ePhoneNumbers Blog

I have been looking for Google voice to start up since it was first announced. I have two phones, and I think it would be awesome to have one number for both. I also have the new Verizon friends and family, and the idea of adding my Google voice number to that service would be amazing. I would have free unlimited calling!

I also think it is important for people to be able to port their numbers. There are so many people paying for a home, and cell phone line, and it really doesn’t make sense to pay for both. Google would be doing a HUGE service to people by allowing them to port in their most used number.

I’ve consistently checked the GrandCentral website pretty much every month for the last 2 years–hoping that someday I’d see that they’ve re-opened and are handing out numbers once again. I had lost hope when I found out google purchased GrandCentral and hadn’t done anything with it. I thought google was just going to let the idea die. I was elated when I found out that Google Voice was released. I’m curious how GV will function with my iPhone. Plus I am transitioning a move from Pennsylvania to Hawaii and this is the perfect time for a change in numbers for me. Finally, I’ve had a 215 area code number that is virtually impossible for people to remember. There is nothing about it that flows numerically, mathematically or visually. I can’t stand it. A brandable, memorable phone number would be amazing. It would make the last 2 years of having checked GrandCentral all worth it! Regarding the porting process, the only way to make GV effective and really take off is to allow porting. In an age of CallerID, most people will continue to use the number that popped up in their phone to return your calls. Unless GV allows porting, users will still have to use 2 or more numbers. A number for each device for outgoing calls and then a separate GV number for incomming calls. Sounds like this could get complicated. If GV seeks to simplify calling for users, it will find a way to allow porting. Thanks for the giveaway!

The porting of numbers is a good thing because it promotes the open marketplace. By lowering the hassle (i.e., transaction cost) associated with having to change your number, notify your contacts and vendors of the change, and get used to an entirely different set of digits, you can keep one number for life. This opens the marketplace and allows consumers to choose based upon what product will meet their needs at the lowest cost. This open competition will ultimately bring the market to an equilibrium that would otherwise be distorted by the inability to port numbers. I would use the Google Voice account to consolidate the various numbers that I currently use (home, cell, work) and streamline the communication process. I appreciate your consideration for the giveaway.

I have been waiting with great anticipation for Google Voice to hit the general public. I have an alert setup to forward any new news item about it to my e-mail. I think I’m a little obsessed with it. However, it will be very useful to me. I recently moved across the state and need a local phone number for my business and personal use. However, I don’t want to go through all the trouble of changing numbers on my and my wife’s cell phone (extending the contract in my wife’s case). By using Google Voice, I could get a local number and still keep my cell phone numbers the same. In addition, we would use this service at our home instead of a regular home phone, possibly linking it to another service such as ooma. Thanks for doing the giveaway!

I am from the internet generation and as a result I like things to move at Internet speed.

I am physically incapable of waiting for google to launch there service, I make no apology for this.

Do, I win? I should have found out by now!

I have been following the GrandCentral buzz since it first came out. I have been patiently waiting for my invite to go through but I never recieved one as many people have experienced. i own a business and i reiceve alot of calls to multiple phones. i receive calls on my home phone, my cell phone and my business phone. sometimes i miss important calls. i was excited to hear what GrandCentral (Google Voice) is capable of and i wanted to really implement the service to make my business more effiecent. i would have just one number i can forward to all of my phones instead of giving out all of my phone numbers and confusing customers. I think its great that you guys are doing a Google Voice Give-Away. Thank You

I believe in a day when we will no longer be subject to the injustices of the mobile phone companies, when wireless broadband will be so cheap and available that we can use products like Google Voice on our mobile devices instead of cell phones. I believe so strongly in this that I have stopped my mobile phone service. I have purchased an iPhone touch instead and intend to use Google Voice as my phone provider. With Google Voice I will be able to have an inbound and outbound calls number. I will be connected wherever I have wireless access. I don’t have a Google Voice account, though, so I hope that you will allow me the privilege of being able to communicate in an affordable way.

I’ve been using Vonage for several years (3 numbers,) and have also had a Skype number for almost two years.

I believe VOIP is the future of telephony, but none of the current offerings are perfect: Vonage, although having improved over the years, still gives me worse quality and rates than Skype, while Skype does not allow number-porting, or easy multi-line integration.

With the implementation of number-porting, Google Voice holds the promise of combining the benefits of both Vonage and Skype, without the drawbacks.

I can’t wait to hopefully simplify my phone life (in addition to the 3 Vonage and one Skype number, I have an office landline, a home landline and 2 mobile numbers (iPhone and a HTC with WM6.1) What a number mess, huh

Number portability should mean the ability to take your number to whatever service you want. Google is making a bold attempt take telecommunication to the next (and much better) level. We should have the right to bring our phone numbers with us. (Hopefully any initial reluctance they are having just relates to establishing a consistently reliable service.)

