Any company with "Free calls to ___ numbers" on their plans (My Faves, My Circle, Friends and Family, A-List) probably HATES Google Voice due to the way people can exploit it to get free calling.
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I was thinking the same thing. Myself, my wife, and my daughter all have Google voice accounts as of today. Just do not know how it will work with adding the numbers to A-List, but, that's the thought that I had.
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croodOct 6, 2009, 9:54 AM
Google Voice on a mobile phone is no different from any other call. It will still use minutes. It's not like a GV user gains extra minutes or is using unlimited Mobile-to-Mobile.
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raulrOct 6, 2009, 10:25 AM
Actually, they will in the case of unlimited calls to and from specific number, like myFaves, myCircle, etc.
You simply assign the GV number as one of your 'Faves' and any call using GV, either outbound by you initiating or inbound when people call your GV number, is free/unlimited minutes.
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Darn it. Don't give away secrets. Anyone who can't understand how to exploit GV does not need to know.
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croodOct 6, 2009, 12:09 PM
Except on Verizon you can't get that with the lower minute plans. You need to pay more for that.
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I did not read this as Verizon embracing Google Voice, but rather Verizon entering a partnership with Google for Android phones. The two companies may remain at odds on issues which they disagree upon, but VZW would be foolish to mess over money due to holding a grudge about GV or the 700mHz auction or whatever. This is business. A businessman's attitude should be: "Let's go make this money." Period.
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MennoOct 6, 2009, 10:22 AM
There are ways to figure out what numbers are GV numbers. All it would take is provisioning in their T&C that GV numbers are not included in Friends and Family. But even not considering that... to get Friends and Family, you need a higher rate plan so until use gets abusive (people using their phone 6000 min a month or something stupid like that) there is no reason they shouldn't allow GV.
I have GV on my Tour and I love it... I can finally talk to my family up in canada without being tied to a computer to use skype.
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The less people who know how to use GV to rip off the carriers with My Favs, My Circle, Friends and Family and A-List the less likely the carriers are going to waste time on this. Napster was awesome as long as it was underground. When it became mainstream THAT is when the record companies struck back.
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Verizon tends to be industry leaders when then know they're going to lose an argument. Take two examples: local number portability and open handsets. On the issue of LNP, all the carriers were fighting the issue saying they would lose customers. But when it became apparent that the carriers were going to lose that battle, VZW came out swinging, saying 'take your number to us.' Same with open handsets. Sprint lost a few lawsuits about using other handsets on their network and VZW put out a process for other devices to be used on their network (granted that hasn't been the boon to customer choice that we as subscribers wanted, but it at least staved off the lawyers).
Same with Google Voice. It looks like ATT and Apple are in a bit of hot wa...
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I don't see the problem with taking a negative and turning it into a positive. Sure. Denny saw the writing on the wall and rallied the troops saying: "This is an opportunity to grow our customer base." In the end, Verizon saved a few more dollars by ceasing to resist in '04. Same with the 700mHz open access. In the end as long as the playing field is level, then everyone is going to compete. Is Verizon the master of propaganda? Sure. Good business to me. What's the problem?
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