The Glade 4.0

...back on topic.




I disagree.

I instinctively close windows I'm not currently using. I'd rather have an icon in my system tray to notify me when I have a new sms message or voicemail instead of having to keep my chrome browser open. I'd still be "on the Internet", it just wouldn't be through the browser.

If Google released a Google Voice app for Windows and other desktop OS, it wouldn't compete with their web service, it would enhance it and compliment it. All of the same features in Google Voice would be available in the Google Voice app, it just would be accessed through a different app than your browser, and I'd be able to reduce it to my system tray. This has many advantages, and I don't see how it would "compete" or turn people away from the Google Voice service.



Alternatively, is there a browser out there that wont create new taskbar icons, but will instead stay in the system tray, even when I have the window open? I'd like to keep Google Voice open so I can receive text messages without having to have a browser window open 24/7.

_________________
Ron Paul 2012

There's not much reason from a technical standpoint that Google Voice should be a desktop application, it's as simple as that. If you want something similar, use Chrome and make the website an application shortcut. Wrench > Tools > Create application shortcut. You can do it with any website, and it opens without any tabs, or navigation, just a title bar and a border like any other program.

I just explained the reason.

From a technical standpoint, a desktop version of Google Voice would offer increased functionality / accessibility and flexibility for the user.

Features such as:

--startup on Windows startup
--system tray icon notification
--always open, even when you close the window
--ability to receive text/calls immediately with audio and visual notification, 24/7 even when you're not browsing the web

...would make Google Voice more accessible, functional, and user friendly, from a technical any standpoint.



I tried the application shortcut feature, and it actually offers decreased functionality from just using plain old Chrome. It doesn't solve the problem of needing to keep a window open, and I also lose the functionality of the google voice notifier addon for google chrome.

_________________
Ron Paul 2012

When Google Voice is on the desktop then you aren't directly connected to the other web services, and including your account information, contacts, etc. It's too scattered.

That would probably depend on how the application was programmed...

Since the app apparently doesn't exist, the fact that you assume that it would not offer that functionality is completely absurd. Everyone is now dumber for having read your post. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

_________________
Ron Paul 2012

Just keep a browser window open... or install the app on your smartphone.

Problem solved.

_________________

Holy shitsnacks!

Not really...

As I stated before, I don't want to keep a window open.



...and installing the app on my smartphone would be an excellent solution, except it would cost me about $80 more a month. Also, there's the fact that the reason I use Google Voice at all is because I prefer it to a so called "smart" phone. Also, If I had a smart phone, I wouldn't need or even care about Google Voice, which would make putting Google Voice on my smartphone entirely pointless.

_________________
Ron Paul 2012

Barring the systray icon, you can do all of this with Chrome and the webapp.

_________________

Why not? I pretty much always have a browser window open, even when I'm doing other things.

And free text messages are very pointful.

_________________

Holy shitsnacks!

The fact that you want a sys tray icon is not a compelling reason for Google to make a desktop application. Deal with the browser window or stop using the service. Those are your options.

System tray icons are built on archaic Windows API code and it is not something Google would want to develop moving forward, especially since Windows is moving towards HTML5/Javascript.

'cause if I had a smartphone, my text messages would be free/unlimited with the plan

...but, f*ck cellphone carriers. Sprint / Verizon / AT&T have a monopoly and they offer terrible service and their customer service is atrocious (Sprint especially). I'm not going back to any of those guys, ever.




Lenas: thanks for the non-help. The last thing I need is for someone to suggest a totally obvious yet inferior solution that can be found with 2 seconds of searching on Google. I wouldn't have made the thread if the solution was plainly easy to find (which it clearly is not). Since you knew that what I asked for doesn't exist, a simple "no" would've sufficed. I really don't need people to tell me what I already know in their smartass tone, especially when the thread's purpose is clearly stated and especially when the reasons I don't want an alternative are also stated and completely ignored. Hooked on f*cking phonics, man.

_________________
Ron Paul 2012

Google Voice can be set to continue running in the background even after you close Chrome. The only thing you can't get it a stupid systray icon.

_________________

You can't fairly call them atrocious when there has never been anything better in the history of mankind.

Sprint's customer service is terrible, especially their phone support, especially when they screw up your billing or need to change plans. The phone I had was over $500 MSRP and the top of the line model at the time, and I had a multitude of problems with certain features not being available (picture message, certain apps not supported when they should be, phone randomly rebooting and resetting everything to default just to name a few of the frustrations I had with that God forsaken company.)




I will play around with the app shortcut then---If no system tray icon is there some other way to notify when I receive a new SMS message? Don't say e-mail notification, either, that won't work for my purposes! Currently I'm using the extension/addon for a sound notification, and that's why I have to keep the window open.

_________________
Ron Paul 2012

You could make a new secondary email and link it to a desktop email notifier. Then whenever you get a text have Gmail forward the message to the second email address, so it triggers the notifier.

I would do this, but I already have an important email address triggering the desktop notifier, and if I add google voice texts to it, it would only interfere.


Maybe if there was a way to have a different sound for each e-mail address....then, it would work.

_________________
Ron Paul 2012

You could get a notifier for Yahoo or Hotmail and set it not to beep, and forward the messages to that. It's a bit hackish but I think it would get the job done.

This could work, I might try that.


I did try the gmail notifier before I found the chrome / google voice extention setup---but that program was a piece of crap, so I got rid of it. Maybe the yahoo / hotmail notifiers are different.

_________________
Ron Paul 2012