[COLUG] New Service: GrandCentral

[Josh]

Howdy All,

Google has a new service, presumably which runs on Linux, called 
GrandCentral.  This is actually a company they bought, and looks to be in 
perpetual beta.  It works like GMail used to work, where you need to get 
invites from others, etc... though you can request invites from the front 
page.

GrandCentral is to phones, what GMail is to email, almost.  GrandCentral 
gives you one phone number and allows you to forward all your calls to 
your home, cell, work phones depending on time; to record multiple 
voicemail announcements and play them for different inbound callers; to 
call people in your address book via the web; and to record phone calls 
that go through their system.  They also have a visual voicemail like the 
iPhone, but we'll see how long it is before the visual voicemail patent 
troll strikes them.

So far it's free, but in perpetual beta as they "have no concrete business 
plans" for it.

http://www.grandcentral.com

Note that there are no 614 numbers available at this point.  There are, 
however, 740 numbers.  (740 is north of Columbus - Centerburg, Mount 
Vernon, etc.)

Also, being Google, I wouldn't discuss over this service any plans for 
world domination, taking over cheezburger factories, etc. that you 
wouldn't want others in corporate america or government to hear.

Cheers,
-J