Since the beginning of the month, the relationship between two new releases struck my mind: one, Google’s Nexus One and the other, Pocket Dictate, a new iPhone app. In terms of their practical functions, these two releases are worlds apart – one a new smartphone released by Google, and one a new iphone app that enables you to dictate a message and then email it. But my reaction to both was surprisingly similar: the power of voice may have been overshadowed in the past few years by all of the text messaging and handheld devices hype, but it looks like the power of voice is picking up again.
TechCrunch calls Google Voice’s integration with the Google Nexus One the “single biggest selling point for Android phones. With Nexus One, “you can assign your Google Voice number to the phone, and use it to make all outbound calls and text messages.” PC World’s review also noted Android OS 2.1’s newest addition of voice to text conversion.
On January 13th, Marketwire released Apple’s approval and the availability of Express Dictate Software as an iphone app called Pocket Dictate. While the press release focuses on the need for transcription services by lawyers, accounting firms, and medical practices, the release also mentions the software’s ability to cut costs of secretarial services for all small businesses. One could take this theory even one step further and suggest that really anyone could benefit at times from the ability to record themselves messages by voice.
Related posts:
- Is a Google Picking a Fight with Apple: the Release of Multi-touch on Nexus One
- Google Voice Enters the iphone – Through the Web Browser
- Real Time Google Voice Translation in the Works
- Siri’s iPhone Personal Assistant: Start Speaking Up
- Ring Central and Google Voice: Businessweek’s Take
