All right, Microsoft, 'fess up: How many takes did you need for your video of Samsung Intrepid's TellMe feature, which sends text messages and searches the Web by voice, to go smoothly? One that, given some of the things we've heard about Windows Mobile 6.5 in general, is particularly worthy of praise. Because honestly, it's a pretty impressive feature.
See, voice dialing has never really excited me. Using voice to replace typing, however, can be more convenient in more scenarios. It's useful for those occasions when your hands are busy, but anyone comfortable with their phone can generally get to a number easily with buttons. Here's how it works: The Sprint Intrepid has a dedicated button for the TellMe feature. Then, you can just dictate your message, and the phone will transcribe it.
Press it, and you can start a text message by saying "text" and the contact's name. You are, of course, able to check it before sending the message. I'm aware that the Google Mobile app for Blackberry, Android, and the iPhone also lets you search the Web by voice (and it's fairly accurate, too), but the difference with the Intrepid is hardware. The search function is even easier, as you can just say what you're looking for, and in one step the phone initiates a Bing search. Even on the iPhone, you've still got to slide out of the phone's lock system or get out of whatever app you're using, find the Google Mobile app, and then lift the phone to your ear to start a voice search. Indeed, I'd like to see other phone-makers (ahem, Apple) extend their phones' voice dialers to include these functions.
By fusing TellMe's voice features to a dedicated button on the hardware, Microsoft and Samsung make texting and searching much easier. Wait, did I just say other tech companies should copy Microsoft? I must be in the Bizarro world.