January 26, 2010, 9:16 AM — Google rolled out a new version of Google Voice for iPhone, but one that bypasses Apple's iTunes app store and functions direction from the iPhone's browser.
Google's new Voice Web app enables iPhone users to dial phone numbers and make calls via an on-screen, in-browser keypad. It also allows the checking of voice-mail in the browser. When calls are made via the app, people who receive the calls see the call coming from the Google Voice phone number, not the iPhone's. It accesses and can make calls from the Google online Contacts app, but not from the iPhone's Contacts app.
Although it's a Web app, it looks and feels like a regular iPhone app, for the most part. When you press the Safari browser's "plus sign," and choose "Add to Home Screen," it places a nice icon there, rather than a miniature version of the Web page, as most Web links do.
Existing Google Voice users can access the new app by going to google.com/mobile/voice/ on their iPhones' Safari browsers.
A previous "regular" iPhone app released by Google last summer was rejected by Apple, triggering an FCC request for information.
The Web app also works with Palm OS devices.
