If you're a Vonage user and you have an iPhone, great news -- Vonage has launched a new mobile app that allows you to send text messages and make calls with other Vonage users around the world. For free. The Vonage app pulls in your iPhone's native address book for quick access to initiating calls. Outgoing calls are recognized as originating from your usual phone number, so Caller ID on your friends' phones should still work fine. Needing others to be on Vonage is a pretty big caveat, but even for calling regular land lines, they're claiming rates are 30% lower than Skype. To sweeten the deal, Vonage is throwing in 3000 minutes/month of free mobile and landline calls to the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico for a limited time.

I'm not as impressed with the new Vonage app as Dell Voice, which lets you make outgoing calls to regular ol' landlines and cell phones within Canada for free for the foreseeable future (not just a limited time). Of course, there's no SMS text messaging included with Dell Voice, but I use instant messaging way more often anyway. Besides, if you've got to harass friends to sign up for a new service to get free calling anyway, wouldn't you have better luck with pushing a more widely-recognized brand like Skype? At the very least, Vonage Mobile's offer for free calling to land lines and mobile is pretty nice, even if it's only for a limited time.

Head on over to Vonage for more info on the app, which is also available for Android (if you're into that kind of thing). If you're ready to roll, go ahead and download directly from the App Store.

Nuance Communications, makers of Dragon Dictation and the voice recognition technology behind Siri in the iPhone 4S, have agreed to purchase competitor Vlingo.

Nuance Communications Inc. agreed to buy Vlingo Inc. in a deal that gives the developer of voice- command technology a system that can respond to spoken words with actions such as Internet searches.

Vlingo had a big boost in downloads after some iPhone users realized it could perform tasks that Siri has yet to offer, such as sending status updates to social networks like Twitter and Facebook by simply speaking into their iPhone.

Details of the upcoming acquisition have yet to be disclosed by either company. While this may be good for Nuance, having one fewer major player in the voice recognition space is sad for those who like dynamic, highly competitive markets.

Source: Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Siri can now control Plex media playback using the Siri Proxy. In case you missed it earlier, a developer created a SiriProxy to control a thermostat and then made the code available for others to use.

The SiriProxy stands in between your iPhone 4S and Apple’s servers. It then intercepts Siri voice commands. This proxy enables additional commands to be added to Siri’s repitoire without any input from Apple. It has been demonstrated as a tool to start cars and even control third-party apps.

The latest video shows Siri controlling media playback on a TV which is hooked up to a Plex enabled system. Plex is multi-platform software to organize and play back local and online media. The developer uses Siri via the Siri Proxy to play movies and TV Shows using the Plex command line interface.

The most impressive part of the demonstration is the speed the media plays after receiving the instruction from Siri. After you watch the video, you will have no doubt that Siri is the future for the Apple TV or of course the often rumored Apple TV set.

Source: 9to5Mac

The provider of the voice for the UK version of Siri has been revealed and what makes the story even more intriguing is the fact that the guy who provided all the sounds didn’t even know it was him until he saw Apple's commercial. The voice, known as “Daniel”, was provided by former technology journalist Jon Briggs; but it was not provided directly to Apple. The voice over work was originally done six years ago for a company called Scansoft which was later purchased by Nuance, which subsequently licensed it to Apple.

“I did a set of recordings with Scansoft five or six years ago, for text-to-speech services,” says Briggs. “Five thousand sentences over three weeks, spoken in a very particular way and only reading flat and even. Then they go away and take all the phonics apart, because I have to be able to read anything you want, even if I’ve never actually recorded all those words.”

He is certainly not bitter that it is now being used by Apple. He was paid well originally by Scansoft for his work and he loves Apple products. Jon Biggs also provides the voice for many other technology products including satellite navigation units for Garmin, TomTom, Jaguar, Land Rover, Audi and Porsche.

Source: The Telegraph

According to a report from All Things D, Siri co-founder Dag Kittlaus has now left Apple. Apple launched Siri with the iPhone 4S earlier this month after buying the company back in April 2010.

There were several reasons for the departure, which was amicable and has been planned for a while, sources said. They included Kittlaus’ family being in Chicago, a desire to take time off and an interest in brainstorming new entrepreneurial ideas.

