Gmail is already many user's centralized communications portal - an always-open browser window. It offers access to our email, chat, contacts, calendar, documents, and soon it might add browser-based VoIP.According to CNET, Google has started testing Gmail-integrated VoIP, which would enable users to make phone calls directly from your browser.
Google already offers several voice offerings, including Google Voice, Google Talk, and the recently acquired SIP-based Gizmo5 softphone client. To be honest, Google Talk and Gizmo5 are sort of redundant. Google should consolidate the two clients. It'll be interesting to see if users embrace browser-based telephony or if they'll stick with tried-and-true softphone clients like Skype.
Thats great. I think the old giants like vonage etc. would not be happy with this news. My advice to the old players will be to follow the foot steps of some smar voip phone service providers. Think of excellence instead of sales because excellence always sells itself.
I think the impact will be far beyond the consumer VoIP players. What users will do with Google Voice/Google Talk and how it will be integrated into web pages, device apps, etc., will move Unified Communications technologies from what was enterprise-centric to something more pervasive. And free domestic calling (to actual phone numbers) is a differentiator in the near term. About Me - http://bit.ly/c4BJLX