We’ve seen quite a few comments in the blogosphere regarding the Double Tap and TTS features of Voice Talk on the Samsung Galaxy SII. Customers are accidently triggering the double tap feature and other customers want to minimize the text to speech functionality. As a result we wanted to share a few tips and tricks to help you better manage how you interact with the app.
Read CNET’s coverage of Clarion’s Next Gate which was announced this week at CTIA. Vlingo worked with Clarion to bring speech-to-text capabilities for users of the iPhone controller to easily connect to email and social media channels while behind the wheel.
Your car’s windshield can now be home to apps for Internet radio streaming, traffic and navigation, and voice command via Clarion’s new iPhone controller.
Clarion Corporation of America announced today at CTIA 2012 a new way to connect youriPhone to your car: the Next Gate.
Clarion’s Next Gate is a 7-inch WVGA touch display that mounts on your vehicle’s windshield with a suction cup, much like a portable navigation device. (However, at 7 inches, its size is only rivaled by the largest of PNDs, such as Magellan’s RoadMate 9055-LM.) The Next Gate features a cable connection to the iPhone 4′s or iPhone 4S’ 30-pin dock connector for data and charging; meanwhile the Clarion unit itself is powered by a 12-volt power adapter. The Next Gate also has a Bluetooth wireless connection for hands-free calling, a microSD slot, a built-in speaker and an auxiliary audio output for those who would rather use their car’s speakers (and who wouldn’t?), and a few blue LED buttons and and indicators.
So that’s what the Next Gate is, now what does it do? Essentially, it acts as an iPhone controller giving drivers command over audio playback and hands-free calling via its much larger display and vehicle-optimized interface. Bluetooth integration will enable the driver to use the iPhone’s voice activation and dialing functions. Additionally, Clarion has partnered with a selection of developers of apps that are optimized for in-vehicle use to enable capabilities such as “navigation, Internet radio, social networking, and voice control/text readout for select functions,” according to the manufacturer’s press release.
If I’m understanding correctly, what the Next Gate is is Pioneer’s AppRadio, but without the radio and without the in-dash installation, making it ideal for owners of multiple cars and members of car-sharing services such as ZipCar.
For now those app partners are TuneIn, Pandora, Vlingo, Inrix Traffic, and InfoGation, but Clarion states that users will be able to download additional applications in the future via its new Smart Access Cloud Telematics Service and possibly unlock other vehicle-approved functions.
You may recognize most of the current list of approved apps. Pandora has been a huge player in the Internet radio sphere for years now, providing access to customized streaming-audio channels. Pandora’s was one of the first apps to be integrated into both OEM and aftermarket car audio systems, so I’m not surprised to see it here. TuneIn, an app that I only recently became familiar with via the Parrot Asteroid, provides over 50,000 live, local, and global radio stations. TuneIn is great for those who just want a clearer reception of their favorite local public radio station or who have a favorite DJ who broadcasts on the other side of the globe. Inrix Traffic gives users access to what it describes as one of the most comprehesive traffic-monitoring networks available today, with the goal of helping plan the quickest, least frustrating, and most fuel-efficient route from where you are to where you want to be. InfoGation is navigation software that offers turn-by-turn directions along the way. Finally, I’ve gone into great detail about and heaped much praise upon Vlingo’s voice recognition software previously.
Additionally, Next Gate will offer limited integration with Facebook, Twitter, and news applications via the text-to-speech and voice command functions provided by Vlingo and iOS, so drivers can use their voice and ears to stay connected while keeping their eyes on the road.
Expect to see the Clarion Next Gate popping up at Best Buy, Crutchfield, and Amazon.com as early as June 1 at an MSRP of $269.99.
