I guess I'd ask again, do you critique Hacker News for this?
It is definitely not a new idea to reuse existing ideas, even if you don't reuse existing code, to provide previously unserved/underserved markets with already existing services/products, nor is it a new idea to charge for it. I honestly don't know what you're getting at. Do you think they should provide this service for free because others do? Should customers just be smarter and know that Google Voice exists? What exactly do you find is wrong about this situation?
It is definitely not a new idea to reuse existing ideas, even if you don't reuse existing code, to provide previously unserved/underserved markets with already existing services/products, nor is it a new idea to charge for it. I honestly don't know what you're getting at. Do you think they should provide this service for free because others do? Should customers just be smarter and know that Google Voice exists? What exactly do you find is wrong about this situation?