Google Voice now available to all, but there's a deal-breaking problem

At long last, it's time for everyone to step into the future of voicemail and phone calling. Google is teasing us with the groundbreaking voicemail and portable phone numbers of Google Voice. It's finally out of beta and offered to everyone in the U.S., without the need for one of those pesky invitations. Is it time to jump into Google Voice? Maybe not.

Google's free service converts your voicemails to text, and emails that message to you. It gives you a phone number you can use anywhere, lets you screen calls, and makes it so you can receive calls on your cellphone and landline at the same time. And that's just the beginning. Its feature list is delightfully vast and useful. [Read more...]