Does anyone know of an alternative to Google Voice?

[mkaziz]

I've used it pretty much since I got my first phone in the US ... but in the context of Google bot-banning entire businesses without human recourse, I don't want my phone number to be at risk of that. If anyone has suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

[Digory]

After GV went down during business hours once, I realized I needed to control the number. It's more expensive than free, but worth it.

You can port out a GV number to any telecom provider for a small fee, including any of the big SIP/VoIP providers. They'll usually provide voicemail and dirt cheap rates -- but not VM transcription.

[mkaziz]

Got any recommendations?

[Digory]

Ward Mundy's nerdvittles blog had a recent overview of the SIP/VoIP market. [0] Looks like he currently recommends Vitelity, VoIP.ms, or CallCentric.

Ward's PBX in a Flash projects (business class features on a raspberry pi or in the cloud) are also fun if you really want to go down a rabbit hole.

[0] http://nerdvittles.com/?p=26128

[GlenTheMachine]

This is the very last Google service I use. I've been looking for an alternative for a couple of years, and have never found one. In particular, the ability to use a single phone number that rings my cell, office, and home.

[mkaziz]

What did you switch out for Gmail?

[GlenTheMachine]

Fastmail. Works great.