Google Now Wants Your Ears As Well As Eyes

If having trouble with Google's search or Gmail, good luck trying to get someone from Google on the phone to help.  But now Google wants to make it easier to reach out  and touch you with their newest scheme to take over the world: Google Voice.

The Mountain View-based Internet giant purchased company GrandCentral Communications, which provided enhanced voicemail and other phone services, in July of 2007.

The service is free but new users have not been allowed to sign up yet. There will be a waiting list in the coming weeks.

Google Voice provides features such a single number which can route calls to a number of other numbers. Additional features include transcription of voicemail, custom greetings, phone number blocking, text message archives and many others.

Other voice-related products include the Android operating system for mobile phones, an iPhone application which allows you to speak your Google search, and a free 411 system which the company uses to improve its voice-recognition technology.

How could Google make money on a free service like Grand Central? By charging for more features, certainly.

But advertising accounts for most of Google's revenue, and by using voice recognition and location data, the company could send highly-targetted (and highly annoying) audio ads through the service as well. 

Jackson West is worried about Google's reach and amibtion, just not enough to stop using their free services.