Google Voice for iPhone Released • Hacker News Board

Re: Google Voice for iPhone Released

#41

Post by loire280 » Tue, Nov 16, 2010, 9:39 PM UTC

motvbi wrote: post #23

ja27 wrote: post #8

Doesn't seem to be available for iPod Touch even though many of the features would work fine on it.

It appears number portability and iPod Touch support is not on their priority list. I have no clue why. With those two features, personally, I would be free from cell phone carriers.

It does essentially give you number portability.

1. Set up Google Voice to forward your GV # to your cell phone.

2. Install the Google Voice app to get push notifications for SMS messages sent to your GV #.

3. Give out your GV # instead of your cell phone number.

4. Change the forwarding rules at will -- you can even use the same number for multiple phones.

Re: Google Voice for iPhone Released

#42

Post by stevenp » Tue, Nov 16, 2010, 9:53 PM UTC

rbxbx wrote: post #5

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-voice/id318698524 <-- Direct link, gogogo, before it's gone ;)

I don't think it's available in a limited quantity. :)

Re: Google Voice for iPhone Released

#43

Post by p0ppe » Tue, Nov 16, 2010, 10:08 PM UTC

According to John Gruber it still uses your AT&T minutes for domestic calls. That should be a turnoff for most. http://twitter.com/#!/gruber/status/4619690240376832

Re: Google Voice for iPhone Released

#44

Post by trotsky » Tue, Nov 16, 2010, 10:09 PM UTC

roc wrote: post #39

trotsky wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's interesting the extent to which apple is pre-emptively trying to avoid anti-trust actions by allowing apps like opera and gv and backpedaling on ad network competition. I assume that's because they see it as a real possibility that an EU remedy could be something like forcing them to natively support competing app stores. That would be a huge blow to apple revenue.

are you suggesting they make a notable amount of direct money off the app store? Or are you suggesting the more indirect: more app stores->less confidence, more confusion, less sales->less device sales->less revenue

Thanks for correcting me in a polite way - I see that analysts place app store profits at only about 1% of apple's gross profits since the store opened. Huge was obviously a poor choice of words, but still the numbers are compelling - $189M in gross profit on ~$1.3B gross revenue (assuming the $1B paid out * 1.3) - 14.5% margins even while including operating costs associated with free apps. One can also assume that the 1% contribution to profit is a growing figure since it includes the entire time the app store has been open but sales have been increasing steadily. While apple calls it "a bit over break-even", that has always been the line with itunes as well yet there are various pieces of evidence that suggest that is somewhat of a fib.

I think you make an even better point than I was thinking of though. Apple clearly values the tight control they have over applications highly. Whatever their motivations there - ux, security, platform lock in, vertical integration, control over competitors - they surely believe that ceding that control would have a negative effect on their bottom line.

Re: Google Voice for iPhone Released

#45

Post by kylec » Tue, Nov 16, 2010, 10:13 PM UTC

p0ppe wrote: post #43

According to John Gruber it still uses your AT&T minutes for domestic calls. That should be a turnoff for most. http://twitter.com/#!/gruber/status/4619690240376832

Google Voice isn't, and has never been, a VoIP service. Phone calls made through the iPhone app or Android app have always used the phone's minutes.

Re: Google Voice for iPhone Released

#46

Post by johns » Tue, Nov 16, 2010, 10:16 PM UTC

kylec wrote: post #45

p0ppe wrote: post #43

According to John Gruber it still uses your AT&T minutes for domestic calls. That should be a turnoff for most. http://twitter.com/#!/gruber/status/4619690240376832

Google Voice isn't, and has never been, a VoIP service. Phone calls made through the iPhone app or Android app have always used the phone's minutes.

It wasn't until they added the ability to make calls from the browser in Gmail using your Google Voice number. So they're not a full-blown VoIP service, but they have some VoIP features now.

Re: Google Voice for iPhone Released

#47

Post by kylec » Tue, Nov 16, 2010, 10:27 PM UTC

johns wrote: post #46

kylec wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google Voice isn't, and has never been, a VoIP service. Phone calls made through the iPhone app or Android app have always used the phone's minutes.

It wasn't until they added the ability to make calls from the browser in Gmail using your Google Voice number. So they're not a full-blown VoIP service, but they have some VoIP features now.

I think that's technically considered part of GMail/Google Talk. Google Voice just provides a facility to route the call to GMail/Google Talk.

Re: Google Voice for iPhone Released

#48

Post by secret » Tue, Nov 16, 2010, 10:44 PM UTC

irons wrote: post #27

waxman wrote: post #24

This long-awaited arrival throws quite the wrench into the Android v. iOS platform wars. Google was obviously already on the iPhone (with search, its popular native app, gmail, etc.), but Google Voice is clearly different in that in competes with the core functions of the phone. What do you guys think the impact of this will be? Could Google use this as a Trojan horse to hook people on GV then try to upsell them to a…

For an upsell to work, you'd first have to believe that people buy iPhones primarily to make phone calls. Then you'd have to believe that these phone-centric individuals are tolerant of the voice latency in GV calls. I don't see it.

There is no voice lag in GV that I've noticed, I think it works more like call-forwarding than voip.

Re: Google Voice for iPhone Released

#49

Post by davidj » Tue, Nov 16, 2010, 10:46 PM UTC

kylec wrote: post #45

p0ppe wrote: post #43

According to John Gruber it still uses your AT&T minutes for domestic calls. That should be a turnoff for most. http://twitter.com/#!/gruber/status/4619690240376832

Google Voice isn't, and has never been, a VoIP service. Phone calls made through the iPhone app or Android app have always used the phone's minutes.

Actually it has been. You had the ability to link up your Gizmo account which was a 100% pure VOIP service. Then, from Gizmo you could link in an Asterisk server with SIP.

Google then bought Gizmo and put it on ice. You can use freeswitch/asterisk to login to your Google Talk account and take calls from your Voice account now and do the same thing.

Re: Google Voice for iPhone Released

#50

Post by rodh257 » Tue, Nov 16, 2010, 11:26 PM UTC

Terretta wrote: post #35

rodh257 wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think its yet another killer Android application that is now available on iPhone. While I can see their logic in this instance I still don't understand why Google insists on porting all of their good Android applications across, removing any competitive advantage they give to Android.

Because Google isn't in the business you think they're in.

So why make Android at all? If Apple removes Google search from the iPhone and disallows AdMob then how are they going to make money from the iPhone?

Google Voice isn't a good example of what I'm talking about (so, I guess that makes this off topic), but take Google Goggles for instance, where is the benefit of them porting that to iPhone? - I'm genuinely interested here. Surely there is more money to be made from people having Android which is loaded with Google, to supporting more sales of iPhone.