I like to think I’m a pretty cheery person. I mean last year when my cat, Potato Chip, accidentally spilled my smoothie all over my new sweater do you think I bristled? Of course not, people! He didn’t do it on purpose – he was just trying to dig out that ball of yarn from my pocket. Plus I never would have found Vlingo if it weren’t for good ole Potato Chip. We were at a Scrap Booking Club and he was cuddling with this cute little tabby. I went over to snap a photo and noticed the tabby’s owner asking her phone to search for summer sausage recipes. I knew I had to have that app.
Do I love using my virtual assistant? Does Wisconsin make a darn good cheddar? You betcha! Be sure to check out my video to see all the ways Vlingo makes me smile!
I do not like too much talking. Usually when I talk it is because I have to yell at grandchild or have something important to tell pool boy. He is very handsome, but not so smart. His muscles are very good for drain cleaning.
The other day I find Vlingo while looking for app to help me cheat at bingo. I do not mind talking to Vlingo, because Vlingo helps me do things. It is also simple, like life in the old country. That and it does not always try to steal my cookies, like fat grandson Billy. Please watch video and I show you how Vlingo makes my life good.
Life on the front lines can be brutal and lonely. Especially when you’re supposed countryman left the rations in his other minivan, and your cotton-poly blend undershorts have begun to rot following a particularly rainy Battle of Antietam. Despite the difficulty, it is those truly authentic moments that make Civil War reenacting so awesome. The literature I have read suggests that the common infantrymen would go weeks at a time without so much as a single well-seasoned hot wing. I know. Truly barbaric conditions.
Just when I thought I couldn’t go on, the guy who fires our cannons showed me this app on his Android phone – Vlingo. Life with a virtual assistant is totally awesome! If you want to know what life is like living on the edge of technology and Civil War reenacting, check out my video.
My life is busy. Whether I am popping bottles poolside at the Chateau Marmont, or chatting backstage at Fashion Week, I hardly have a quiet moment to myself. Just the other day I went to take a nap at my joint in Malibu and – BAM! – some leggy blonde walks up from the beach and wants my autograph. One thing leads to another and the next thing you know I’m on a lobster boat in Labrador. A lesser puppet would probably have been to rehab a dozen times by now, buut there’s a reason I’ve only been four times – my virtual assistant, Vlingo. No doubt she’s helped me out of a jam or two thousand. Little word to the wise, though: if you end up in a Thai prison, I would look elsewhere for legal counsel.
Check out my video to get a little taste of how the beautiful people use a virtual assistant.
Doesn’t everyone deserve a virtual assistant? We certainly think so. To celebrate all of the different types of people out there, we wanted to introduce you to a few friends of ours: meet Grandma, Frank, Ms Positivity and Puppet as they show you how their (quirky) lives are a little bit better with a virtual assistant to help out.
Over the next few weeks, you will be seeing a lot more of these characters, as they take over our blog, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. It should be a lot of fun!
Also, be sure to check out our brand new Pinterest page http://pinterest.com/vlingo/ to see fun images pinned by your favorite character.
Hope you enjoy! Which character do you like the best?
Our friends at Android Tapp have begun a HD mini movie series featuring their favorite apps in a cinematic format. Vlingo was selected to be the first in the series! Watch below:
AndroidTapp.com Rating
(4.7 out of 5)
Should you Download Vlingo: Words to Action? Yes! Control your phone completely by Voice… Must Have App!
Click here to read Android Tapp’s full review of Vlingo.
Takeaway: Vlingo Virtual Assistant is Android’s answer to Siri envy. Jack Wallen explains how to get the most out of Vlingo.
Are you jealous when you watch the Siri commercials that make the iPhone look like the single greatest mobile functionality ever created? Do you ache and long to have such a feature on your Android phone? You can have that, you know, with Vlingo Virtual Assistant.
Even though Vlingo isn’t a sexy name, it does have a pleasant feminine voice that reads back your incoming texts and email, as well the ability to take your spoken input and achieve plenty of results. There are a few tricks to getting it working as expected, so let’s get this baby up and running to make your life infinitely easier.
