New Vlingo, V Phone voice apps launch for iPhone
updated 11:55 am EST, Thu March 4, 2010
Vlingo gains contact selection, auto-listen
Vlingo has released a major update of its self-named iPhone app, now at v2.0.0. The title allows voice recognition for tasks like dialing, maps, web searches and Facebook and Twitter updates. E-mail and text messaging are also features, although these cost $7 as separate in-app downloads or $10 when bought together. Vlingo itself is free.
New to the app is better contact selection, which for instance allows users to send a text message by speaking a single sentence. The same principle applies to e-mail, with the added requirement of a subject header. Search has been given Bing as an extra provider option, and a new auto-listen mode starts voice recognition the moment Vlingo is opened.
A VoIP app, V Phone, has meanwhile launched in its very first version. Calls can be made over Wi-Fi or 3G, dialed from a contact list or a history of previous calls. Multiple accounts are supported, and the app can further send text messages over IP. Standard and Premium editions are available; the Premium app includes the option of the G729 codec, said to be better for 3G as a result of consuming less bandwidth while maintaining quality. V Phone costs $12.
