voice

Google Voice Slapfight: AT&T, Sex Chats, and Some Hot FCC Action

Chris Dannen — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:38:29 -0400

Google's public policy blog admits that Google Voice blocks certain numbers. AT&T says this would be illegal were Google treated like any other telecom. But Google claims that if it doesn't engage in blocking, its service will become too expensive to operate for no charge.

The problem, says Google, is the telephone scheme called "traffic pumping" perpetrated by small local phone companies in cahoots with sex chat lines. (Below, FCC headquarters in Washington, D.C.)

Is AT&T Right to Attack Google Voice?

Chris Dannen — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:17:00 -0400

The FCC is trying to understand why AT&T is fighting Google Voice. When all is said and done, will they find that AT&T is justified?

For the Friendship-Obsessed, Facebook Adds Voice Chat

Chris Dannen — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:06:33 -0400

If Facebook's news feed isn't fast enough for you, there's chat. And if you're the type who finds chat too slow or not intimate enough, now there's voice chat. Enter Vivox, a voice chat application in beta for Facebook.

Video Tour of Ford's Tech Suite: Voice Control, In-Dash PCs and... Printers

Chris Dannen — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:59:37 -0400

Ford is doing things with navigation that you never expected--namely, bringing it to the masses, with voice control. The new Taurus, redesigned as the company's flagship for 2010, now sports the kind of nav you'd never have expected from the seafoam-green Tauri of years past--and it's all voice controlled, whether you get the top-of-the-line touchscreen model or the lower-level in-radio models. Ford is also adding in-dash computing to its line of trucks with full PC functionality--including Internet connection, word processing, and even an in-truck printer. Check out the video below.

Is 3jam Better Than Google Voice?

Chris Dannen — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:55:29 -0400

You've probably heard a lot about Google Voice since Apple punted it from the iTunes App Store: It's a free telephony service that allows one phone number to ring all your phones. It also lets you receive and send SMS messages on your computer, centralize your voice mailbox on the Web, block and re-route callers, record calls, and perform other bits of phone-related chicanery. The only real problem with Voice is that it's hard to get into--you need an invitation. And like all things Google, it's still in Beta.

iPhone Users: Get Google Voice Back!

Chris Dannen — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:08:15 -0400

This morning, the tech world watched in disgust as Apple rejected Google's new iPhone Voice application from the iTunes App Store, and subsequently pulled all third-party dialer apps that allowed users to make Google Voice calls from their Apple devices. While AT&T users fume--is it possible for them to hate Ma Bell more? There is still hope of getting Google Voice working on your iPhone again, it's just going to take a little messin' with.

Google Voice Starts Singing for BlackBerrys And Androids

Kit Eaton — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:31:41 -0400

Google's been busy this last week or so, starting with the excitement of Chrome OS and now with Google Voice for smartphones getting its roll-out. The BlackBerry and Android apps dropped this morning, but iPhoners will have to wait.

Five Brilliant Ways to Use Google Voice

Chris Dannen — Thu, 14 May 2009 16:38:44 -0400

The public launch of Google's new Voice service is imminent, and it's going to change the way you use the Web (to sign up for an invitation, click here). If you're currently a beta user, you already know how flexible and robust the service is. And while Google Voice's feature set is intuitive, here are five ways to mash up the service with other tasks and services you use every day, to get the most productivity out of your GV account.

Evolution of a Facebook-Killer

Chris Dannen — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:02:20 -0400

Plenty of people have been wondering about which company might come along and dethrone Facebook. What if the answer is so obvious that you wouldn't notice until all the pieces came together?

What if the answer is Google: Maker of Gmail, Picasa, YouTube, Blogger, Maps, Latitude, Docs, Calendar, Gtalk, and now Google Voice--some of the best-designed, well-connected apps on the Web. Unlike social Web's golden child Facebook--which released a flimsy API that ginned up some okay apps, and a whole lot of crappy ones--Google built its network from the bottom up.

