Alltel announced that it would launch a voice-to-text service from SpinVox in the fourth quarter of this year. The service converts voice messages to text and sends them directly to another user's cell phone. It works with any SMS-capable phone and requires no additional downloading. SpinVox has been developing the technology for four years, which it calls Voice-to-Screen.
The Marlow, U.K.-based company also reportedly has a deal with a bigger carrier in the U.S., which it will announce later this year. Regional carrier Cincinnati Bell already offers the service. In the U.K., there is talk of a launch from Vodafone, but the service is already available from Carphone Warehouse, which invested in SpinVox. The company's CEO Christina Domecq told the Guardian that SpinVox is always on the lookout for additional funding, whether private or an IPO. She indicated that there will be more news on the funding front come early next year.
For more on the launch:
- read this release
- also check out this article from the Guardian