After using Google Voice on and off for the past few weeks, and GV Mobile on my iPhone for a day, I’m pretty much ready to make the move to Google Voice full-time. There are a few reasons for this and the quality and speed of GV Mobile is one of them.

I have a full post on Google Voice going up over on Gear Diary (edit- now posted) but I thought we would take a quick look at GV Mobile since it is the aspect of Google Voice that put me over the top in my decision to move to Google Voice full-time as soon as possible.

From The Developer:

Amplitude enhances aural experiences by allowing you to hear distant and/or quiet sounds as if you were standing nearby.  Amplitude uses the high quality hardware of the iPhone and iPod Touch* to detect and amplify the faintest of sounds.  You’ll hear things you never would have been able to hear otherwise.

Using Amplitude is easy: simply launch the app, point your device in the direction of the sound you want to amplify, and starting hearing the world in a new way through your headphones.

Use Amplitude to explore your world.  Experience all the sounds of your environment that you would otherwise have missed.

Send us feedback and feature requests. We want to hear how you are using Amplitude.  Send us your stories or YouTube videos to [email protected].

O U R   T A K E . . .

I am super excited to see GV Mobile finally released. We’ve been looking forward to this release for a while and are excited to see how it takes Google Voice to the next level. Here’s the scoop…

GV Mobile brings the power of Google Voice to your iPhone. GV Mobile allows users of Google Voice to:

+dial numbers via the iPhone address book or typing on the keypad +send SMS +retrieve and delete recent call history +playback and delete voicemails +take calls from different phones other than your iPhone +enable or disable the phones that Google Voice forwards calls to +add or delete phones that Google Voice forwards call to GrandDialer users, this is your replacement app! You must already have a Google Voice account in order for this application to work. Grand Central users that have converted their account to Google Voice will also be able to use this.

How does GV Mobile work? GV Mobile initiates a secure connection with Google Voice and sends a command to do various tasks(call, send sms, etc). GV Mobile communicates only with Google Voice, no one else. Please note that GV Mobile relies heavily on the use of an internet connection (3G, EDGE, Wifi, etc).

If your internet connection is shady a best, this app may not function properly. A future update will include Offline Mode™ which will allow for dialing using your Google Voice number without the need of an internet connection. By using GV Mobile, you understand that I am not liable for data charges you may incur. Any drastic changes on Google’s end may make GV Mobile inoperable. With that said, I plan on fully supporting this app to ensure it functions if changes occur. (GV Mobile is not a product of Google)

We’ll have a first look some time tomorrow. For now… GV Mobile is $2.99 and is available HERE.

If you are a frequent reader of Gear Diary, you may have noticed a few problems today reading one of our favorite sites. No need to be alarmed. There is no trouble. Gear Diary is in the midst of upgrading their servers. Once they are finished, the site should be faster than ever. Until then, they may have some intermittent down time, so please be patient and bear with them. Gear Diary should be up and running by the end of the weekend, if not sooner.

Terminate Me is a new free app that combines two of my favorite things- Terminator movies and iPhone apps that let you do fun things with photographs.

The app’s description is pretty sraight forward…

Turn yourself into a terminator. This app is simple and quick. Begin by taking a headshot photo or importing one from your camera roll. After aligning it with the in-app grid, touch different parts of the face to reveal the terminator endoskeleton beneath. There are multiple levels of damage, so you can create unique images each time. Once you have finished, save and share your new "terminated" photo with all your friends.

Simple enough…