Alltel and Nuance Roll Out Voice2Text

Alltel Wireless and Nuance signed a deal under which Nuance's Dragon Voicemail-to-Text will power Alltel's Voice2Text service. With Voice2Text, mobile phones on the Alltel network can receive transcribed voice messages as text messages delivered directly to the subscribers' message inbox.

"Carriers like Alltel need innovative voice services that meet the demands of dynamic mobile consumers," said John Pollard, vice president and general manager of voice-to-text services, Nuance Mobile, in a statement. "Dragon Voicemail-to-Text takes a must-have service like voicemail and delivers it with the speed and convenience required in today's messaging environment."

Alltel's customers can now read their voice messages as texts on their mobile phone without the need for passwords or voice prompts. Voice2Text features the same Dragon voice recognition technology used in the Dragon Mobile apps and Dragon NaturallySpeaking. Messages can be stored or forwarded, and subscribers can still hear the original voicemail recording if needed.

Alltel's Voice2Text service is currently available for a free 60-day trial, and then will be $2.99 per month.

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