Voice dialing with device

[turf]

I am considering changing to AT&T Wireless but looking through the plans I see this $5 per line charge for Voicedial (I am looking at family plans). Is this something that must be paid even for phones that normally have voicedial built-in (like every cellphone I have ever owned)? In other words, does AT&T disable this feature in the phones they provide so you have to pay $5 for the service?! 

I could not believe this so did a chat with an AT&T Wireless customer service rep who confirmed that it is true. Even if the phone has voicedial builtin, the chat said, you still have to pay $5 per month. I STILL could not believe it so called the AT&T store near my home. The rep did not know so called his boss who said if the phone has it builtin you are not required to purchase the service, but it gives the ability to do voicedial for phones that do not have this builtin. This sounds reasonable, but due to the chat rep and the website which does not clarify this at all in any of the dozens of pages I have read on it, I don't know what to believe.

Since this would be a dealbreaker for me going with AT&T, you can understand how much I would really like to know the answer to this. And I am astounded that I cannot find this addressed anywhere. Are there that few people who use voicedial or plain bluetooth with AT&T phones that this is not an issue?!

[MissM]

lol sorry for the offer of help, since you're better versed than myself i'll remove my post

Message Edited by MissM on 02-20-2008 10:08:57 AM

[turf]

I have spoken to a number of people that do and do not have voice dial phones with and without AT&T service, most of them engineers like myself (so most of them are not afraid of features like voice dial, bluetooth, smart phones, etc). So no, I am not going crazy. It does not appear that AT&T gets special phones with the voicedial capability disabled. They just don't mention in the descriptions of most of the phones that do have it, I guess hoping neophytes will sign up for a $5 per month service which makes the feature less convenient, and if you have a bluetooth in your car, less safe since you could not use the one touch dialing that most bluetooths use.

In the answer to the response to my first post - a phone's voice dial and/or voice command capabilty has nothing to do with the phone service. You say a name (or a number), the phone recognizes it, and dials the number.

Below are lists of phones that AT&T currently carries that do and do not have voice dial and/or voice command capabiliies. Amazingly, these details are not often provided in AT&T's description of the phone and I had to google <phone name> "voice dial" and find out from various websites. THIS DATA MAY OR MAY NOT BE ACCURATE since it may only be based on one or two reviews or descriptions of the phones from various websites - research the phones more carefully if you have an interest in this. It was usually easy to find if a phone did not have voice dialing capability since the first few google hits would often be people commenting along the lines that "I am surprised a phone that costs this much does not have voice dialing?" or "this would be a good phone if it had voice dialing."

The following does not distinguish between the capability of having to preprogram voice tags as opposed to automatic detection based on the name in the address book. For example, the Motorola v365 and older RAZRs you have to record a voice tag for each entry you want to able to voice dial while the newer RAZRs appear to full voice commands, being able to recognize names in the address books (as well as digits) without prerecording them into the phone.  Palm or Blackjack phones are not reported here since with my cursory inspection of the capabilities of the phones I could not tell whether you had to purchase an app or not for voicedial to work on their phones, or for bluetooth to work properly with voicedial or voice commands. I don't think there is official iPhone voice dialing but someone I know who has one says there is a hack for it.

So, given the long list of phones below in all price ranges that do have voice dial capability, why would anyone choose one that did not and instead pay an extra $5 per month for this service? Especially considering the $5 service is more of a hassle since you need to press two buttons instead of one to activate it, and it does not work with simple bluetooth devices? I guess I am still baffled.


Voice dial and/or voice command phones

Nokia 6555
Tilt
Blackberry Pearl
Blackberry 8310
Motorola V365
Samsung A737
Ericsson W580i
Ericsson z310a
Blackberry 8800
RAZR V3
Nokia 6126
Nokia 6085
LG CU405
Pantech C3b
Pantech Duo
Motorola V190
Nokia N75
Moto Q
Blackberry 8820


Phones without voice dial or voice commands

LG CU515
Samsung A437
Samsung A517
Samsung A727
Blackberry 8700c
Pantech C150
LG Shine
Samsung SLM

[foureasts]

The LG Shine actually does have voice dialing. 

[llavigne]

No, you are not the only one interested in voice dialing.  My husband has a Blackberry (with AT&T service), and all he does is push a button and speak.  I figured I just had not taken the time to figure it out on my Blackjack - but nooooo - I don't have it!  Did you get signed up without paying the $5 per month?

