Jul. 2, 2009 (United Press International) -- A lifetime of living with one U.S. Social Security number could soon be matched by a lifetime of living with one phone number, a product reviewer said.
The system called Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Voice, currently on trial, would allow a user to list various phone numbers they have and enter a lifetime phone number that would sort through various calls and route them to whichever phone accounts the user chose, The Boston Globe reported Thursday.
All of a user's business calls could be diverted to home or to a cell phone or visa versa, the report said.
The system would also identify calls before they were answered or send specific calls to a voicemail system, which could be interrupted, if the user chose to do so.
Google plans to pay for the system through advertising, making the service free, the Globe reported.
Google purchased the idea when it bought startup GrandCentral in 2007, which allowed users to select their own life-long phone number.
The system allows users to manipulate calls in other ways. By punching in a schedule in advance, a user can send future calls to voice mail, coinciding, for example, with a golf tournament or a doctor's appointment.
