Google could subsidize the offering by displaying ads when users log on to check their voice mail or manage their accounts.

FORBES: Google Calling

If the call is missed, it's routed into a voice mail system that users can check on the Web, or via their phone.

FORBES: Google Calling

The business risks to users who rely on Google Mail and Google Voice are mind-boggling.

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The goal isn't to create a voice mail system for Facebook, but to give users another option for interacting when typing is either impossible or inconvenient.

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Taobao offered instant messaging and voice mail to mobile phones for buyers and sellers because Chinese users were cell-phone savvy rather than computer savvy.

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And compared to even a year ago, when analysts say most people used smartphones mostly for voice calls and e-mail, an increasing number of users are now surfing the Web, paying bills and doing other activities that open them up to abuses.

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It will give users of midsize, economy, and luxury GM cars and trucks voice access to e-mail, plus information retrieval from the Web.

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