Google Voice Activated!

So the absolutely coolest thing about the Google Voice beta invite I just got? Or should I say the 2 I just got? I honestly didn’t sign up for either of them! No idea where they came from! That isn’t going to stop me from making use of at least one of them though.

So what are the benefits of this? Well I’ll go through the full feature list. But my favorite part is that I get a second phone number for free. It’s easy to keep myself updated with a second phone number I can use for business purposes with it’s voicemail and ability to call from it. Of course that’s not nearly all that’s useful from this service. The second best part? There’s already a Blackberry application for it. Yes I’m able to rock Google Voice with a Blackberry application which was from Google itself.

One number for all your calls and SMS

• Call screening – Announce and screen callers
• Listen in – Listen before taking a call
• Block calls – Keep unwanted callers at bay
• SMS – Send, receive, and store SMS
• Place calls – Call free within the continental US and to Canada
• Taking calls – Answer on any of your phones
• Phone routing – Phones ring based on who calls
• Forwarding phones – Add phones and decide which ring

Voicemail as easy as email, with transcripts

• Voicemail transcripts – Read what your voicemail says
• Listen to voicemail – Check online or from your phone
• Notifications – Receive voicemails via email or SMS
• Personalize greeting – Vary greetings by caller
• Share voicemail – Forward or download voicemails

More cool things you can do with Google Voice

• Conference calling – Join people into a single call
• Call record – Record calls and store them online
• Call switch – Switch phones during a call
• Mobile apps – Try our apps for Blackberry and Android phones
• Mobile site – View your inbox from your mobile
• GOOG-411 – Check directory assistance
• Manage groups – Set preferences by group

When I setup the account I had no idea I had all of these options available. I blindly clicked free invite with a “ohhh new toy” mentality in mind. Now though? I am quite happy with what I’ve signed up for!

Still want more details and sick of me typing? Watch the video!