[prithis]

I had an AT&T branded Sony Ericsson w580i phone. The phone had voice dialling as a built-in feature. I could voice dial out using the built-in feature, without having to subscribe to the network-based voice dial. I simply had to record a voice tag for each frequently called contact. I also paired it with a Motorola bluetooth headset which had a voice dial capability. I used the voice dial through the bluetooth headset very frequently, particularly while driving.

The network-based voice dial is for phones which do not have the built-in capability. It was interesting to read how some sales reps knowingly or unknowingly mislead customers, claiming that AT&T disables this feature.

The "push a button and speak" on the Blackberry is Push to Talk (PTT) which is a seperate feature from Voicedial.

Message Edited by prithis on 03-31-2008 02:26:20 PM

Message Edited by prithis on 03-31-2008 02:27:52 PM

[The Doug]

I can speak to the fact that AT&T does NOT disable built-in voice dial in their Motorola Razr phones.  These phones come with the type of software which recognizes every name you type into your contact list, without the need to record the name for each contact.   You can even dial a number which is not in your contact list by saying the telephone number (called "Digit Dial" in the Razrs).  The Razrs also have other voice-activated commands, such as Camera, AT&T's Voicemail, Redial, etc.

You do NOT need to sign up or pay AT&T anything to use this type of phone's built-in Voice Command features.  Just press one button on your phone or press your Bluetooth's call button, and all further dialing is by voice command (using the software in your phone). 

You may wish to be aware of a few items, though:

1)  This type of software is not always 100% accurate, and may have trouble recognizing weird or extra- long stored names.  You may have to give these contacts a nickname that the phone can recognize (if you enter a name in the contact's Nickname  field, this is the name that is used by voice dail instead of the first or last name). 

2)  Contacts with the same name must be given a distinguishing nickname, or you must use their first and last name.

3)  The phone has a learning mode which helps teach it how to recognize your pronunciation.  Don't be afraid to use this feature, especially if you talk with an accent.

4)  The software's programmed voice responses are sometimes not very clear or well-pronounced.  Somewhat disappointing given this technology is now fairly mature.

Hope this helps!

[Doodlepeach]

I just got my Samsung A737 yesterday and have discoved that it does NOT have voice dialing like my RAZR V3.  For me it is a very important feature!!!

[itasara]

I left Verizon (waited for two years!) to join AT&T because I wanted the IPHONE. I had NO IDEA that voice dial was not part of the deal and is not included in the phone. I bought the bluetooth headpiece assuming I would have voicedial, which I had become very used to on Verizon only to find out that because the IPHONE did not have it built in, I would have to pay another $5.00 in addition to the $60.00 I already pay for data and the $30 I pay for text messaging. I have written to AT&T (and am awaiting a reply) to say that I feel voice dial these days is a necessity especially in a car. AND, after all those fees for the iphone, I am not willing to pay another $5.00 for voice dial; I feel it should be included in the basic contract if nothing else, then for safety. It is illegal in NYS to drive and talk on the phone without a headphone, but it makes no sense and is essential not safe or legal if one is tempted to look at phone to call someone when voice dial would fulfill the requirement. I guess I feel that AT&T charges enough fees without charging for this one also.

[turf]

Here it is many months after I originally made the inquiry asking if voicedial was disabled on AT&T phones. It took a while but I eventually figured out (before I went with AT&T) that they do  _not_  disable it on the phones that already have it, so with a majority of phones it will not be necessary to have the additional $5 service. I would certainly ensure that a phone I got had voicedial before I bought it so I would not have to pay for the service.

I can't believe iPhones don't come with voicedial either but at least there are a number of apps that allow it for a one time download fee, like this one http://www.makayama.com/iphonevoicedial.html for $10, or I read that the Apple AppStore has one for $25. I think that with both you have to record voicetags.


turf

[itasara]

Thank you so much for this information! Just want to clarify... if I use this app for voicedial, do you know if 1) it will work with my bluetooth headset and 2) will I be able to just use it without being charged a fee from AT&T?

What happens if I down load and pay for an APP like this and it doesn't work or I don't like it, can I get a refund?

Thanks for your information. VERY helpful indeed.

[turf]

I am pretty sure that if you had the application loaded onto your phone and it worked like any other built-in voicedial that there would no charge from AT&T. After all, it is the phone translating the voicetag and dialing the number - all AT&T knows is it is dialiing a number. But I have no idea if it would work with bluetooth. You would probably want to ask on one of the iPhone lists about this or better yet read about the software you are thinking of buying and make sure it states it works with bluetooth.