Source: All Things D

Google has voluntarily pulled its Google Voice application from the App Store due to an incompatibility with the just released iOS 5 software.  If you search for Google Voice it can no longer be found in the App Store.

Vincent Paquet, Senior Product Manager for Google Voice confirmed that the app had been pulled, explaining "our last update of this week had a bug that caused the app to crash at sign in. We removed it so it did not affect additional users until the fix gets published."

Source: Engadget

It looks very likely that Apple will be delivering a fully integrated voice recognition service into iOS 5 when it is released in the fall. 9to5 Mac has uncovered a setting screen which clearly shows a toggle switch for a service called Assistant. The Assistant service will supposedly take voice input to a whole new level, allowing you to control all the core operating system actions with voice. This is not the first time we have seen information pointing to system wide voice recognition and control.

“Assistant” does not work only based off a user’s voice inputs, but Apple will take information – securely – from user’s devices like location, contact’s information, and music metadata to formulate the best information to serve a user’s request. Since Apple will be taking information such as phone contacts and location, we truly think that “Assistant” will work just like the Siri iPhone application does; but fully integrated into the operating system.

Guess we will just have to wait and see. I am really not that excited by the prospect of voice control. Unless it is done perfectly and works every time, it just takes longer to do things and becomes a constant source of frustration!

[9to5 Mac]

Nuance has released an iOS application that turns your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch into a WiFi connected microphone. The app runs in conjunction with Nuances’ just updated Dragon NaturallySpeaking software.

In conjunction with the launch of Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11.5, Nuance introduced the Dragon Remote Mic App, a free application on the Apple iOS app store which makes it possible to use an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad as a wireless microphone for Dragon via a Wi-Fi network connection. Many customers have requested to use their smartphones and other mobile devices with Dragon to have more flexibility with how and where they dictate with Dragon. The new Dragon Remote Mic App takes advantage of the nearly 200 million iOS devices in use today, and transforms the device into a wireless microphone that easily captures dictation and controls applications on your PC.

There is some bad news if you are considering picking this free app up from the App Store. You will need to buy the PC software which starts from $99 as an upgrade from a previous version. There is no Mac version either, it is PC only!

Take a look at the app in action in the video after the break. If any of our readers have the software and try out the app, please let us know how it works in the comments!

[Free - iTunes Link]

Well known Jailbreak expert Chronic, of Chronic Dev Team, discovered a couple of hidden menu pages in the latest beta of iOS 5, confirming that Apple is heavily involved in bringing system wide voice integration to iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Voice recognition was widely rumored to be coming in iOS 5 however there was little mention of it at the recent  WWDC keynote. We did see it briefly mentioned on one of the slides but that was all.

The screenshots above show that the service will come as a partnership between Apple and Nuance; as was widely expected. Maybe we will see it all ready to go when Apple decides to reveal the next generation iPhone, expected to be around the time of the full release of iOS 5 in the fall.

The question is, will this be part of iOS 5 for all devices that can run it, just for Apple A5 powered devices, which would include iPad 2 and iPod touch 5 presumably, or just for the unannounced next generation iPhone?

[@chronic, @chronicwire]

TechCrunch has been told that Apple will be integrating system-wide voice control technology into iOS 5 derived from their purchase of Siri last year. Apple is reportedly putting the finishing touches on the feature which will be demoed at WWDC in June.

A year ago, Apple bought Siri, a virtual personal assistant startup that had released a very cool iPhone app. The Siri team and technology are now said to be a big part of iOS 5.

The use of Siri's artificial intelligence and assistance technology is said to be deeply integrated into the OS for all the different services offered. And the team is now putting the finishing touches on the elements that will be demoed at WWDC, we hear. This tech may also be opened to developers for use in third-party apps - though that information isn't quite as concrete.

Apple introduced a very basic VoiceControl feature in iOS 3 a couple of years ago, but it doesn't seem to enjoy widespread use (I hardly ever use it, do you?). The coolest thing you can do is play a song or make a call using your voice -- which is nice -- but you can't perform system-wide voice commands like launching an app or carry out a task such as adding a new calendar event. By contrast, Android gained far more integrated, far more useful voice control over a year ago.

We've all hoped for better voice integration in iOS for a while now, so this is great news if it turns out to be true. Would you use a SIRI-powered voice control system in iOS?

