The one thing I used to love when I was on Windows Mobile and blackberry was the voice command interface, which gave the user a lot of control over their handset without having to enter data manually.

Android users have to date been quite lucky to have Google’s voice dictation built right into Android however when it is compared to voice command on other platforms, the current solution is far from perfect.

Vlingo for Android looks set to change that by pushing Voice recognition to the next level.

Better than built in Voice Recognition

With Google Voice recognition, you can dictate  into any field and it will enter the information into a field quite accurately.  Where Vlingo excels is that it will allow you to dictate whole chains of commands in a single phrase- eg to send a text message you say

Text Elvis Presley Message Nice UFO, can I ride?

to send a twitter message, you simply press the vlingo button and say

Twitter Android is Awesome

In addition to above you can also use it to:

• Open Applications (“Open Digg”)
• Dial Contacts (“Dial Androidbloke”)
• Search the Web (“Search London Pubs”)
• Email people
• Access Google Maps (“Find Starbucks”)

See below for a video of Vlingo in action:

Even on the first few goes it seemed to pick up the accuracy pretty well.  Handily, it also fills in punctuation for you which also seems to be on the mark.  I have been informed by Vlingo that the software learns from its mistakes so long term use will improve its accuracy. Any corrections you make, are noted by the software when you press the send button so it won’t repeat the same error in the future- fantastic!  The only drawback of the app is that it requires a working internet connection to connect to the vlingo server to do the voice recognition.

Integration with Android

Its amazing to see how polished the app is on Android and how they have managed to integrate it so well within the operating system.

Ironically its these integration features that are the coolest part of the app, but surprisingly Vlingo have failed to mention it on their website.

Here are the Android specific integration features:

• a choice of 4 home screen widgets with multiple designs to choose from.
• a custom keyboard which replaces the google voice command button, with a Vlingo button
• Ability to assign the hardware search button to run Vlingo.
• Ability to get the app to read your texts/ emails to you. If you shake the phone, when a message is playing, it will skip to next message.

With the Iphone taking front stage at the moment, its great to see some really revolutionary products being rolled out to Android. Combing Vlingo with another revolutionary keyboard like Swype or Shapewriter, and it really shows how App developers are able to utilize Android’s open platform to push revolutionary user experiences to the next level that they aren’t given the power to do on the Iphone.

Here is a link to the Vlingo App Information page.

Vlingo is currently available in US English on the Android market for $9.99- Just search for Vlingo.

Popularity: 44% [?]

Related posts:

1. Google App Inventor/ MIT Scratch for Android going mainstream?
2. Yahoo readies its App armada to take the Android platform
3. My thoughts on the Android Facebook app and vision for the future
4. Speed up your calling with Dialler One
5. Get your Swype tomorrow while you can