Is VoIP Google's Candy on the Gingerbread?
Over the past week, I have watched as Gmail updated its feature set faster than Google rolls out updates for Android. Suddenly my email is a phone, can manage several accounts, and I am debating the value of having a priority inbox.
Anyone familiar with Google Voice know it is a useful tool for managing phone numbers. On the desktop it has shown up inside Gmail, but using it on Android still eats up minutes. It only connects long enough to forward a call through a user's Google number.
Then there is the question of whether Google voice will become a solid Skype competitor, or even a Skype killer. Google has the capacity to do it, but at this point, it is only a theory. However, if you have an Android device on Verizon, a Skype app is available with an exclusive deal for their Droid branding, a distinction helping Verizon grow its customer base.
What is noticeable with all the changes taking place with Gmail is the lack of an update for the app riding on my Nexus One.
It might be because the newer features in Gmail are still being rolled out. Not everyone has yet been able to access them. Notably, Google App users are last on the list, and there will be no update to Android's native app until Google has implemented the changes for all accounts. Could be, but as the release for Gingerbread is just around the corner, there is certainly someone out there putting the next Android OS through its paces.
A Gmail app pushing VoIP on Gingerbread? It does not defy the imagination. It would bring the kind of hype Flash brought to Froyo, further define the difference between iOS and Android, and, as tablet devices have become big news, marketing Gingerbread with VoIP over the holidays would be a cakewalk.
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