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Soon that cell will be all ears |
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| Written by Ryan Kim Two weeks ago, Janna Van Hoven tried to download "The Golden Girls" theme song as a ring tone for her new cell phone... ...A handful of companies are creating solutions that allow users to find what they're looking for by utilizing an already familiar cell phone behavior: speaking into the phone. The advances mean voice-search services can offer results in a couple of seconds with more than 90 percent accuracy. It saves people the time of scrolling through screen after screen of results. Many phone users are familiar with voice-dialing options like the automated customer service operators that many airlines and other companies employ. But recently, voice-recognition companies have made strides in expanding the available search terms, speeding up the process and adding intuitive and predictive functions that allow computer servers to better understand what consumers are asking for. Combined with more advanced phones and networks, the voice search services are finally coming to life. Sam Hall, Cingular's vice president of mobile browser services, said the company is examining the technology, which he imagines working in tandem with a traditional keypad. He said it would be one way to simplify the discovery process for users, an imperative for cell phone carriers. "Everyone now knows phones can do more than just talk," Hall said. "Now the onus is on us to put great experience before them. We're not done yet, and we have a lot to learn, but we're on the right path." Many companies are working to expand the reach of the voice search to include not only content on the phone but also local information. VoiceSignal is developing ways for people to look up the nearest Starbucks by saying, "Search Starbucks near me," allowing the phone to find the nearest cafe based on the location of their GPS-enabled phone. VoiceSignal is also working to apply the same voice-recognition technology for text messaging. It recently announced a service that allows people to slowly dictate a message without the constant tapping required for a text message. "There is some segment of the population that may be uncomfortable with talking to machines, but the majority of the population has been trained by Hollywood as to how you talk to machines," said Mike Kennewick, chief executive of VoiceBox Technologies. " 'Star Trek' taught us that." Hagopian of V-Enable said it's ironic that while phones have moved beyond voice, they're returning to voice to tap its larger potential. "It's like we've come full circle from where we started," he said. "Voice isn't just for speaking. It's now an interface, and it's driving commands."
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