Voice to Text has finally arrived on the iPhone

If you've been following me at all lately. You will notice that I am constantly looking for an application that will give me good dictation capability with voice to text recognition on my iPhone.

On the PC, I use Dragon NaturallySpeaking and these same people have developed their own iPhone application to dictate on your iPhone-and it works very, very well. In fact, I am using this program to write this article that you are reading right now! It recognizes all your commands for punctuation, so don't forget to put that in.

The interface makes it very easy to make changes during and after dictation segments. Just tap on any word on the screen that it has converted from voice to text and you will be given options to delete or replace the word with other words that might be similar to what you said.

One of the tricks is to keep your sentences short because it will only have a certain amount of memory to use for the conversion. At the end of your dictation you have the ability to send your text to the clipboard for use in another application. There are also two buttons available that will send you directly to the mail application or text messaging application.

The most useful part of this application is that it allows me to store this text in the clipboard so that I can share my dictated notes with whatever application that I want to insert in to.

The best part of this application for all of us, is that it's free. This App gets my big thumbs-up to add to your library of applications on your iPhone.

Voice to Text Recognition on an iPhone

I have been searching for an application that will allow me to use my iPhone as a dictation device and will automatically convert my voice recordings to usable text. While reQall doesn't quite fill all my needs, I am finding that it is still a pretty interesting utility that can add a lot of extra support to a hectic lifestyle.

reQall allows you to set up categories and set times for your tasks. You can have folders for categories like Shopping, To-do and Notes. It has both a Web and Phone interface so you can make changes and update your lists to help make them work even better for you. But what I like the most is the ability to add your notes, dictation style, on the fly using your iPhone and the reQall application.

There is a free version that gives you a taste of what the program can do. And then…. the Pro version adds quite a few subtle capabilities that will make this program almost indispensible to you if you are one of those people that is continuously on the go. We need all the tools to make ourselves more efficient and to operate at our peak efficiencies. You might find this is just the program to give you that extra edge. These days, it is only small things that differentiate ourselves from our competition. Here is one way to give you the ability to shine in your customer’s eyes.

The Standard Version is free but for $2.99/month, $24.99/year you may want to consider the Pro version. Here is a brief list of features found in the Pro Version:

• Add items to Google Calendar and Outlook by voice.
• See what you need to remember right here and now via the Memory Jogger.
• Group items by creating Places that have an associated geo-location (with a GPS-enabled device. If you have the new iPhone 3GS this will do that for you).
• Group items by Place even without a GPS device. For example, "Errands" or "Online Tasks" can be Places.
• Create To-Dos, Notes and Shopping List items via email.
• Have your items for Work and Home organized automatically.
• Receive reminders via text message.

I have only been using this application for a short time but already I know that when the initial trial is up I am going to spring for the Pro Version.

New iPhone App for publishing to your SquareSpace Blog

This is my first posting made from my iPhone to my SquareSpace blog. Of course, I can't possibly type as fast on this keyboard as I do on my PC, but if you are on the road and you want to put something up, this seems pretty simple to do.

It provides a rolling list of all your categories, you can adjust the publishing date and time, and you can add pictures on the fly either from your stored images or you can take one on the fly. One drawback on the photos, I don't see any formatting capabilities like I have with LiveWriter. I know, picky, picky.

You can save your post as a works-in-progress or post it up very simply. And, if you have multiple sites you can set them all up and have them handy. I'll work up some screen shots when I do my follow up.

iPhone Tethering

AT&T still hasn’t provided us with tethering to the iPhone and if you are tired of waiting and are willing to jailbreak your special friend here is  a link to Adam Pash and MobileCrunch for details.

Adam Pash writes:

The multi-step process isn't all that difficult, but you'll want to set aside a little bit of time. In the brief overview, enabling tethering works like so:

1. Jailbreak your iPhone with blackra1n (available for Windows and Mac).
2. Unlock your phone with blacksn0w—which you can do through the blackra1n icon on your iPhone post-jailbreak.
3. Install a custom IPCC file via mobile Safari.
4. Turn on tethering in your iPhone settings.

