Google acquires Internet phone service

The search giant has acquired GrandCentral Communications, a newly established business with technology that allows users to manage all phone numbers and voice mail over the Web, as if they were an account. only.

Based in California, Grand Central is just one of dozens of new technology companies, scrambling to explore Web services and fertile VoIP phones.

However, Grand Central's direction is quite similar to Jajah, when it allows individual users and businesses to call via the Internet, but still make use of traditional phones.

" You will have a unique phone number, forwards incoming calls to all the phones you own ," said Craig Walker and Vincent Paquet, two GrandCentral co-founders.

Leading the VoIP market is now Skype, with more than 200 million users worldwide. Some newer, but also attracted, millions of users over the past year are Jajah, Jangl, Jaxtr and Rebtel.

In fact, the idea of ​​GrandCentral popped into Walker's mind after he landed at a local airport. "I need to check up to 3 voicemails - one of my mobile phone, one at work and one from my BlackBerry," Walker recalls.

" Anyone who owns many different phone numbers (home, work, mobile) has to go through these troubles. If they have a phone number that all three phones ring the bell, it will be convenient. How, "Walker wrote on his personal blog. " This way, your phone number will always stick to you like the picture with the ball, no matter where you are. "

New direction for making money

Instead of competing directly with telecom networks such as Vodafone or China Telecom, many new VoIP services have opted for a more "peaceful" and clever way: integrating specific features of the phone into Internet or blog services, or virtual social networks like MySpace and Facebook.

" Virtual social networks and blogs all serve people-to-person communication. So the phone is absent there, " said Konstantin Guericke, service manager Jangl.

Currently, the new GrandCentral service is in beta, of course, free. But if you want to try it out, you must register for membership at www.grandcentral.com and receive an invitation from another member, before having your own phone number.

" The calling feature will soon be integrated into many major websites within 3 months to 1 year ," Guericke predicts. " I think this industry can generate revenue of up to $ 1 billion in the future ."

Trong Cam