This week, I tested a Bluetooth earpiece that also can be made smarter with apps: Aliph’s $100 Jawbone Icon (http://us.jawbone.com). Like many other wireless earpieces, it connects to your Bluetooth-enabled phone so you can talk, hands-free. Unlike other Bluetooth earpieces, the Jawbone Icon can be plugged into a computer and loaded with different settings and apps. This works using Aliph’s Web-based software platform called MyTalk (http://mytalk.jawbone.com) and some apps enable more than hands-free talking.

For now, there are only two apps that truly expand the functionality of the earpiece, in my opinion. But MyTalk is a good start in making this tiny Bluetooth device more sophisticated and encouraging more hands-free productivity.

The idea of connecting an earpiece to a PC is helpful in two respects. First, it turns the Jawbone into a dynamic product that can be updated and enhanced over time, rather than never changing from the day you buy it. Second, it lets users more easily adjust the settings of a device that’s too tiny to have its own screen, thus eliminating the need for more confusing buttons on the device. Over time, these earpieces could become even simpler and smaller as more of their settings are adjusted on the computer.

Since the Jawbone Icon and its MyTalk software platform launched this week, only five “dial apps” and 10 “audio apps” are available for synching to the earpiece. The former are apps that perform functions by dialing out on your phone, like hands-free text messaging; the latter are settings to adjust the voice making announcements in your ear, like telling you that the battery needs charging. As of now, only one of each app category can be synched onto the Jawbone Icon at any given time. Aliph plans to make the Icon capable of simultaneously running multiple apps sometime this year.

If you ever used one of the earlier Jawbone models and thought you weren’t hip enough to remember how its hidden earpiece buttons worked, the Jawbone Icon’s refreshingly simple design will bring a sigh of relief. It uses two easily detected controls. One is an obvious button on the top of the earpiece that controls the earpiece’s functions. The other is a tiny on/off switch on the inside surface that couldn’t be easier to use.

The Ace model personified

The Icon comes in six models with catchy names that match the “persona” of the audio apps: The Hero, The Rogue, The Ace, The Catch, The Thinker and The Bombshell—each literally has its own distinct voice. Each device weighs less and has a wider and shorter design than previous Jawbones. The Icons come in shades of black, silver, white, red and gold, depending on the model’s persona, and resemble handsome jewelry.

Each earpiece has a short, gray bendable USB connector that allows for easy access to a PC’s USB port. This is used for synching and charging the earpiece, though a separate wall charger also comes in the box.

I tested my Jawbone Icon by plugging it into both an Apple MacBook Pro and a Dell (DELL) running Windows 7. I logged onto http://mytalk.jawbone.com and requested an invitation to use the MyTalk software by sending Aliph my email since it’s still in a “private beta” or experimental phase. You’ll have to do the same until MyTalk comes out of its private beta stage sometime in the next few months.

After setting up an account using my email and a password, I followed on-screen instructions to get started with synching apps to my earpiece.

MyTalk’s dial apps include five programs that help you do more with your voice, so you don’t need to look down to type on a mobile device. Once synched with your Jawbone Icon, the app will activate as soon as you press and hold the earpiece button.

For now, only two of the five dial apps are really helpful for the headset: Jott and Dial2Do. Both let people use their voice to send themselves reminders, send tweets on Twitter, and send text messages—assuming the programs correctly interpret what is dictated. I had pretty good luck with this, though one test of the text-messaging function thought I said “needle” when I really said “noodle” and another interpreted “blinds” as “blind.”

Of the two, I found Dial2Do a little easier to use. Its Basic Account is free but is limited to sending yourself reminders, while a Pro Account costs $40 a year or $3.99 a month, and offers social-networking, emailing and text-messaging, among other things. Jott can only be used free for one week, but requires a credit-card number for signing up and will charge $2.95 a month after the trial week is over.

MyTalk’s remaining three dial apps aren’t too exciting: “Directory Assistance 411″ and “Voice Dial,” a feature that only works if your phone has built-in voice-dial capability, which most do now. Another app called 1-800-FREE411 lets users get 411 information without being charged carrier fees.

MyTalk’s audio apps include six playful voices, three in different languages (German, Spanish and French) and one plain, unaccented English voice. Each of the playful voices has a coinciding photo and name when you’re picking settings on the Web site. One called “The Bombshell” is represented by an attractive, blonde woman who speaks in a sexy voice. A voice called “The Rogue” says, “I am ready for my assignment,” when the earpiece is turned on. During most of my testing, I kept my Jawbone Icon set on “The Ace,” represented by a woman with a smart British accent who said, “They can wait,” when I declined calls.

The chosen audio app voice speaks every so often, like when the device is turned on, when you query the headset’s remaining battery life (an indicator light also tells you the remaining charge), when an incoming call is received or when you turn the headset off. But the Voice Dial app uses the standard voice that comes with your device’s voice-dialing capability—not the fun audio app voice you’ve chosen.

Another downside to the headset is that it isn’t yet able to tell you the name of whoever is calling even if you have them as a contact in your phone; instead, it only reads the phone number aloud. If you’re like me, you don’t know have many numbers memorized anymore, so this isn’t helpful. Instead, it forced me to look at my phone for the caller ID, defeating the purpose of a hands-free earpiece. Aliph hopes to fix this problem within a year.

