Google today added a new feature to its Google Voice service that allows you to forward SMS messages to an email account, and even reply (with threaded SMS) directly by simply replying to the email.

Google Voice now lets you combine your SMS messages with your voicemail notifications with your other emails in your inbox.

To get the feature, you simply have to turn it on in the settings panel of Google Voice.

Google Voice is still pending approval by Apple to get the app working on the iPhone after a federal inquiry by the FCC.

Now with the enabling of this feature, users would be able to entirely avoid carrier SMS fees by simply using Google Voice.

Google Voice certainly presents a very significant threat to the phone carriers as the service offers discounted calls, and other premium services for free such as transcribed voicemails that are sent to your email automatically. Other features include the ability to easily record calls.