Application Aims: Your Wish Is Your Blackberry’s (Voice) Command

Reviewer’s Comments
Vlingo has created an application that allows BlackBerry users to perform a large number of functions with simple voice commands. Installation is simple and well explained on vlingo’s informative web page. Once downloaded, you’re walked through the process of designating one of the device’s side convenience keys as the vlingo key and you’re set. You can launch vlingo from any screen—just press the designated convenience key and it’s ready to listen.

Probably the biggest single advantage of using vlingo is the ability to speak email or text messages. It links directly to your contact list so addressing is easy. Just press the button and say, for example, “email Bob, subject Tomorrow’s Meeting,” and release the button. The screen will auto-populate with Bob’s full name and email address and the subject line already completed. Press the button again and dictate the email. You can even add punctuation as you choose by stating period, comma, question mark, etc. The message will be displayed for you to see as the vlingo program understood it. It’s remarkably accurate but not perfect. If there is a misunderstanding, place the cursor over the word in question and it will suggest alternatives that you can select. If the correct alternative isn’t displayed, you can type it in. The application learns quickly and isn’t likely to make the same mistake twice.

Another especially handy use of the vlingo program is creating tasks. Press the convenience key and say “Note to self” then say what you need to have remembered. Just that quickly you’ve added a new task. Alternatively, preference setting allows the “note to self” command to generate a memo pad entry or email or a text message to yourself. Many other applications can be opened simply by saying “open” or “launch” followed by the program you want. Want music? Just tell vlingo and it pops up. Web searches can be accomplished simply by stating “search” then the subject you want. It just couldn’t be much easier. You can even tell it which search engine, such as Yahoo or Google, you want it to use.

Vlingo is one of the handiest applications we’ve encountered. It brings remarkable convenience to the most important mobile device tasks by accurately replacing typing with voice recognition. Certainly not perfect, the program does learn very quickly and is unlikely to duplicate a mistake once corrected. Vlingo is available free of charge from www.vlingo.com.

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