Review: VoiceDialIt for Treo
With each new Palm OS based Treo release, members of the Treo community look for Palm to include voice dialing capabilities. Available on their Windows counterpart (see Treo 700w phone review), voice dialing has yet to appear as part of the standard application set on Palm OS based Treos including the new Palm Treo 680. This of course opens up opportunities for third party developers such as VoiceIt Technologies to offer applications that enable voice dialing. VoiceDialIt is a voice dialing application that is compatible with the entire family of Palm OS based Treos.
Installation and Setup
I had VoiceDialit sent directly to my Treo from the Everything Treo Software Store via SMS. For some reason, it’s only available as a .exe file on the store, making it impossible to install for Mac users such as myself. In any event, the download was painless and installation took only a minute or so. When you first launch VoiceDialIt, the interface instructs you to “Add Contact” or to dial a contact, “Press Trigger” button. VoiceDialIt does not automatically recognize your contacts. You have to train VoiceDialIt to recognize your contacts. So, while it will add voice dialing to your Treo, it doesn’t do so for your entire contact database.
Click image to view larger.
Click image to view larger.
Settings
There are various settings within the program that have a direct and positive affect on usability. Voice prompts are checked by default and I recommend those settings remain intact. If you think of VoiceDialIt as your personal assistant, having this checked allows you to interact with the application. You can also configure the following in settings:
- Confirm before dial
- Echo contact
- Digit Dialing
- Adjust Matching Sensitivity
- Select Trigger Button
- Allow to headset activation (wired headsets only)
- Always turn on speakerphone
- Dim backlight
- Adjust recording level
During my testing I used the default settings outside of checking ‘Confirm before dial’ and modifying the ‘Trigger’ button.
Click image to view larger.
Training VoiceDailIt To Recognize Your Commands
The first step to using VoiceDialIt was to add a few contacts. From within VoiceDialIt, you can lookup any of your contacts that will allow you to record a voice command for that particular contact. From within each contact, you then select a number you’d like VoiceDialIt to associate with the number. Pressing the record button and the application asks you to “Please say the contact name after the beep”. There more than a few instances where doing so would return me to the “Contact Numbers Properties” page where my only options were to cancel or record. After multiple tries, I stumbled across the method to working with VoiceDailit. In my experience with the program, delaying 1 second or so after the beep will enable the record function. The application will then run a “second pass” to confirm your contact recording. Upon finishing, you are prompted to save the contact. The process was cumbersome at the start, but moved along nicely once I got the hang of it. Should you have difficulties with your contact recording, the application offers the option to "retrain" which allows you to re-record your contact name.
Click image to view larger.
Making the Call With VoiceDialIt
In order to use voice dialing, you must first be inside the application and then select the ‘trigger’ key (which you can configure in settings). The quickest way I found to use VoiceDialIt was to modify my buttons in preferences and set up the side key on the Treo to access VoiceDialIt. Within VoiceDialIt, you can set preferences for the ‘Trigger’, of which I selected the sidekey. To avoid incorrect calls, I enabled ‘confirm my calls’ within the VoiceDialIt settings. A quick prompt appears asking me if I’d like to dial. This makes a bit more difficult to dial, as you then have to select the middle button on the 5-way navigator to make the call. Once comfortable with VoiceDialIt, I’d recommend disabling that option.
Click image to view larger.
Since the application is dependant on the recording of your voice, it looks to match the "wave data" with a previously recorded contact. I found VoiceDialIt to have moderate success in recognizing my commands with roughly 90 percent of my commands being correct. This despite my Long Island accent or should I say Lawng Guiland. The whole process works, yet I felt it lacked the fluidity found when using voice dial on the Treo 700w.
Click image to view larger.
Conclusion
Through the use of hotkeys, the process of voice dialing is made relatively easy using VoiceDialIt. Despite a large selection of “pedestrian” phones offering support for voice dialing through both the handset and Bluetooth headset, Palm has yet to enable a solution for Palm OS Treo owners. Once familiar with the application, I found VoiceDialIt to have a moderate success rate at handling my requests. The process of adding contacts can become cumbersome, but luckily it is a one time process. For those who are looking for voice dialing on your Treo, VoiceIt Technologies application is one to consider.
How To Get It
VoiceDialIt retails for $24.95 and is available as a free trial in the Everything Treo Software Store.
Speak Your Mind