Tutorial: How to Tether on an iPhone 3G or 3GS running OS 3.1.2 [MobileCrunch]

Starbucks Ushering in High Tech Payment

Two new apps to help you buy your favorite brew from Starbucks using iPhone Apps. The first provides an app to find the closest Starbucks location, store your favorite coffee concoction or design one that meets your taste.

The Second app allows you to use a barcode that appears on your iPhone screen to pay for your coffee purchase. Both Apps are free and no you can’t use it to preorder.

Here's the list of stores testing the "Starbucks Card Mobile" payment trial. In Seattle, they are at Key Tower, Columbia Center, 1st Interstate / Wells Fargo, 40th Floor Columbia Tower; Seventh & Stewart; Seventh & Pike; University Village II; and Madison Park.

So while we don’t have the chance currently to try this out locally, if you have a chance to travel to any of the above areas you could stop by and try it out and let us know how well it works out.

Oh Boy! You can now send Pictures using MMS on your iPhone…

This is not to say that I have been hardly waiting for this but is finally here. All you need do is run your iTunes update and sync your iPhone. The updated 3.1 software will install automatically for you. If you don’t initially see the updates in your camera you will need to reboot your camera like I needed to before I could use the updates.

Rebooting: Hold down both your HOME and POWER buttons until the screen blanks.Then hold down the power button until the Apple symbol appears. The restating takes a few minutes so sit back, pour yourself a cup of coffee and wait until your iPhone comes back on. It takes about 2 minutes but it seems like ages.

This update gives you the ability to insert pictures on your iPhone into MMS messages that you send to your peeps. You can do it from three different points in the system.

If you are in messaging you will see a little camera icon in the lower left corner of your iPhone that when pressed will allow you to take a Photo or Video to send, or to choose an existing Photo or Video to send. If you decide to take the Photo or Video on the fly you will be transferred to the Camera application and it works just as it normally does. You are given a choice to retake the process if you don’t like the initial results, and if you pick use it will insert what you have take into the Message for you.

The camera application has added an MMS option to its menu. this allows you to take a photo or video and then attach it to a message to send it out.

The third method of sending out your images is to open your photo application, select your photo or video and then pick the Share option at the  bottom left of screen. Notice how the image is checked and your share and copy buttons show the number of images you will be working with. Press the Share Option and you will be dropped into a choice of sending the images to through Email, MMS or if you have a MobileMe account to the MobileMe file area. Press the MMS Option and you will be taken to the Message Screen.

Which ever method you choose to use to send along you favorite pics & vids to your friends and colleagues, you will find the process simple and fast.   

Evernote, a great tool to give you access to your information anywhere you have an internet connection…

I have been a big fan of Microsoft’s OneNote application and it is still a central part of my daily data collection and storage for all of the research that I do. But the one thing that I miss with it is the ability to access it from wherever I am when I have Internet access.

This online software package has clients for Windows, MAC OS X, iPhone, IPOD Touch, Blackberry, Palm Pre, Sony Ericsson X1 and Windows Mobile. Just about anyway that you would touch the Internet, from your desktop or phone you  can create and view information that you want to store and share with this application.

If you hare aware what OneNote does, your will be able to understand the concept of Evernote which has been modeled after it. This software program is available as a free application and if you find yourself bumping the limitations of the free version you can upgrade to the premium version for only $5/month or $45/year for a yearly subscription. Evernote Premium gives you bigger upload capacity, supports more file types, and offers enhanced security. Plus, you get PDF searching, faster image recognition, and no ads. The following chart shows you a few of the benefits of the upgrade:

I am finding this an extremely useful application that provides me with the link that I’ve been missing to bring data to my iPhone as well as any desktop that I am currently using. Try out the free version to see if it has a place in your software arsenal. I think that it just might.