[TechCrunch]

Apple today posted a Verizon Wireless upgrade eligibility checker on their site along with voice/data/messaging plans -- only to pull them down a short time later. While up the information seemed to confirm what we have been hearing about the data plans where there will be unlimited for $29.99 a month and the option to throw the hot spot on there with 2GB extra for an additional $20 a month.

Voice

• 450 minutes $39.99/month
• 900 minutes with unlimited to 5 selected people (any network) $59.99/month
• Unlimited $69.99/month

Data

• Unlimited iPhone $29.99/month
• Unlimited iPhone + 2GB tethering/Personal 3G Hotspot $49.99/month

Messaging

• Pay per use $0.20 per SMS/month, $0.25 per MMS/month
• 250 messages $5/month
• 500 messages $10/month
• Unlimited messaging $20/month

These seem to be pretty straight forward with the current Verizon smartphone plans with the exception of the unlimited text messaging for $20/month. Current users have been offered 5,000 messages for $20/month but it appears as if they are at least going to offer iPhone users unlimited messages for the same amount per month. It seems like it would make sense for them to switch their smartphone plan to the same but we will have to wait and see.

Why did the information disappear? Maybe someone in Cupertino jumped the gun and posted it a tad early. If they decide to put it back up we will update you so you can check your eligibility and check out the plans for yourself.

[ 9 To 5 Mac ]

Curious how to use your voice to dial or control your iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS? Apple has built Voice Control right into the phone and while it's still limited in functionality, it's very easy to use. We'll show you how after the break.

To activate Voice Control on your iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS just press and hold the Home Button (or the middle button on your headphones or Bluetooth headset if you're using any). When you you hear a beep and the Voice Control UI appears on the screen, speak your command. Available commands include:

• Dial [Number]
• Dial [Contact Name] [Work, Home, Mobile, iPhone, etc.]
• Call [Contact Name] [Work, Home, Mobile, iPhone, etc.]

• FaceTime [Contact Name] [Work, Home, Mobile, iPhone, etc.] (iPhone 4 only)

• Play Music

• Play Playlist [Playlist Name]
• Play Album [Album Name]
• Play Artist [Artist Name]
• Pause
• Next Song/Track
• Previous Song/Track
• Shuffle
• Genius/Play More Songs Like This

• What's Currently Playing? What Song Is This? Who's Singing This?

• What Time Is It?

• Stop
• Help

So, for example, you could say:

• Call mom, home
• Dial Steve Jobs, mobile
• Play music, the Beatles

If you've made a mistake and the iPhone has recognised it wrong, it will ask you to clarify.

• Call Steven Jobs, Home

• Call Steven Jobs, Mobile, work, or Home?

You can say "No, Not That One, Wrong" or anything else of that nature that feels natural, and it will go back.

Bonus tip: The music and miscellaneous commands (everything that doesn't involve a phone call) also works on the 3rd and 4th generation iPod touch. (Though strangely not the iPad...?)

Voice Control works no matter where you are in the iPhone, Home Screen or app, and even when you're iPhone is locked. Now just imagine if Apple adds system wide, Siri-powered Voice Control throughout iOS 5...!

I hope this helped you guys with the Voice Control feature on your device in case you didn't know what the controls were. Test it out now, by just holding the home button and if you have any questions, let me know in comments.

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

Verizon rumors have come to a boil over the past few weeks.  Not only are we hearing Verizon rumors from reputable sources like the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, we've heard from Verizon on the fact that they're trying to find a way to integrate simultaneous voice and data into their network.  Some analysts may say this is to prepare for the launch of an iPhone on Verizon.

Whether or not you'd like to leave AT&T, we've got to face the fact that Verizon has its down sides too (aside from Apple and Verizon battling out their obsessive needs for control). One of those being that pesky simultaneous voice and data issue. 

Sprint and Verizon both use a technology referred to as CDMA with the accompanying EVDO rev A data, while AT&T and T-Mobile use a technology referred to as GSM with EDGE and now HSPA for data.  While CDMA may have better voice quality, none of the carriers have (yet) rolled out EVDO rev B which supports simultaneous voice and data, or committed to an EVDO rev A workaround to enable it with the current technology. They're all moving to LTE anyway, so it simply may not have been a priority.

