According to an anonymous tip to the Google Operating System blog, the search engine giant is testing its own Google Voice VoIP service through Gmail. Indeed, we’ve noticed the new icons pop up on our Gchat boxes today.
The new feature means users can now make calls directly from their PC to a normal phone line using Google Voice, which is currently only available in the US. This brings Google into Skype’s realm, nearly, almost.
Of course, Google has been playing around with a VoIP enabled desktop app for a while now, and even bought VoIP firm Gizmo5 a while back, but this integration into Gchat is the first hint of things to come.
Clicking on the phone icon causes a dialer to pop up, allowing the user to dial a number, find a contact or check their credit balance.
Whether or not the VoIP capability will find its way into the Google Voice app for smartphones remains to be seen, but if it does, it could mean bad news for carrier voice packages as people would be able to make unlimited calls to each other using their Google numbers.
This may even be the tipping point we’ve predicted in the past, where mobile carriers realize that unlimited data plans and limited voice plan minutes should actually be reversed – with mobile broadband coming in limited chunks, while voice minutes come in unlimited doses.
Watch this space and we’ll keep you updated.
VoIP comes to Gmail courtesy of Google Voice
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