It is totally amazing how a simple little electronic device can become such a central part or your life…

Three weeks ago we, meaning Computer Connections, finally bit the bullet and moved everyone over to AT&T (yeah I know) and finally got us into the smart phone race. Some of us got Samsung units running MS Mobile OS and a couple of us got the Apple iPhone 3GS’s. Being one of the lucky ones I began taking a look at what this Apple device could do for me.

First, I don’t know how I lived without the connectivity to all of my mail accounts. I guess I just ignored them and every so often visited to clean up the outdated things that were sitting there. Well they have never been so clean as they are now. One of the benefits (or if my wife is talking to you, one of the problems), of having access to so much is that you can keep up with and react sooner to the things that come across your table, so to speak. I have five fairly active accounts that I use for different purposes and now they are really doing what I set them up for. It sure makes managing the data a lot more easy than it ever was before.

The unexpected difference is that I now actually use the phone. The big joke in the company was how little I used the phone function of the my old Nextel. I used it more as a walky-talky then any of its phone functions. Now, I tend to use it more to even talk to customers because the phone list from my Outlook contacts is right there on the phone. It makes it so easy to call, email and text to whomever I need to.

It didn’t take long to get used to the keyboard, and even though my old arthritic thumbs can’t do the job, like my young counterparts do typing away, my one finger peck is getting pretty fast and furious. All I can say is thank goodness for spell check.

Another feature I just can’t do without is the iTunes podcast functions. Almost everyone is publishing to iTunes so it's easy to pick up on someone you are interested in. This feature became so important early on that I switched the radio in my car to a Sony that supports Bluetooth so I can broadcast both audio and my phone through the radio connection. While my Garmin’s microphone had better noise cancellation then the Sony mike does, it still does pretty good when the top is up on the convertible.

The last feature that I want to talk about is something I am using as I sit hear on the back porch hammering this article out. The Apps that are available for free and at small prices gives so much more value from your phone. I am listening to one of my Pandora channels right now and am totally enjoying this extra thing that the iPhone brings to the total experience.

If you have been reading my articles lately you may have seen some of the reviews of products that I have been testing and begun using in my daily life. I am amazed at how integral this little pocket size electronic wonder has become in my life. Having the world that I work always at my finger tips gives me a little more edge in the things that I try to keep on track with. Hopefully I won’t become like the much laughed crackberry users with this, but I’m sure that I will be working may way there all too quickly.

Now You See It, Now You Don’t… We Didn’t Make It disappear!

Both Apple and AT&T are denying that they took down Google’s Google Voice Application to the FCC. A recent article in PCWorld discusses the hearing and the results, none that the FCC commented on. Read more:

Apple Denies Rejecting Google Voice for iPhone - PC World

It amazes me how so many companies can get away with some of the things that they do and in Apple’s case not get the smear of it. However, I think that we are beginning to see some of this “Apple never does anything wrong” attitude wearing thin.

I have been reading and listening to many different comments from people who are of the same opinion that Apple has become more Monopolistic than Microsoft ever was/is. They have been able to duck under scrutiny because their market share has been so minor but in some of their products now, iPod/iPhone, they are the clear winner and have the majority of market share. If they are controlling what can be put on their products by consumers who own those products isn’t that a  little over handed?

Back to the article. AT&T denies that it has any role in Apple’s App Store products, but does concur that their “contractual agreement forbids Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications from reaching the App Store unless AT&T agrees.” "From time to time, AT&T has expressed concerns regarding network efficiency and potential network congestion associated with certain applications, and Apple takes such concerns into consideration," Apple said.

The bigger issue I believe is the program’s SMS capabilities that bypass AT&T’s billing mechanism which is  a huge money maker for them. PCMag repots:

AT&T seemed most concerned about revenue and network traffic issues in its reply to the FCC today. "Both parties required assurances that the revenues from the AT&T voice plans available to iPhone customers would not be reduced by enabling VoIP calling functionality on the iPhone," admitted the carrier. "AT&T's wireless service agreement prohibits subscribers from engaging in uses that cause extreme network capacity issues or interference with the network."

