Vlingo for Android Now Free After Google Releases Voice Actions

by Antonio Wells Aug 13, 2010 1:43 PM – 3 Comments

Google recently announced Voice Actions for Android 2.2+ phones which allow you to control actions like sent text and email, navigate and find businesses, call contacts, plus search all by speaking to your phone. Vlingo: Words to Action does virtually the same features with differences in some areas. Feeling trumped by the search giant’s efforts, Vlingo immediately cut the price on their once $10 app to free.

Google Voice Actions versus Vlingo: Words to Action

Taking a feature versus feature look at the two voice controlled apps for Android

	Google Voice Actions	Vlingo: Words to Action
Android Version	2.2+	2.1+
Navigation & Map Directions	Yes	Yes
Emails	Yes	Yes, with Subject input
Text Messages	Yes	Yes
Voice Dialer	Yes	Yes
Voice Search	Yes	Yes
Business Search	Yes	Yes
Continue Speech Input	Yes	No, however can use Google Voice input
Automatically Detects Done Speaking	Yes	No, must press “Done” button
“Hand-Free” Bluetooth Dialer	Yes	No
Open Apps	No	Yes
Launch Music	Yes	Yes, only opens
Speak Incoming Text & Emails	No	Yes

Head to the Android Market if you have Android 2.1 to download Vlingo: Words to Action, however Google’s Voice Action apps are for Android 2.2 capable phones.

My Own 2 Cents…

I commend Vlingo for recognizing Google’s superiority in the matter but would have only recommended reducing the price versus offering it free. The way to justify the fee is to deliver products and services above and beyond consumer expectation and offer a premium value added service that makes it worth paying for. I’ll take a check for that! But I do see their competitive edge by going free to saturate the market to possibly capture more market share of Android users than the handful of devices with Android 2.2 currently installed.

[Source Vlingo Blog via Android Guys]

Tags: Android App, Android Apps, Google Voice Search, Search Widget, Speak to Send Emails, Speak to Send Texts, Vlingo, Vlingo for Android, Vlingo Voice, Vlingo Words to Action, Voice Actions, Voice Actions for Android, Voice Dialer, Voice Search

Categorised in: Apps Blog, News

3 Comments

By Michael on August 13, 2010 at 2:32 pm:

I’ve been in the Vlingo beta, and there are 2 things that need clarifying from this article:

1) Vlingo does not send texts with Google Voice, it only works with the standard messaging app.

2) Vlingo does automatically detect when you’re done speaking. It has a done button just in case there’s background noise, but you don’t always have to use it.

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By theboylos on August 13, 2010 at 3:19 pm:

Vlingo can send texts using Handcent SMS.

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By Dave on August 19, 2010 at 12:42 pm:

I’ve just downloaded the Google app on my Moto Droid and it doesn’t work very well. On testing an email and text to my wife “send email to christy smith i love you smileyface” it puts the whole thing in the body of the message (does convert the smiley though) no matter how long I pause or where I insert the pauses.

Most other things run a Google search on what you’re saying rather than doing the action. “Call Andy Milner” runs a search on “Call Andy Milner” rather than getting him out of my contacts.

FWIW “Navigate to” worked fine.

Disappointing. Am I missing some setting or something?

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