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Google Voice Converts Your Thoughts to Text

This video tutorial shows how to use Google Voice to convert your speech to text that can be used in other applications. Use the feature that converts voicemail audio to text.

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Make Free Phone Calls from Gmail

OVERVIEW: You will learn how to make free phone calls from gmail using Google voice. Answer calls from Gmail, Transfer calls to and from Gmail.

Placing a Phone Call from Gmail

Google recently added the ability to make free phone calls to Gmail for uses with a Google Voice account. There is a Call Phone link under the Google Chat list next to your Inbox. Making phone calls directly from your Inbox is pretty cool, but let’s take a look at some other useful things you can do including:

• Making Free Calls from your Inbox
• Answering Phone Calls from your Inbox
• Transferring calls from your Cell Phone to your Computer
• Transferring calls from your Computer to your Cell Phone

Log into your Gmail account.

Click the Call Phone link in the panel on the right side of the page.

The Google Voice menu will appear in the bottom right corner of the screen.

Click in the Search field and start typing a person or business name. (This only works if they are one of your Contacts. Otherwise, just use the standard keypad to dial a phone number.)

Your contacts get filtered down to match what you type.

Select the number from your contact and click the Call button.

The call will begin.

Click the End button to end the call.

See it in Action in the Video Tutorial

Here is a step-by-step video showing how to make free calls from Gmail.

Answering Google Voice Calls from Gmail

You can set up Google Voice to ring in your Gmail Mailbox when people call your number.

Log into Google Voice and click the Settings link at the top of the page.

The Phones tab lists all of the phones that you have connected to your Google Voice phone number.

Select the check box next to Google chat to allow your Gmail Mailbox to ring when someone dials your Google Voice number.

Now, the next time you are logged into Gmail and someone calls your Google Voice number, you can answer it right on your computer.

See it in Action in the Video Tutorial

Here is a step-by-step video showing how to answer Google Voice calls inside of Gmail.

Transfer Calls To and From Gmail

Once you enable Google Chat as one of your phones, you can send transfer incoming calls to and from any of your other enabled phones, including your Gmail Mailbox.

Transfer a Call from Cell Phone to Google Voice

Suppose you answer a call to your Google Voice number in the car on your cell phone. When you walk into your house or office, you can easily transfer it to your Gmail Mailbox on your computer. This will save your mobile minutes and allow you to talk at your desk.

Any time after you answer a call, just press the Asterisk (*) key on your phone’s keypad.

Then, all of the other phones enabled on your account will start ringing. If you are logged into Gmail, you can just click the Answer button.

Then, just hang up your mobile phone and continue the call on your computer.

See it in Action in the Video Tutorial

Here is a step-by-step video showing how to transfer calls from Gmail to another phone.

Transfer a Call from Google Voice to Cell Phone

If you answer a call to from your Gmail Mailbox, you can transfer it to your mobile phone just as easily.

After you answer a call in your Gmail Mailbox, just click the Asterisk (*) key on your Google Voice menu.

Then, the other phones that are connected to your Google Voice number will ring.

Answer your mobile phone and end the call in your Gmail window.

Now, you can continue the call on your cell phone.

You can use these tricks to maximize the effectiveness of pairing Google Voice with your Gmail account.

See it in Action in the Video Tutorial

Here is a step-by-step video showing how to transfer calls to Gmail from another phone.

What Cool Tricks do You Have?

I would love to hear any cool tricks that you use with Google Voice and Gmail. I will try to feature any good ones in a future article.

Thanks,

Chris

Contest – Google Voice Invite Giveaway

One Number to Rule them All

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock lately, you must have heard about Google Voice. Google Voice (formerly GrandCentral) is a cool new phone service that gives you the power of a sophisticated corporate phone service for free. Here are some of the great things that you can do with a Google Voice account:

• Google voicemail: voicemail like email
• Voicemail transcription: read what your voicemail says
• Custom greetings: vary voicemail greetings by caller
• International calling: low cost calls to the world
• Notifications: read voicemail messages via email or SMS
• Share voicemails: forward, embed, or download voicemails

Those features are available if you want to keep your existing cellphone number. Take a look at some of them in action.

If you don’t mind using a new number supplied by Google, you can also get these awesome features:

• One number: a single phone number that rings all your phones
• Free SMS: send, receive & store text messages online
• Block calls: send unwanted callers straight to voicemail
• Record calls: record phone calls and store them online
• Conference calls: join several people into a single call
• Screen callers: hear who is calling before you pick up

See what you can do with these features:

Google Voice Giveaway Rules

I have been using Google Voice since it was Grand Central and I love all of the cool things that you can do with it. I have some invites to give away to three lucky VitaminCM.com readers.

Let’s keep it real simple: Leave a comment below about what you would use Google Voice to do. (Be creative.) On Friday, November 13th I will pick three completely random commenters and make Friday the 13th their lucky day.

Good Luck!

P.S. I’m working on getting a few Google Wave invites. I’ll do the same when the come in.