Google Voice Now Available to US

If you haven't heard already, Google Voice is now available for the general public in the United States.  You no longer need to be invited to use Google Voice service.

When you first register for the service, you are given the option to either create a new phone number or use your existing cell number.  There are differences between a Google-number and a non-Google-number. See http://www.google.com/support/voice/bin/answer.py?answer=164819 for the different features and available services.

One of the kewl features offered is transcription, once a voice mail has been saved, Google will transcribe the message to text and you can have that message automatically sent to you via SMS or e-mail.  There are features like International Calling (and rates) and Google automatically gives you $0.10 to your account to make such calls.  The rates start as low as $0.02 per minute.

Check out http://www.google.com/voice.