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Ed Hansberry
 

Google Voice Apps For Windows Mobile

Anyone with a cell phone can get a Google Voice number allowing you to pass that number out so people use it to call you on. It can be your phone number for life. The problem is, when you call someone with your phone, your actual number shows up on their caller ID. Now there are some solutions if your phone runs Windows Mobile.

Anyone with a cell phone can get a Google Voice number allowing you to pass that number out so people use it to call you on. It can be your phone number for life. The problem is, when you call someone with your phone, your actual number shows up on their caller ID. Now there are some solutions if your phone runs Windows Mobile.Google has written their own Google Voice apps for the Blackberry and iPhone, though the latter has been banned from the App Store. As of yet, Google hasn't done anything for Windows Mobile phones though. Leave it up to third party developers to pick up the slack.

WM Experts has written a review of two apps that will add more Google Voice features to your phone. The first is called GVDialer. Its primary purpose it to show your Google Voice number on the caller ID of whomever you are calling. When you call, you can set it to always use your GV number, only when you are dialing a domestic number, only when dialing an international number, or to prompt you every time you dial. You can also turn it off.


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The problem with this type of app is I would need it to read my mind. I rarely dial my phone manually using the numbers or even selecting contacts. I use voice commands through a Bluetooth headset and my phone never leaves my pocket. If you wanted GVDialer to use one of the settings that had no prompt, you'd be ok, otherwise, it could be inconvenient. It did interfer with the custom dialer that HTC has put on my WinMo HTC Touch Pro from Verizon. Functionally there was no problem but visually it seemed to commingle the HTC and Microsoft caller ID features.

The other app is iDialer. It is a dialer replacement. It should work fine if your phone has the default WinMo dialer. I chose not to try this on my phone though until I have done a bit more research online to see how it impacts custom dialers that some manufacturer use. While GVDialer works on all Windows Mobile devices, this one only works on those with touch screens.

WM Experts has more information as well as links to the downloads. If you have a WinMo phone and want to take advantage of some of Google Voice features, these apps are worth considering and you should at least check out the full review.


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