Duh: Mobile Phones Are Voice-Centric Media

You could put moving images on a newspaper or static text on television. You could, but it will be either prohibitively expensive or not an optimal utilization of the medium's potential (what a mouthful). I keep wondering why people are trying to milk cell phones' marginal functionalities - camera, short text, games - while totally overlooking the thing the phones do best - voice. Well, it turns out the common sense is about to arrive.

From MoCo News: "Some players are lining up to harness the number one no-brainer input method: human voice. Verizon Wireless recently teamed up with Medio Systems, a white-label search provider, for a mobile search scheme that - among other things – allows consumers to use voice to find and purchase content on the operator portal. The New York Times reports Cingular Wireless and Tellme Networks, a provider of automated directory services, have joined to plan a 411 information service beginning in 2007 that will use Tellme’s voice recognition technology to enhance mobile search.

Kelsey's Group latest report argues the voice search market is 'poised for a major explosion in growth initiated by emerging free directory assistance (DA) players and catalyzed by the inevitable entry of at least one search portal by 2007.'"

Yes, voice recognition is not quite there yet and neither is the quality of phones' sound, but you can easily think of many other applications. How about having a phone number that people can call in to listen to your blog that was text-to-speeched into a podcast?
Related Posts with Thumbnails