Google Voice = Game changer

With Google revolutionizing search and e-mail (and storage), it comes as no surprise that when they throw their hat into the Telco ring, they'd do it right. It looks like they just gave the telephone industry a big shake.

Google Voice unifies your phone numbers, transcribes your voice mail into text, blocks unwanted callers, and makes storage of text messages as easy and as retrievable as e-mail.

The idea behind Google Voice is to unify all of your phone numbers, so that if people are calling you at work, home, or on your cellphone, you can set up to ring all three or forward one to the next.

Here's a run down of some of the Google Voice features:

Free Voicemail Transcriptions - No longer do you have to login to your voicemail just to hear someone say "Hey, call me back". The message is transcribed so you can read, save (archive) and/or delete it.

Free Conference Calling - Should this even be a consideration? Google makes this free, as it should be.

Some of the cheapest long distance rates around - 2 cents a minute to France or China, 3 cents to Chile or the Czech Republic.

Text Message Organization - Text messages are pushed to your email and stored, rather than being deleted when your phone is full. It's about time!

Here is a video about the voicemail transcription

..and call screening

...and managing groups

Google voice mobile site

Forwarding phones

This is due out in the next few weeks it says, and we can't wait to try it.

Via Techcrunch & NY Times