Skype Set to Go Public

Chris Dannen — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 10:10:37 -0400

According to the Associated Press, eBay plans to jettison Skype from its corporate holdings by holding an initial public offering for the company in the first half of 2010. Ebay paid $2.6 billion for Skype in 2005, confusing analysts and confounding some investors with what many deemed an over-priced deal.

Seven Tiny Tech Stories That Will Be Huge

Chris Dannen — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 17:30:06 -0400

Progress isn't all breakout products and scientific coups. In fact, some of the most salient indicators of the direction of technology come in re-directions of products and services we use every day. Here are seven subtle changes to the tech landscape that hint of bigger things to come.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Goes All Online

IBM's "Most Human" Computer Voice Makes HAL Jealous

Kit Eaton — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:46:48 -0500

Making a PC generate sounds that resemble human speech is relatively simple. But making a machine sound convincingly human is very tricky. Yet IBM claims to have coded a synthetic voice that is the more similar to a human voice than any created before. Its level of human mimicry is so high that it even copies our errors by umming, erring, and even sighing. If your attention is needed, it can even gently cough, or shush you when you're interrupting.

The newly patented tech has been dubbed "generating paralinguistic phenomena via markup in text-to-speech syntheses" and it's designed for use on telephone automated systems, devices like GPS units, and possibly even cellphones. Its sophistication is in the "paralinguistic" part of its name: those gentle little quirks that make a human voice unique. As Andy Aaron of IBM's speech research team says, "These sounds can be incredibly subtle, even unnoticeable, but have a profound psychological effect." The system can pause for effect, react to situations by modulating its speech, and it can learn new affectations, which it will then place in the correct part of a sentence.

Intelligability has been achieved in synthetic voices for decades--check out the video, which shows the first ever computer singing (along with a classic clip of HAL)--but these speaking devices are obviously not human, which may incline you to distrust or dislike listening to them.

Surfing the Web with Voice

Chris Dannen — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:56:30 -0500

An Indian startup named TringMe announced a new platform this week that it says will allow developers to easily write voice-enabled apps and widgets for the Web. But to date, voice-over-IP is a technological underachiever. Could easier development change all that?

Taking it for granted?

Sandra Baigel — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:47:52 -0500

So there she was, sore, miserable and silent, unable to contribute on Monday morning.

Only because she'd got deeply involved in her team's performance that weekend; yelling herself hoarse; leaping out of her seat; waving her arms; screaming instructions all afternoon.

Voice is one of those things in life we take for granted. We use it without thinking, until it gives way. Then, we regret in silence and long for our voice's return.

If you have to shout for your team, use bellows power rather than throat power to have a voice on Monday.

Google Brings Voice to the iPhone

Rip Empson — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:22:06 -0500

The New York Times reported Friday that Google will be launching a new application for Apple’s iPhone that will allow the phone to understand the human voice. Finally catching up with the likes of Yahoo and Microsoft (who already offer voice services for cellphones), Google has taken another step toward becoming a serious player in the smartphone and advertising industries.

A Long Walk On A Short Path

Leslie Ann Smith — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 23:05:34 -0400

The Seven “T’s of Oz” and Your Personal Transformation

When we think about the reasons that one must take better care of their life, it would be smart to begin thinking outside of the norm for your way of accepting the perceived. This is your first step to a new you - personal prosperity - and freedom from the chains of bondage. There are seven principles that each of us must practice to begin a “long walk on a short path!”

Hands Free Voice to Email with Jott

Stephen L Rose — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 11:27:24 -0400

“Hi, this morning I’m using Jott. I’m actually in my car driving about 50 miles an hour, and sending an E-mail/message to myself to remind me of things I need to do today, while it’s still fresh in my head. So I no longer have to type and drive at the same time. Note to self: stop typing and driving. Very dangerous. This is a great mobile technology that I am very excited about it, so I’m gonna end the Jott and wait till I get back to my office finish and finish this blog entry.”

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