All of this makes more sense to me. From a business stand point I see their concerns. From a consumer, I would like my choice. We are paying for services on our phone connection, voice and data, shouldn’t I be allowed to use the data side the way that I want, as long as I am using it for legal purposes? It shouldn’t matter what the data content is, as long as it is not of illegal nature. We pay for a certain amount of bandwidth not function. And while we are on this subject, how about tethering? This is just another form of data/bandwidth usage. We shouldn’t be band from this either, should we? Sorry AT&T if you haven’t built up your infrastructure to allow function, but if you can’t provide the service then maybe you shouldn’t be selling it as a service.

I love TechCrunch’s comment:

Whatever the reasons, it sucks, and as Jason Kincaid says, what's really troubling about this rejection is that it appears that "Apple is now actively stifling innovation." And the whole black box app approval process doesn't exactly alleviate that sinking feeling either. After all, if Google doesn't stand a chance, how does anybody else?

Apple’s Mobile Me and Me…

I will need to take a long look at this program and try to see if it has any worth.

I think as a Windows Server/Exchange user, the connection we have with Exchange and our phones is good enough. I think that the problem comes up with some users who don’t have an integrated solution and needs something to pull it all together.

If you are on a MAC this may be just the ticket but for most of us there are so many other ways to integrate and share information that is a lot less expensive then the $90+ that Apple wants for this service. I don’t see anything in the iTunes program to tie anything into this either which probably would make sense if they did to help with the overall syncing.

One of the interesting functions that I saw under Settings was the FIND MY IPHONE menu choice. When you choose this option your phone will be pinpointed on a map and you will have several options available to you. First is to display a message and have a tone sound on the phone. this would help you find you phone if you left it laying around the house and couldn’t find it. Second you have the ability to remotely wipe the phone clean so that if you have sensitive data on the phone you can wipe it out very easily so it’s out of the hands of the thief that has it…

Email: MobileMe sets you up with an email address associated with this account. The address youloginname@me.com is your email and you have the basic email functions and fields, To:, CC:, Subject, large message area (no formatting that I see) and attaching up to a 20MB file to the message. There is spell check and you can hit  the contact button to easily insert contacts from your message list. You can setup multiple folders for storing your messages, but I can’t find a way to have this grab mail from multiple accounts. This will still have to be done on your iPhone and those accounts will not roll into the on screen version. you have the typical reply, reply to all recipients, and forwarding a message. Again, nothing spectacular.

Contact: I didn’t want to add my contact list to the service (2200+ entries in mine), so I pulled up the function on the screen. It harps on me as I do this because I didn’t sync my contacts on the phone. It has all the basic fields you would expect and allows you add more fields to the standard format to fill in more info as you need for someone. If you look close to the left you can an idea of the choices that you can add to the list.

Calendar: The application on the iPhone didn’t give me the ability to synch with my Exchange settings even though for no apparent rhyme or reason some of my calendar events were brought over. Don’t have an answer for that one. I would want better control if I were going to use this feature.

Photo Gallery: This would setup a gallery that you could move between you different computer and phone devices. But I don’t see how this is really helpful because you can do the same basic thing with iTunes with your phone. Could be helpful if you didn’t have any other method of moving and sharing photos, I just don’t want to waste my phone memory on too many pictures though.

iDisk: This is a feature to place files on you iPhone for later viewing or being able to reference them. This program allows you to store often used documents that you might want to share with customers. One of the features is being able to email them directly out of the iDisk interface on your phone. If you are carrying around info that is you need to disseminate to customers, like brochures, then if for no other reason this might be an easy way to manage it. the images are coming from you online storage, not your phone so you won’t be taking up much space in you phone. You can setup file sharing with other people as well in a public folder area. Again an interesting way to collaborate with co-workers and customers.

