Sprint Ditching Voice Command
Likely resulting from a combination of outdated technology and plain lack of interest, Sprint is pulling the plug on its Voice Command service. Voice Command affords users a web-based address book that provides an alternative means for placing voice calls to contacts. Tapping a few buttons to initiate a call from your address book can be trying apparently, so Voice Command allows users to dial a short code and then speak a contact name. Of course by the time you connect to the service, speak the contact name / destination type and connect your call, you would likely have been finished with the conversation had you simply placed a normal voice call. Apparently most Sprint customers share that sentiment and we doubt we’ll see many tears shed over the departure of Voice Command. If you happen to be one of the nine Voice Command users left out there, you have until July 1 to download your address book before all data is purged all hands are washed. Our advice? Snag a modern phone with integrated voice recognition.
I knew someone who used this service, started after losing phone+all contacts. It would be a smart move to have better remote storage for cell phones. Another great feature of my BB!!
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Yeah… losers… get a modern phone like the iPho… oh wait… nevermind.
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Kirk: Anything product to add that actually has anything to do with Sprint and this service that it’s dropping. I’m not sure how making yet ANOTHER negative comment about the iPhone has anything to do with Sprint or anything remotely to do with this article.
Has the iPhone really stirred up that much emotion that not one post can be made without some dipstick like you making yet another irrelevant comment about it?
Come the latter part of this year, with the 2.0 firmware and 3rd party applications the iPhone has coming, you haters are going to have to fine something else to obsess over. Maybe you can go back to picking at the shortcomings on the devices YOU own. The ones that RARELY get software/firmware upgrades, or have to soft reset twice a day, or has a shorter battery life than your girlfriends vibrator. Or maybe you just have some dumb flip phone that has voice dial but no other real features to speak of and never will.
Nah. Probably not. You’ll just stay in denial and find something to vent your anger on.
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Evilhomer: I was just kidding (well, not entirely… I do think that the iPhone needs voice commands)… I own an iPhone and use it as my primary mobile. Also own an N95-3 NAM, Blackberry 8800, and Blackberry 8310 but always come back to the iPhone. I will also be in line to buy a 3G version when they’re released (just as I was with the original). My wife also uses an iPhone and absolutely loves it. First phone I’ve ever gotten her that she actually uses for more than just making phone calls… never thought I’d see a day where she would be doing photos, sms, and email from her phone but the iPhone actually has her using all of them and enjoying it.
So, as the owner of 2 iPhones, a Macbook Pro, a Macbook, 2 iMacs, an 8-Core Mac Pro, a 30″ Cinema Display, a Time Capsule, an AppleTV, and oh… probably a total of 7 or 8 iPods… I’m most definitely not a hater. In fact, I’m an unabashed Apple Fanboy.
Don’t get me wrong… I think that there are a number of features that the iPhone is missing (voice dialing, cut/copy/paste, etc…) but everything considered I have yet to find a better phone out there for my needs… though as with everything YMMV.
Anyway, just thought I’d let ya know where I’m coming from. BTW… great name
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Hilarious Post evilhomer.
Voice command is a joke. We never sell any. There are superior solutions available already, I.E. bberry’s voice dial, moto’s voice dial, etc.
As far as the iPhone, I don’t see it as a huge issue. I mean most people that have native voice dial never even know they have it, so who cares? I’m guessing it will be implemented at some pt along the way but no need to bash it.
Sounds like Kirk is mad he can’t get an iPhone on his virgin moble prepaid acct.
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Kirk: I apologize then for referring to you as a dipstick. I am just so used to people kicking the iPhone in the teeth at every opportunity that it was a knee jerk reaction. And not just the iPhone too but it seems that Apple has everyone on edge with such great products.
I am sorry again for attacking a fellow Mac fanboy and appreciate you being such a good sport about it.
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I hope the iPhone sticks up for you just like you stick up for it Evilhomer.
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Glenn: I’m not entirely sure what you mean by that comment. I only stick up for the iPhone because so many people are in line to hate on it all the time. I’m not sure why that is. There are probably a lot of reasons but it really all boils down to the simple fact that the iPhone doesn’t meet their needs. Wether it’s on the wrong carrier, doesn’t have MMS, physical keyboard, out of their price range, whatever. It just doesn’t meet their needs. So why hate on it? Just go buy something that does. Why the relentless bashing and rehashing the same ol’ gripes post after post? There doesn’t seem to be any NEW deficiencies to rag on, just that same old missing features and price point crap that’s been regurgitated since last June.
I think the continued bashing of the device has gone beyond ridiculous. Seem to be the typical human response though. To mock what one does not understand.
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Unfortunately, there are a fair number of blind and disabled people who relied upon this service. My father, 89, and my blind mother a cases in point. I was able to maintain their phonebooks with emergency numbers, caregivers, various doctors, etc. When one of them would lose a phone, they had access to vital lifeline services as soon as a new phone was activated. Although there may only have been a few thousand blind and disabled people who depended upon this service, they’re in trouble now. Ironically, these very people aren’t really in a position to be reading bills and notices, so it will be a rude, dangerous surprise at the end of the month
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You may not realize that the “ditching” of voce command is a loss to som of us. People who are bind can not put contacts in their phonebooks on phones without either having sighted help eiverytime they want to add contacts ore paying $300-$600 for expensive software to make the phone talk. I just spent $299 for a phone (that’[s after the not-yet- received rebate) and $499 for the talking software. Most phones that do have voice-activated dialing require that the number be in the phonebook andthat there be a voice tag none of which is accessile out of the box or a blind person. Sprint is compensating by offering free Directoyr assistance to those qho qualify, but neither this or the “send” option that is a choice when you hold the 1 button in (at least on my old phone) is a good substitute for having contacts in your phonebook. On top of all this, only the addresses that were put into voice command via the we b are retrievable by dowload; the ons that were entered by voice can only be retrieved by a command on the phone given verbally. Voice command will be missed more than you might think and not all blind people have the money to go out and buy an accessible phone and software–only certain phones can handle the special software. At least I got sprint to move up my upgrade date or I’d have payed $150 more. Not that it matters now but I saw this thread and wanted to vent. nAlready vented thoroughly to sprit.
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Well it has been almost 4 months since the demise of Sprint Voice Command and I really miss being able to use it. First of all, when I used it with a wired headset, with the VC
number set to speed dial, all it took was one push of the button and you connected to VC. Also, I found the male voice prompts much louder, with a 95% accuracy and more chances to correct your request. MS voice command volume is to low. Lastly, one trick I used with the Bt 250 and Bt 2020 VC number in speed dial also when I would finish a call, I would dial the VC number and hange up. Therefore when I need to make a call from sprint’s VC, all I had to do was press my bluetooth headset, which in turn would dial the last number. BAM, I connected. Sure do miss it and I never lost my stored contacts on sprint’s VC.
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