Google Voice app comes to BlackBerry, Android
App allows users to make calls, send SMS via Google Voice directly from their smartphone
Computerworld - Google Voice is now available via BlackBerry and Android smartphones, Google announced today.
Google began sending invitations to join Google Voice last month, and today said an application for the two smartphone platforms is available.
Before today, BlackBerry and Android device users had to dial a Google Voice number from their phone, or online, to place a call.
The new apps allow users to make calls and send SMS with a Google Voice number directly from their Android or BlackBerry smartphone. The call can be made directly from the phone's address book because the app is integrated with the phone, Google said.
The application means a user can access voicemail, read SMS messages sent to Google Voice and access call history. Users can also place calls and send SMS messages. A video at Google's blog explains some of the functions.
The app is available to Android phone users at the Android Market, but BlackBerry users must download it from m.google.com/voice. Google Voice is by invitation only still, but Google said it is sending out invitations daily to those who have registered.
Google didn't indicate when Google Voice might be available for othr platforms such as the iPhone, Windows Mobile devices or Palm's WebOS. Some reports have indicated that Google is working on an iPhone version.
The news is significant, said analysts, because Google Voice is now available on at least one major mobile platform.
Anslyst Jeffrey Kagan, said the features of Google Voice are powerful, but he questioned how widely they will be used, since there are now so many choices for making calls and sending text messages.
With so many choices the marketplace is "both excited and confused," he said, noting that users can work with traditional carriers, but also third parties for VoIP calls from a wireless device.
The appearance of Google Voice on smartphones has led at least one prominent blogger, Om Malik, to suggest that Google could become a person's phone company.
More traditional vendors of unified communications gear, including Cisco Systems Inc., have taken note of Google's role in communications as well.
Read more about Smartphones in Computerworld's Smartphones Topic Center.



- Excel 2010 Cheat Sheet
- Register for this Computerworld Insider Cheat Sheet and gain access to hundreds of premium content articles, guides, product reviews and more.
- Maximizing Smartphone Value: Standardize and Simplify
- In today's tough economic climate, no company can afford to let the opportunities mobility presents pass it by. For that reason, implementing a...
- Choosing an Enterprise-Class Wireless Operating System: A Comparison of Blackberry, iPhone, and Windows Mobile
- This whitepaper will explore some of the key criteria necessary in selecting, deploying and managing a mobile operating system.
- Embracing Employee-Acquired Smartphones without Compromising Security
- More and more users are using their own smartphones at work - and it's crucial that IT departments have a clearly defined strategy...
- Employee-Owned Smartphones: Seize the Opportunity
- It's no longer feasible for an IT department, regardless of company size, to ignore the smartphone push from the majority of the employee...
- Smart Policies for Personal-Liable Smartphones
- Prohibiting the use of personal smartphones on the corporate network is a best practice that addresses security concerns, and it's one that's widely... All Smartphones White Papers
- QNX® and BlackBerry® PlayBook™ Tablet.
- RIM's multi-processor, multi-tasking BlackBerry PlayBook runs a new Tablet OS powered by QNX, a bullet-proof microkernel operating system. This track will take a...
- A Close Look at Tablets
- Learn More
- BlackBerry® PlayBook™: Deployment Opportunities
- Many enterprise customers have already deployed the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet and understand there are several options about how to do it. Find out...
- WorkFlow in the Enterprise
- Enhance productivity for your executives and give them access to common workflow requests that sometimes takes days to get their attention. Allow them...
- BlackBerry® PlayBook™ Security
- Learn More All Smartphones Webcasts