Google wants to get you hooked on Google Voice, and it’s got a new weapon in its arsenal: charming red telephone booths inspired by the sort that litter the UK. Today at a press event where it announced the launch of phone calls and Google Voice integration into Gmail, the company disclosed that it’s going to begin installing Google Voice telephone booths into universities and airports.
Step into one, and you’ll be able to make domestic and international calls, free of charge.
The purpose? To get people to try Google Voice and see how the voice quality compares to alternatives (and old-fashioned phones). Google wouldn’t say how many phone booths would be distributed, but said they should start appearing in the next few weeks (when they’ll reveal more details)
▲ UK style Google Voice phone booths to start appearing in U.S. ▲
At the same event where Google introduced voice calling in Gmail, the search giant also announced that it would be placing Google Voice phone booths in select U.S. locations. The GV stations, which will closely resemble the iconic red telephone booths in the U.K., will begin appearing on college campuses and in airports in the next few weeks. The purpose of the old-fashioned booths is to get people more acquainted with Google Voice, allowing them to see how GV’s voice call-quality compares with more traditional landline services. Google said they would release more details about the telephone-towers in the coming weeks.
