Google Voice Comes to Apple iPhone OS and Palm webOS

Google has released a Google Voice app that runs on the iPhone and on ones running Palm's webOS. This service lets multiple phones use one number, and it also offers voicemail transcriptions and inexpensive international calling.

This is a web app, so it runs in a browser, rather than being installed on the user's phone. This means it didn't have to get approved by Apple -- a good thing, as Apple had already rejected a version of Google Voice for the iPhone.

An Overview of Google Voice
Users of this service tell Google the numbers for all their phones -- mobile, work, and home -- and are assigned a new number. Thereafter, any call made to this new number causes all the other phones to ring simultaneously.

In addition, all these phones have a single voicemail inbox. Naturally, users have the option of listening to their messages, but they can also read them, as Google Voice transcribes them into text and puts them on a web site.

Users are able to send SMS messages from their new number, and texts sent to the Google Voice number are archived online, where they can be searched. If that wasn't enough, users are also able to make free long-distance calls and screen their incoming calls.

All of these features are available at no cost, as the company is paying for this service by charging for international calls.

More about the iPhone and webOS Version
Even if the version for Apple and Palm smartphones is not a native application, it offers a wide range of features. It allows users to make calls from their phones that show their Google Voice number as the caller ID. They can also listen to voicemail and read voicemail transcripts, send and receive text messages for free, and take advantage of the low international call rates offered by Google Voice.

For easier access to the most important features like "Dialer", "Compose SMS", "Inbox" or "Contacts," users can can add shortcuts to the iPhone home screen or Palm Launcher.

Pricing & Availability
Google Voice is free, but users have to be invited by Google to use the service. To request an invite, visit www.google.com/voice

There are also versions for other smartphone platforms. BlackBerry users should go to m.google.com/voice on a BlackBerry, while Android OS users need to search for "Google Voice" in the on-device Android Market.

This service is currently only available in the United States.

Video Demo
Google has put together a short video demonstrating the features of of Google Voice on an iPhone:

Source: Google