Lately, there is some "buzz" about 2 debates, initially independent but finally related. First one is related to the innovating capabilities around "the voice" in mobile and web services, and the other one is about the mobile application trend.
When discussing the topic of using "voice" to enhance user experience in mobile services people inmediately think in adding ASR/TTS capabilities to the handsets. This aproach in our opinion has 2 weaknesses: a) you are restricting "rich user experience" capabilities only to smartphones and it means reducing the critical mass of potential users and b) ASR/TTS capabilities as mobile app are far away less capable than server based. For navigate the mobile menu, address book, etc, could be ok, but not to be used in complex multimodal browsing by users using a "close to natural language".
The internet trend is reducing device capacities (less HD storage, slower processor, small display, RAM memory reduced) and using a common interface well known (the browser) to run most of "applications" needed in the cloud. (it took time but finally the Richard Ellison prediction comes true once the "network availability, bandwidth and prices are ok").
A lot of services can be offered as a service, using network infrastructure and making really simple launching services, because nothing to install at computer, no compatibility issues, etc. Companies with successful offering capacities or frameworks in the cloud include Amazon (EC2), SalesForce.com, Voxeo, Google, etc...
In the other hand, mobility, the trend is just the opposite, identifying "rich user experience" with high tier smartphones (iPhone, Windows Mobile, Symbian, RIM, Palm, Android) and downloadable application from mobile stores. Why ????
If the mid tier devices are capable enough, with normal mobile enablers (voice, video, sms, browsing and ptt) properly combined you can create amazing use cases, and the price plans are becoming flat rate, we think mobility trend may align the personal computing trend as soon as possible.
If you can send live video to the web from a low tier 3G device why using an external application only available for smartphones?
If you can use your voice to browse you mobile banking site or google search combining voice call + browser using cloud services (Voxeo cloud IVR/ASR/TTS in this case using CCXML/VXML), why installing a thick client only available to few smartphone devices ?
Even being aware of amazing success of Apple Store, and next to be launched by RIM and Microsoft and Android, we encourage people to think about making things easier, and providing best mobile user experience to the big masses. We believe in the Henry Ford approach, give most of people the chance of becoming drivers, we want to deliver the "rich mobile user experience and capabilities" to everybody, not depending on choosing the expensive handsets. Is that disruptive?
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