While FreeNX and NoMachine’s NX server are out there, NoMachine’s NX server is not free, and FreeNX according to Google, was a bit top heavy and difficult to maintain. I see this as an exciting development.

It is now available for download.

Here’s the article on it.

Here’s where you can download it.

You asked for it, so here it is. We’re happy to announce that in the latest update to Google Sync for BlackBerry, we’ve added two-way contacts synchronization. This new functionality will enable you to sync your handheld’s built-in address book with your Gmail contacts. This all happens in the background and over the air, so your information is always up to date, no matter where you are or what you’re doing.

Once you’ve installed Sync, all your information will be safe in your Google account. If you ever lose your phone or buy a new one, getting your address book and calendar to your new device is as easy as installing Sync. Current and new Google Sync users can try Google Sync today by visiting m.google.com/sync from their BlackBerry browser.

Within the next two weeks, Google is expected to announce advanced software and services that would allow handset makers to bring Google-powered phones to market by the middle of next year, people familiar with the situation say.

In recent months Google has approached several U.S. and foreign handset manufacturers about the idea of building phones tailored to Google software, with Taiwan’s HTC Corp. and South Korea’s LG Electronics Inc. mentioned in the industry as potential contenders. Google is also seeking partnerships with wireless operators. In the U.S., it has the most traction with Deutsche Telekom AG’s T-Mobile USA, while in Europe it is pursuing relationships with France Télécom’s Orange SA and Hutchison Whampoa Ltd.’s 3 U.K., people familiar with the matter say.

Click here for a video on the topic.

It is useful as a phone number to hand to people whom you don’t know well, or to put on web forms, or as a shared number when you want an incoming call to be directed to multiple people.

1. Based on the callerID, you can route a call to one phone number or any other another (meanwhile the caller is only aware of the GrandCentral number they dialed.)
2. GrandCentral can forward calls to multiple numbers simultaneously: Whoever picks up first, wins.
3. You can listen to someone leaving you a voicemail and choose whether you’d like to pick up the call (like a real answering machine, but the call arrived forwarded to your home or cell from GrandCentral)
4. Record phonecalls (while all parties know the call is being recorded, it’s very helpful for taking minutes on conference calls and review).
5. Block callers – you can simply block callers based on their callerID, or even impersonate a recorded “The number you have dialed is no longer is service” message that sounds very authentic (on a per caller basis!).
6. Force callers from “unknown” (callerID blocked) to announce themselves prior to the call being routed (this is optional, and GrandCentral will let you know who is calling and give you the option of taking the call or divert to voicemail based on what the caller said during the forced “tell us who’s calling, please” introduction by GrandCentral.)
7. Receive notifications via email or SMS of voicemails.
8. Personalize your voicemail greetings based on the callerID of the incoming caller.
9. Webcall – people can call you from a webpage (Add a WebCall button to your website or blog for people to call you. Your number stays private and you can use all the normal GrandCentral screening, blocking, forwarding, and other features. The WebCall button takes care of connecting the call to you after getting the caller’s number.).
10. CallSwitch – mid-call, you can switch from your cell, to house line, back to cell, all silently and smoothly without the other person even aware that its happening mid-call, by hitting the * key (which is filtered out during the call, bringing up an audio menu of 9 options you can do with the existing call).
11. A well-maintained “black list” of telemarketers that GrandCentral will auto-block (this option can be turned on or off).
12. Many more features!!

Google owns this company as of about 3 or 4 months ago, and it jives very well with their upcoming phone service and Google Phone which I mentioned in an earlier blog entry.

The service is entirely free (and also in beta). You can make calls to landlines from the web interface, however there is an expectation that once out of beta, they would charge for this feature, though not for any incoming calls.

Right now GrandCentral is on an invite-only basis. I’ve been fortunate to have been invited to use this great service and new GrandCentral users get 10 invitations of their own! So start asking your friends if anyone has an account, because an invitation is most-certainly worth receiving!

With a Google shared storage plan, you won’t have to worry about deleting files, pictures, or emails. After purchasing a storage plan, some of your individual Google services (e.g. email and photos) will share a single new storage space.

Plans begin at $20/year for 6gigs.

Coming soon to a T-Mobile dealer near you (and perhaps other providers), the GOOGLE PHONE.

Luckily, I have been a T-Mobile user for years, so this will be a pleasant gadget to offset the iPhone’ers walking around. They’re spending hundreds of millions to develop it, and it will be Linux based, yay!

Source: Reuters.

Photo Source: T3.