Google Fiber Phone A Modern Way To Make Landline Calls

Google Fiber Phone to offer landline calls.

Alphabet Inc. has made an announcement regarding its Fiber Phone service which will enable all the Fiber users to get access to landline phones on a monthly basis for $10. The recent service is not like the conventional services offered by the company. It makes use of VoIP to make calls putting an end to phone lines.

The monthly plan by Google encompasses unlimited nationwide and local calls whereas all the call made internationally will be charged on the same pricing structure of Google Voice. To regulate the transition, the search engine giant will enable the users to make use of their present phone number. In case they need, a number can also be allotted. Conventional bundles are also present in the service such as 911, caller ID and call waiting. In comparison with the conventional voice mail service, the company is offering an upgraded feature where voice messages transcribed by Fiber Phone which can be sent via text or email.

John Shriver Blake, the Product Manager at Google Fiber stated, “Fiber Phone can help you make the most of your home phone — even when you’re not at home. Adding Fiber Phone means getting access on the road, in the office, or wherever you are.” He talked about how the phone numbers are present in the cloud service that is permitted to be used on a tablet, smartphone or laptop. One of the core benefits of the service is that it can redirect the call made on the smartphone in case the consumer is not home.

At this point of time, the Fiber Phone is only limited to a few cities which already have the fiber optic plan. As a consequence, not all cities in the United States can access this service. This on the other hand is good news since the service is likely to have some glitches and kinks in the primary stages. It will be quite interesting to judge how the service will function on a larger canvas.

At this point of time, the phone service was Google seems to be a relatively backward initiative. Telecommunication companies are now coming up with phone packages that will only charge consumers for the data consumed. Since carriers now know that the Internet is being used by the masses to make calls. Considering this, it is an odd move by GOOG to saturate their focus on landlines that are considered as an obsolete form of communication. However, they do put Google Fiber in a better place which is priced at $70. If the television service is added then the price will hike to $120 and with Fiber Phone it sums up to $130 for all the services.

The Fiber Phone service has striking resemblance with Google Voice which is offered by the subsidiary of Alphabet- it seems to be an attractive offer. In case the Internet is down, the landlines function making it an advantage. 

Google Might Just Sabotage Roku

Google is all set to compete with Roku in the smart TV fraternity.

Alphabet Inc. has been successful in signing a deal with television manufacturer Vizio. This will assist them in putting the functionality of its streaming dongle, known as Chromecast, directly into the television sets.

This news which has surfaced now might be appealing for all those who love Google but it is not that pleasing for Roku- a streaming box service. This company’s future solely depends on taking the position of the “TV operating system’ which will connect the television sets via streaming content provided by companies such as Google, Netflix and Amazon.

The company can render its services in the form of a streaming box but other than that, it actually means that Roku technology will feature in a smart TV itself.

Roku has collaborated with various television manufacturers such as TCL: the Chinese electronic giant and Haier. Other than that, the company also offers a blueprint which enables the companies to embed Roku’s technology into their smart televisions. This is done when Roku gets licensing fees for its service.

This venture known as Roku TV has been successful in capturing 8% of the smart TV market in the United States in just a matter of two years. The company has also been successful in bringing one million Roku smart TVs in the houses of people- this figure was calculated in January. According to the company, they are geared up to launch almost 60 Roku TVs in the fiscal year of 2016.

Sadly, the search engine giant has the potential to sabotage Roku. The company has similar plans when it comes to Chromecast. GOOG is not going to stop after Vizio and its speculated that the tech giant is in talks with other TV manufacturers for the same reason.

The question here arises, how the entry of Google is actually bad for Roku?

Google undoubtedly has a lot of cash reserves, thus it does not solely rely on Chromecast to churn in money for sustenance in the industry. A TV powered by Chromecast has a bunch of advantages to Google other than the licensing fee. This includes assisting the company in facilitating content distributing and bolstering its browser called Google Chrome.

If the tech giant says no to the big TV manufacturers that are irresistible to refuse then it will have to face problems while competing.

An initiative of this nature can also encourage other rivals to participate. For instance, Amzon.com Inc. might also be interested in coming up with a service of this nature and soon male the platform crowded.

Roku itself was anticipating the entry of Google in the market. Anthony Woods, the Chief Executive Officer at Roku gave a suggestion to Google to work on settling its market and establish an amazing TV operating system resulting in only a fewer players as competitors.