Earlier this week we broke the story about Google’s acquisition of Gizmo5. Today Google announced the deal on the Google Voice blog.
They aren’t saying much other than that the Gizmo5 team will join the Google Voice team, and that new Gizmo5 signups will be disabled.
One thing this gives Google – a much needed soft phone on the desktop for users to make calls through Google Voice. And integration with Google Talk is likely as well, which will let users of that service access the normal telephone system for inbound and outbound calls.
All in all this pits Google Voice nicely against Skype, which was also looking to buy the company. From the blog post:
Today we’re pleased to announce we’ve acquired Gizmo5, a company that provides Internet-based calling software for mobile phones and computers. While we don’t have any specific features to announce right now, Gizmo5’s engineers will be joining the Google Voice team to continue improving the Google Voice and Gizmo5 experience. Current Gizmo5 users will still be able to use the service, though we will be suspending new signups for the time being, and existing users will no longer be able to sign up for a call-in number.
We’ve acquired a number of small companies over the past five years, and the people and technology that have come to Google from other places have contributed in many ways, large and small, to all kinds of Google products. Since the GrandCentral team joined Google in 2007, they’ve done incredible things with Google’s technology and resources to launch and improve Google Voice.
We welcome the Gizmo5 team to Google and look forward to working together to bringing more useful features to Google Voice.
Was the price of $30 Million Correct?
What is Google up to now? 5000 lb Gorilla? 10,000 lbs?
As a user of both services, I’m expecting this to be awesome! Let’s hope we see faster results than after the GrandCentral acquisition.
That Droid is looking better!
LOL, Robert, #gillmorgang, you guys crack me up, thanks for the good show!
The Google Voice/Gizmo5 suite should work just great with the sweet, little, handy and slick Crunchpad. Can’t wait…
The launchpad for future Video phone. Now just bundle with preconfigured SIP router.
A little off-topic but what is that smiley face in the very bottom of the TC pages for?
That’s for stats.
I Keep Saying This.. Bet On Google Like U Bet On My Coffee (|_|
So Grandcentral was purchased by Google in July 2007 and it took Google to come up with Google Voice two years. So readers wait another two years for or may be more for Gizmo5 and Google to come up with something new, hahahahah
@arrington ain’t it too brief of a post.
I mean at least a few questions about Guava need be asked.
Or maybe the future of Gizmo5’s Opensky ( which by the way disappeared from the dashboard along with the already purchased credit! )
GUAVA is an open source product and we’ve always published the source code. Look for it by following the links at http://www.nosimcard.com
No credits have been removed for Gizmo5 users. Any service previously paid for should continue to work. If you find otherwise, please email me and I’ll investigate michael@michaelrobertson.com We want this transition to be as smooth as possible for all Gizmo5 users.
Mr. Robertson, congratulations on this deal, have been a user since Gizmo was born. I am excited to see what both companies working together can produce in this space.
Hi Michael,
I am using both services and love it! But as of today my GV forwarding to Gizmo5 doesn’t work any more?! Is this now disabled or could it be just a temporary glitch? Can’t wait to see Gizmo5 as a fully integrated Google product! Thanks! WOLF
It’s already integrated with Google Talk.
When I get a call on my Google Voice number, it’s routed through Gizmo5 to my Google Talk account where I can answer it on my PC.
No waiting needed.
I tried that once and it tried to charge me. Has this changed?
Nice to see this finally happen. Gizmo is already (somewhat) integrated with GV and (hopefully) doesn’t have all the Skype baggage.
And before you know it, someone will figure out how to install Android on the iPhone hardware.
Hi thanks pat your tip saved my day,i was trying to use gizmo5 to acept calls but with no luck .later i tried with g talk and it worked.
far more significant than a softphone is the support for hardware SIP devices. now the huge question is if this will lead to a service that allow free calls to be dialed from a SIP keypad on a hardware device. with the level of publicity this would receive being a google service i would expect companies like vonage and the cable voice services to be in huge trouble.
what so many people want is a free phoneline that as nearly as possible duplicates the way a POTS line is used.