I actually know very little about iPhones so take that for what it's worth. I don't really think much of them - when they first came out with a purposefully crippled phone that had 1/4 the capability of a WM PPC phone for three times the price it made an impression on me that will last for many years.

[erskibob]

voicedial on phones that have it is free. there is a voicedial service for any phone on att that is $5. I use the $5 service on my iphone and love it

[itasara]

Actually, although the new Iphone is far from perfect, I have to say it is probably the best phone I ever had. it just needs more perfecting.

[erskibob]

the five dollars a month feature has some nice features

[itasara]

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erskibob wrote:
the five dollars a month feature has some nice features

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Like what?

[erskibob]

sports news traffic instant-alibi auto calling

[Stelliger]

Do you know if these applications are available only for iPhones and such OR if they are available for the CU515?

I am very disappointed to find the CU515 apparently lacks voice dial (when I specifically asked about this feature when I was deciding on a phone).  I may have to trade it in unless there's something which will update my phone and make it voice-dial capable.

I can't believe a recent model phone with bluetooth would lack voice dial.

[itasara]

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Stelliger wrote:

Do you know if these applications are available only for iPhones and such OR if they are available for the CU515?

I am very disappointed to find the CU515 apparently lacks voice dial (when I specifically asked about this feature when I was deciding on a phone).  I may have to trade it in unless there's something which will update my phone and make it voice-dial capable.

I can't believe a recent model phone with bluetooth would lack voice dial.

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I'm not sure what the CU515 is, but I can't believe my G3 I-phone doesn't include voice dial either. It is a requirement in my book for safety, and as I have said, with all the extra costs of data and text messaging I am paying for and the fees and taxes as well, I would think that AT&T could throw in the voice data (as did their competitor.) I have not received a formal reply from AT&T, but how about you who agree with me send them a letter as well. There are applications that apparently let you have a voice dial type of service, but as far as I know they do not work with bluetooth ear pieces and one still has to look at the phone to initiate a call as well as set up the calls in advance, which I think defeats the purpose.Thanks. Ellen

[Stelliger]

You are 100% correct about what AT&T should do about the voice dial service.  It shouldn't be offered as an additional monthly paid feature.  Instead, it should be available to help pick up the slack for those phones which don't have built-in voice dial.  It's a poor substitute, so why should they SELL it as an add-on?

The real approach should be to push for all bluetooth phones to have voice dial!  It's amazing they don't.  They have multimedia and video and stereo mp3 and streaming media content and cameras and video and push to talk and voice record and web browsing and text messaging and video messaging....  and yet in all that, one of THE MOST USEFUL features gets omitted!  Amazing!!!

Another thing we need to push for is ACCURATE product representation.  AT&T has "full hands-free capability" describing phones which don't have voice dial.  That's misrepresentation.

What ticks me off most is I SPECIFICALLY asked about voice dial features before choosing this phone.  It was the only other thing I asked about, other than overall quality.

This must be the last hold-out of the "old paradigm" of phones.

[erskibob]

yes u can get it on any phone. it just cost an extra $5 a month

[itasara]

Please send your comments (best in writing) to AT&T. They need to here from there customers. I did receive a notice that they received my letter, but they have not responded since, and they said they would.

[itasara]

That is my point. I don't feel I need to pay another $5.00 which with taxes would cost even more. I pay AT&T quite enough and it is a law in NYS to not speak on a phone without headgear, but if I have to look at the phone to find a number or to answer the phone, it defeats the purpose. I had it free on Verizon and had no idea it was an >. I pay AT&T a lot of money each month. I'd like to know why they can't include voice dial in phones that don't have it built in?

[itasara]

sorry for the typos!!

[Stelliger]

yes u can get it on any phone. it just cost an extra $5 a month

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Well, for starters, that's not TRUE hands-free dialing.  You still have to dial at least one digit.  If I have to look at the phone I might as well just pick the name from the list.

More importantly, though, why pay for a feature which really should have come on the phone and does come on many phones.  This really is a service which makes up for an outmoded type of phone.

I would not have chosen this phone and an additional $5 monthly charge when phones with voice dial are available.  It's one thing when a person CHOOSES such a solution.  Quite another when you're told a phone has voice dial and then when it arrives, it doesn't, and you're told "you can have a watered down version of this feature for another $5/month".

As I have pointed out, the most annoying part of this is I asked specifically "does this phone have full voice dial capabilities via bluetooth" and even complained that my last phone (5 years old) had voice dial but only for 5 entries.