Thursday, October 19, 2006 Hear your text messages with Smart Txt2Voice
SMART subscribers now have the option to listen to their text messages.
Smart Communications, Inc. (SMART) recently launched SMART Txt2Voice, a service that converts a text message to voice, which the subscriber receives as MMS.
Hence, SMART subscribers who are visually impaired no longer have to ask friends to read their text messages to them. They will be able to hear it themselves as long as their mobile numbers are enrolled in Smart Txt2Voice.
"With Txt2Voice, SMART shows that it is serious about making mobile communications work for everybody, regardless of their physical limitations. So while this service primarily benefits the visually impaired, Txt2Voice also works for those who can see but who prefer a uniquely personal way of sending sweet messages, birthday greetings, reminders and other personal messages," said Tina Montinola, SMART value-added services (VAT) marketing product manager.
Resources for the Blind Director Randy Weisser said that there are about 500,000 visually-impaired individuals in the country who are not able to maximize the benefits of text messaging.
"Visually impaired persons can use cell phones because they easily remember the keys. However, they find it inconvenient to ask others to read their text messages to them," he said.
He added that while there are available gadgets and software with text-to-voice technology that have been developed for visually-impaired individuals, these are quite expensive.
Montinola said that Txt2Voice is a more economical alternative since the cost of sending voice messages is less than a voice call. Each message costs P2.50.
SMART subscribers can use any mobile phone to send text messages using Txt2Voice. The recipient, however, must own an MMS-capable phone that supports the AMR (Adaptive Multi-Rate) sound format to hear the converted voice message. This includes most of the mobile phones on the market since AMR was developed for the GSM system, the single most deployed 2G mobile telecommunication system worldwide.
To avail of the service, a SMART subscriber must first enroll his or her mobile number by keying in T2V REG and sending to 2253. The subscriber can then start sending text messages by keying in T2V SEND and sending to 2253. Each message costs P2.50.
The subscriber will automatically receive a message confirming that the SMS had been sent. Meanwhile, the recipient will get the MMS containing the voice message. He or she will then be able to hear the sender's name before the message.
At present, SMART Txt2Voice accommodates only text messages in English, limited to 160 characters. Hence, the service can also be a teaching tool for those who want to learn how to speak English like kids and non-English speaking foreigners. The subscriber simply has to key in the word, phrase or sentence, send the message to his or her own number, and receive the voice message that will allow him or her to hear how the words are pronounced.
Aracelio Felizanan of Icon Interactive, Inc., the company that developed the service for SMART said that Txt2Voice was tested among several institutions working with differently-abled persons like the Sisters of Christian Charity and Epheta Foundation School for the Blind.
"They are happy with the service and they expect an overwhelming response to Txt2Voice," he said.
SMART, the leading wireless services provider in the country, works with content providers to develop and provide services that will enhance the lives of its subscribers. There are 22.5 million subscribers on SMART's network as of end June 2006. (Press release)
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