With Vlingo you can:
Send texts and emails
Voice dial
Search the web
Find local restaurants, shops, and other businesses
Get directions
Update your social status on Facebook or Twitter and check in with foursquare
Get answers to just about any question
Buy movie tickets and book hotel rooms
Open other apps
Have incoming email and texts read aloud as they come in
Installation
Installation is as simple as:
Open up the Android Market
Search for “vlingo”
Tap Download
Tap Accept & Download
That’s it! Vlingo can now be found in the App Drawer on your mobile device.
When you first run Vlingo, you will be greeted with a quick tutorial on using the application. The tool is pretty straightforward to use. However, there are a couple of “gotchas” that you don’t get from the tutorial (more on that in a bit).
Once you’ve walked through the tutorial, you’ll find yourself on the Vlingo main screen (Figure A). Here you can access the landing screens for:
Sending texts
Placing phone calls
Finding restaurants
Finding businesses
Searching
Updating social networks
Getting answers
Opening apps
Figure A
From within the app, you can purchase a premium version for $1.99 (USD) without ads.
If you simply tap an entry on this screen, you’ll see hints about what it can do. If you long press an entry, it will take you directly to that function’s landing page (Figure B).
Figure B
Here’s the landing page for the Social Network status update page.
From the main screen, you can simply tap the Speak It button and then speak your search string into the mic to get a plethora of results. Tap the desired result entry, and you can select what you want to do with the results (Figure C).
Figure C
Call, get directions, or view on the web at a touch of a button.
Text to speech
As I mentioned earlier, it’s possible to have Vlingo read your incoming texts and emails. There’s a caveat to this. Vlingo reads everything, so if an email is long (or a reply in a long thread of conversations), this can get rather tedious and annoying.
In order to enable this feature, open the Settings menu from within Vlingo (tap the Menu button on the handset), and then tap SafeReader settings. In this new screen (Figure D), check the box for the app you want Vlingo to read incoming messages from.
Figure D
You can enable both texts and emails.
If you enable email, you also have to make sure you select which account you want Vlingo to read. Tap the Email accounts button and then select the account you want to enable.
You’re not done. Although you’ve enabled the apps, you haven’t enabled the SafeReader option. To do this, go back to the main screen and then tap the speaker icon (in the top left) to enable (the “x” sould go away and Vlingo will speak to you “Safe reader is on”). Now, whenever a text or email arrives, Vlingo will read it out to you.
Vlingo InCar
There’s a beta version of an in-car dashboard that makes it even easier to use Vlingo. To get to the InCar dashboard, click the tiny steering wheel icon in the upper-right corner of the main screen. When the new screen opens (Figure E), you can tap one of the large buttons and then speak.
Figure E
Scroll the main pane to the left to see the Settings pane where you can enable Wake-up Command.
The Wake-up command is very handy for the Vlingo InCar. Having this on allows you to say “Hey, Vlingo” and Vlingo will then follow your next command. So, if you wanted to Text a contact, you would say:
“Hey, Vlingo.”
Once Vlingo responds with, “What would you like to do?” follow the rest of the vocal prompts. It’s really quite simple.
Vlingo has a number of other amazing options that go a long way to making your Android mobile experience as safe and easy as possible. I’m fairly confident that once you start using Vlingo, you won’t go back to the old finger-tiring, unsafe-driving method.
It’s hard to argue that there’s a better virtual assistant for the iPhone when you’ve got Siri, because Apple can create app that is completely integrated with iOS. That said, if you don’t have Siri there are plenty of great options that may even be better some day. Here’s a look at why Siri’s great but plenty of other excellent alternatives as well.
Siri
Platform: iPhone 4S Price: Free (with an iPhone 4S) Built-in
Tell Siri what you want with voice commands, and it will respond to you with an answer or ask you for more information.
Send text messages.
Make calls.
Look up information online.
Ask Siri to make complex calculations with Wolfram Alpha.
