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Google Voice Apps Arrive For Android and Blackberry

Posted by Soulskill on from the giving-voice-to-your-phone dept.

Mark Mathson writes "Two Google Voice apps have been released for Blackberry and Android phones. The Android app is the most complete, and it takes over the native dialer, address book and call log. Users won't be bothered with accidentally dialing numbers through the device phone number. The Blackberry app is less integrated, accessing only the native address book, and uses its own dialer. Users can't simply go into the call log and return missed calls. They need to go back to the address book and select Google Voice to make the call. Still, it solves a big problem. The apps also allow users to access the core features of Google Voice. You can listen to or read voicemails and text messages (all voicemails are automatically transcribed), access call history, send SMS messages and place international calls at low rates."

12 of 106 comments (clear)

  1. This is great. by isolovelinux · · Score: 2, Funny

    Just imagine what things like this will mean for Chrome OS too! I have Android running on a quad-core Core 2 Duo system and performance is amazing--GO LINUX!!!

    1. Re:This is great. by binarylarry · · Score: 3, Insightful

      How exactly is the performance "amazing"?

      The heart of Android's application layer, Dalvik, runs purely in interpreted mode. This is what most Python, Ruby implementations do and what Java did a decade ago. The performance is slow and irritating.

      I have a G1 and love the phone. But I wouldn't call it a speed demon. Maybe the Core 2 helps out, but I'd still rather have native code or a JIT, so I can get performance close to what the hardware is capable of.

      --
      Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
    2. Re:This is great. by ickleberry · · Score: 2, Informative

      you do realise that Chrome/Android are just pushing platforms for Google's Web services (and therefore AdWords) and the fact that they use the Linux kernel is just a minor technical detail since most of these devices will be too locked down to even get a bash session running without a day's worth of jailbreaking and (in the case of Android) unlocking.

    3. Re:This is great. by Ilgaz · · Score: 2, Interesting

      There is no access to device hardware? For example, my Nokia E65 with a 133 mhz processor doesn`t really "play" h264 video, the app calls some framework whatever and that framework tells some chip to decode h264. It is same deal both on Symbian and J2ME apps.

      If it can`t do it, why did Google go with their "android" thing instead of J2ME which can be extended via JSR?

    4. Re:This is great. by Rich0 · · Score: 2, Informative

      It might not hurt to clarify that the API for native code was only opened up about a week ago. Until then, all applications that used the supported SDK were completely emulated. The SDK did provide APIs for playing video/etc, of course, and the SDK itself would have been natively implemented and would make use if embedded hardware where possible.

      Note also that per the request of the phone manufacturers, Google has tried to make it hard to design apps that might encode/compress audio in realtime for network transmission (VOIP/etc). Obviously the phone has that hardware integrated into it for GSM, but the phone company would obviously prefer that all actual phone calls be made via GSM so that they can bill them.

  2. Unlimited Calling by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Just add your Google Voice # to your Fav5 plan or whatever and use these apps w/Google Voice to route all your outbound calls, the cellular company only thinks your calling the same number and google is routing it for you. If you willing to ditch caller-id you can configure google voice so all inbound calls have your Google # as caller ID.

  3. Re:I don't get the hysteria over Google Voice by Bigby · · Score: 2, Informative

    It will be quite useful for us consultants that have our personal cell phone, Consulting company phone, and usually even a client phone (for long term projects). It is like having 3 email addresses and checking them all at once through an email client.

    In addition to that, you can treat your voice mail like email and listen the voice mail only if necessary. This is much quicker for those of us with Blackberries and the like.

  4. Re:I don't get the hysteria over Google Voice by Mantorp · · Score: 4, Insightful

    and dirt cheap international calls from my cellphone, much better call quality than skype for windows mobile

  5. Re:Most of this functionality already existed on G by Evan+Charlton · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Since you mentioned it, I'm not sure what this development means for the future of my GV application. You can read more about my thoughts on the matter in my blog post

    For those slashdotters who are GV users--what are your thoughts on the matter? Is the official app sufficiently crippled that I should continue? Should I aim for a peaceful coexistence?

  6. It'd be nice... by mdm-adph · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ...if they released a few more invites to Google Voice to go along with this so people could test -- I mean, I'm sitting here with a G1 and I can't even use it. :P

    --
    It is by my will alone my thoughts acquire motion; it is by the juice of the coffee bean that the thoughts acquire speed
    1. Re:It'd be nice... by Anonymous+Psychopath · · Score: 3, Informative

      Just fill out the form on the main page. I got my invitation in less than 24 hours last week.

      Here's the link: https://services.google.com/fb/forms/googlevoiceinvite/

      --

      Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

  7. Re:Most of this functionality already existed on G by Evan+Charlton · · Score: 2, Informative

    Since you felt the need to ask, no, it wasn't. You can choose believe that or not--it makes no difference to me.