Just a few days ago, an exclusive video of the unreleased Google Voice desktop application appeared online. It’s not the first we have heard of a Google Voice desktop application, but it’s certainly the first time we’ve had a chance to see it in action. Google has worked on this project internally for a while. The problem is that Google doesn’t actually plan to release this client to the public.
Google Voice has been in beta for a while now, but recently opened to the public. Many users enjoy making Google Voice calls from their mobile phones, but there is no software that lets you make a call from your computer. Google purchased Skype competitor Gizmo5 and we all hoped this would lead to a Skype-like desktop application, but Google wants to go in a different direction.
Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin don’t want to be in the business of creating applications outside of the browser. This is an understandable position given Google’s strengths, but this still leaves many users out in the cold. Many Google Voice users want a desktop solution so that they are not tied to a cell phone or a landline.
Users concerned with the future of the GV desktop client have started an online petition. Google has not decided if they will scrap the project or simply delay it. So far, over 1,500 concerned users have signed the online petition, urging Google to make the product available.
Google would rather offer this type of soft-phone functionality via the browser, but (according to TC) many experts say this won’t be possible any time soon. Even with advancements in web technology like HTML5, it may take as long as a year to get true Google Voice support in a browser. Even then, the encoding involved would probably need a browser plugin, which isn’t much of a leap away from a desktop client.
Do you use Google Voice? Do you want to receive and initiate GV calls directly from your desktop? Go sign the petition and feel free to share how Google Voice works (or doesn’t work) for you in the comments.