Having done some work in the voice field, I can attest to the fact that voice recognition is quite challenging.  It is hard to get all aspects of the unique qualities, accents, and cadences of individual voices into a software program that can then transcribe the speech into text.  Still, the research is interesting.

• Ars Technica:  Researches hope to make texting by voice a safe alternative

What is VoIP?

Voice over IP (or VoIP) is a technology that essentially uses the Internet to place phone calls, rather than traditional phone lines.  When you make a call, the call is routed to the recipient or to a central server farm that eventually reaches the recipient’s local calling area, and connects out to traditional phone lines in that area to eventually reach the recipient, as if it were a local call.  VoIP has been around for some time in different forms.  When I was in graduate school living in New York, I had a VoIP calling card which allowed me to call my then-girlfriend and now wife for reasonable rates that fit a poor graduate student’s income stream.  The quality was poor and there were often dropped calls, but it got the job done.  VoIP has come a long way since then, and is now a fairly reliable means of communications.  There are several different flavors of VoIP that provide different options, and the choices can be somewhat confusing.  Here, we will look at three different providers that represent a fair cross-section of what is out there on the market.

VoIP Providers

Skype: Skype is the most common of the VoIP providers.  Skype offers the ability to use a computer headset and microphone to make phone calls anywhere in the world.  Skype involves downloading an application that acts as the desktop phone system, and allows users to talk to each other for free if both are using Skype, or for very low rates to call actual phone numbers either domestically or internationally.  Skype also allows users to video conference, and to have an inbound number to receive calls to the desktop.  Skype is a good application for free and low-cost phone calls, but it is not a replacement for a land-line or mobile phone.  For one thing, you have to be on your computer to use Skype, and it does not support any kind of emergency-911 service.  If you’re looking for a cheap way to supplement your traditional phone line to make cheap long-distance calls, Skype provides a good option.

Vonage: Vonage is a VoIP service that acts as a traditional phone service.  Vonage takes the place of your local phone carrier, but sends all of its calls over IP.  Vonage is a subscription-based service that connects to your cable or FiOS broadband connection through a specific Vonage router provided as part of the service.  Vonage allows you to choose your router, and unlike Skype, supports emergency-911 by configuring your locality when setting up your account.  However, Vonage is subject to power failures and your broadband connection, which can have a tendency to experience problems more frequently than traditional or mobile phone networks.  Still, Vonage is a good option for people who want a low-cost long distance carrier that mimics a traditional land-line setup.

Google Voice: Google Voice is a virtual PBX system that allows users to connect a VoIP number to their other existing mobile and land-line phones.  When a caller dials a Google Voice number, it will forward the call and ring to all other numbers defined as linked to the Google Voice number.  Google Voice also acts as a calling-card type system to make outbound long distance calls.  Google voice also has advanced features such as voicemail transcripts, ability to route calls to different numbers based on who the call is coming from, and the ability to record calls and listen to them online.  Google Voice allows users to make use of more advanced features that VoIP and the internet allows that isn’t easily available on traditional phone lines, as well as offering a low-cost option for placing calls.

There are many other VoIP services, but most of them have similar characteristics to the three mentioned here.  With the news about Google Voice now being available as an app for the iPhone, VoIP has the potential to revolutionize not only the way we make traditional phone calls, but also the mobile phone market as well.

Podcasting helped to expand the possibilities of online radio to go by allowing users to download mp3 copies of an internet radio broadcast onto their iPods or other portable music player.  While this added some portability, in the last year, there has been an explosion of options for listening to Internet radio.

With the introduction of app-based smartphones, people have been able to stream live Internet Radio directly to their phones.  Some of the bigger players in Internet Radio (such as AccuRadio, RealRadio, and Shoutcast) either offer or have in development apps to stream their audio via the iPhone, Android, Palm Pre, or Blackberry.  These sites offer hundreds of “stations” of live audio content, and some offer the ability for an individual person to set up their own radio station with a computer and a microphone.

One of my favorite internet audio sites is Pandora.  Pandora is a site that asks you to input artists and songs that you like, and it “creates” a radio station based on your preferences and music that has similar characteristics based on the Music Genome Project.  You can further refine your station by giving a thumbs up or thumbs down to a particular song, or by adding other artists and songs.  What you end up with is a personalized radio station based on your tastes.  Pandora is also available as an app on the iPhone, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile phones, giving you the ability to stream your radio stations to your car, while out for a jog, or while on the train.

Other devices are also being developed specifically for Internet Radio.  Logitech has developed two new devices, one that looks like a self-contained radio, and a sleeker touch-screen radio that connects to an existing stereo.  With all of these options, Internet Radio offers a wide variety of choices for entertainment and information, and only stands to gain in popularity and market share in the coming years.

Unfortunately for me in this case, I don’t have an iPhone.  My phone is a company-issued Blackberry Tour.  One can only hope that Chipotle sees the wisdom and business sense of releasing its app to other Smart Phones.  On second thought, however, NOT having the Chipotle App on my phone is probably very good for my waistline.