Today I tested various Facebook applications for status updates. I added Spinvox an application that provides a voice to text facebook and twitter update service. Just dial a +18xx-4SPOKEN number from your mobile after you are registered and your status is updated. Spinvox has been around for awhile. In the UK they were providing a service converting voicemail to text. (In the US this is $9.99/mth way too expensive, unless you have a hearing problem… then it is cheap and worthwhile) I tried their memo service as well as the Facebook / Twitter app.
Gmail - Spin-my-Memo received
You’ve received a new memo: ———-”This is a test message using SpinVox for the very first time. My name is Stewart Henshaw(?). I am a blocker and I am sending this to my xxxxx@henshawl.com account. Yesterday I blogged(?) on KM(?) World and also updated my quitter feed on a no. of occasions.”
- spoken through SpinVox. ———-
It lacks the accuracy I require. The Facebook app was a nightmare in the sign-up procedure. Maybe that’s why only it only has 10 active daily users.
Facebook | Application Directory
Share through SpinVox allows you to update your Facebook status, Twitter and Jaiku with a simple phone call. SpinVox will convert your words into text and send them to wherever you want them to go. Try it now!
10 daily active users (3%) — 1 friend — 1 review
Tags: , communications, facebook, spinvox, twitter
Hi - I work with SpinVox and wanted to offer a little more detail regarding the price of the SpinVox voicemail-to-text service in the United States.
The $9.99 price you cite in your post is just one pricing option of many. For this price, Cincinnati Bell subscribers are entitled to receive 55 voice messages converted to text. But there are other options at other price ranges. For example, for $4.99 a Cincinnati Bell subscriber can get 25 messages converted. And in Canada, SaskTel not only offers similar types of packages, but also the opportunity to pay-per-message, charged at $.40 per converted voicemail.
Each carrier determines their own pricing scheme, but its important to point out that there are several options at different price points and $9.99 a month is just one of many.
Greg,
Thanks for the examples. I merely, clicked the link on your site. I’m sure there must have been some calculations done on number of voice mails left etc. I’d think for some businesses that are voice mail centric while the user is text centric may have some applications. However, for that audience I’d see this become expensive quickly.
I’m sure the negotiation with carriers is complex. I’d suggest you look at doing a deal with Truphone and enabling this for free for a period… so I get both my voice mail and the translated text. It would provide a low cost test and enable many to understand the uses and the stories I think are valuable.
I am still waiting to test the blog capability. Perhaps I can learn to dictate more accurately. I remain curious, although think the fee structure is currently a killer.
Cheers
Stuart
[...] I was stunned by the accuracy I got back. This actually works! For contrast, I last tried this with Spinvox and was disappointed by the service. In each case I spoke fast and left messages. I kept my [...]