Google, the new AT&T?
p2pnet news view Advertising | P2P:- “Google is set to become your new phone company, perhaps reducing your phone bill to zilch in the process,” enthuses Ryan Singel in Wired.
All other considerations aside, there’s no such thing as ‘zilch’ where giant adco Gargle is concerned. The price tag may be well and truly buried under endless happy PR verbiage, but it’ll be there somewhere.
Bank on it.
“Google has reportedly spent $30 million to buy Gizmo5, an online phone company” that’s akin to Skype, “but based on open protocols and with a lot fewer users,” says the story, going on, “Gizmo5’s founder Michael Robertson, a brash serial entrepreneur, would only say that he could not comment on rumors when asked by Wired.com about a story TechCrunch ran Monday reporting the acquisition.”
“It’s a potent recipe,” th story says, continuing, “take Gizmo5’s open standards-based online calling system. Add to it the new ability to route calls on Google’s massive network of cheap fiber. Toss in Google Voice’s free phone number, which will ring your mobile phone, your home phone and your Gizmo5 client on your laptop.
“Meanwhile you can use Gizmo5 to make ultracheap outgoing calls to domestic and international phone numbers, and free calls to Skype, Google Talk, Yahoo and AIM users. You could make and receive calls that bypass the per-minute billing on your smartphone.
“Then layer on deluxe phone services like free SMS, voicemail transcription, customized call routing, free conference calls and voicemails sent as recordings to your e-mail account, and you have a phone service that competes with Skype, landlines and the internet telephone offerings from Vonage and cable companies.”
Sounds too good to be true, don’t it?
Well, you know what they say …
Manwhile, “Google also gets Michael Robertson, a troublemaker with technical chops,” says Wired, adding:
“Robertson made millions from MP3.com in the dot-com boom, despite drawing lawsuits from major record labels for creating innovative services. He was later sued by Microsoft for his startup Lindows, which made Linux installations for cheap PCs. And his current music venture, MP3tunes.com, is being sued by EMI.”
Google, the only one to completely fail in a six-month investigation into privacy practices employed by key net-based companies, handling your personal and private phone calls?
Time to move to a galaxy far away …
Wired – Google Poised to Become Your Phone Company, November 11, 2009
completely fail – Google flunks major privacy study, June 11, 2007
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