Voicemail is a modern convenience and hindrance. How can it be both? Well, while it lets you keep track of missed calls and ensures you never miss anything important again, it does rob one of considerable time when sorting through all the old messages, listening to each one and having to return call after call. That’s why we were so eager to try out PhoneTag, which promised to offer a true visual alternative to the standard voicemail tedium.
Under the PhoneTag service, your missed calls are forwarded to their system, at which time the caller can leave a message. This message is then transcribed by the service and sent to you in text format as an SMS text message or an email. Email messages also include an audio file attachment of the original message.
Accuracy of the system was rather good. Words that the system had to spell out phonetically appeared with a single question mark, words it couldn’t make out at all, a double question mark. Problems are also identified by brackets. The system sometimes had trouble figuring out names and wind noise caused a bunch of double question marks. However, it seems overall accuracy is high.
PhoneTag is compatible with 95% of phone systems in the United States and there are a number of plans offered including a $9.95/month plan for 40 messages, a $29.95/month plan for unlimited messages and a pay-as-you-go plan at a rate of 35-cents a message. All in all, we were pleased with PhoneTag and if you’re a frequent voicemail user, this one is well worth trying out.
[via PhoneMag]
The screen shot is a fake. Phonetag isn’t that accurate. Look at the message! If speech recognition composed this message, was is “if” in all caps as if a human typographical error? I use PhoneWire.com transcription because they use live operators and have always been more accurate than Phonetag could ever hope to be!
You should also check out YouMail (youmail.com)- it’s a much better voicemail service with a richer set of features, and it offers what PhoneTag offers for a much cheaper price.
Simulsays is GREAT, in theory, but TERRIBLE, in practice. Before I bought it, I loved the idea. Over the last 2 months of use, I’ve grown to despise the app. Hopefully, my experience will help someone not waste money on this. Here are the comments I just submitted during cancellation:
I could not be more dissatisfied with this product as used on my Sprint HTC Touch Diamond phone. There are two main reasons I am canceling. First, is because of Sprint. They setup the VM forwarding in a way that generates $0.20/min charges during each forwarded voicemail call. Even though I have the “simply everything” plan. After discussing this with several tech support reps, there is no way around this charge. Last month, my bill was $20 higher for using this service. This is no fault of yours but I cannot continue to pay so much money for a product of such POOR in quality. If SimulSays/PhoneTag had the visual appeal of a modern application, I’d even consider the $25/mo because I LOVE LOVE LOVE visual voicemail. Sadly, I just hate, hate, hate your interface.
Which brings me to my second reason for canceling: the interface is HORRIBLE. Not only is the UI inconsistent and marginally functional, but it looks primitive, at best. Messages rarely ever play the first time ‘play’ is clicked. Often, they stick part-way through and I have to rewind and push play over and over. Many times the application just crashes. More annoyingly, the audio only plays over the speaker (like music) instead of through the earpiece (like calls and VMs). So I can only check my messages when I’m alone, which isn’t often. Beyond these problems, the Interface designers have done a horrible job for windows mobile and this fact is amplified when compared to the stylish Touch Flo interface on my phone. All the graphics are text-based and pathetically unpolished. It appears as though ZERO effort went into styling the look and feel. I’m sure a middle-school computer science class participant could produce a more appealing front-end. The website is nearly as bad. Were the ‘logout’ and ‘back’ buttons I’m looking at, right now, designed by kindergartners? Even your logo is a graphic design nightmare. ALL OF YOUR GRAPHIC DESIGNERS NEED TO BE FIRED, IMMEDIATELY. Hire someone competent and sales will spike, guaranteed. Look at the iPhone’s visual voicemail interface and capture at least a fraction of their quality UI design. Seriously, please consider firing your graphics people. ASAP!!!!