[COLUG] New Service: GrandCentral

[Scott Merrill]

On 2/20/08, Rob Funk <rfunk at funknet.net> wrote:
> Josh wrote:
> > 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.
>
> Sounds a lot like some VoIP providers (e.g. Gizmo, www.gizmoproject.com),
> but without the direct VoIP part.  :-)

You can connect a Gizmo SIP number to your Grand Central account.  I
set my sister up with just this arrangement.  She lives in Kiev,
Ukraine, but has occasion to make calls to the States.  Not everyone
can communicate with her via Skype, and while she can use Skype Out to
call landlines, the pairing of Grand Central with Gizmo allows her to
call landlines at no cost.  Similarly, she can provide folks in the
States with a 614 number for them to call to leave her voicemail.
It's proven to be a pretty handy arrangement for her.

> > Note that there are no 614 numbers available at this point.  There are,
> > however, 740 numbers.
>
> OK, that part is different; I think getting free/cheap VoIP with a
> relatively local area code is rare, though I'm sure Duane could correct
> me on that.  :-)

They must have run out of 614 numbers pretty quickly.  When I signed
up, there seemed to plenty of 614 numbers to select.

Grand Central serves a pretty specific need.  Most of the time, I want
folks to call me on a specific number: if I'm at home, call me at
home; if I'm out and about, call my mobile.  It's only a few people I
want to be able to reach me regardless of where I am, and to these
folks I provide my Grand Central number.
(I'm also starting to give out my GC number to folks who I
specifically DON'T want to be able to call me directly at home or on
my mobile.  :)