The markup collected by mobile carriers such as Verizon and AT&T, according to CNN, is 6500%.  While that sounds like a huge number, it’s true.  Here in the United States, we pay around 20 cents per message, coming and going!

Additionally, since SMS takes virtually no overhead to service and deliver, this number is pure profit to our mobile carriers.  This is why so many of us opt for text messaging bundles, whereby we pay $10 for 1000 message and so forth.

Apparently, the U.S. mobile carriers are trying to guarenteed a monthly revenue stream by making texts seem inexpensive by bundling them into packages.

I have been saying for years that SMS is way too expensive in the U.S. and it’s nice to see the mainstream media picking up the theme also.  My hope is that with enough people complaining about it, change may happen.

(Photo credit: Flickr User Wayan Vota)

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Press Now Recognizing That Text Messaging Is Spendy in the U.S.

Google Voice is a revolutionary VoIP service that allows you to have some really great features for your phone service. Problem is, when you get a Google Voice number, it’s a brand new number that you then have to distribute to all your friends.

Well, yesterday I read that Michael Arrington (a new adopter to Google Voice) of Techcrunch was able to port his number into Google Voice and away from AT&T. My question to the Google Voice team: When are the rest of us going to be able to port our numbers in (and out) of Google Voice?!

I understand Arrington writes for a big publication, but you have thousands of users who have been with your service from the early days who matter too.

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Arrington Gets To Port Into Google Voice, When Do The Rest Of Us?!

My reply is “wait a minute!”. Why? Mainly because Android hasn’t appeared tangibly on any hardware yet. It’s still just a theoretical operating system. Yes, the iPhone and it’s corresponding Application Store are a fantastic package for adopting and consuming mobile applications.

However, studies show that the mobile market will grow increasingly over the next few years. What I’m getting at is there will be plenty of room in the mobile marketplace for numerous players. Just like the personal computing market, those who want a more seemless experience will seek Apple (adopting the iPhone mobile side), business types will seek their corporate-mandated computing environment (looking at Windows Mobile and RIM for the cell phone, and the DIY/geeky crowd will seek another option – perhaps Android is just that.

What makes me believe Android will be a hit in the mobile marketplace? Many factors, including but not limited to:

• Google Integration: This mobile OS is going to have deep Google services integration benefiting those who use Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs. Jaiku has an awesome micro-blogging software with built-in presence on the Nokia S60 platform and since then Google has bought Jaiku. Expect some sweet integration with Jaiku into the Android OS. Also, Google has bought GrandCentral, the fantastic VoIP product that provides you one phone number to ring every phone in your life. How can GrandCentral be integrated? I’m not sure, but expect great things.
• The Google touch demonstrations: at conferences, the Android demos have been fantastic. See this one for reference:
• The (known) present Google applications. Check out the winners from the Google app contest. There are some fantastic applications that stack up against the Apple iPhone applications in usefulness and functionality.
• Open-ness. Google Android and Symbian have a factor that is absent from iPhone and it’s App Store. Open-ness. It lacks Apple’s DRM and walled garden approach and might be more attractive to independent software developers.
• The International factor: Android and the Open Handset Alliance are going to be able to build attractive handsets powered by a rich and capable operating system. Internationally, this will be a hit in countries that don’t drink the Apple kool-aid like we do in the US.

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Google Android Losing Its Mojo? Not So Fast!

Since the acquisition, crickets have been chirping when it comes to GrandCentral talking, blogging, or releasing any new features.

Well they’re at least blogging again. The latest is that they are allowing a forwarding number to be used on two separate accounts. What does this mean? Say, for example, a married couple each have their own GrandCentral numbers and they both want to have their home number to be rung whenever either of the GrandCentral numbers are dialed.

Before this new GrandCentral announcement, this would not be possible. Whoever tried to register the home number second would have been denied by GrandCentral.

Also, according to the blog entry, “a lot of new features are in the works and we look forward to rolling them out quickly!”

Craig, we look forward to seeing them too!

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Whoa! Something *is* happening at GrandCentral

My trouble is, I can’t get the GSM code which is *61*yournumber# , to work on my N95 with T-mobile. Has anyone been able to get GSM forwarding codes to work on t-mobile?

UPDATE: on the other blog post, some guy was able to do it with t-mobile. So now I think I’m being blacklisted. I have a FlexPay tmobile account, not sure if that has anything to do with it.

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Grandcentral call forwarding and t-mobile

Read it for yourself on Google’s Blog – they’ve swallowed GrandCentral.

Looks like google will have even more of my data now.

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Follow up: Google acquisition of Grandcentral official

Grandcentral has a great offering and it will complement Google’s other efforts including gmail, gtalk, and VoIP very well.

Good Job Grandcentral!

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Whoa! Grandcentral acquired by Google!

1) calling out by clicking a button, which requires being signed on to their site

2) calling out using your mobile smart phone, which requires a $40/month data plan on your mobile

or 3) while in a voicemail that someone has left, hitting 2 to call them back.

What I’d like to see is: a way to dial outbound while NOT being tied to either a PC or smartphone (I have neither). How about being able to dial in to your GC number and then dialing out again through some sort of tone-sensing system?

That would be a great feature.

NOTE: I tried to submit this comment on their blog, but it hasn’t shown up yet. Perhaps they didn’t like the comment?

PS: is there a way to “GrandCentralize” my voicemail? this was eluded to by Craig Walker of Grandcentral on TechCrunch back in April.

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GrandCentral adds calling out options, but it’s not good enough.

Article Link

Check out the video David did – hilarious!

Technorati Tags: grandcentral, voip

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GrandCentral gets a nice writeup

• OpenID – I’m so anxious for some of the big boys to start adopting this single sign-on system. Digg just announced their support of it. Welcome to the club
• GrandCentral – this disruptive technology essentially takes your voicemail box and makes it very similar to email. Route all your calls to this one number and grandcentral takes care of the rest
• VoIP in general – after going VoIP at home, you realize that talk is cheap and that voice should just be another application that uses the internet to deliver it’s services. At work, we’re putting in a VoIP system and I think people will be really impressed with how VoIP will integrate with the rest of the communications pie. Being able to check voicemails in Outlook? That’ll turn heads.
• Twitter – this system has been a rockstar at SXSW and across the net lately. People have finally been turned on to the idea of communication in real time with others. I’m having problems though in getting new people to see the value in twitter – especially in my non-techie friends.
• Gadgets – I still am playing with my new camera, the canon sd800 and playing with all it’s features. I’m so excited about it – the SD800IS is a huge step up from my old Powershot A80. Also I’m still loving my Vizio GV47L – a beautiful TV from Vizio.

Technorati Tags: grandcentral, openid, twitter, voip

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What I’m presently excited about