Can't Check Voice Mail? Read It

Alltel is working with a British company called SpinVox, which has systems that “listen” to voice mail messages. If certain words can’t be discerned, the messages go to technicians.

There's hope for you soon.

Cellular provider Alltel is among a few big phone companies starting to launch new ways to use the time-honored voice mail message. The No. 4 U.S. cellular carrier is starting a system called Voice2TXT that uses voice recognition technology (and some human help) to convert incoming voice mail messages into text that users can read on their phone like a text message - as discreetly as glancing down at the phone.

Alltel's system is the first in the Tampa Bay area to offer such a service, pricing it at $4.99 to $19.99 per month, depending on the number of messages sent. The project is part of a broad effort at phone companies to rethink voice mail systems that largely haven't changed in at least a decade. These new approaches blend voice calls, e-mail, text messages and anything else that can be brought to bear.

Apple took a step in that direction with its "visual voice mail" system on its iPhone, which breaks apart the usual method of listening to voice mail messages one at a time. Instead, visual voice mail systems display a list of messages (and who sent them, through caller ID) and lets the user scroll through them.

Apple so believes in its feature that it has become a big part of Apple's iPhone TV commercials.

The new Alltel system uses a blend of computer and human help to convert voice calls to text. Alltel contracted with a British company called SpinVox, which has systems that "listen" to voice messages in a similar way to computerized voice recognition systems that customer service centers use.

If the system can't discern certain words, the messages go to technicians in South Africa, Ireland and other countries for final polishing. Still, some words show up as blanks in the final text message, and mumbling and ambient noise can stump the system at times. The Alltel system works with English and Spanish.

"There is a value to discretion," said Tony Carter, a spokesman for SpinVox. "Maybe you're in a quiet meeting, and you don't want to stick your phone to your head so everyone thinks you're not paying attention. Or maybe you're in a sports arena that's just too loud to hear your voice mail."

The idea was the brainchild of 30-year-old Christine Domecq, of the Spanish Domecq spirits family, who left a meeting and found herself with 14 voice mail messages, unable to tell whether any were important. She decided the solution was to find a way to scan through messages quickly - not listen to all of them. She and a few telecom entrepreneurs raised $100 million to build the company.

The system isn't limited to just phones. SpinVox this year signed a similar deal that allows users of social networking sites Facebook, Jaiku and Twitter to dictate updates to their profiles by calling a special SpinVox number.

Sometime next year, SpinVox expects to sign deals with land-line phone and cable TV companies that will convert home voice mail messages to text, then send them to cell phones as text messages so office workers can see who called home during the day.

As for privacy concerns, SpinVox acknowledges that its employees need to listen to messages to transcribe them, and it requires them to sign confidentiality agreements. Further, Carter said the employees only hear the beginning of messages, enough to fill the 160 characters in a text message.

Although Alltel is the first major cell phone provider to offer such a feature directly to customers, there are a few add-on software packages that accomplish a similar task.

Encinitas, Calif.-based FreedomVOICE Systems, for example, has a system called TalkText that converts voice messages to text for BlackBerry and Treo smart phones, as well as some desktop computers.

Sprint recently launched its own voice mail advancement called VoiceSMS, which blends voice and e-mail. Callers can scroll through their contacts, select someone to call, then dictate a message. Recipients then see a short text message, telling them they have a message waiting. The only fee to the service is for a text message, and the service also can deliver voice messages to e-mail addresses, which appear as a short audio recording.

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Easily transfer contacts to your new cell phone

Talk about a nightmare. Just after you get all excited over the purchase of a new phone, you realize that your contact info is trapped in your dying old phone. HELP! MY CONTACTS ARE TRAPPED IN MY PHONE!
Talk about a nightmare. Just after you get all excited over the purchase of a new phone, you realize that your contact info is trapped in your dying old phone. The only way to rescue them, manually inputting hundreds of contacts using the alphanumeric keypad, no less, can be enough to test even the most patient. You think about how much effort this will require and say to yourself, "Did I really need a new phone?"

Well, of course you did, and you can stop imagining this doomsday scenario.

Note: If both your old and new phones use a SIM card on which you've stored your contact information, you can stop reading right now and sleep soundly; you can just transfer your SIM card to the new phone.

In fact, there are a few different happy endings to this nightmare.
1. Make your carrier work for you
We know, it's a novel concept. But if you purchase a new phone through and your phone doesn't use a SIM card, you can go to one of your carrier's retail outlets and have a customer service agent transfer your contacts from your old phone to your new one. It may cost you, however, depending on your carrier.

2. Use syncing software
If for some reason your provider is unable to transfer your address book to the new phone, don't give in to that syncing feeling. You can purchase cables and data synchronization software that will do the trick. Your carrier or the phone's manufacturer may provide such tools for your handset. Otherwise, several third-party options are available.

FutureDial offers cables ($30 to $35) for a wide range of cell phones, and its SnapSync software ($30) automatically synchronizes contact information between your phone and Outlook or Outlook Express. But in this case, you'll probably need separate cables for both your old and new phones. DataPilot's Universal Kit ($80) and Mobile Action's Handset Manager (around $30), however, include cell phone sync software and connectors to support most popular cell phone brands, including Nokia. Check with the company to be sure your phones are supported. For step-by-step directions on using syncing software, see our Weekend Project.

If you use an Apple Macintosh and a GPRS Bluetooth-enabled phone, Apple's iSync will synchronize your contacts, appointments, and events. iSync is available as a free download from Apple.

3. Use online tools
Verizon Wireless recently introduced a new online service that eliminates the pain of moving your contact information. The Backup Assistant lets you store your address book online, so your contact information is readily available in case you purchase a new phone. This also is a good option in case your cell phone is lost or stolen. Backup Assistant is available at Verizon's Get It Now online store. For $5 a month, Nextel offers an online service that lets you store up to 2,000 contacts with multiple addresses and phone numbers. You can import contact information to the site from Outlook, Excel, or your Nextel phone. Once all the information you need is online, you can transfer contacts to your new phone with ease.

An alternative comes from a start-up company called Vazu. It offers a free tool called Vazu Contacts, which lets you upload contact information from Outlook, Outlook Express, Apple Mail, or Novell Evolution directly to your Nokia or Sony Ericsson mobile phone. You receive contact information as a business card, which you can immediately add to your address book. Currently, Vazu Contacts works only on GSM networks, so AT&T Wireless, Cingular, and T-Mobile customers with supported phones can enjoy the service. The company says it is exploring other networks and phone models.

4. Wireless connectivity
If both your old and new phones have Bluetooth or an infrared port, you may be able to transfer contacts wirelessly. Not all carriers support Bluetooth, however, so be sure to check if yours does. Alternatively, you can transfer files on a memory card.

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