The root story appears to be at TechCrunch [techcrunch.com]

it's official

[googleblog.blogspot.com...]

We're pleased to announce that we have acquired GrandCentral Communications, a company that provides services for managing your voice communications. GrandCentral is an innovative service that lets users integrate all of their existing phone numbers and voice mailboxes into one account, which can be accessed from the web. We think GrandCentral's technology fits well into Google's efforts to provide services that enhance the collaborative exchange of information between our users.

Google Inc. has acquired GrandCentral Communications, a start-up that lets users manage their existing phones and voice mailboxes over the Web as if they were a single account, the company said on Monday.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Grand Central of Fremont, California is one of dozens of innovative companies that are taking advantage of Web-based software to allow consumers and businesses to make voice calls over the Internet while also working with regular phones.

Google acquires Web-calling service GrandCentral [uk.reuters.com]

That's it - confirmation right there that Google are planning a mobile phone play.

We think GrandCentral's technology fits well into Google's efforts to provide services that enhance the collaborative exchange of information between our users.

Yeah yeah yeah, smoke and mirrors ;)

This one is all about locality and mobility.

I have had a grandcentral number for a few months and think its one of the best ideas I've seen in a while.

I hope Google doesn't screw it up...

Plenty of bloggers are calling it Web 2.0 stuff but I don't see anything new in the concept except the smart PR strategy. Anyone in the USA can pay a couple of bucks per month and get a number from providers like Kall8 and set it to ring to any number of phones, get the voicemail and so on. These kind of services have been around for some 8-10 years now.

Looks like Google is trying to give ebay one back by targeting Skype after the last month's hostilities. It is nothing more than that. We will see Skype-out type functionality in google talk soon but then both Yahoo and skype have had it for a long time now. What is earth shattering here? The Voice mail system?

[edited by: iThink at 3:33 pm (utc) on July 3, 2007]

Google wants to dominate this market as well. They possibly realised that grand central would do it well and be tough to compete with later on. The market hasn't been dominated yet. This way google gets some pr, gains some credibility but more importantly they knock a competitor out of the water on the cheap early on.

Not a horrible business decision if google is serious about contending. Grand central is a catchy name too.

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System: The following message was spliced on to this thread from: http://www.webmasterworld.com/goog/3617193.htm [webmasterworld.com] by engine - 3:53 pm on April 2, 2008 (utc +1)

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[googleblog.blogspot.com ]

Google has acquired GrandCentral. A good acquisition IMHO.