Earlier this week, I bashed Google's visual voice mail service for its inability to transcribe my voice messages into understandable English. (OK, most of the article really focuses on a new flexibility in Google Voice, which I do like.) To be fair, poor transcription isn't all Google's fault. They're offering a free service based on a computer-aided technology that improves each year. The real problem is that machine transcription just isn't good enough.
Up until yesterday, I hadn't received more than a handful of visual voice mail message translations imbued with any meaning in my native tongue. In fact, I turned off SMS forwarding because I couldn't handle the streams of nonsensical texts that would pour in for each voice mail left. Thankfully, I won't miss the yucks stemming from mismatched voice-to-text at all, not when I can still read the messages in my online Google Voice in-box over and over again.
Do you have any favorite mistranslations produced by free computer-aided transcription engines? Share yours in the comments--or better yet, e-mail me if you'd like to take place in our anonymous gallery--and I'll share three errata from my in-box below.
The longer the message, the more creative the transcription.
(Credit: Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)
Despite its brevity, the only accurate word in this transcription is "hello."
(Credit: Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)
That's right! You go and procure the message, people!
(Credit: Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)
LG Voyager in Titanium
(Credit: Verizon Wireless)Verizon and LG have brandished a new color for its popular Voyager, this time in Titanium. This "lustrous titanium finish" is poised to make the LG Voyager a showcase for a couple of new Verizon services, namely V Cast Music with Rhapsody and Visual Voice Mail, both of which we've heard about before.
Also, it looks as if Verizon has dropped the Visual Voice Mail subscription price to $2.99 a month per line. This is good, but we still would much rather Verizon offer the visual voice mail without a monthly fee at all. The LG Voyager in Titanium is available at the same price for $149.99 after a $50 rebate and a new two-year contract.
The LG Voyager gets visual voice mail.
(Credit: Verizon Wireless)Even though we reported Verizon would bring visual voice mail to the LG Voyager a couple of weeks ago, apparently we jumped the gun because the application went missing from Verizon's Web site shortly after we posted about it. Well today, Verizon has finally made it official that it will indeed be implementing visual voice mail for the LG Voyager, but it won't be for free. It is available for $2.99 a month per line. This is disappointing, to say the least, since the visual voice mail option for the Samsung Instinct and the Apple iPhone do not appear to have a monthly charge associated with it.
The visual voice mail system implemented by Verizon is the same as the others; it has a simple interface that lets you pick and choose which voice mail message to listen to, plus you can delete, reply to, and forward each message. You can even reply with a voice message of your own if the other person is also a Verizon Wireless customer. You can view certain information like date and time of receipt, message duration, and more, in order to prioritize your response. Verizon lets you store up to 40 messages for 40 days. Alcatel-Lucent is helping to enable this service.
Currently available only on the LG Voyager, Verizon says that customers can find the application under the Messaging menu under option 6. Or customers can take the Voyager to any Verizon Wireless store to receive a free software update. Verizon expects to offer visual voice mail on more devices, but they haven't said which ones.
The LG Voyager gets visual voice mail.
(Credit: Verizon Wireless)The Apple iPhone was the first to get it, then the Samsung Instinct, and now it's the LG Voyager's turn to get visual voice mail. Yes, as of Friday, all LG Voyager customers can get a free download to their phone that will add visual voice mail capability.
As with the other visual voice mail systems, the Voyager's version will allow customers to listen to voice mail messages in any order; plus you'll have the ability to erase and archive messages directly from the Voyager's touch-screen interface. You will also be able to access the voice mail with a single button, and get instant playback.
Verizon customers can send each other voice mail messages.
(Credit: Verizon Wireless)Each voice mail will have details, like the number or name of the caller, the day, date, and time of the message, the message length, and when the message will expire. You can then also choose to call back or text the contact. You can even choose to send a voice mail back to the person, as long as he or she is a Verizon Wireless customer.
If you want this new visual voice mail feature, you'll have to go to Messaging on your handset, select the Visual Voice Mail link, launch it, enter your voice mail password, and then follow the prompts to subscribe to visual voice mail (it's a free subscription). Existing Voyager customers can bring their device to a local Verizon store to get the upgrade, or you can download it directly by visiting this page. Here's hoping that Verizon adds this visual voice mail feature to other phones in its lineup.
Update: Apparently Verizon took down the download page, and as of 4:27 pm PDT Friday, we're not able to find the application by searching through the directory. However, I did find this cached page, which might work. We'll check back to see if the download page emerges again.
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