Family Life

06.26.09 | FL News Team

There's a new kid in town hoping to steal telephone profits from traditional carriers and some of the new Internet based services. It's Google's new Voice program. Similar to Skype, Google Voice allows users to make free phone calls via their computer. Long distance takes on new meaning with the service. Where it once meant paying a premium to call someone in another state or even another county, long distance now means phoning another country. Google Voice will charge two-cents a minute for that privilege. But wait, there's more says Google. Voice provides the user with a single phone number that networks all of their phones together. It doesn't matter whether it's a landline or cellphone they'll all take the call. Users who choose not to answer a phone can just wait for voice mail to kick in or then can visit a Website to read a free transcript of the message.

There's just one little hitch. Unless potential users were paying attention when Google invited everyone to sign up for the service in March, users will have to wait awhile. Those who registered early should have received an e-mail with service details by now.