Alltel to convert voice to text messages

By Tim Conneally | Published December 17, 2007, 1:28 PM

Alltel Wireless Corp. will launch a new feature on Friday that allows voice messages to be converted to SMS text messages.

The mobile company is using voice recognition software, much like that used in automated 411 lines and telephone bank services, with the aim being to provide a hands-free method of texting.

Alltel's Voice2TXT service will utilize technology by British company Spinvox , and will provice users with the option to have voice mails sent to them as text messages.

Spinvox's D2 message conversion system can understand a variety of accents, and even accepts submissions if new terms and slang are not recognized.

The service starts at $4.99 for 20 converted voice mails per month, with the option of 100 conversions for $19.99 a month.

Automatic Speech Recognition has been in development for decades and certain systems have reported accuracy levels of about 95%, at transcription speeds of over 160 words per minute.

While this speed and precision won't necessarily eliminate the use of Internet shorthand, it will be interesting to see what happens to time-saving slang ("lol," "brb," "lmfao," etc.) when it is just as easy to say in full what would otherwise be abbreviated.

Comments

View comments by with a score of at least

The service is great....... So far its converting all my messages perfectly....

Score: 0

|

when the coms companys start to charge realistic costs for a text (here in the UK anyway), then its a way of moving forward

but for the average uk user, a text costs about 10p = thats about 20cents in US - that is 10 times the amount it costs to make a 1 minute off-peak call - so question should i speak for 10 minutes, or send one short text of a few hundred characters ....

Score: 0

|

That's gucking food.

Or maybe not... that sentence was 'exactly' 95% spelled accurately(counting spaces and punctuation), btw.

Score: 0

|

Exchange Server 2010 goes live, will extend rights-managed e-mail to browsers

A new feature will give companies a way to prevent users from manipulating e-mail content they receive based on what the messages contain.

Firefox turns five: Thanks for giving us a choice

Carmi Levy | Wide Angle Zoom: No longer the phoenix rising from the ashes, Mozilla has carried on more than just Netscape's legacy.

If Microsoft sites lead time online, pigs can fly

How can people spend more time at Microsoft sites, when the measure of success is Windows Live Messenger, which sits on the desktop?

Google Chrome 4: Yes, it's fast, but is it usable?

As Betanews readers have responded to our stories about Chrome's JavaScript superiority...Does that mean we'd actually use this browser? Well...

Microsoft's Top 3 advances in Exchange Server 2010

The latest round of changes launched today will impact how admins deliver services to e-mail recipients, and how much companies will pay along the way.

Qualcomm: $1.3 billion Samsung licensing deal unrelated to fair trade violations

Samsung has come to a 15-year licensing deal with Qualcomm over 3G and 4G wireless technology.

Nokia's 'limited number' of recalled chargers exceeds 14 million

Today, the Finnish phone maker has begun a recall of mobile phone chargers that are a shock hazard.

Ubuntu 9.10 upgraders report frustration

For those Wine aficionados out there, beware of the remote possibility that your Linux system could be infected by Windows-seeking malware.

Supreme Court considers patentability of abstract methods today

Can software that executes a formula for a business process qualify for federal patents? An appeals court already said no, and inventors are making their case.

Thanks, iPhone: Google buys mobile advertiser AdMob for $750 million

AdMob came to thrive thanks to the iPhone's popularity, now Google has bought it.

Myka announces its latest Linux-based 'net top box'

Myka's ION brings Boxee, XMBC, and much more to HDTVs.