What does this mean for the end user?  It means you can't update your Facebook status, check your e-mail, or look something up on the web while on a phone call.  Verizon has tried to downplay this in the past by saying simultaneous voice and data isn't all that important.  Many business users may disagree.  There's been numerous times I've went to look something up for a client while on the phone.  Having to hang up with them in order to do that would become highly annoying for many business users who have become accustomed to being able to have that functionality.

Now it appears Verizon is willing to do something about it.  No exact details have been given except for the fact that they are working on a solution that would offer simultaneous voice and data on their existing network.  No firm date has been thrown out except that it should be available as of early next year.

One of things holding me back from Verizon is the fact that I can't browse and talk. CDMA is also a technology that isn't supported worldwide.  I like knowing that if I choose to unlock my phone or buy an unlocked version, I can pop a foreign SIM in my phone and know it'll work in almost every country since GSM has become a worldwide standard.  If Verizon makes the iPhone a world phone like they have with some Blackberries, I'd be more apt to set that concern aside.

Are any of these obstacles a big deal to you guys? Would Verizon solving these problems make you more apt to jump from the Death Star to Big Red? Let us know in the comments!

[via Wall Street Journal]

Vlingo 2.0 for iPhone [Free with in-app purchase - iTunes link] brings an all new, all prettier graphical user interface to the table, as well as Email and SMS Paste dictation -- as an in-app purchase.

The new UI looks great and more importantly, works great. The icons are big and easy to hit and helpful tips are littered everywhere. You can tap to start recording and tap again to stop, or just hold down, talk, and release. For the various situations where you need to use voice instead of typing -- like while driving (if it's legal in your region!) -- that kind of ease of use is priceless.

With the free app you get Maps, Search, Social (Facebook and Twitter), and Voice Dial. As mentioned, the Email and SMS Paste dictation are via in-app purchase. Note, it's called SMS Paste because, unlike with Email, Apple won't allow apps to send SMS so it just copies your text and launches the Messages apps. You have to paste the text and then hit send on your own. The Email and SMS Paste options are $6.99 separately or $9.99 if purchased together. Whether they're worth or not depends entirely on how important voice email and SMS dictation are to you right now.

TiPb got our hands on the final version a couple of days early so we had a chance to try it out for a while already. All in all, Vlingo 2 works about as well as you'd expect a voice dictation app to work -- usually quite well, with hilarious tragedy on occasion. It does learn, however, so if you enunciate well and keep at it, your results should improve.

I liked it enough to buy the App Store version on release along with the Email and SMS Paste bundle. It's bleeding edge technology that should get better and more elegant in the future. And I'm a sucker for the the Star Trek-style apps.

Screen shots and video after the break! If you try it out, let us know what you think!

YouTube link

So. Funny. Maybe the Audio Book industry was right to be worried, but for the wrong reason. With the iPhone rumored to be getting voice control in 3.0, how long will it be before we get to see our signature device turn up as Sam Jackson in Pulp Fiction... or doing it's own into at Macworld 2007! The comedy potential is limitless, we tell you, limitless.

Once you've had your fill with Pod Vader, be sure to check out the Wrath of Kindle and iBlade Runner.

The New York Times (via Giz) is reporting that Google's love for the iPhone is about to hit epic, Shakespearian proportions with the release of their ground-breaking "advanced voice search" App:

Users of the free application, which Apple is expected to make available as soon as Friday through its iTunes store, can place the phone to their ear and ask virtually any question, like “Where’s the nearest Starbucks?” or “How tall is Mount Everest?” The sound is converted to a digital file and sent to Google’s servers, which try to determine the words spoken and pass them along to the Google search engine.

Will it be perfect? Nope. It will sometimes return nonsense, and indeed the researchers behind it claim it will never reach 100% -- but they're aiming to make it as good as it can possibly be.

This caps off several weeks of Google announcements for the iPhone, of course, including OS 2.2 updates for Street-View, Transit and Walking Directions, and Location Sharing for the Maps App, the release of Google Earth, and an optimized version of the Google Search page for the iPhone.

So, when's this hitting the App Store, and aside from candy, flowers, and a lobster dinner, what could possibly be next?!