The combination of Google Voice and number portability means that I could have one number for the rest of my life. We are about to have our third child, and the best gift I think I could give him would be a great phone number that could be his forever.

Combining the ingenuity of ephonenumbers.net in allowing people to acquire “good” phone numbers with the functionality promised by Google Voice is a home run. If you choose me to win you could be helping someone get the only phone number they will ever need.

I work for a green energy company whose employees are pretty widely distributed. I can definitely see a phone number that would allow the simultaneous ringing of several phones being a real boon for us, since we often have people who are away from their desks and in labs. When that happens and there’s nobody at their phone number, calls can get lost. With simultaneous ringing, somebody else can pick up the phone and we stay in touch with partners and customers.

On that note porting-in would be just as effective (maybe even more so). The truth is I think porting-in will be a critical capability for GV to develop, since it’s really the key to adding more capabilities to existing phones and unlocking the real power of a phone number. Many GV users (and people like me!) will want to be able to pick up a home, office or cell phone and know that the number that appears on the recipient’s caller ID is their GV number at which they can be reached anywhere.

Porting-in is going to generate some complications (for example, once your existing home number is ported to GV exactly what number will that home copper line have?). But I’m very confident that GV and GC engineers and telco specialists can resolve those issues.

For similar reasons I think enabling international forwarding is another critical GV function that has to be enabled. In the modern world and in modern business, people can find themselves in several countries in one week or regularly moving back and forth between a few locations. International forwarding will so greatly simplify personal and business communications that many people would find it to be almost a godsend.

I would use the Google Voice account paired with Gizmo5 to cut my phone bill to nearly nothing. As a phd student, every penny counts! Not only would I be saving money, but I wouldn’t need to change our number when I graduate and finally get a job.

Google should allow number porting since it would make it easier for people to use Google Voice. New users would not need to share their new number with all of the friends and family. This would make the switch to Google Voice pain free and invisible to all of their friends and family.

Why should you award one of your Google Voice accounts to me? I would be excited and so would tell my friends about how your site had given me Google Voice account, perhaps earning your company some new business. Also, my phone contract is coming up for its annual renewal soon and so it would allow me to avoid needing to decide between taking the year long contract at a lower rate or going month to month in the hopes the Google Voice opens soon.

I am 18 and starting a company, it would be very helpful to have a phone number for my business!

Number porting will change Google Voice from being something cool for the tech savy to something awesome for everyone. Its features are fantastic but it is hard to get friends to use a “NEW” number when they have your other numbers programed into their phone or they just use caller ID to callback.
I love the idea of Google Voice but I love new technology. My wife hates change and refuses to give up our established phone numbers. Being able to keep our old phone number by porting it to Google voice would allow use to save almost $1,000 a year plus make both my wife and myself very happy.

To port or not to port – that should be one question everyone should be able to decide for themselves. The LNP struggle has come far enough yet is still fraught with difficulties for the common folk. Google has marched on the forefront of innovation and should continue to lead the revolution by providing the framework for common sense phone number ownership. They will be heralded yet again as the warriors of change and us common folks will get to keep what should be rightly ours.
Google Voice will allow me and everyone else to be remembered by one phone number and yet be anywhere I like because my number can follow me … Freedom, that is what this country is about!

Google Voice, as it stands now is an incredible step forward for many reasons when it comes to communication and accessibility. Like many I have been following the progression of this service for some time and my excitement for this kind of unified communication service is split between both business and personal applications.

In business, maintaining contact with vendors, clients (potential, current and past), and co-workers can mean the difference between success & failure. We have become a society that thrives on instant gratification. The general public will often keep calling various providers until they actually connect with someone that can help them. At no time during the course of business are missed opportunities acceptable, but in this economic climate, it’s even more imperative that they be captured.

My personal application of GV centers more on the safety of my son who is starting school with moderate food allergies. While food allergies are much more common now, many families and institutions still seem to have little knowledge or understanding of how to handle them. As my son heads out into school it will be extremely important that I be available should an accidental exposure, or question regarding his allergy arise. Having ONE number that will reach me on my cell, office, home, etc with one call is extremely comforting as a parent. I don’t want a school nurse or administrator running through a laundry list of potential numbers if my son is in distress.

While migrating everyone in your database to a new number is difficult, the fact that this new number through Google Voice would not only remain a constant, without change, regardless of your wireless provider or physical business location, but would also serve multiple functions all at the same time. While there are centralized forwarding number services, they do not (that I have found) handle text messages and or faxes. This means you still must provide 3 or more numbers which the customer must then keep track of should they need to connect via text or fax. This is quite a hassle and often leads to confusion and missed communication as the incorrect numbers are used and information lost in transit.

Being able to port an existing number into Google Voice puts a great big bow on top of what has the makings of a perfect communications hub. Individuals and businesses would enjoy the benefits of all the additional services which Google Voice supports and continues to develop without having to re-train everyone that they know on a new number. While I understand that this may not be available immediately, it is absolutely something that should be made available.

