As those of you that read regularly will know, I'm quite a fan of V-T-T (voice-to-text) services - I have one running at the moment, and love getting my voicemails as text messages - to the point the point where I think it's a real killer app! Well, in that vein, YouMail, as US-only VTT [...]

No doubt you read my previous post on the future of voice, and had your thoughts provoked - however, since then, SpinVox have hosted a session on the future of voice. Their chief of "Interweb bloggery", James Whatley, was present, along with their VP of consumer business, James Scroggs. Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend, due [...]

(BTW, the chap in the cup is a SpinVox "Mobster"….) My favourite VTT (Voice-to-text) company, SpinVox, have raised an interesting thread for conversation in their blog (read it here). More accurately, James Whatley, their "chief of interweb wizardry and bloggery", has written an inciteful and thought provoking piece on where "voice" (as in one of the [...]

  SpinVox, the rather excellent voice-to-text company have mailshotted me to let me know about some of their latest stats - I thought I would share these for your edutainment: Our Carriers are reporting a 33% uplift in Voicemail deposits, as the calling party knows their message will be seen in minutes. 87% of people return a [...]

We've posted about SpinVox a number of times before, and in fact I am a recent convert (why, oh why, didn't I sign up before!) - but a video explaining a bit about how the system works, now that would be a neat thing……. ….. well it just so happens there is one - and some [...]

Remember that technology firm that came out of the woodwork and sued Apple over the iPhone’s Visual Voicemail feature ? Well, unlike other patent-squatters in the business, Klausner Technologies actually had a pretty solid case. The firm sued Apple, AT&T, SimulScribe, and others over patents 5,572,576 and 5,283,818 , claiming that Visual Voicemail infringed on Klausner’s IP rights. The firm is seeking $360m in damages from Apple. Well, it looks like SimulScribe has just settled with Klausner Technologies, leaving co-defendant Apple in a weaker position to defend itself against Klausner’s claims. SimulScribe has agreed to a licensing deal with Klausner Technologies. Apple might want to just go ahead and settle with Klausner. There’s nothing like a little licensing-love to make things run a bit more smoothly. Then again, with the way Apple’s stock is headed, we can see why Steve might want to fight this battle to the bitter end. Let’s see how this one plays out. [Via: MacWorld UK ] ---Related Articles at IntoMobile:Vodafone Germany gets jiggy with Visual Voicemail too - kind ofApple and AT&T sued over iPhone's Visual Voicemail technology - another patent infringement caseAlltel to offer Voice-to-Text voicemail service - SpinVoxiPhone Visual Voicemail is 2007's best featureGet iPhone-like visual voicemail on your BlackBerry, Windows Mobile phone

We’ve seen our fair share of cool things this year - that’s 2007, in case you were confused. And, we’re sure David Pogue, the New York Times‘ tech columnist, has gotten hit mitts on more gadgets than we could ever hope to grope. With the year winding down Mr. Pogue has posted up a list of 2007’s most important features - “Pogies,” as he likes to call them. So, what gadget-feature does David Pogue consider the “best” of 2007? Why, the iPhone’s signature Visual Voicemail feature, of course. Wading through voicemails by caller and playing individual messages at a whim is definitely a trick feature - it’s helped us avoid unwanted voicemails more than we can remember. Visual Voicemail puts the power of the voicemail inbox in the palm of your hand, and in front of your eyes, as the case may be. The iPhone just keeps racking up the consumer awards , and we have to agree that it’s the snazziest and most innovative gadgets of the year. It may not be the most feature-packed, but in terms of industry-changing, the iPhone is where it’s at. What’s your favorite feature of 2007? [Via: NYT ] ---Related Articles at IntoMobile:Alltel to offer Voice-to-Text voicemail service - SpinVoxVodafone Germany gets jiggy with Visual Voicemail too - kind ofHere's another iPhone award - ComputerWorld names iPhone as 2nd most innovative product in 2007Get iPhone-like visual voicemail on your BlackBerry, Windows Mobile phoneSave some bucks - drop the iPhone data plan

Just in time to make their Q4 2007 deadline for rolling out their voice-to-text voicemail transcription service , Alltel has just launched their SpinVox-based  service - Voice2TXT is finally here. Alltel subscribers can now pay $4.99 to have 20 conversations transcribed from voice into, well, text - with 100 conversation-transcriptions running $19.99. There’s no unlimited plan as of yet, but we can only hope that Alltel will roll out an unlimited plan if this whole Voice2TXT service goes well. Transcribed voicemails are sent as text-messages (not counted against any text-message limit - you are paying an arm and a leg for this service in the first place), after which the voicemail can be casually read at your earliest convenience. The new service requires that Alltel users reset their voicemail system and re-record their greeting. Once that’s done, they’ll never have to listen to a voicemail ever again - as long as their wallets can support the habit. [Via: AP ] ---Related Articles at IntoMobile:Alltel to offer Voice-to-Text voicemail service - SpinVoxAlltel launches WHERE - Location based service comes to AlltelCallWave VtxtSM service lets you read your voicemail; Available nationwide!Alltel launches Alltel Hue by SamsungAlltel launches City ID; Identification of the incoming calls just got easier

Well, this isn’t just another patent infringement case against the iPhone. Whereas all previous lawsuits basically rested on the shakiest of ground , the latest lawsuit brought against Apple and AT&T by Klausner Technologies has some merit. The firm has alleged that the iPhone’s Visual Voicemail feature infringes on Klausner’s U.S. Patents 5,572,576 and 5,283,818 . The lawsuit was filed against Apple and AT&T for offering the patented technology to iPhone customers and is seeking damage and future royalties that could amount to $360 million. Outlined in the lawsuit is Klauser’s claim that AT&T and Apple have infringed their intellectual property by giving iPhone users a method to selectively listen to messages in the voicemail system - Visual Voicemail. And, it seems that the lawsuit has some firm ground to stand upon. Klausner Technologies has already successfully established their intellectual property rights in previous litigation against Time Warner AOL for the AOL Voicemail system. The firm was able to show that their patents were valid and landed a licensing agreement with Time Warner AOL. “We have litigated this patent successfully on two prior occasions,” said Greg Dovel of Dovel & Luner, counsel for Klausner. “With the signing of each new licensee, we continue to receive further confirmation of the strength of our visual voicemail patents.” And, to add more legitimacy to the lawsuit, the firm has filed similar lawsuits against Comcast Corporation, Cablevision Systems Corp., and Skype for infringing on Klausner patents by allowing users to selectively listen to voicemail messages. Good luck, Apple and AT&T (not to mention all those other firms currently under fire). We’re usually quick to dismiss frivolous lawsuits, but this one sounds like it’s of the valid-variety. A settlement might just be your best bet. We should note that Klausner Technologies granted an OEM license to Apple to cover the Apple Newton PDA when it was launched all those years ago. Interesting. [Via: MacWorld ] ---Related Articles at IntoMobile:Apple sued for patent infringement - SP Technologies claims patent over iPhone's virtual keyboardWoman sues iPhone trio over price cuts - Steve Jobs, Apple, AT&T all named in latest lawsuitVodafone Germany gets jiggy with Visual Voicemail too - kind ofCalifornia man files class action lawsuit against Apple over bricking of unlocked iPhonesAlltel [...]