Ub News

Google Android and RIM BlackBerry phone owners will enjoy better call management with Google’s Voice service. Google have now announced that the Google Voice service is available via BlackBerry and Android smartphones. The new applications completely integrate with the handsets which then allow users to make calls and send SMS with a Google Voice number.

Enhancing the mobile experience of Google Voice in many ways, the Google app can be easily integrated with the phone’s native address book. This further simplifies the task of making calls or texting with the VoiceSo.

Vincent Paquet, senior product manager of Google Voice, told CNET that all Google Voice users who own Android or BlackBerry handsets would be able to user the service directly from their handsets today onwards. However, iPhone owners will have to wait for the iPhone version of Google Voice, which is being held for unknown reasons.

The app is available to Android phone users at the Android Market, but BlackBerry users must download it from m.google.com/voice. Google Voice is by invitation only still, but Google said it is sending out invitations daily to those who have registered.

The Google Voice app doesn’t integrate SMS into the default Android SMS application which is unfortunate considering the native app has a particularly clean interface. Like the native SMS application, the Google Voice app provides a threaded conversation view, but messages arrive with a fairly significant delay versus carrier-provided SMS. And like the Web application, Google Voice does not support MMS messaging.

This software does not appear to be headed for the iPhone yet, but Google says it is working on it with Apple. Third party iPhone apps like GV Mobile at least let you make calls out.