The Jawbone Icon is the first earpiece to use a software platform for adding apps, and MyTalk makes synching easy. Although Aliph plans to offer more apps and software updates for the Jawbone Icon (and subsequent devices), there will likely always be some activities that are simply too difficult to perform using voice alone. But MyTalk is a good first step toward making the Bluetooth earpiece more useful.

Email mossbergsolution@wsj.com

Write to Katherine Boehret at mossbergsolution@wsj.com

http://allthingsd.com/20070103/voice-mail-like-email/ http://allthingsd.com/20070103/voice-mail-like-email/#comments Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:01:00 +0000 Katherine Boehret http://solution.allthingsd.com/20070103/making-voice-mail-more-like-email/ Despite spam and other problems, email is highly useful and effective. You can quickly send and receive messages, delete or forward them, and save them for reading at a later time. A glance at your inbox can tell you a lot about each message, including its subject, sender and the time it was received.

But voice mail lags behind in key ways. A voice mail still doesn’t tell you the caller’s name or reason for calling unless you listen to at least part of it. You usually can’t reply to a voice mail with a message of your own, as with email; instead, you must call the person back. And you can’t easily jump from the most recent voice mail to the 10th without listening to every message in between.

Pinger, a free voice mail messaging service, works on mobile devices, email and its Web site, www.pinger.com.

Still, voice mail has its place. A phone call is much more personal than an email, and lets you use vocal inflection to express your point, whereas email expressions can sometimes be misinterpreted. And it’s often easier and faster to speak your message than to type it out.

This week, I tested Pinger, a free messaging service that tries to make voice mail more usable by emphasizing its strengths and making it a little more like email, or like a cellphone text message. This new service comes from Pinger Inc, a Silicon Valley-based company started by former Palm Inc. employees.

Pinger works by sending messages using a quick back-and-forth voice-mail system. You dial a special number, say the recipient’s name, leave a message and hang up. The recipient is notified of this message and its sender via Short Message Service (SMS), and/or email and then must dial in or go to a Web page to hear the voice mail. He or she can reply to the voice mail by pressing “1,” leaving a message for the sender and hanging up.

You can also log into your Pinger account via the www.pinger.com Web site. Here, your Pinger voice mails are listed like emails, including the sender’s name, time sent, length and notes that you can add about each message. A green arrow beside messages indicates that you replied, and messages can be sorted by category.

Pinger is one of several new services that are trying to bring voice into the Internet age. One, called Jott, at jott.com, lets you dial a number and dictate messages to yourself, like notes or reminders, or messages that can be broadcast to others. It even tries to transcribe what you say. Another, called Evoca, at evoca.com, records and stores dictation for archiving, sharing and podcasting. It offers both transcription and translation.

Overall, Pinger’s messaging service was most convenient when I was the sender rather than the receiver. When I didn’t have time to type a message on my BlackBerry or didn’t want to bother with writing a text message on my phone’s numeric keypad, Pinger proved to be a fast, hassle-free process that took only a few tries to get down pat. And it was helpful in situations when I wanted to leave a message rather than talk to another person.

But the process of receiving a Pinger message on a mobile device isn’t as straightforward as it should be. In the time needed to receive and read the Pinger text message notification about a voice mail, some users could have already received and read a text message or BlackBerry email.

I got started with Pinger by setting up an account with my first and last name, email address and a four-digit PIN. I entered my cellphone number, as well as the make and model of my cellphone.

Then, I went to the Web site Pinger.com to set up a list of contacts by entering names and email addresses of friends. I manually entered a few contacts, and then followed steps to import a more complete list of my contacts from Microsoft’s Outlook Express. Contacts can also be imported from Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Entourage and Outlook.

You can send and receive messages directly on the Pinger site, without a phone, but you need a computer with a microphone to record messages.

But Pinger is at its best when used as an on-the-go solution with your cellphone or mobile device; I quickly left messages for friends in just a few steps. After calling a special number, a recorded voice asked, “Who do you wanna message?” I spoke the name of one of my contacts, the system repeated it back to me and a tone sounded after which I left my voice mail. Hanging up automatically sends the message.

To respond to a Pinger message on your cellphone, you press your phone’s “1″ button after listening to the original message and speak after the tone. Just like with email, you can forward a voice mail or reply to all recipients of the message.

But until I became familiar with Pinger, I wasn’t sure which numeric commands did what. Pinger gives as few vocal prompts as possible to simplify things. For example, if five messages are sent back and forth between two people, the entire thread of messages will play back on the voice mail before any vocal prompts are heard. This can be a little confusing, unless you remember that the “0″ key always opens a help menu.

Pinger may have trouble finding an audience. The idea of using voice mail might be considered too old-fashioned for younger users, while the thought of receiving a text message to get a voice mail might be too complicated for older users. And, though Pinger is currently free, it may charge in the future.

For people who are already familiar with mobile messaging, the extra step of calling in or logging on to a Web site to get a message may seem redundant. Pinger hopes its service will appeal to those who don’t currently use text messaging or email on a mobile device, but still want a fast way to send messages.

If you prefer the personal touch of voice mail over email and text messaging, or you don’t always have time to call someone else for fear of starting an entire conversation, Pinger works well. It takes a little practice to get comfortable with how you’ll use it in your everyday life, but it offers a new way to look at messaging.

Email address: MossbergSolution@wsj.com

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