Google Voice Simplifies SMS to Multiple Recipients

Google has taken steps to make sending text messages to multiple recipients a little bit easier with Google Voice. In the past, users had to copy and paste the message for each person on the list.

Google is now letting users send the message to multiple people at once. Users now just need to click on the SMS button at the top of their Google Voice inbox, enter the names/numbers in the "To" field, separated by commas, and write the message.

"Replies from each recipient will be threaded into separate conversations, so you can keep track of them in your Google Voice inbox," explains

Google's Greg Hecht. "To prevent spam, we've set a maximum of five recipients per message."

The feature is also available in the Google Voice Chrome extension in the recently released gallery. Google says it will soon be adding it to the Google Voice mobile app.

Last week Google launched the new Google Voice mobile web app for iPhone OS 3.0 and higher and Palm Web OS devices. It utilizes HTML5.

Have You Read This?

> Google Voice Gets New Free VoIP Service

> Report Indicates Google Bought Gizmo5

> You Don't Need A Google Number To Use Google Voice

Google Voice Makes Way to iPhone, Palm WebOS

Google is launching the Google Voice app for both the iPhone and Palm WebOS. It is an HTML5 app, which the company says provides users with a "fast and versatile" mobile experience, because of its use of the latest advancements in web technologies.

"For example, AppCache lets you interact with web apps without a network connection and local databases allow you to store data locally on the device, so you don't lose data even when you close the browser," explains Google in a post to its Mobile blog.

"For quick access to the most important features like 'Dialer', 'Compose SMS', 'Inbox' or 'Contacts,' you can add shortcuts to your iPhone home screen or Palm Launcher -- so cheap calls and messaging will be just a single click away. And because the Google Voice web app uses advanced features of modern HTML5 browsers, it offers native app-like performance and speed," Google adds.

Users can not only access a streamlined version of their Google Voice inbox, but with the new app, they can display their Google Voice number as the outbound caller ID, so return calls come back to that number. It can also be used to send and receive text messages for free, and place international calls at Google Voice's rates.

Users have to have a Google Voice account and a voice plan on their phones to place calls with the app. At this point, accounts are still available only on an invitation basis, although invites can be requested.

Have You Read This?

> Google Voice Gets New Free VoIP Service

> Report Indicates Google Bought Gizmo5

> You Don't Need A Google Number To Use Google Voice

Google Asks For Help With Transcriptions

Although spell checkers have been around for about 30 years, they still miss or incorrectly flag a whole lot of stuff (try "eye wonder weather this is write" and "monetize").  Google wants its transcription software to become better more quickly, and so is asking for users for a hand.

On the Google Voice Blog, Vincent Paquet, a senior product manager, recently wrote, "Until now, the only feedback you could give was to let us know if the quality of the transcript was good enough to be useful or not, by checking the corresponding box next to the message.  You can now go one step further by letting us figure out why it was good or bad.  When you rate a transcript, you will be asked whether you would like to donate the message."

Paquet then explained the meaning behind that phrase by continuing, "The messages you donate may be listened to, manually transcribed by us and/or used to gauge transcription improvements over time, but they will never be made public or used for any other purpose than improving the transcription quality."

For every Margaret who's tired of being called "maggot rot" and Taylor who doesn't make clothes for a living, this is a nice option.  Even people who don't opt to donate messages may appreciate it, since it reinforces the idea that Google doesn't eavesdrop on conversations by default.

One other important note: this may represent a step towards launching Google Voice in the U.K. and Australia.

Have You Read This?

> Google Voice Gets New Free VoIP Service

> Report Indicates Google Bought Gizmo5

> You Don't Need A Google Number To Use Google Voice

Google Voice Gets New Free VoIP Service

Earlier this week, reports surfaced indicating that Google had bought Gizmo5, a VoIP firm. The news came just on the heels of Google's AdMob acquisition. Google has now officially announced that it has indeed acquired Gizmo5.

"While we don't have any specific features to announce right now, Gizmo5's engineers will be joining the Google Voice team to continue improving the Google Voice and Gizmo5 experience," Google says. "Current Gizmo5 users will still be able to use the service, though we will be suspending new signups for the time being, and existing users will no longer be able to sign up for a call-in number."



"We've acquired a number of small companies over the past five years, and the people and technology that have come to Google from other places have contributed in many ways, large and small, to all kinds of Google products," the company adds. "Since the GrandCentral team joined Google in 2007, they've done incredible things with Google's technology and resources to launch and improve Google Voice."

In a previous report, Doug Caverly of WebProNews noted that Gizmo5 is a good fit for Google. For one, Gizmo5 is free, and Google offers a great deal of free services as it is. It is also available in nine languages, and Google is frequently expanding its reach in this regard with most of its products.

A couple weeks ago Google announced that Google Voice users can now use their own existing mobile numbers. They no longer have to have a separate Google number. This should be a great way to attract new users. However, at this point, Google Voice is still only available on an invitation basis.
 

Have You Read This?

> Report Indicates Google Bought Gizmo5

> You Don't Need a Google Number to Use Google Voice

> AT&T Goes On The Offensive Against Google Voice