I'm still waiting for my Google Voice invite. I know, I know, there are other things to worry about, but for those of us concerned with freeing our phones, the implications are too big to ignore.

And I know I'm not alone. Om Malik -- usually a reliable skeptic, but a pretty excited guy this time around -- posted a positive preview of the new BlackBerry and Android apps for Google Voice. Malik singled out the Android app -- which gives the option of automatically making all calls through Google Voice -- for praise.

"The Google Voice app essentially reduces the cell phone carrier to a dumb pipe," Malik writes.

That dumb pipe analogy -- the idea that wireless service, like wired telephones before it, should be neutral -- is sure to rile up the mobile carriers. They want their connections to be smart pipes, filtering out content and applications that they find too competitive.

A dumb pipe is exactly what we're after, but it's unclear how dumb Google Voice will make your cell connection. All calls, text messages and voicemails can be routed through Google Voice, making your original cell phone number obsolete. But you're still using up minutes on your cell phone plan, which may mollify the carriers somewhat.

The looming question is about the ability to male calls over a 3G connection. Skype on the iPhone can't make calls over a 3G connection because of AT&T's claims of competition with its own voice service. Will Google be able to push carriers like T-Mobile to let users make Google Voice calls over its 3G network, which would obviate the need for expensive cell phone plans? It's unlikely.

In any case, Google Voice will be huge with consumers who want more control over their communication, irking the mobile carriers in the process. As PC World wrote this morning, "The big mobile phone carriers will likely want to ink some deals with Google so they can stay in the game. If Google shuts them out -- wireless carriers may thwart Google's mobile app aspirations."

Stay tuned.