Sure, we all knew about the Google acquisition of VoIP provider Gizmo5, and we were able to speculate about things that would happen. But now, courtesy of the Google Voice Blog we are getting a look at the first moves.
And in typically Google fashion, they have both officially welcomed Gizmo5 and also shut it down for new users. Anyone visiting the main Gizmo5 web page are forwarded to a new www.google.com/gizmo5 landing page and are greeted with a simple message;
“Gizmo5 Has Been Acquired by Google”
Of course it is also there that any potential new users are made aware that they cannot sign up.
That said, existing users can still sign in and use their accounts. And although I have not used Gizmo in as long as I can remember I am glad I had signed up in the past. Maybe this way I will be able to get a look at the future Google Voice integration a little sooner than some. I should point out though, that existing users will be limited in one aspect, they cannot sign up for a new call-in number.
Additionally, it was also noted that “Gizmo5′s engineers will be joining the Google Voice team to continue improving the Google Voice and Gizmo5 experience.” Unfortunately, they are not announcing any specific features of the merge just yet, but they do close the post with a simple but hopeful hint.
“We welcome the Gizmo5 team to Google and look forward to working together to bringing more useful features to Google Voice.”
Read [Google Voice Blog]
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