The range of possibilities for two-way voice interaction with a Treo smartphone really intrigued me. Voice on the Go provides hands-free and eyes-free use of email, contacts, calendar and other content. By listening and speaking, you can create, reply, forward, compose and delete emails. Other voice interactive services include traffic alerts, news, stock quotes, weather, and sports.

After spending considerable time using the service, I can say that Voice on the Go is a road warrior's dream!

Voice on the Go was created and developed for enterprise customers. But it's a tremendous tool for any casual user wanting voice guidance and smartphone functions on the road. The service is available in a variety of languages including English, French, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, and German. Designed for clients such as Fortune 500 companies, telecom operators, and government organizations, standard consumers receive a cutting edge service.

Email

Initial setup with Voice on the Go is simple and fast. Creating a free trial account is quick and easy. Anyone who uses POP/POP3 email such as Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, etc., can access messages from anywhere anytime. (IMAP support is planned.)

I use Yahoo and chose it for this evaluation. After establishing an account and following straight forward online instructions, I was receiving my emails by voice right away. I tested the various email capabilities, including listening, creating, forwarding, replying, deleting, and navigate completely hands free. I received emails almost as soon as they hit the server. Interaction with Voice on the Go was superb. It's a very fast and efficient service!

The biggest hurdle to overcome with Voice on the Go is learning the few simple commands necessary for their menus. Once you get those down, you are quickly on your way to being safer and more efficient while traveling the roads. One noteworthy feature is the addition of text or email alerts from alternative addresses. This is worth exploring because it keeps you up to speed on new messages you may need to receive that are of the utmost importance.

Contacts

As with your email accounts, you will want to setup a contacts database as well. This can be completed in a few ways: you can input contacts directly by adding them one at a time, or you can import them from your laptop or desktop computer using the online import tool.

Your Outlook contacts can be imported in the form of a CVS file. If you find this a bit difficult or don’t understand how to make the transfer, don’t worry. The good folks at Voice on the Go have an excellent help section on their site that walks you step by step through through the process. They have done a good job at anticipating any difficulties you might encounter along the way. (If worse comes to worse, you can email them and a knowledgeable team responds quickly with answers.)

Once you have your contacts uploaded to the Voice on the Go server, you can begin jumping straight from your emails to searching or calling contacts simply by stating names or companies, and then directing your call to their mobile, business, or home number. The cool thing is that you never have to leave the system. You interact with Voice on the Go system while placing calls, managing your e-mails and checking your calendar without ever having to restart from the beginning. (Watch this video to see what I mean.)

Calendar

The calendar feature allows you to quickly review and create appointments that you have scheduled throughout your day. Adding appointments can be done by two methods: either through the online site or through your Treo smartphone via the Voice on the Go service. Like your Treo’s datebook, the calendar feature is setup in 15 minute increments and consists of a subject, location, and body heading. Once again, navigating through your daily appointments is as easy as learning simple commands. To truly make your calendar experience useful, Voice on the Go offers a Microsoft synchronization tool that syncs your calendar appointments as well as your contacts. This is truly a mobile professional’s dream tool!

Security

You may be wondering if the service is safe to use. Absolutely! While you do have to trust your data to Voice on the Go's server, subscriber information is compressed and encrypted. Enterprise information stays on the company's server, behind a firewall and accessible only through SSL encrypted connections. If you're worried about someone stealing your phone and accessing important information, you can rest easy there too. Voice on the Go is password protected and you must either input or speak your password when logging in.

Bluetooth Compatibility

Part of being a truly safe road warrior means you use hands free devices so you can keep your eyes on the road and both hands on the wheel. With Voice on the Go you can feel free to use your Bluetooth enabled headsets to carry out your voice activated commands or conversations.

While testing this software I tried several different headsets. The three tested were the Aliph Jawbone, Motorola H700, and the Palm Treo Ultra light headsets. Out of the three, the Jawbone proved to be the top performer in consistently recognizing voice commands without repetition. With the other two there were instances where verbal commands had to be repeated to be understood. In my opinion, the inconsistencies were not the fault of the Voice on the Go but the Bluetooth stack on Treo smartphones.

Conclusion

Voice on the Go is one of the most innovative and ingenious concepts created yet for our beloved Treo smartphones. With 5 years of research and development, you get a user experience that is exceptional. As someone on the road quite a bit myself, I find it comforting and reassuring to listen to my emails, make calls, and check appointments without worry about taking my eyes off the road or hands off the wheel. With voice activated software that doesn’t need to be trained and is simple beyond comparison, everyone should try this service.

Voice on the Go charges $5.99 per month. You can get a trial of Voice on the Go right here in the mytreo.net store. So take charge of your work week, become an advocate of road safety, and try Voice on the Go today!

Related Links

Voice on the Go

Voice on the Go Video Demonstration

Treo smartphones

Bluetooth Headsets

Aliph Jawbone

Motorola H700

Palm Ultra light Headset

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