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November 12, 2009 4:49 PM PST

Google buys Gizmo5 for Google Voice

by Tom Krazit
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Google has a new VOIP client to help improve Google Voice.

(Credit: Gizmo5)

Google confirmed its intention to acquire Gizmo5, an Internet telephony company, with plans to merge the group into the Google Voice team.

The pending acquisition had been reported earlier in the week by Techcrunch but was overshadowed by the announcement of Google's third-largest acquisition to date--the $750 million AdMob deal--on the same day. Late Thursday Google confirmed that it had acquired the company, although financial terms of this deal were not disclosed.

Gizmo5 is a Web-based VoIP client that lets you make phone calls over the Internet, similar to programs like Skype. It's based, however, on an open standard called SIP that fits a little better into Google's worldview, rather than Skype's internally-developed system.

Gizmo5 works on both PCs and mobile phones, and the technology will likely be used in some way to enhance Google Voice. Google Voice isn't a VoIP client; it lets you use a single number to ring multiple phones and get voice mails transcribed into e-mail, but it does that over existing phone networks.

As Google figures out exactly what it wants to do with Gizmo5, it is suspending new sign-ups for the service, but current users will still be able use it.

Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Internet search, including Google, Yahoo, online advertising, and portals, as well as the evolution of mobile computing. He has written about traditional PC companies, chip manufacturers, and mobile computers, spending the last three years covering Apple. E-mail Tom.
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Add a Comment (Log in or register) (19 Comments)
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by rtripathi November 12, 2009 5:03 PM PST
The new uncommon carrier!
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by cjayasuriya November 12, 2009 5:10 PM PST
cool. When are they going to come up with a google voice app for WM phones?
Reply to this comment
by macman87asdf November 12, 2009 6:03 PM PST
who uses WM?
by eltoro2827 November 12, 2009 8:07 PM PST
Tons of people do.
by faceless128 November 12, 2009 8:48 PM PST
they don't have to. WM5 isn't a closed platform, and there are SEVERAL third party GV Apps. iDialer, GVDialer and OneDialer to name a few.
by Police_States_of_America November 12, 2009 5:25 PM PST
YES YES YES! goes nicely with my new droid :D
Reply to this comment
by nycnikato November 16, 2009 7:58 PM PST
CNR did not die, It was sold to Xandros and is still in use as part of Presto, the OS fron Xandros, Mp3.com is not dead, and digital lockers are not uncommon ore illegal , mp3tunes.com is working just fine.
by belal12 November 12, 2009 5:29 PM PST
I hope they IMPROVE Gizmo5. Their lag/echo is terrible and almost unusable at times. If these issues went away and the client was more stable, then I wouldn't mind shelling some money for good premium services that I pay to skype now (skypeIN and skypeOUT).
Reply to this comment
by SteveW928 November 12, 2009 9:43 PM PST
I'd do some testing with your ISP. I also used to have problems (to the point I almost gave up) until I moved. On a different ISP, it has worked great most of the time. The problems were on Comcast in the S.F. Bay area. I submitted trace-routes to their techs which showed obvious problems, but they never would admit or correct them.
Why your Skype seems to be working is harder to say. If the ISP is messing with SIP packets, that might explain it. Also, different codecs are being used and the routing works differently with Skype. But, just wanted to let you know that I'm currently using Gizmo5 (have been for like 3+ years) and it usually works just fine (once in a while calls don't connect, or voice-mail doesn't pick a call up.... and VERY seldom, lag/echo type issues).
by sharmajunior November 12, 2009 5:37 PM PST
I had it coming. I was using google voice with Gizmo and x dialer and now they own it...LOL
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by subslug November 12, 2009 8:33 PM PST
So Michael Robertson finally found something to make some cash off of. MR always used the trot line method, bait several hooks and just wait until something bites. He just never used the right bait I guess. Linspire was failed, CNR was failed, MP3Tunes....failed, getting sued by Microsoft ...well there was that.
I'd love to know the details of this deal.
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by websterphreaky November 12, 2009 8:53 PM PST
Will Google Voice ala Gizmo5 SPAM us to death now too!!!??

Gizmo sucks - SPAM, Echo, Lag TIme, SPAM, Phone numbers only from BumFu@k middle America, oh and did I say they constantly SPAM YOU!!??
Reply to this comment
by cvaldes1831 November 12, 2009 9:18 PM PST
I've been using both Google Voice (former GrandCentral) and Gizmo for a couple of years and neither one has ever spammed me.

I've never tried to acquire a Gizmo dial-in number; my current Google Voice number is one issued by GrandCentral. It's a local prefix and it has always rung my Gizmo number.

As far as I can tell, there is zero spam with my Google Voice/Gizmo setup.
by SteveW928 November 12, 2009 9:36 PM PST
@ websterphreaky -
While I won't say my experience with Gizmo5 has been trouble free.... It also has been nothing like what you are stating. Once in a while connections fail or a call fails to get picked up by voice-mail (maybe once per week to once per month). Outside of that, I've been pretty happy with the service. If you're having lag problems, it is probably your ISP, not Gizmo5. When I lived in the S.F. Bay area, I had Comcast, and was constantly fighting with them to try and get it working correctly (I submitted several trace-routes to Comcast techs, which had obvious issues, which they, of course, denied.). After having moved to the Vancouver B.C. area, my suspicions were confirmed as my problems magically went away.
by sci062999 November 13, 2009 6:22 AM PST
Fabulous! Me and my family are using SIP devices for free calls using Gizmo5 precedent -- sipphone.com. We are still using their SIP server for registration. Now Google will take over. Sweet!
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by khoivu4477 November 13, 2009 8:42 AM PST
Cool... I have used Gizmo for the last 5 years. The voice quality is excellent. I also configured a hardware ATA to connect to its gateway so I do not need to use PC to make call. The quality is equal to Vonage or Lingo. Now, google is taking it over, I expects that is huge impact to commercial VOIP provider like Lingo. Way to go Gizmo. Good job..

Now, Google voice number can be configured to forward to Gizmo5 ATA.. that is very cool.
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by cvaldes1831 November 13, 2009 8:55 AM PST
"Gizmo5 is a Web-based VoIP client"

This is incorrect. While the service can be accessed via the Web, there are standalone Gizmo clients for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Also, many SIP clients can work with the Gizmo service. I have Acrobits Softphone on my iPod touch and it works fine with Gizmo; it even features push notifications so you can pick up incoming calls.
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by stealdude November 16, 2009 10:26 AM PST
If anyone is interested on how to integrate google voice+gizmo5+ATA. Then try the tutorial on www.exoticpages.info. I am sure it will be useful.
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by mil_vet November 19, 2009 10:55 AM PST
If anyone has any google voice invites, I would like to try it out. Thanks mi.vet05@gmail.com
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Relevant Results focuses on the big Internet companies of our time, tracking the evolution of search, communication, and business on the Web. Tom Krazit examines how a shift to mobile computing and the growing demand for online content affect our understanding of how to deliver information in the 21st century, in between bemoaning the state of the New York Mets and searching for the perfect IPA.

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