Google Voice slips past Apple onto iPhone

WASHINGTON: Google on Tuesday slipped its Voice service onto iPhones by using the Web to sidestep Apple's rejection of mini-program to be given away free at the App Store.

"Today we are launching a new Google Voice mobile web app for iPhone OS 3.0 and higher and Palm Web OS devices," Google engineer Michael van Ouwerkerk said in a blog post.

Google is using "HTML5" technology that allows data-rich applications to run quickly in Web browsers, according to the engineer.

Google Voice allows users to merge their home, office and mobile phones into a single number. It also allows them to make cheap international phone calls, send free SMS messages and provides transcripts of voice-mail messages.

The application accessible on mobile browsers at m.google.com/voice lets users access a streamlined version of the Google Voice inbox and displays the Google number as caller ID.

Google and Apple got into a tussle last year over Voice, a program for which was stopped at the door of the App Store on the grounds it usurped core telephone features designed into iPhones.