Google dove headlong into the voice-over-Internet-protocol market this week with the launch of a new feature that will enable users to place calls to landline and wireless phones through its Gmail interface.
Google’s new service comes as a direct competitor to Skype, offering discounted international rates and free domestic calls as it rolls out in the United States this week. But it could also be a prelude to a more integrated social play built around Google accounts in the run-up to the much anticipated launch of a full-fledged social network. VoIP Planet takes a look.
Google has unveiled a new feature that will enable users to make phone calls from within their Gmail accounts using the Google Voice service.
The new service builds on Google’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) voice and video chat for Gmail, introduced in 2008, by using the Gmail interface to initiate calls to people’s mobile and wireline phones. Previously, both users had to be in front of their computers.