Google experimenting merging Google Voice and GMail?

Users of Google Chat have recently seen new contact entries with green cell phone icons in their available-to-chat window. To date, Google has made no announcement about these and has yet to address the questions. These icons appear to be quick SMS links that allow chatters to send SMS to users mobile phones. They started appearing on or about June 16, 2009.

There was speculation that these icons had to do with the fever pitch of Google Voice accounts, but my contacts have mobile phone icons without having a Google Voice account. By switching off SMS capabilities in Google Labs, the icons disappear.

So what’s the big deal?

Annoyingly, these SMS entries are numerous and repeats of other contacts on my chat list. It looks to me like Google is looking into presence for users by allowing them to select what is the best way to contact them, much like VoIP offers.

It is unclear if the green mobile indicates the phones are in use or checking GMail. There does not seem to be a red mobile phone icon either.

Users seem mystified by the inconsistencies of these icons. One user wrote in on GMail help forums:

To cloud the subject a bit further, I have used Google Voice to send SMS messages to 2 people so far and only one of them appear in my Google Chat list with the green phone icon.

So what is it? We’ll have to wait for Google’s official explanation.

Read [GMail help forum]