I appreciate the opportunity for a chance at a pre-release account in Google Voice and would put it immediately to good use to further enhance my business development through outstanding customer service and availability. I would also greatly appreciate the convenience and peace of mind knowing that should an emergency arise, I would only be one call away from being notified and taking action to aid my son.

Thanks!

I had just about given up on GrandCentral – having signed up ages ago and never heard a peep. Then we heard about the Google Voice change last month and it’s all very exciting – can’t wait!

I started using VOIP about four years ago with a “network adaptor” and a regular phone. I gave it up due to service issues Then when we moved cities we switched to Skype – we don’t use it over the PC rather we have a cordless Skype phone. It works well but it needs improvement. Has some quality issues, could use more features (better voicemail, voicemail notification, sequential ringing, etc) but is still better than a landline.

My wife and I moved from Chicago to Denver two years ago and still have our Chicago cell phone numbers. We’ve been reluctant to switch until now but the convenience of Google Voice would be the impetus to finally do it!

It would be awesome if I could win a number and a GV account to get it all going! Thanks =)

The Google Voice God told me I should have one. And, I always listen to the almighty GVG.

My experiences in finding new creative uses that others haven’t thought of, natural ability in testing & finding what others don’t see (perhaps that’s from the combination of engineering degree & usability testing experience), and being seen as a technology advisor/guru by others would make me a good choice in receiving this package.

Besides the obvious ‘consolidate the phone numbers’ application, I hope to explore the uses of Google voice with Amateur Radio. For years A/R operators have been involved in both voice and digital communications along with bridging the gap between the two (look up the Internet’s AX.25 protocol for IP for example). As an ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) member, I’m curious to see if it could be used in situations where volunteers are needed or used.

The porting of numbers would seem to be a good way for existing established phone numbers to take advantage of the power of Google Voice without having to retrain people to learn a new number.

I have heard of GrandCentral for quite sometime now (2 years) i was never able to get in on the action of it because invites were closed for the most part. I think most people that applied for a invite didn’t receive one and were left in the dust hanging while the ones that were lucky enough to get an invite were having a blast using this great program. I think number porting should be available ALL THE TIME no matter what service you are transfering to or what carrier you were with before. i myself have a business and i have many phones ( personal mobile, work mobile, fax, office,and home number.) i recently tried to port out my number from AT&T U-Verse to T-Mobile and I was unable to do so… this made me mad and frustrated… i think the number you have should be able to be taken with you anywhere you want to take it. i would love to be given the opportunity to use Google Voice because it would really help out me and my business in the long run and i can finally just have one number i can ALWAYS hold on to… I hate always giving my clients all these weird numbers and telling them call me at this phone at this time of day. I just want to tell them just call THIS Number (which would be my Google Voice Number) and they can call it at anytime and i wouldn’t have to worry about which phone im at and i wouldnt miss important calls. I really like the idea of this Google Voice Giveaway. Great Idea!

My wife is Deaf. We have always struggled with trying to find an accessible communication method for people who want to contact her. We are so excited about Google Voice but haven’t been invited. We want to use it for her work so people can leave voice mail and have them transcribed and sent SMS or email to her. And then if the transcription didn’t work she could forward it to co-workers for translation. Of course, if she gets one I’ll be jealous as I have too many phone numbers and am looking forward to the option of using one myself. I signed up for Grand Central for myself several months ago after hearing about it on “Jumping Mokeys” from the Twit network, but they’e been closed for so long, I never got in. I would be very appreciative if we were selected! Thanks!

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well.. it’s like I said!

Hi, interesting post. I have been pondering this issue,so thanks for posting. I will probably be subscribing to your posts. Keep up the good posts

hey this is a very interesting article!

I've consistently checked the GrandCentral website pretty much every month for the last 2 years–hoping that someday I'd see that they've re-opened and are handing out numbers once again. I had lost hope when I found out google purchased GrandCentral and hadn't done anything with it. I thought google was just going to let the idea die. I was elated when I found out that Google Voice was released. I'm curious how GV will function with my iPhone. Plus I am transitioning a move from Pennsylvania to Hawaii and this is the perfect time for a change in numbers for me. Finally, I've had a 215 area code number that is virtually impossible for people to remember. There is nothing about it that flows numerically, mathematically or visually. I can't stand it. A brandable, memorable phone number would be amazing. It would make the last 2 years of having checked GrandCentral all worth it! Regarding the porting process, the only way to make GV effective and really take off is to allow porting. In an age of CallerID, most people will continue to use the number that popped up in their phone to return your calls. Unless GV allows porting, users will still have to use 2 or more numbers. A number for each device for outgoing calls and then a separate GV number for incomming calls. Sounds like this could get complicated. If GV seeks to simplify calling for users, it will find a way to allow porting. Thanks for the giveaway!