Written September 2009
by Cliff Feldwick
Those friendly guys at Google, who quietly wish to take over all aspects of computing, have to contend with a few people who are not quite fans – like Apple and Microsoft, for example.
After all, Google has Google Docs and Calendar, online versions of Office products that you can access from anywhere and share online. They offer Chrome, a browser in direct competition with Internet Explorer and Apple’s Safari. And there’s G-mail and maps and … well, you get the idea. And in most cases, they’re good products – and free.
What started this line of thinking was a story that Apple had not quite rejected a Google app for their iPhone – their lawyers would keep them from the trap of outright rejection. No, they are “still studying” it and “have questions” about some features. The app is Google Voice, a still-experimental but pretty neat application that you can line up for now (you have to ask Google to apply) that you can use to transfer and screen calls.
First you sign up for a Google phone number. It’s basically a bogus number – it doesn’t ring anywhere. Instead, you forward it to your home, work or cell phones. The neat thing is that calls from friends can be automatically forwarded to both home and cell phones, the client can go to work, etc. Even better, some numbers can go directly always to voicemail. Yes, no need to even look at caller ID to see who it is – if they’re on that list, they’re listening to “I can’t answer right now…”. And the voicemail is free, and offers a transcription option so you can have a paper copy (although it could be interesting to see the accuracy ).
Now, the number may not have a local area code – which assumes that most people have “free” long distance now. Of course it’s not free, but rolled into what you already pay – but that’s true with my cell phone and I’ll bet most people’s home phones now. And with the increasingly mobile population patterns, it’s not unusual for someone to keep their old cell number no matter where they move. So an odd area code is not a major concern.
Apple has some legitimate questions – the Voice app moves the user’s contacts to Google’s servers, something I never would allow personally, and replaces the iPhone phone icon with Googles, which prevents voicemails and text messages from being stored on the phone, moving them to Google servers again.
Hey, this is free
I don’t think these are Apple’s major arguments against Voice, however. Voice would use the 3G wireless internet on the phone to make calls, bypassing the AT&T voice network. Since you pay a flat fee monthly for 3G network access, it would make sense to use the app and never use up your phone minutes. You could even switch to a cheaper, lower minutes plan.
Apple and AT&T swear that they do not talk with each other about this and that’s not Apple’s reason for not-quite-rejecting the app. But once pressed, they do disclose that Apple cannot, because of their agreement with AT&T, “take affirmative action to enable an iPhone to use AT&T’s service to make VOIP calls without first obtaining AT&T’s consent”.
Interestingly enough, that means it would be OK to use it if you hook up your iPhone using a WiFi network, like the library’s or any coffee shop. Yes, you can do that – an often overlooked feature of the iPhone is its ability to hook up to AT&T using a WiFi connection, something useful when you signal is down to zip bars but you’re in a house or office with WiFi. But I digress.
Anyway, I see the logic in this. Basically, AT&T said it wanted to protect its investment and ensure that after being locked into a multi-year deal with Apple, it would not lose money via applications that let customers bypass AT&T's network to make calls. And that seems somewhat fair, even if it means no free calls. I’d still like to see the iPhone opened (legitimately) to using anyone’s network, as would most users, but we have some years before that happens, I bet.
Meanwhile, Skype awaits on the sidelines. AT&T said in its reply to the FCC complaint that started all this that it might reconsider the “lock out” of VOIP. Certainly Skype, with its base of existing customers, would be a major benefactor of an open connection.
And another thing
Maybe I should just stop thinking about things like this. One client where I go often has a great break room for their employees – sodas, snacks, fruit and a coffee setup with multiple pots that is probably used by a lot of small restaurants. On the decaf pot is printed “Freshly brewed Decaf coffee” in large orange letters. Now, how exactly does that pot know it’s freshly brewed? It could have been sitting there all weekend, baking to a black goo that needs only a lightening strike to produce life, and it will still proclaim “Freshly Brewed”! So is this designed to be a commercial when brought to refill your cup in a restaurant? Isn’t working for me.