• GrandCentral was founded by Craig Walker and Vincent Paquet and introduced at the 2006 DEMO Conference in San Diego, California. The start-up was initially funded by Halsey Minor's for an undisclosed amount of money before being purchased by Google in July, 2007 for approximately $50 million.

  On March 12, 2009, Google relaunched GrandCentral as the new service Google Voice. Described by Google's senior product manager as a "service that can help organize chaotic communication channels," Google Voice expands GrandCentral's features, while continuing to provide users with a single phone number capable of directing calls from six phones at once.Official Google Blog: Here Comes Google Voice (March 11, 2009) Information Week: Google Voice Rises To Replace GrandCentral (March 12, 2009)

• Fast Facts

  1. Founders: Craig Walker and Vincent Paquet
  2. CEO: Craig Walker
  3. Beta Launched: September, 2006
  4. Headquarters: Fremont, California
  5. Won CNET's Webware 100 Award for Communications
  6. Acquired by Google in July 2007Official Google Blog: Here Comes Google Voice (March 11, 2009)
  7. GrandCentral was unveiled under the new name Google Voice on March 12, 2009Information Week: Google Voice Rises To Replace GrandCentral (March 12, 2009)
  8. Existing GrandCentral users will have immediate access to Google Voice, which will not be available to the general public until at least the end of MarchInformation Week: Google Voice Rises To Replace GrandCentral (March 12, 2009)
  9. Although Google Voice is free, the demand is so high that people have been purchasing GrandCentral user's existing accounts for up to $650 on eBayTechCrunch: GrandCentral To Finally Launch As Google Voice...(March 11, 2009)
  10. Those with a GrandCentral account will receive instructions in their inbox regarding how to start accessing Google VoiceOfficial Google Blog: Here Comes Google Voice (March 11, 2009)

• Features

  1. A single phone number linking all phones
  2. One voice mail box, accessible by internet, email, or phone
  3. Unlimited saving of messages
  4. Messages can be customized by caller or time of day
  5. Ability to listen in as voice messages are being left
  6. Calls can be sent to any or all phones based on criteria you set
  7. Block unwanted callers or send to SPAM box
  8. One click dial from contact list
  9. Easily switch calls between phones
  10. Ability to record phone calls
  11. Interoperability with Gizmo

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• Google Voice Features

  Google Voice is a new and improved version of GrandCentral, the start-up company it acquired in 2007. While the new service keeps most of GrandCentral's existing features, it also improves upon them by allowing users to send messages from their online inbox, receive text messages sent to their Google Voice number via a cell phone and search through an archive of text messages that have been sent or received. New features also include the ability to make international calls at a much cheaper rate, as well as obtain easy access to Google's directory assistance.Official Google Blog: Here Comes Google Voice (March 11, 2009)Information Week: Google Voice Rises To Replace GrandCentral (March 12, 2009)

  Some of the highlighted features that remain from GrandCentral include the single number that connects up to six phones, a main voicemail that is accessable via the internet, the ability to screen calls by listening to people as they leave a voicemail and the WebCall button, which allows users to make calls directly from their address books online. Information Week: Google Voice Rises To Replace GrandCentral (March 12, 2009)

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• Related Pages on Mahalo

  Google Voice | Google | VoIP | Gizmo Project | Vonage | Skype | How to Google a Person

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