Free iPhone Calls, Free iPhone SMS: Google Voice now on the iPhone

Google has released an entirely Web-based version of its service that works on the iPhone as well as Palm’s Pre and Pixi handsets.

Apple may still officially be “pondering” whether it should approve Google’s Google Voice app for iPhone, but there’s finally good news: Google has released an entirely Web-based version of the service (at m .google.com/voice). It works on the iPhone as well as Palm’s Pre and Pixi handsets, and brings a large chunk of the functionality of the native Voice apps for Android and BlackBerry to your phone’s browser.

This new version, like mobile Gmail, is among the most app-like browser services I’ve ever seen, period, letting you dial from your Google contacts list or a keypad, read and listen to messages, send text messages, and configure the app right within mobile Safari. When you make calls using it, the person who answers sees your Google Voice number, not the “real” one associated with your phone: Google makes an outgoing call from the iPhone, then reroutes it over a line of its own.



There’s only so far that a Web-based telephony app can go. On Android and BlackBerry, Google Voice can insert itself as your default phone interface, and it gets access to the contacts stored on your phone. On the iPhone, it stays a secondary interface and can’t see your local contacts. (You can, however, use Google Sync to sync your phone’s contacts with your Google Account.) When you make an outgoing call, your iPhone confirms you want to do so and shows Google’s routing number rather than the one you’re really calling–kind of confusing. And while the interface for wrangling messages is a vast improvement on the rudimentary one in the old Web-based Google Voice, it still send you out of Safari and into QuickTime when you want to listen to a message.

[via PC World]

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Google Voice iPhone App Breaks the Law, AT&T Launches iPhone MMS

The excitement of the iPhone finally getting multimedia messaging, is overshadowed by the Google Voice drama

After a long wait AT&T finally rolled out support for the multimedia messaging service (MMS) protocol. This means that iPhones can at last send pictures, video, and audio recordings like users of other smartphones.

IPhones have actually had MMS support built in since June when the iPhone OS v3.0 was released. AT&T, however, kept the functionality disabled for fear it would overload and break its network. Meanwhile, AT&T upgraded much of its network and built extra capacity to handle the service.

On September 22, early last week, it sent a free SMS text message to inform its customers that it would be rolling out the update on Friday. The message read, "AT&T Free Msg: Picture & video messaging (MMS) will be available for iPhone on 9/25. While we prepare your account for MMS capability, the current 'view my message' experience will be turned off but your ability to send and receive text messages will not be affected."

Users began receiving the update when they synced their phones with iTunes on Friday. The update wasn't without its problems -- most of which appear to be software/firmware related. Some users found that their attempts to send MMS failed. Apple and AT&T suggested users first try to reset their networks settings. A more extreme fix involves selecting your iPhone's settings in iTunes and choosing "General > Reset All Settings > enter your pin if prompted". That fix appears to get MMS working, but you may have to reenter your Passcode, Wi-Fi passwords. You may also lose your VPN connections and remembered Wi-Fi networks. A perk, though, is that your apps are arranged alphabetically, something previously not easily done.

[via Daily Tech]

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Why Was Google's Voice iPhone App Rejected? Apple Explains...

Apple has officially answered FCC questions about why Google Voice was rejected to appear in App Store. For those who didn’t keep track of the news, Apple rejected the Google Voice application for iPhone and removed all related third-party application from App Store. The rejection has drawn great attention & criticism around the net and even Federal regulators wanted to know why Apple rejected Google’s innovative Voice app from its App Store.

This is not the very first time Apple rejected iPhone applications submitted for App Store. Developers, bloggers and journalists around the net have criticized Apple for rejecting applications especially for those innovative applications trying to add feature and even replace iPhone’s default application like Phone or Mail applications.

Okay, here is the Apple’s answer to FCC’s question on why the Google Voice application was rejected:

Contrary to published reports, Apple has not rejected the Google Voice application, and continues to study it. The application has not been approved because, as submitted for review, it appears to alter the iPhone’s distinctive user experience by replacing the iPhone’s core mobile telephone functionality and Apple user interface with its own user interface for telephone calls, text messaging and voicemail. Apple spent a lot of time and effort developing this distinct and innovative way to seamlessly deliver core functionality of the iPhone. For example, on an iPhone, the “Phone” icon that is always shown at the bottom of the Home Screen launches Apple’s mobile telephone application, providing access to Favorites, Recents, Contacts, a Keypad, and Visual Voicemail. The Google Voice application replaces Apple’s Visual Voicemail by routing calls through a separate Google Voice telephone number that stores any voicemail, preventing voicemail from being stored on the iPhone, i.e., disabling Apple’s Visual Voicemail. Similarly, SMS text messages are managed through the Google hub—replacing the iPhone’s text messaging feature. In addition, the iPhone user’s entire Contacts database is transferred to Google’s servers, and we have yet to obtain any assurances from Google that this data will only be used in appropriate ways. These factors present several new issues and questions to us that we are still pondering at this time.

The answer is not very convincing.

[via Simon Blog]

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