With the Google Apps platform taking off, the future features and applications of the platform can only be left to our imaginations. With Gmail, Google Talk (chat), Google Calendar, etc, it's no wonder that Google may be considering a VoIP-like application to add to its Google Apps platform.
While no official plans, or even rumors have been released, a Google-hosted VoIP environment may be incredibly popular for organizations that utilize Google Apps for all other collaboration needs. We've seen our fair share of free hosted VoIP environments, like Skype, Free World Dialup, etc, but Google has yet to venture into such a market.
There's no doubt that such a platform would be incredibly popular, integrating voice, email, calendaring, and even presence and follow-me features. With a great text-to-speech platform, a service of this kind could really put the Google Apps platform in the front of similar competitors.
What do you think? Would a Hosted VoIP addition benefit the Google Apps suite? Why or why not?
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I have no doubt Google is moving in this direction. It would complete the circle of communication.
This is an easy one.
You DO know that Google owns GrandCentral, right?
GrandCentral / Postini Parallel?
Interesting... I honestly didn't know about Google's GrandCentral acquisition. I guess it can be paralleled with Google's recent acquisition of Postini for integration into their Apps suite.
Now if they (GrandCentral) just had some sort of SIP registration service & outbound calling...
And what would be the point?
What would be the point of integrating with some kind of SIP user agent? To enable users to use all kinds of SIP devices, half of which will not interoperate with the other half, to make a phone call? Most normal users do not care about this sort of thing: they just want to make a call.
What would be cool, though, is if Google created a platform for applications, similar to the forthcoming Advanced Multimedia System (AMS, aka H.325). Then, you could use desktop application and LCD screens with your mobile device for a very rich multimedia experience.
The platform and control are key to enabling applications -- and perhaps that's what Android might give Google in the end. Then, with a boatload of independent application developers writing apps that naturally integrate with the platform, Google would make huge waves.
Google and GC
Whatever Google intentions are in hosted telephony their acquisition of Grand Central did not clear matters up. They've allowed the service to pretty much wither on the vine and I can only imagine whatever customer base the service had has left in droves.
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