Google Officially Brings Voice To Gmail

siliconbits writes "Google has finally added voice support to its popular Gmail email service which means that users will soon be able to call landlines and mobiles worldwide for free or for extremely low prices. The announcement was made at a press conference in San Francisco in front of a few selected press members."

Re:encrytion issues

[Threni]

How are you going to call landlines and mobiles with encryption? Have you got like 2 friends you've convinced to use it too?

Re:Defeats the purpose for me

[Anonymous Coward]

Defeats what purpose? Email still works...

Re:just another trip to the data mine for google

[Gonoff]

I am less concerned about them doing it because there is no secret there. I can be selective about what I do witheir products, or at least aware of what they might have.

It is big corporations that worry me. Big as Google? Maybe, maybe not but who knows how much info banks have on me. If it is as secure as their business models, I am in deep s**t. I know what Google seems to want to do with my info. Pretty much the same as spammers, but G. seems to be better organised. They are probably better organised than Microsoft etc as well and I still believe/hope that they have more principles. At least Google started with the intention of "do no evil". I have not heard many other companies with that motto.

Re:just another trip to the data mine for google

[ScrewMaster]

Maybe, maybe not but who knows how much info banks have on me.

Google, Microsoft, Yahoo et. al. are the least of your worries. So-called data aggregators like Choicepoint, for example, are far more of an issue, privacy-wise, because they don't just profile you with the intent to sell advertising and offer advanced free services. Choicepoint collects everything it can about us, in order to sell that information directly to anyone that can pay for it. No need to worry about security breaches (although Choicepoint has had their share of those) bad guys can just buy your personal info on the open market. Supposedly they only sell data to "legitimate" companies, but they got scammed a few years ago: some ne'er-do-wells set up fake companies so that Choicepoint would sell to them. Not that it cost Choicepoint anything, hell, they made money off the sale.

Re:Almost, but not quite...

[clem]

Millions? Really?

Re:just another trip to the data mine for google

[mjwx]

I have been always wondering, why is the public (over)concerned about Google mining and their users' data, but not Yahoo, Skype, Microsoft et al?

Google are honest and open about what they are collecting. Microsft, Yahoo et al. pretend like they dont collect anything thus Google is doing wrong.

Re:To remove the annoying phone icon

[NemoinSpace]

Is it just me, or has GMail strayed pretty far from its original purpose

Not if you consider GMail's original purpose was to extend Google's marketing reach. People used to ask - Hasn't Google strayed pretty far from being a search engine?

pretty much as always, you try and expand market share any way you can, even if you are the 181.4 kg gorilla in the room.

Re:just another trip to the data mine for google

[RobertB-DC]

Perhaps because it shouldn't need to be said? Not doing evil is the most basic of human ethics, not something to be proud of.

Seriously? I would submit just the opposite: DOING evil is the most basic of human instincts. At least, when you define "evil" as "whatever gets me more money/power/sex". NOT doing evil means giving up something that you want, in the name of some "greater good" that, likely as not, won't get you laid. Most days, it's hard to find someone who is willing to even give up the ten feet needed so that I can get off the damned highway. That sort of "evil" is humanity's most enduring feature.

For a company to even suggest that "do no evil" is a corporate value is amazing. They may not always reach that standard... but heck, most actual people don't even try.

(Note: there are also theological implications here that I won't get into...)

Re:I don't get it -- what's in it for Google?

[Torontoman]

They make money by driving people into their product and disrupting other companies. It's awesome really how disruptive Google is to competitors. They're making a larger argument for getting rid of a landline and even in time a voice plan... hell... if wi-fi is available you don't even need a data plan just a tablet or laptop with wifi. Voila - free phone calls and you're even more in love with Google. It's a very disruptive scenario they've sprung on the telcos today. By increasing reliability and acquiring more behaviour from you - they know everything you do in another aspect of your life. It's easy with that info to target you with ads, or sell a connection with you to a company. **prediction** - this will interface with Google streetview some day. You'll be able to simply 'walk' down a street and click on a house or company to call. There goes all phone book / yellow pages cos. Businesses will be buying the virtual real estate on Streetview. GPS - Geolocation - you'll be able to simply ask your phone "Where is the closest (insert store here) and it'll dial that phone number for you.

Re:just another trip to the data mine for google

[shutdown -p now]

There is no such thing as a free lunch, but my personal information isn't priceless, either - and I'm willing to trade parts of it for useful and convenient services that Google provides. Why not?