Well, I would, if it hadn’t already passed, and I was Catholic. You may remember my announcement last week that I’m testing a new product and will post my reviews on the ST blog. So, which vendor am I reviewing? Hints: it’s related to mobile, free [I <3 beta], and integrates Web 2.0 into its business plan. The full scoop after the jump!
It’s YouMail! So, back in my first month here at Speech Tech, I volunteered myself to try CallWave‘s visual voicemail service — when it was free. Of course, we didn’t have the blog back then, so there was no way for me to post my thoughts/opinions on their service (you’ll have to email me to find out how I rated it). This time, of course, I’ve got a much bigger soapbox.
So, what’s YouMail?
A free, customizable voicemail service that allows users to personalize greetings for every caller in their contact list, view missed calls and notification of voicemails on their mobile phones, or through YouMail’s Web site. The site also gives users the ability to reply to calls with text messages sent through either the Web or phone. The company today announced the addition of its STT service.
And this is special because….?
I wouldn’t review something unless I thought it provided a new way for users to harness speech. YouMail’s twist: its users can rate the accuracy of the company’s transcriptions on the Web site, and provide specific notes about what the speech recognizer (YapMe.com) messed up. The message is converted in full, too.
So, how is this going to compete with SpinVox or CallWave?
Oh, you skeptics! First of all, let me repeat: FREE. Second, YouMail gets points for taking Web 2.0 to speech, something most companies have failed to do. Do people who are my age really care enough to rate transcription accuracy? Take a look at YouTube — people took the time to rate this video. Does that answer the question? Also, SpinVox costs anywhere from $4.99 to $19.99 per month. I’m poor — sorry, SpinVox.
When will the reviews start?
Tomorrow! See you then.
Want more info?
Check out the news story I wrote today.
[Images courtesy InteractiveVoices & CellPhoneDigest]
