Google Reaches Out to Crush Someone

Google (GOOG Quote – Cramer on GOOG – Stock Picks) has thrown off the gloves and will now take on the entire phone industry.

With one new phone number and a host of management features, Google promises to give users free calling and one-stop control over most voice and text messages.

The service introduced Thursday is called Google Voice, and it takes aim not just at Internet calling shops like eBay’s (EBAY Quote – Cramer on EBAY – Stock Picks) Skype and Vonage (VG Quote – Cramer on VG – Stock Picks), but it also threatens to speed up the decline of Verizon (VZ Quote – Cramer on VZ – Stock Picks) and AT&T’s (T Quote – Cramer on T – Stock Picks) core business as well as cut into the fledgling calling services from Comcast (CMCSA Quote – Cramer on CMCSA – Stock Picks), Time Warner Cable (TWC Quote – Cramer on TWC – Stock Picks) and Cablevision (CVC Quote – Cramer on CVC – Stock Picks).

Google has been developing the service it acquired with GrandCentral two years ago and has tailored the functions as much to mobile phones as to conventional land lines. If successful, the service would gain an edge on telcos and cable companies, which have yet to deliver a popular comprehensive calling and messaging product.

Google Voice is designed to allow users to check messages on several phone accounts, read voice messages converted to text, send text messages, call within the U.S. for free, and access free directory information. In other words, bypass the phone company.

The big search shop already has a booming email service in Gmail. Through Gmail, it has been offering its own instant messenger and video chat service. By adding a call and message manager, Google threatens to have a comprehensive communications platform to rival Skype and jump well ahead of the phone companies.