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Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Google Voice Arrives on iPhones with HTML5-Powered Webapp

iPhone/Palm Pre: Apple and/or AT&T don't want the Google Voice service to have its own iPhone app, and we think that stinks. Google is finally releasing the next best thing: a mobile site that basically replicates a dedicated Google Voice app.

The big advantage of Google's new Voice app (which is already showing up for Voice users at Lifehacker HQ) is the direct contact access. Rather than having to store secondary numbers or use the somewhat old-school-looking Voice mobile site to pull up your contacts, Google Voice's new webapp provides super-quick, as-you-type access to your Google Contacts. The interface is similar to what you see when you visit Voice in a full browser, with the same mobile look and feel as Gmail, Reader, and other products have recently received.

When you dial, it's not the familiar experience of having Google Voice call you, then call the other person—it's a direct dial to that person, probably using those same secondary numbers Google seems to have stockpiles of.

You'll want to make sure your phone's contacts are synced up with Google if you're keen on using Google's Voice app. It's a free service, and requires a Google Voice account (which we hear they're giving out more regularly).

Google Voice Arrives on iPhones with HTML5-Powered Webapp - Google Voice - Lifehacker