Vlingo Corporation, the world’s leading provider of intelligent voice applications that turn your words into action, today announced “Vlingo InCar,” a new beta feature for Android((TM)) users that allows consumers to receive and send text messages without taking their hands off the wheel or their eyes off the road. Vlingo InCar offers users:
— Voice-driven, hands free initiation – Vlingo enters listening mode upon
Bluetooth® connectivity
— Voice driven, hands free initiation using a “wake up word”
— Conversational user guidance instead of a touch screen
— Ability to send and respond to messages, make calls and get directions
using only voice commands
“Vlingo InCar was a natural extension of Vlingo’s functionality so that users can now have an alternative, hands free way to communicate when they need to respond to an urgent message,” said Dave Grannan, president and CEO at Vlingo. “Although 30 states presently have full or partial bans on texting while driving (TWD), data from Vlingo’s Texting While Driving in America 2010 Report shows that 35% of those surveyed still continue to TWD. Legislative action is an important step but clearly laws are not enough, we are going to need technology solutions.”
“Sprint firmly believes in helping wireless consumers combat texting while driving with engaging educational tools and innovative products that assist them in drastically changing this dangerous behavior,” said Ralph Reid, Sprint vice president for corporate social responsibility. “With Vlingo’s hands-free application on the Android Market, drivers are able to keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel, and Sprint is pleased to support Vlingo InCar as an application for its wireless customers. ”
This latest release of Vlingo also includes a new feature called “Vlingo Answers” that enables users to speak into their device to ask a question, in any form, and have the answer read to them, out loud, immediately.
In addition to InCar, Vlingo can power most tasks on Android devices. Users can simply press the “Vlingo widget” to:
— Send text and email messages
— Search the web using Google or Yahoo!
— Update Facebook and Twitter status
— Open built-in and 3rd party applications
— Speak into any application with the Vlingo Everywhere voice keyboard
— SafeReader – hear incoming text & email messages while you drive
— SuperDialer – one-click calling to an infinite address book, and
reviews, maps and directions for any business.
— Foursquare – check in, connect with friends, or shout out an update on
foursquare.
Availability, Compatibility and Price
Vlingo is available free of charge for Android 2.1, and above. Note Vlingo InCar beta is exclusively available on the Sprint Now Network and is optimized for the HTC Evo and other Android 2.2 devices. To see when Vlingo InCar will be available for your U.S. carrier wireless carrier, click here. U.S. users can download Vlingo on device from the Android Market for free.
Follow Vlingo on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/VlingoPage, on Twitter at http://twitter.com/vlingo and on the Vlingo blog at http://blog.vlingo.com for regular news and updates. For carriers and OEMS interested in partnering with Vlingo go to http://vlingo.com/partners.
To bring this latest version of Vlingo to the market, Vlingo is pleased to expand its partnerships to leverage technology and services from Foursquare, CityGrid Media, XAD, IVONA Text-to-Speech (TTS), and Sensory Inc’s Truly Hands-Free Trigger.
Vlingo plans to roll out this functionality to other Vlingo supported platforms in a future release.
About Vlingo
Vlingo’s intelligent voice applications turn your words into action. Simply speak to your phone to connect with the people, businesses and activities that are important to you. Vlingo is the safest and easiest way to get things done while on the go. Send text and email messages, search the web, use Google maps, update Twitter and more. Founded in 2006, Vlingo is backed by Charles River Ventures, Sigma Partners, Yahoo! and AT&T and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information, go to www.vlingo.com.
About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 48.1 million customers at the end of the second quarter of 2010 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, Common Cents Mobile and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. With its customer-focused strategy, you can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint
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