Isn’t it against what google says :’google is not a phone company’
when will google talk desktop client have video chat? it is nice to have it in gmail but if google wants to truly compete with skype they need the complete product, google talk with voice + video + chat
I look forward to the not-too-distant future when my mobile phone plan has only a data plan and I get my voice/text service through Google/Vonage/Verizon VoIP, etc. I think voice prices are going to drop quickly in the next year or two and something like Google/Gizmo5 on the phone is going to be what drives it.
if these services really catch on an dare free than the operators will likely bundle free voice with the data plans in order to retain their lock in to the customer. most people would use the included free service over a third party for the simplicity.
go getta blackberry bold 9700 on tmo dude they have data only plans that you can even tether on then run your sipphone to your hearts content and btw michael why ya whackin my guava calls at 3 mins dude i’m on the street tyin ta sell this stuff for ya
That’s fine, and what I would expect (why I included the made-up “Verizon VoIP”). My point is that I see telephony moving away from POTS and toward VoIP on landlines and there’s no reason for that to not include mobile phones as well. It will just be great when your mobile service, phone service, and mobile phone are unbundled and you have the option of choosing whatever company for all three. That will lead not only to better services and products but also lower prices.
Bad move. It’s like buying Jaiku when you should have brought Twitter.
Bad move also because I’m going to have to quit Gizmo.
Actually now they dont have the google voice tab in gizmo account… any ideas ???? just main page, call forwarding and call history
Not sure this is new, but the Gizmo integration might be rolling out sooner than we think. If you go to the phone section on GV the drop down now lists Gizmo as one of the possible options.
http://www.andr...ion-coming.html
that geos back years to the GC days.
@Andrew Shults
GV lists Gizmo as option before and its not new..
And there’s been huge problem for Gizmo users, yesterday and today that they were not able to recieve any calls from GV to Gizmo as well as no other incoming bound calls are delivered. Also Gizmo rolled out an update to Gizmo Desktop client for Windows after which most of the icons get disabled and the Call feature is absolutely faded out.
I thought it might be a Google Voice problem but later try to ring a Gizmo sip number with other sip number but still its not ringing in Gizmo..
These problem has been posted by many no of users in both gizmo and Google voice forum but no response from either of them…
Gizmo stopped accepting incoming calls ???
why cant they innovative instead of buying up properties
Yet more competition for the telecom providers. Competition is good. Google has a great product with Google Voice (formerly Grand Central). By offering direct calling features, they’ve put together a package that will undoubtedly change the way we think about voice in the future.
Google Voice + Gizmo5 = “Skype on steroid”
“why cant they innovative instead of buying up properties” – John
Why reinvent the wheel when you can just buy it and make it better…
magicJack Users Can Now Connect To Google’s Gizmo5
Users of the magicJack can now place and receive calls using almost any phone provider in the world including Gizmo5 recently acquired by Google. To top it off, magicJack users now also have a means of connecting directly to office PBX systems using the industry standard SIP communications protocol.
To take advantage of these new “open network” calling possibilities, magicJack users simply need to install the new SIP dialer software plugin “XlitejackPlugin”. “XlitejackPlugin” allows magicJack and SIP calls to be placed concurrently from the same regular or cordless phone.
The SIP dialer software plugin supports the use of Counterpath Corporation’s X-Lite SIP softphone dialer. Almost every phone provider in the world provides setup instructions and support for using the X-Lite SIP softphone dialer with their networks.
To place SIP calls, just dial # before the number you want to call. Regular magicJack calls are placed as normal. For incoming calls, just answer the phone when it rings.
“XlitejackPlugin” can be downloaded at http://www.pcphonesoft.com
can any one help me , with gizmo5 after been taken over by gv i have a gv account but not able to acept any call in gizmo5 they only have three tabs