If accessing the web on your mobile phone is difficult with a small screen and smaller keypad, why not just talk to your phone to navigate the web? This was the thought of Dortmund, Germany, based Materna Communications who demonstrated their new VoiceFlash product in Barcelona.
As Materna says, VoiceFlash user can control navigation menus “with their own voice input” – or by talking into their phone. This also means that online forms can be filled in, and even a genuine dialogue be held with the web interface, and information can be requested from websites.
An example application would be requesting timetable information, by speaking the starting point of your journey and your destination, as well as the date and approximate time of departure or arrival. Similarly, it would be relatively easy to construct and then navigate by voice to quickly obtain phone numbers or local addresses from business directories.
And of course, the voice doesn’t have to be via a phone call, but can be using a microphone or headset connected to a PC, and thereby help those less able to use a keyboard, or us geeks who like to show that we aren’t restricted to a keyboard, but can navigate the web by voice.
Materna are working on making their software available in all West European languages, with English and German available for web integrators and designers now.
