Google is just beginning “Google Voice” which, as Mashable puts it, is like “Gmail for Voicemail.” It allows users to make phone calls (free in the U.S.), leave voice messages and also generate an automatic written transcript of the message.
Since the service isn’t public yet, it’s unclear how accessible how it will be for English Language Learners to use, but the speaking, listening and reading advantages are obvious.
Check out the Mashable post (and also one at TechCrunch). You can request an invitation from Google to use the service here.
The main problem with Google Voice is how to get all your friends and business contacts to start using your google number instead of your normal one!
I think Avakit can solve this though!! It helped me a lot when I changed jobs… otherwise it would have been a nightmare to sit and think of every person in the world who I need to send my new contacts to! Now I just need to add my google number… Highly recommend it