Let's face it, Google (News - Alert) hasn't exactly been on a roll here.
First there was Google Wave, an exclusive, "by invitation only" app. Went nowhere. Then it was Google Buzz, billed as their answer to Facebook (News - Alert). Strike two.
Now there's Google Voice, another breathily-hyped, "by invitation only" app. Introduced six months ago, it includes voicemail and a transcription service. Some industry observers reason that the simple fact that Google Voice has call recording is a good sign for that industry.
At the end of last year TMC's Gary Kim (News - Alert) reported that After Google's acquisition of Gizmo5 (News - Alert), "it was inevitable that speculation would mount about Google Voice adding full VoIP initiation capabilities to its Web-activated calling services: "It is a logical move, for any number of reasons. And now Google seems to be hinting that something is forthcoming."
In a post on eWeek cited by Kim, Bradley Horowitz, Google's vice president, said that Google Voice and cloud computing will be huge plays for the search engine giant in 2010. Without providing specifics, Horowitz says Google wants voice to be freed up from any silos. In a Google context, that implies integration with Web experiences and likely mobility as well.
As one of the Great Unwashed who wasn't invited to Google Voice - but if you want an invitation to Google Wave we have a boxful in the basement, take one or two or nine - we can't speak from first-hand experience, but we can read the online guide:
"To record your call, simply press 4. You can do it when you first accept a call, or any time after it's started. To stop the recording, press 4 again or hang up." Sounds easy enough so far. Oh, and "your recordings are saved online and you can access them just like you do with voicemail."
There is a bit of a caveat, though: "At this time you can only record calls you receive on your Google Voice number. You can't record calls you initiate using our Click2Call from our website or the Return Call feature from your voicemail."
And it recommends you check existing call recording laws. Sound advice.
David Sims is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of David's articles, please visit his columnist page. He also blogs for TMCnet here.
Edited by Juliana Kenny