Google Voice

Have been using Google Voice for a couple of days now. No complaints at all. Managed to get a good number too (I can be a bit quirky that way). Got kicks out of it for like an hour or so. Now, it’s fun giving out the number when someone asks. A few raised eyebrows and grins already.

Also got the Google Voice app on my BlackBerry and that makes it REALLY convenient. Text messages and Voicemails sent to your Google Number are delivered to your BlackBerry (in the app, not just in your email).

Transcribed voicemails on your BlackBerry (you can listen to them on the BlackBerry itself and / or read the transcription). The Text messages - Without the app installed, you would still get the messages delivered to your email. The problem - when replying to those texts, there would be a lot of clutter. Email headers etc. (or perhaps it’s just me). 

With the Google Voice app, no clutter. Messages are received in the app and you can reply to them directly from there. One can also disable the ‘Deliver to Email’ option, completely - once the app is installed.

The only problem is, Google Voice app is not PUSH. Well, not yet anyways. It polls at user defined intervals to see if there is a new Text/Voicemail and then notifies the user.