill in the other gaps. It could be    a help to those who absolutely won't type out a text on a phone—but, then    again, so can email<http://lifehacker.com/5099854/send-text-messages-from-your-email-account    .    -    - *Think Google knows too much about you:*There's something to be said    for breaking Google's personal data monopoly<http://lifehacker.com/5261934/break-googles-monopoly-on-your-data-swi...,    and the tinfoil hat crowd have a whole new set of worries with Google    Voice—your voicemails, calling history, and text messages are, after all,    right on Google's servers, for who knows how long. It's not all that    different from Gmail—Google breaking one user's trust could collapse the    whole system—but it is something to think about.    -    - *Dislike Google's Contacts handling:* Google Voice uses the same    contacts data_base_, so if its auto-inclusion of names you've emailed a few    times drives you batty, well, you'll get the same results from Voice's    Click2Call auto-completion. Only the names you've stored phone numbers for    show up on Voice's dial feature, but we'd like to see a way to set a     primary number that's the default when you're typing out a name.    -    - *Get annoyed at voice delays:* Early Google Voice users (myself    included) are noticing an audio delay<http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/voice/thread?tid=1cae3ebc083346... on    certain calls. Sometimes it's ever so slight, like a wonky cell phone    connection. Sometimes you and the other party are toppling over the ends of    each other's sentences. Google is certainly aware of it, but since it's a    service that inserts a server as the middleman between parties, there might    be an inevitable bit of latency on Google Voice calls, as there is with most    international calls. If you've ever switched carriers because of voice    quality or connection problems, you might find a new antagonist in Google    Voice.    -    - *Really don't want to write another New number email:* As noted    above, Google's rumored to be working on offering number    portability/integration for Voice. In the meantime, Voice users have to ask    their friends, acquaintances, and business contacts to save a new number,    figure out how to deal with the stragglers, and, in all honesty, hope the    service isn't abandoned by Google anytime soon. If you live and die by your    availability and can't stand the idea of being late to return even one call,    switching numbers just won't fly. Everyone else has to make the call.