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News 2002

Virgin Mobile launches audio email service

20/05/2002

Emails: any time, any place, anywhere:

  • Easy access to email via a mobile phone

  • Uses speech control to listen to emails

  • Recipients receive an MP3 file so they can hear the email being spoken

    • Virgin Mobile, the UK’s fifth network, today announced the launch of a revolutionary audio and speech controlled email service. It lets all Virgin Mobile’s customers gain access to their email wherever they are, whenever they want, by dialling through to Virgin Mobile’s voice portal service 4321.

    The new service lets all Virgin Mobile customers listen and reply to their ISP/Web-mail (e.g Yahoo, Hotmail, Freeserve, NTL, BT Internet) or corporate email (if security settings allow) using audio and speech commands on their mobile phone.

    How it works

  • All Virgin Mobile customers need is an email account. (The service will work with all popular Pop 3 accounts).

  • Customers can access the service in two ways;

    • Dial 4321 and say `email’

    • Dial 4322 and go directly to email reader

    • First time customers register their email username and set up a password – this can be done on the phone or web. Accounts will be set-up up within 24 hrs, but usually within the hour.

    • Next time the customer calls they can listen to listen and then reply to their email.

    Accessing emails

  • It’s simple. Customers use the most natural interface there is - the human voice – to navigate through the various services using Virgin Mobile’s speech recognition technology.

  • To check emails the customer simply says `check mail’. Their emails are then read to them.

  • Customers can then reply, delete, rewind or skip to the next message by speaking the appropriate command.

    • Replying to emails

  • While listening to their emails customers can reply at anytime by simply saying the word ‘reply’.

  • They are then asked to record their message – (there is a two minute time limit on this message).

  • The customer can then review, re-record or send the message.

  • Recipients will receive an email with an MP3 file so they can actually `hear’ their email being spoken to them from the sender’s voice! Or if they can’t access this they can call a dedicated email retrieval number (sent as part of an email) and listen to the email that way. Messages are kept for five days.

    • Email reader costs 20p a minute.

    The introduction of the new service is part of the next phase of development in Virgin Mobile’s speech recognition service that is available to all of its 1.6 million customers, irrespective of the type of phone they own. The service does not rely on WAP or any other handset-specific technology, and allows information and entertainment to be delivered, in a natural medium, wherever and whenever a customer wants it.

    Nick White, Head of VirginXtras at Virgin Mobile, said: “The launch of email reader is an excellent addition to the wide range of services we offer our customers. Lifestyles are changing and people rely on their email almost as much as they do on their mobile phones. This is a simple to use service that people are going to find invaluable and it’s appealing to everyone – from students to business people.”

    Virgin Mobile has also expanded its customer services by launching a `Travel’ section on the 4321 voice portal. This service provides the easiest way of getting the travel products, services and information you would need travelling in the UK or Europe or to plan global travel. Users can book the best possible prices of holidays, flights and hotels, receive a 10% discount on all Virgin Holidays, organise RAC breakdown cover, assistance and services and get the latest traffic and weather news.

    The current broad range of 4321 voice activated services includes on-the hour news bulletins, sport and celebrity interviews, as well as TV soap updates, and much more. More services will be offered such as a betting and gambling.

    Virgin Mobile customers can log on to www.virgin.com/mobile to find out more about Email reader, the 4321 service and all the VirginXtras content.

    The service was delivered in partnership with Eckoh Technologies, a division of the 365 Corporation plc, following the successful launch of Virgin Mobile’s unique voice portal in November 2001.

  • Emails are read to the user using Real Speak; a text-to-speech product from Lernout & Hauspie.


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