Conclusion: While this program may not benefit me especially, there are those of you out there that may want to try it. Remember that you can try it out for 60 days before the subscription kicks in. So… it doesn’t cost anything but your time to try it out.

Voice4Mail - Speak your mail! - Send voice messages to ANYBODY

What a neat program. This iPhone app allows you to select a contact, enter a quick subject line and hit the record message to begin your recording. You can record up to a two minute message. Pros: Your message is sent to Voice4Mail’s server so it is not being stored locally, this gives me the notion that you could also use this to take audio notes that you mail back to your self.

If the person you are sending the message to also has Voice4Mail running on their iPhone they will receive the message in their Voice4Mail mail box and be able to play it right out of this application. If  you are using Wi-Fi here is a great way to not use your minutes and to still get the spoken word out there.

Voice4Mail - Speak your mail! - Send voice messages to ANYBODY

How to tether your iPhone running OS 3.0 without jailbreaking, for free

Quick and easy method for tethering your iPhone as an internet modem to your laptop. Yes it does work.

How to tether your iPhone running OS 3.0 without jailbreaking, for free

vlingo-Voice App for your iPhone

This little application has very good voice recognition and I can see that I could very easily get carried away using it for updating Facebook or Twitter if I am not careful. The first drawback that I have seen with it is that I have more than one Twitter account and you can only enter one account for  Facebook and one account for Twitter. The interface is simple and straight forward. You can say your voice commands for what you want to do from the home tab or you can click on the function you want to do and then tell the app what you want it to do.

What can you do?  You have four basic functions that vlingo can interact with. Search – pick the search engine that you want to use in your setup between Google and Yahoo. Press the Search Tab and hold down the press and speak button and say the term you want to search on. Release the button and it will begin the search. The same basic scenario works for Google Map Search, Phone Dialer and Social. Social is a multi step process because you need to tell vlingo which social site you want to update as well.

vlingo is available for the Blackberry, Nokia and for Windows Mobile (this is in beta and you have to sign up to become a beta tester) as well. Pretty Nifty. See a video demo of the product click here.

Pandora

What a great app for the iPhone. My wife are sitting around the pool enjoying our weekend vacation time, listening to one of our favorite artists and are discovering new artists whose musical sounds are very similar come across the station. I’m using my iPhone to wirelessly (WiFi) connect to our home network and pipe the music through our portable speakers. How nice!  Simple, straight forward and bet of all, FREE!

Apple iPhone 3G and 3GS Security Flaw Patch

A security vulnerability has been fixed by Apple to close the a Security Flaw on your iPhone.

Security experts explained Thursday at the Black Hat security conference that a series of hundreds of invisible SMS (short message service) text messages could be used to embed code into the system's memory and run a malicious executable file.

Users would only notice a single message with a small square in it.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/01/BUME192BCE.DTL#ixzz0MvYKhrVX

To run the update on your iPhone, open iTunes, click on Help and Run Updates…

Ziibii – Newsreader?

I wasn’t sure what I was going to get into with this application but I find it really interesting and can be used as a news aggregator for any sites that you want to follow that have an RSS feed. Ziibii describes itself as a way to:

Enjoy a fresh new way of staying in-touch and in-the-loop
with your friends, photos, and the world around you with Ziibii.

Ziibii blends Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube
- plus your favorite web content - to deliver an iPhone
experience unlike any other. Ziibii is easy-to-use,
fun to explore, and offers plenty of great features.
Ziibii also works hand-in-hand with Twitter and email.

The first few minutes of using it I was completely enthralled watching the information flowing through the screen. You can associate your Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and any Web Feeds that you wish to program in. As the summaries are flowing by on the screen just tap on the image of the message and it will display it for you in all of its glory. Once setup I can see you wasting hours upon hours staring at the information passing by. It certainly held my attention.