Like lots of folks, I got the release information below on Tuesday. I saved it for Wednesday morning posting because...well, I"m just like that. Regular readers know I've already done a podcast chat with Craig Walker from GrandCentral. I know I could grab a bit of his time for an update briefing, but I'm already set to meet up with him next week at the O'Reilly conference, so I decided to jsut wait and chat then.

There are screenshots around of how this works, but it's just incredibly simple, and for me personally, this is a huge added plus to GrandCentral. I've know it was coming, but had it been here 2-3 weeks ago, I wouldn't have bothered renewing my SkypeIn phone number. And now, I'll never renew it again. GrandCentral points at the SkypeIn number as a way to get calls on my PC.

That changes and Skype declines yet another notch in relevance. Now my GrandCentral number can point at my Gizmo SIP number. That means it points to my PC. It also means it points to the Nokia N80i. A twofer. I've been watching for this one for a number of reasons.

Some of you may not recall, but I was more than just a tad skeptical when GrandCentral first announced. Color me sold. In fact, on my newest order of business cards, my GrandCentral number is the only phone number I provide. That's as much for the ease and convenience of people who call me as it is for my ease in managing what phones I get incoming calls on. In short, GrandCentral really adds value for me. It just took some patience on my part to get comfortable.

And, I think  it herald's yet another slip towards irrelevance for Skype. I know it relegates Skype to nothing but PC-to-PC calls in my office. And that means Skype doesn't autoload when the computer boots. Using Skype is now a conscious choice. That means it will be chosen and used less and less for me. Skype's on the path to be another telco, yet the numbers that I've seen indicate they're only a minor hit to the telecom industry. But more on Skype another post.

This one's to send kudos to Craig and the GrandCentral team for a great new integration. It is, what I term, click-converge. GrandCentral gave me the ability to converge Gizmo into my work day more effectively. I can tightly couple it to serve my business needs. That's a plus for users.

Fremont, Calif. Feb. 21, 2007 – GrandCentral
Communications, Inc. (www.grandcentral.com), a next-generation personal
communications company that empowers every existing phone with unique features
and control capabilities, today announced that its service is now interoperable
with Gizmo Project, SipPhone’s popular Voice over IP (VoIP) service that allows
users to make and receive free phone calls worldwide over the Internet on
personal computers as well as select Nokia mobile phones and Internet Tablets.


Starting today GrandCentral customers can now designate their free Gizmo
Project profile ID (which appears like a 747 area code number in their Gizmo
profile) as one of their destination numbers which will ring on their personal
computers or select next generation Nokia dual mode Nseries mobile phone or
Internet Tablet, whenever a call comes into their GrandCentral number. This new
GrandCentral feature also provides existing Gizmo users with the ability to
receive calls for free directly from the traditional telephone network (PSTN) on
their Gizmo enabled Nokia portable devices, Apple Macintosh and Windows PCs .


“Gizmo Project is the perfect complement to GrandCentral as it furthers
our mission to be the one phone number for life solution that people need,” said
Craig Walker, CEO of GrandCentral Communications. “GrandCentral directs the
inbound call to users’ free Gizmo Project client any time they have an Internet
connection. The call stays on-net the entire time and allows our customers to
receive calls anywhere in the world using their existing GrandCentral number,
for free.”

Owners of next generation Nokia dual mode N80-Internet Edition
mobile phone and the Internet Tablet 770, and Nseries 800 Internet Tablet which
access the Internet over Wi-Fi can also use versions of Gizmo Project on these
pocket sized, portable handheld devices to receive calls without incurring any
roaming charges or using any cellular minutes when connected to Wi-Fi networks.


Additionally by using GrandCentral the need for Gizmo users to purchase
a separate number for their Gizmo client is eliminated providing an annual
savings of roughly $35. “Now people just call your local GrandCentral number and
you can answer that call anywhere on the planet there is Internet access, for
free. You can’t beat that!” stated Walker. “GrandCentral tells our customers
who’s calling on every call and lets the user decide whether to take the call,
send it to voicemail or to ListenIn™ on the voicemail while it is being left.
This same functionality now exists through a customer’s Gizmo
client.”

About GrandCentral
GrandCentral
Communications is a next-generation personal communications company that gives
consumers unprecedented control over their phone calls by tying all existing
phones and voicemail boxes into one through the GrandCentral number.
GrandCentral has developed the most comprehensive feature set available in the
market today and works seamlessly across all existing telephone networks,
systems and devices. The company is privately held and based in Fremont, CA. For
more information on GrandCentral, or to sign up for a free account, go to
www.grandcentral.com. GrandCentral, the new way to use your phones™.


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