Despite leaked information that Sprint and Google would launch Google Voice integration services on April 26th, multiple sources have confirmed that the service is already being rolled out to users. Sprint and Google announced the partnership last month, and the new service will allow Sprint users to access calls and text messages, or place calls through Google Voice’s Web interface using their Sprint number. Alternatively, users can opt to have their Google Voice number replace their Sprint number on their Sprint handset as well. International calls will route through Google Voice, which offers discounted fees. The feature is free and can be turned off at any time.

Thanks, Clayton!

T-Mobile has become the latest U.S. wireless company to make calling, texting, and donating to the Japan relief effort free. The company has just announced that all voice calls and text messages from the U.S. to Japan will be free until March 31st; T-Mobile will also make this courtesy retroactive to March 11th. Additionally, the carrier is waiving any text messaging charges associated with donations made to various relief efforts — your messages won’t count against your text messaging plan quota either. All around a solid effort on T-Mobile’s end to help connect people with family and friends at this difficult time. The full press release is after the break.

T-Mobile USA Waives Call Charges to Japan and Wi-Fi Calling and Text Messaging Charges to and From Japan

Helping Customers Stay Connected and Supporting Text Message Donation Programs

Bellevue, Wash. — Mar. 15, 2011 PDT

T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced that the company is taking steps to provide relief and help customers stay connected to loved ones in the aftermath of the earthquakes and tsunami in Japan.

“During this difficult time, our thoughts are with the people of Japan,” said Philipp Humm, CEO and president, T-Mobile USA. “Many of T-Mobile’s customers, their friends and families have been directly impacted by this disaster, and our promise is to help them connect with their loved ones.”

Effective immediately:

• T-Mobile USA is enabling phone calls to Japan for postpaid customers without charges for international long distance through March 31, 2011, and retroactive to March 11, 2011.
• T-Mobile postpaid customers can make Wi-Fi calls to and from Japan free of charge through March 31, 2011, and retroactive to March 11, 2011.
• Text (SMS) messaging is also free of charge to and from Japan for T-Mobile postpaid customers through March 31, 2011 and retroactive to March 11, 2011.

Ways Customers Can Directly Assist Relief Efforts

If you are a T-Mobile prepaid or postpaid customer interested in helping immediately, you can text “REDCROSS” to 90999, and your donation of $10 will be given automatically to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts. This donation will be charged to your T-Mobile phone bill, and 100 percent of the donation goes directly to the Red Cross. There is no per-text fee for this service for T-Mobile customers who do not have a messaging plan, nor will the text be deducted from your messaging plan. Similarly, you can send donations via text message to a number of other relief organizations. T-Mobile does not charge for text messages sent to mobile giving campaigns.

One of the nation’s largest telecommunications companies, Verizon Communications, has announced that it will be providing its customers free text messages, along free with wireless and wireline calls, from the United States to Japan. The company announce its intentions via a short tweet earlier today:

We’re about to announce free calls to Japan from wireless and residential landline phones. Free messaging to Japan too.

The move comes hours after AT&T announced that it was providing its customers with a similar courtesy. Verizon Wireless has provided instructions on how users can donate via text to the Japanese relief effort — both press releases are after the break.

VERIZON MAKES CALLS FREE TO JAPAN FROM MARCH 11 TO APRIL 10

Verizon Wireless Customers Can Text to Japan for Free

NEW YORK – To help its customers contact loved ones in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and tsunami, Verizon is making calls to Japan free for most wireless and residential customers through April 10.

All Verizon Wireless post-paid customers will receive free calling to Japan from March 11 through April 10. Post-paid customers are those who receive a monthly bill from the company. In addition, Verizon Wireless post-paid customers in the U.S. will receive free text and multimedia messaging to Japan for the same time period.

Verizon Wireless has also made it easy for customers to text donations to a host of non-profit organizations responding to the earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Customers can easily make a $10 donation by simply sending a text message and may choose from 10 organizations aiding those in need in Japan.

All calls made from a Verizon residential landline to Japan will be rated at $0.00 per minute, from March 11 through April 10. Customers with Verizon World Plan (300, 500 or unlimited minutes of long-distance calling) can call Japan without using any minutes from their time-allotment blocks.

Additionally, Verizon Prepaid Phone Card charges for all long-distance calls placed to Japan from the United States will also be waived from March 11 until April 10.

The company is also providing FiOS TV customers who are not subscribed to the channel free access to TV Japan through March 17. The channel location is 1770.

