Google Voice to become Skype-killer tomorrow?

August 24, 2010: 10:24 PM ET

Google is opening its Voice service to work within a Gmail window according to reports.  An announcement tomorrow is too much of a coincidence.

We know two things that very well may change the way you communicate over phones forever:

One: Google is having a press event tomorrow morning to unveil something exciting.  We don't know what.

Two: Users of Gmail are starting to see some exciting little extras in their Gmail chat windows. Google Voice is now a web app.

Normally, you see something like this:

That will soon change.  CNET has posted what some select people are seeing in their Gmail account's chat windows:

Credit: CNET

In fact, the user account they profile even got a welcome screen, below:

Credit: CNET

Add that to a window we saw in June (below) and you have yourself a handy little Skype killer.  No wonder Skype is skipping over Android!

Skype killer?

Google (GOOG) bought former Skype VoIP and video over IP supplier Global IP Solutions earlier this year for $68 million and last year purchased VoIP provider Gizmo5, after a sale to Skype was sidelined.  They have the ability to do something very big in this space.

A built in window to call mobile numbers inside Gmail might just be one of Google's next big things.

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About This Author
Seth Weintraub
Seth Weintraub

Google went from searching the Web to worming its way into nearly every facet of business and government. Seth Weintraub unveils where the company is going, who it's competing with, who it's about to compete with and how market forces push the company to veer or adhere to its Don't Be Evil motto. For 15 years, Weintraub was a global IT director for a number of companies before becoming a blogger.

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