Techcrunch reports that Google is about to acquire GrandCentral, a service that links all your phone numbers and gives you a new number with additional features:
* Check your messages by phone, email, or online
* Keep all your messages online for eternity
* Record and store your phone calls (just like voicemail)
* Quickly (and secretly) block an annoying caller
* Click-to-dial from your address book
* Surprise your callers with a custom voicemail greeting
* Turn your MP3s into the ring tones your callers hear
* Forward, download, and add notes to your messages
"GrandCentral gives people one phone number for life. This number is not tied to a phone or a particular location; it's tied to you. GrandCentral is a unified communications service that integrates all your existing phones, numbers and voicemail boxes and bridges the gap between voicemail and email."
The service is available only for the US and Canada, but you can see a short demo:
Google could integrate the service with Gmail, Google Talk and your list of contacts. Because all your conversations are recorded and available online for future reference, Google could make them searchable, just like Google Talk's chat messages.
Update (July 2): It's official. "Google acquired GrandCentral because its communications services fit into Google's mission to organize the world's information and to provide services and features that enhance the collaborative exchange of information between our users." The terms of the acquisition are confidential.
