First, let me apologize to my few reader(s) out of country, but Google Voice is about to get a whole lot better.  From the Google Voice blog comes an announcement that they’ve acquired Gizmo5 (the same service I put off in anticipation of GV), as rumored earlier on Engadget.

Today we’re pleased to announce we’ve acquired Gizmo5, a company that provides Internet-based calling software for mobile phones and computers. While we don’t have any specific features to announce right now, Gizmo5′s engineers will be joining the Google Voice team to continue improving the Google Voice and Gizmo5 experience. Current Gizmo5 users will still be able to use the service, though we will be suspending new signups for the time being, and existing users will no longer be able to sign up for a call-in number.

Since it’s my blog and I allow myself to speculate at will, I’m predicting that Gizmo5/Google Voice will merge into a single platform, offering a desktop solution for VOIP calling from your Google Voice.  As Engadget predicted, I think it’s going to be a strong poke at Skype who may still be going through some legal issues.

Further speculation leads me to believe that Google is trying to rush into something big, *cough* Chrome OS *cough.* With Gizmo5, they should be able to pollish off a couple months (maybe a year) on development of a VOIP platform.  Add this to the slew of services with good some good integration, possibly using an AIR application platform and you’ll see great success. (I only mention AIR because it is cross-platform, however it is a completely random statement).

This is one of the major reasons I love the Android platform so much. I was going to write a long article about how much it’s simplified everything in my life, but I’ll get straight to the app reviews.

I should post a disclaimer: I’m coming from a recent wipe, after playing around with a ROM based on Blur.

ConnectBot:

Portable SSH client that just works. SSH, mobile phone, sold.  I even use it while sitting at my desk, so I can focus on other things on my computer.

AndFTP:

An FTP Client for your Android phone, and it wins.  I use AndFTP to upload pictures/Screenshots to my server, while I’ve also used it to back up a site while on the road.  While 3G is fast, it’s nowhere near optimal for any reasonably sized file.. however, when needed it’s the best FTP Client I’ve found on the Android Market.

Another use, which has been great, is using it to connect to my home server.  I’ve used it to change the music on my phone while on the road, I’ve even used it to back up and restore files on my phone and SD card while 2000 miles away.

Google Voice:

If you have a GV account, this app is a necessity. I have GV set up as voice mail for ALL my phones, meaning no matter what line I’m called on I get visual voicemail (and MP3 Voicemails).  Aside from the highpoint of Visual Voicemail, it adds a lot of great features on the handset like cheap international calling.

WPtoGO:

WordPress to go. Self explanatory.  However, the newest version (I think released in September) seems to run a LOT better and have a few more features.  For someone who uses WordPress for every project, WPtoGO is a life saver on the road.

TWIDroid:

In my opinion this is the best Twitter client for Android.   Although I’m not greatly active on Twitter, I definitely use it to keep up with the times.  Twidroid is not only simple to use, but it seems to have all the functions of desktop twitter clients.  DEFINATELY worth checking out.

Photoshop Mobile:

Umm.. I’m kind of mixed on this application, but first let me explain its benefits and I’ll write a review for it later tonight.  Often camera’s on phones can distort a picture and there’s no way to correct the picture until you get to your computer.  While Mobile Photoshop might be limited, I’ve used it on a couple of pictures and it’s really made the difference.  From overexposed weird angle to a relatively clear shot with the angle corrected in minutes.   I’ve read a couple complaints about how limited the application is, however it’s perfect for the quick fix before uploading to your favorite social network site (or blog).

Over the last several days there has been thousands of blog posts and articles about Apple pulling Google Voice apps off the market. After the FCC involved itself, the opinions only grew in number and often claimed the “I told you AT&T (or Apple) was eVil!” The thing is that everyone loves to be rooting for the winning team, even when the battle isn’t over.

What happened:
Google has this service named Google Voice, formerly Grand Central, which allows someone to have a single number route to many phones. For simplicity’s sake let’s just call it a forwarding service, which provides you a number for free, for life. For many smart phone users there is a mobile application which allows the user to use the data service on their smart phone to manage the account. These applications for the iPhone were pulled and future project indefinitely rejected by Apple. Apple made this move in one swoop, without explanation.

Continue Reading

[singlepic id=224 w=320 h=240 float=]

Google Mobile
This application is an absolute must if you have an Android phone as well as Google Voice. On so many levels does it simplify the service and remove the few headaches I had to deal with using http://www.google.com/voice. Integrating GV with a ground up install was exactly what the service needed.  It’s a shame that using GV as a default dialing service is only available on Android phones, because it feels just right.  My only complaint is that the application has limited abilities, in terms of the service, but it’s not really an issue as it doesn’t interfere with overall use. (Pictures and detailed review after the break).

Continue Reading

I’ve now been using Google Voice for a week and feel pretty good about it. I have had a mixed experience, which is expected with anything in Beta, but more then anything I’m impressed with what it stands for to me.

Continue Reading