Deal Gives Voice to Microsoft Instant Messaging

[BigBlueBall News]

NewsFactor

January 2, 2002

Voice messaging company One Voice Technologies announced plans to integrate its MobileVoice Messaging system with Microsoft�Œs MSN and Windows Messenger applications.

Once the system is complete, One Voice said it will allow users of Microsoft�Œs instant messaging platform to send and receive messages using any phone. The nifty part of the technology is that it does not require a user to spend 20 minutes punching keys on a handset -- messages are sent using only voice.

One Voice has been developing this technology for some time now. In August, the company announced it was beta testing this "fourth-generation" voice-to-text messaging platform with several wireless carriers.

Finding Partners


One Voice said it is in a position to integrate its technology with a host of third parties. And since Microsoft is not the only player in the instant messaging market, it would make sense for One Voice to line up deals with other Internet service providers, such as AOL.

"We will continue to identify key partner platforms and applications and leverage our technology advantages through third-party integration efforts," One Voice vice president of marketing and sales Mike Isgrig said.

But the benefits of this system spell trouble for some players in the wireless space. It used to be that if a mobile phone user wanted to toy with instant messaging, he or she had to buy an SMS (short message service)-enabled phone. Not any more. Since the MobileVoice Messaging system is based on voice rather than data, any old phone will do.

Hot Sector


One Voice is bullish on its technology mainly because of the market it sees in instant messaging. The company�Œs own research indicates that more than 100 million computer users send about 350 billion instant messages per year from PCs alone. Once the cord to this technology is severed, users will be able to message coworkers or buddies from just about anywhere at just about any time.

To start building relationships with its MobileVoice Messaging platform, One Voice figured Microsoft was a good place to begin. In addition to its status as a software conglomerate, Microsoft has more than 20 million MSN and Windows Messenger users in the United States, making it one of the largest and fastest-growing instant messaging platforms around.

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http://www.onevoicetech.com/