Hosted PBX Guide

Dec 14th 2009 - Update.

Another month of interesting activity in the world of hosted phone systems, but more so for the future of the cell phone.

It wasn't Skype that picked up Gizmo, but Google. Now with their acquisition of GrandCentral a few years back giving them Google Voice, they add the engineering talent of Gizmo for a SIp based softphone. On the same day they announced their purchase of Admob out of San Mateo. Rumours are flying that they are looking to the cell phone carriers, not for phone numbers or cell coverage, but for data only plans!. Employees at the Google campus have been spotted with "Google" phones. Perhaps it was an early holiday shopping spree, or Google trying to kick start the economy, most likely it is Google pulling the parts together for a consumer branded data only cell phone, using google voice and the carriers 3G network and the wifi networks. A side note to all you travellers, it seems Google is also sponsoring free wifi through many of our nations airports this season. 

WIll we see  a Google phone powered by Google voice with free incoming calls on a free US telephone number with free SMS text capability offering superior call handling options and custom voicemail? How can they do this? Technically speaking its easy. Simply add a softphone to a handheld wifi / 3G device and have the Google voice route its calls to that SIP device. Perhaps we will be flooded with location aware ads courtesy of the Admob technology. One thing is certain, Its not going to be a very merry Xmas around the board rooms of the giant cell phone companies.

If you have any thoughts or comments please add them - this will be an interesting new decade.