Google gives Voice to mobiles

Google has expanded the reach of its Voice telephony service.

The company said on Wednesday that the Google Voice beta would be offered to users running both the Blackberry and Android operating systems. The addition will allow users to place outgoing calls on the handsets from their Google Voice numbers.

The company has also set up a mobile version of the Talk site for handset users not running either of the supported platforms.

Google hopes that by adding built-in support for the service, it can make the process of calling from a mobile easier.

"Previously, to place a call using Google Voice, you had to dial your own Google Voice number from your cell phone or use the Quick Call button online," explained developers Vincent Paquet and Marcus Foster on a company blog post.

"With this new mobile app, you can make calls and send SMS messages with your Google Voice number directly from your mobile phone."

Google first launched the Voice service in March as a replacement for GrandCentral, a telephony startup which Google acquired in 2007 and developed into a beta service.