More Than Mangled Messages! VLingo Also Ate Half My Phonebook + 648 Emails.

November 20, 2008 by guruofnew · Leave a comment.
Filed under: telecom/mobile 

Note2Self: Do NOT beta test anything on the Blackberry. Do not even fall for version 1.1. No matter how cool it seems, no matter how easily it installs. No matter how many blogs swear that it’s ready for prime time.

Note2Self #2: The next time you hear the siren-call of “state of the art voice recognition software” or even “Voice-enabled”, RUN for the hills, even if said hills are teeming with rattlesnakes like the ones here in Carmel Valley. Haven’t you been falling for those sexy vox promises going way back to Dragon Naturally Speaking Software circa 1996?

Here’s what the smart folks at the usually reliable Lifehack said about Vlingo:

Voice-enable your Blackberry with Vlingo, which goes beyond voice-dialing to voice-texting and even voice-emailing. Vlingo takes over one of your Blackberry’s application keys (my Curve has two, one on each side; I’ve assigned it to the one on the right, the one that controls the camera by default). Hold the key down, say a command, and Vlingo goes to work. For example, I say “Send email to Bob Smith subject You’re an idiot Message You forgot to take the coffee off your car’s roof as you drove away” and Vlingo creates an email reading “You forgot to take the coffee off your car’s roof as you drove away” with the subject line “You’re an idiot” and the email address from Bob Smith from my Blackberry’s address book. You can search the web, update your Facebook status, create tasks and memos, even open built-in applications and a handful of third-party Vlingo-enabled apps, all using your voice.

It would be so lovely if the above gushing geeky paragraph were true. But aside from the disappearing phonebook and email snafu, what I got when speaking clearly and distinctly into my beloved Berry “I am testing Vlingo and sending a message to you” was “D lingo is beating Paul with you.” Now folks, I am a former (really bad) weathergirl and (really good) dj. I rid myself of any lingering Cheesehead accents years ago. So when I tried again with my perfectly enunciated vowels and consonants, and the text that emerged from Vlingo was “org hooking by d ing”, I reluctantly resigned myself to the currently sorry state of Voice-enabled technology and hit delete.

Note2Self#3: Before installing any new app, check to make sure that the FAQ includes UNINSTALL directions in addition to INSTALL. Nowhere on Vlingo’s site — including the Troubleshooting and User Info — could I find information on how to UNINSTALL. And an email sent to them has so far gone unanswered.

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It’s July 1st. Hang Up and Drive. (On Over To Buy That Bluetooth.)

June 30, 2008 by admin · 1 Comment
Filed under: Technology, Transportation, Uncategorized, style & design, telecom/mobile 

Tomorrow is going to be a great day.

Not just for those of us who prefer public safety over the current cell phone insanity but for our gasping economy as well. Now gadget-lovers (like me) don’t need to justify our electronic obsessions — as of July 1, we have an urgent reason for rushing on over to the big sales at Best Buy, Radio Shack and Circuit City or logging on to sites like headsets.com or Parrot, where you can sign a petition to make the Parrot California’s official state bird, in recognition of its handsfree heroism.

California’s new law, taking effect tomorrow, July 1st, will require drivers to use hands-free devices when dialing and driving and bans anyone under 18 from using a cellphone or other mobile device behind the wheel. An officer can pull over and issue a citation to a driver of any age if, in the officer’s opinion, the driver was distracted and not operating the vehicle safely. A similar law goes into effect in Washington state, also tomorrow.

Drivers under the age of 18 may not use a wireless telephone, pager, laptop or any other electronic communication to speak or text while driving in any manner, including the use of hands-free devices.

The new law will reportedly save almost one life per day when it takes effect, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

A couple of handsfree devices getting the highest marks from the gadgets pros at CNET:

  • The Aliph Jawbone 2 wins a CNET Editor’s Choice in May 2008  
    The good:     The Aliph Jawbone 2 is a fashionable Bluetooth headset with a comfortable fit and an array of noise-canceling and voice-enhancement technologies that result in amazing sound quality.
    The bad:     The Aliph Jawbone 2 doesn’t have a volume rocker, and the LED light is located directly on top of the Talk button.
    The bottom line:     Despite its quirks, the Aliph Jawbone 2 is quite possibly the ultimate Bluetooth headset in terms of design and sound quality.

    Price range: $129.99 - $154.86

  • Jabra

    The good: The Jabra BT8040 is a small Bluetooth headset that is packed with features such as MultiPoint technology (the ability to connect to two different devices simultaneously), A2DP for streaming music wirelessly, plus an intelligent noise reduction and volume equalization technology that offers great sound quality.

    The bad: The Jabra BT8040 may take awhile to fit properly in the ear.

    The bottom line: The Jabra BT8040 is a compact yet powerful Bluetooth headset that offers more than enough features for the mobile professional at an affordable price.

    Specs: Type: Microphone Built-in; Product type: Headset; Design: Over-the-ear  

  • Price range: $54.99 - $79.99

And should you be in the market for a new car, check out SYNC, the built-in voice-activated system created by Ford Motor Co. and Microsoft Corp., which lets users do both things hands-free: play music or make phone calls using voice commands.

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Whole Foods + Other ‘Green’ Grocers Land on The Seafood Red List

June 19, 2008 by admin · Leave a comment.
Filed under: Uncategorized, eco & sustainability, food & beverage, marketing & advertising, non-profit/social cause, telecom/mobile 

Greenbiz.com breaks the news today that even our supposedly uber-green grocery stores came close to flunking Greenpeace’s recent exam on sustainable seafood. Grocers with big green reputations such as Whole Foods, Ahold USA and Harris Teeter failed to score more than four out of 10 possible points in the report: ‘Carting Away The Oceans: How Grocery Stores Are Empting The Seas.”

Wegmans, Wal-Mart and Target followed with three out of 10 points.

The RED LIST is a compilation of 22 fished and farmed species with the most significant environmental impacts. All grocers surveyed sold fish from the Red List, which includes certain tuna varieties, Atlantic halibut, orange roughy and Chilean Sea Bass.

Anyone who lives on the Monterey Peninsula in the spectacular shadow of the famed Monterey Bay Aquarium knows better. Some ten years ago, the Aquarium developed Seafood Watch, a program designed to create consumer awareness about the importance of buying seafood from sustainable sources.

All anyone at Safeway, Aldo, Kroger and Costco — the supermarkets that scored two out of 10 points – had to do was get out their mobiles and check the Aquarium’s online pocket Seafood Guide. Or maybe the grocers who scored a single point out of 10, including Trader Joe’s and Publix — might want to check out the Aquarium’s handy tips about how to ‘avoid items on the AVOID LIST.’

While apparently the authors of the report were somewhat upbeat about improvements in sustainability practices to come, inevitably what news like this does is increase consumer skepticism and ups complaints about greenwashing. These days, with a growing group of citizens making a tangible effort to green up their acts, there is an urgent need for transparency, not tricks.

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