Like some of you out there, I've been looking for a better way to make calls while driving using my BlueTooth device, a Supertooth 3. (Yes, I know that Apple should have included this functionality in the iPhone.) Here are the solutions I've looked at so far:
1. Voice dialing apps: Voice Dial has been out for a few days. In response to an outcry, the developer has dropped the price to $14.95. I bought it yesterday, with mixed results. Even when it works, though, you can't tell it whom to call via BlueTooth - you have to use the iPhone's speaker. That's more interaction with the phone than I'd like.
2. AT&T's voice dialing service: This costs $5/month, but I'd be willing to try it as a workaround until something better comes along. I hadn't considered this until now because there was no easy way to dial the access number. Hitting the dial button on my Supertooth re-dials the last number I called, and I want it to call the access number.
But there are now a few free/low cost apps that dial a specific number when launched. So getting to AT&T's voice dialing service would take three steps: wake the iPhone, swipe to unlock it, and launch the app. With practice, it might be possible to do all three without looking at the iPhone, so I may give this a shot.
There is also a company called Fonix that was interviewed the day before the 3G was released. (http://www.macvoices.com/wordpress/macvoices-897-start-talking-to-your-iphone-with-fonix-ispeak/). However, I haven't heard anything more since then, which suggests that they've run into some difficulty.
The cynic in me says that Apple hasn't implemented voice dialing under pressure from AT&T, but who knows?
Anybody come up with any other solutions?
1. Voice dialing apps: Voice Dial has been out for a few days. In response to an outcry, the developer has dropped the price to $14.95. I bought it yesterday, with mixed results. Even when it works, though, you can't tell it whom to call via BlueTooth - you have to use the iPhone's speaker. That's more interaction with the phone than I'd like.
2. AT&T's voice dialing service: This costs $5/month, but I'd be willing to try it as a workaround until something better comes along. I hadn't considered this until now because there was no easy way to dial the access number. Hitting the dial button on my Supertooth re-dials the last number I called, and I want it to call the access number.
But there are now a few free/low cost apps that dial a specific number when launched. So getting to AT&T's voice dialing service would take three steps: wake the iPhone, swipe to unlock it, and launch the app. With practice, it might be possible to do all three without looking at the iPhone, so I may give this a shot.
There is also a company called Fonix that was interviewed the day before the 3G was released. (http://www.macvoices.com/wordpress/macvoices-897-start-talking-to-your-iphone-with-fonix-ispeak/). However, I haven't heard anything more since then, which suggests that they've run into some difficulty.
The cynic in me says that Apple hasn't implemented voice dialing under pressure from AT&T, but who knows?
Anybody come up with any other solutions?