Siri primarily excels in two ways: it’s fully integrated with your iPhone so it can do almost anything and you don’t need to have the app open for its complete functionality. Both of these things are advantages that Apple has over the competition because it can integrate its apps much more closely with the operating system than any third party will ever be able to do. That said, Siri is also great because it can do more than most third-party apps can do anyway. It’s capable of looking up information, making complex calculations (via Wolfram Alpha), getting driving directions, making calls and texts, adding appointments to your calendar, and much more. It can even tell you a joke. Siri is so thorough that even if you combine every third party app listed in the competition section below, they still wouldn’t have all the functionality Siri can provide. That said, Siri isn’t perfect and some of the other apps definitely have their advantages. It pretty much comes down to this: If you have Siri, it’s most likely your best choice in virtual assistants. If you don’t, there are some really great alternatives.
Siri has several downsides. First, it only (currently) works on an iPhone 4S (although there’s a complicated workaround for jailbroken devices). Second, it doesn’t work hands-free (although there’s a jailbreak workaround for that, plus a non-jailbreak trick you can use to avoid pushing the home button). Perhaps most importantly, Siri sometimes has some issues with accuracy. This should be expected with any voice recognition software, but it seems to misunderstand certain words more so than some of the competition listed below. That said, Siri’s level of accuracy is still very good, but if you’re having trouble getting it to understand you then you might want to see how another app fares. Finally, although Siri is incredibly well-integrated into iOS, there is still more it could do—and jailbreak hacks make these things possible. For example,launching apps, changing settings, and other custom commands aren’t available by default, but you can definitely add them if you’re jailbroken.
Vokul ($3) is a virtual assistant geared more towards using your phone safely while you drive. While it’s great for that, there’s no reason you can’t use it as an assistant in other situations as well. It can send email, texts, make calls, and play your music. What it can’t do, at the moment, is get you driving directions or search the web for information. That said, it has, by far, the most accurate voice recognition of any app I’ve tested so far. Read more about Vokul here.
Evi ($1) fills in the functionality that Vokul doesn’t have. While it can’t (yet) send emails or texts or do much in the way of controlling your phone, it can look up just about any information you need online—and you can use your voice or search manually. For example, if you wanted to know what time it is in Beijing or when Thanksgiving is in 2016, Evi can find out for you. You can ask it just about anything. If it can’t find the answer, it’ll try to provide you with relevant information. For example, it wasn’t sure if it was a leap year this year so it pointed me to the leap year page on Wikipedia.
Vlingo (Free), in theory, is a perfect option. It can get directions, send emails, compose text messages, update Facebook and Twitter, search the web, and make phone calls—all using the power of your voice. In my tests, however, it had a very hard time finding accurate results. This hasn’t been the case with other apps, so I have to assume the voice recognition just isn’t as good. That said, Vlingo is free and a lot of people use it, so there’s certainly no harm in trying to see if it works well for you. If it does, it’s pretty much the best deal on virtual assistants you’ll find in the iTunes App Store.
Voice Actions ($5) is an app you should probably avoid. Not only is it more expensive than your other options, but it seems to get confused by most commands. It’s supposed to be capable of finding all sorts of information, setting alarms, voice dialing contants, and much more, but even when it understood the names I gave it—both simple and complex—it wasn’t sure what to do with them. I’d say “call Whitson Gordon” and it would get the name right, but search for it rather than recognize I wanted to make a phone call. While Voice Actions can supposedly do quite a bit, I couldn’t get it to do all that much. Your mileage may vary, but considering it’s the most expensive option you’ve got it’s hard to recommend giving it a try when you’ve got a free app that does the same stuff and two cheaper paid apps that work very well.
About Vlingo
Vlingo is a Virtual Assistant that turns your words into action by combining voice to text technology, natural language processing, and Vlingo’s Intent Engine to understand the user’s intent and take the appropriate action. Simply speak to your phone to connect with the people, businesses and activities that are important to you.
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(4.7 out of 5)