* Only long-distance usage charges associated with calls made from residential landlines terminating to wireline or wireless destinations in Japan will be waived from Mar. 11 – April 10. All other fees including taxes, surcharges, monthly recurring charges (MRCs), minimum spend levels (MSLs), monthly minimum charges (MMCs), etc will continue to apply. Post-paid calling card charges to Japan will also be waived.

** If long distance calling fees were charged, credits will be issued in a future bill statement.

Verizon Wireless Provides Quick And Easy Way To Help Japan Relief

Charitable Organizations are Harnessing Mobile Donation Capabilities

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Verizon Wireless has quickly implemented a mobile giving program for customers looking for a quick and easy way to contribute to Japan relief efforts. The company announced today that customers can use their mobile phones to make $10 donations to a host of non-profit organizations responding to the earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

Customers can easily make a $10 donation by simply sending a text message and may choose from nine organizations aiding those in need in Japan, including the American Red Cross. Donating $10 is easy – simply text the specific word to the organization’s designated short code:

• ADRA Relief: text SUPPORT to 85944
• American Red Cross Relief: text REDCROSS to 90999
• Convoy of Hope: text TSUNAMI or SUNAMI to 50555
• GlobalGiving: text JAPAN to 50555
• International Medical Corps: text MED to 80888
• Mercy Corps: text MERCY to 25383
• Salvation Army: text JAPAN to 80888
• Save the Children Federation, Inc.: text JAPAN or TSUNAMI to 20222
• World Relief Corp. of National Association of Evangelicals: text WAVE to 50555
• World Vision, Inc.: text 4JAPAN or 4TSUNAMI to 20222

Text messages are free for customers donating to any of these organizations. Verizon Wireless always waives text-messaging fees for disaster relief, and 100 percent of each $10 donation goes to the relief organization. For Verizon Wireless customers who pay monthly bills, the $10 donations will appear in customers’ next regular monthly bill. For customers using the company’s prepaid services, the $10 donations will be taken from customers’ prepaid balance.

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If you’re a Google Voice lover, there is a pretty good chance you’ll jump at the opportunity to install the latest leaked version. Not only does it contain ever-exciting unspecified changes since it’s a new version, it also brings homescreen widgets. Something most people have been waiting for, the widgets allow shortcuts for composing a text message, seeing your Google Voice calling balance, settings access, and the ability to toggle Google Voice. It all comes from the leaked ROM for the T-Mobile G2, made by HTC, that’s been making the rounds lately. Going to give a go? We’re loading up the .apk now!

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Ah, yes, Y2K…remember the good old days?  ATM’s weren’t going to recognize your bank card, servers were going to spontaneously combust, and elevators would have no idea where the second floor was. For those of you who look back with nostalgia at the Y2K hysteria, there is a new, albeit much smaller, Y2 “something” glitch to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside again. WMExperts is reporting that some mobile users are seeing text messages sent after 1/1/2010 dated as 1/1/2016.  The most widely affected group seems to be those on Windows Mobile 6.1 and 6.5 although some non-Windows Mobile users are also reporting this behavior. WMExperts has a home grown .cab file posted with a fix, however we haven’t seen anything official from Microsoft or other major manufacturers. How about it? Any of you out there getting text messages from the future?

[Via PocketNow]

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More news on the messaging front is coming down from Rogers Wireless today as the company prepares to makes a few text-related changes to its service offerings. There has been a rumor going around for quite some time regarding the elimination of free incoming SMS for customers without text messaging plans and it looks like Rogers is finally getting ready to implement the new policy. Beginning July 7th, incoming SMS will run plan-less subscribers 15¢ per message — the same rate as outgoing texts. Customers with text messaging plans will continue to receive unlimited free incoming SMS. Rogers customers will find information to this effect circulated via bill inserts that will begin going out today.

Now before you start to get all crazy, we’ll repeat that this change only applies to those of you without a monthly messaging bundle; leaving the overwhelming majority of you unaffected. In fact, 94 percent of messages sent and received on Rogers’ network will not be affected by this news. Those of you currently without a messaging plan might want to consider catching up with the times; if you send and receive a combined 34 messages or more each month, it would now behoove you to snag the $5 bundle. Two related notes: Rogers is running a promo that provides unlimited free incoming tweets via SMS — whether or not you’re on a text messaging plan — for the remainder of 2009. Also, this policy change does not apply to Fido customers.