Google aquires Gizmo5, VoIP for Google Voice on the horizon?
The implications of this deal are exciting. Google has purchased, in cash, the internet VoIP company Gizmo5 for a cool $30 million. The deal brings a true SIP/VoIP provider into the Google fold — the potential to merge the acquired technology with Google Voice and/or Google Talk is staring us right in the face. Last month there were rumors that perhaps Skype, due to legal issues with its own VoIP technology, might purchase Gizmo5 as a backup plan of sorts. However, that deal went south after Skype’s creators settled with eBay over future licensing of the core technology behind the popular service. So what do you think? Will Gizmo5 go the way of Orkut and fade into the internet oblivion? We’re hoping it will be more like GrandCentral…built into something we all love and the wireless service providers hate!
Can’t you already hook GTalk into Google Voice via Gizmo5? I read that you could, although I have not tried it myself. If so, I wonder if someone is already doing this on Android…. bypassing wireless voice minutes usage.
@Jones
You can integrate Google Voice and Gizmo5 for free wifi calling.
Yes, people are doing this with Android by combining the GV and Sipdroid apps.
I was thinking about combining those projects (they’re both open source) into one easy to use Android App, but I’m kind of glad I hadn’t started on that app now.
We’ll have to wait for the dust to settle to see what happens, but I’m excited.
Cool.. thanks for the info.
I wonder what will happen to those customers, like myself, who use Gizmo already. Hopefully we won’t loose our numbers in any way.
Hopefully google improves gizmo’s call quality and service. Last time I played with Gizmo they were pretty bad in both.
I don’t really have anything to add, just testing out Byrne on the new Droid.
So let me spell it out for you:
Verizon 4G + Google Android 2.x/3.x + Snapdragon 86xx/Tegra/OMAP4/Moorestown/Medfield + Nokia N900-like device = platform for Google VOIP/SIP services. Google would then be in a unique position to offer “free” voice over LTE before official support launches, putting devices with their OS at an advantage vs. Windows Phone/Moblin/etc.
Liked.
+5
There’s probably a lot of truth to this. More so than we really know. It makes perfect sense. Voip over high(er) speed data connection. Cuts VZ’s costs way back. Data only plans will be pretty common at that point i would imagine. Great post!!
Thats the way it seems to be headed. Data plans for everyone and VOIP.
I hope you’re right, but it seems odd that Verizon would be the 1st company to completely embrace the “dumb pipe” model
I guess this month is google’s “shopping spree” for other companies, now they even bought AdMob Mobile-advertising network
Will Admob be The New Adsense for Mobile? http://bit.ly/admob-the-new-adsense-for-mobile
Who wants to play Monopoly now?
It would be an interesting exercise in self-destruction for Verizon to throw away a significant part of it’s revenue so we can all play nice with VOIP.
On the other hand, none of the carriers have provided wi-fi unless they first could support UMA.
So my guess is that long before the day VOIP becomes an issue for Verizon, your wi-fi data usage will be charged for in some way.
As long as we need cell towers things will stay much as they are.
For what it’s worth I use and android phone with sipdroid insalled on it to make free voip calls over wifi using a combo of both google voice and gizmo. Since sipdroid supports both wifi and 3G I somehow managed to get at&t to let me activate the phone with a data only plan $35 a month… not bad for unlimited calling, text, and data right. Well it sounded good and worked perfectly off hours. However during peak hours at&t’s network is bogged down (yes that’s a technical term) to a point that call quality was terrible or calls simply would not work. Since the FCC put the smack down on cell phone providers for trying to ban voip I imagine we are going to see a shift in the packaging where you will no longer be able to get unlimited data with plans that have limited or no minutes.