Google reportedly adding voice calling to Gmail

Google plans to upgrade its Gmail service to allow Gmail users to dial phone numbers in the US and Canada, according to reports. If true, this would heat up competition with Skype to the boiling point.

The Gmail voice service would be launched from the Google Chat window on the lower left-hand side of the Gmail page, and allows users to place and receive calls with their contacts. The user interface strongly resembles the one used in Google Voice, according to CNET's Tom Krazit, who also provides screenshots of the new service.

Google Talk already supports voice calling, but only with other Google Talk users. The new Gmail service would integrate with regular phone service.

Google Voice is (as the name implies) another voice service from Google. Google Voice gives you a phone number that callers can dial, but it doesn't have a desktop client; instead, the user tells it which cell phone or desktop phone to connect to.

I use Google Voice as my primary phone number, and, when I'm at my desk, I send and receive calls using Skype. It's been a bit of a kludge getting Google Voice and Skype to integrate, and I'm still not 100% satisfied; I'd love it if this new Gmail voice product integrated with Google Voice.

When is this happening? Could be as early as today, when Google has an announcement scheduled, says Fortune's Seth Weintraub. He says Google has been rolling out the service to selected users.

I have a query in to Google about this, if they have anything interesting to say in response, I or one of my Computerworld colleagues will let you know.

I wonder if this new service would integrate with Google Apps email accounts, or only work with Gmail.com accounts? Gmail.com users often get the new, sexy features before Google Apps users do.

Update: It's official. Here's the report on the official Gmail blog: Call phones from Gmail.

Here's what I want to know: I use Google Apps for email and chat. Google Apps doesn't  support Google Voice, so I have a separate account for Google Voice. Will I be able to integrate my existing Google Voice account into my existing Google Apps chat? Because if I can't, then this new feature is limited usefulness to me. 

Mitch Wagner is a freelance technology journalist and social media strategist.