Voice-search space gathers speed: TellMe, FreeMobile411 making noise

Microsoft Corp. subsidiary TellMe said it added a GPS location feature to its voice portal to give BlackBerry users information about businesses, movies, traffic, weather, maps and driving directions.
The “voice in, visual out” way of receiving information is useful to people who are on the go, said David Mitby, senior product manager at TellMe. For example, once a user downloads the application, he can hit the “talk” button on his smartphone, say “Italian restaurant,” get a list of restaurants near him, call the business, get driving directions and send it to someone in his address book, Mitby said. The service uses Microsoft’s Live Search to find results.
TellMe launched the first version of its service a year ago, but it did not have the GPS capability. For now, the service is free and the company is just trying to build traction with it, Mitby said. To make money, the company plans to use advertising and take a piece of transactions with partners. TellMe already has partnered with Fandango to aid users who want to buy movie tickets.
The service is available to Research In Motion Ltd. BlackBerry users today and set to roll out next on future version of mobile virtual network operator Helio Inc.’s devices as well as other handsets. Sprint Nextel Corp. currently offers the service free on some handsets.
Founded in 1999, TellMe got its start bringing information found on the Internet to landline phones using its voice interface. Microsoft bought the company about a year ago; some media reports pegged the purchase price as high as $800 million.
In other voice-search news, Sprint Nextel tapped voice-recognition developer V-Enable to power a downloadable version of its FreeMobile411 service. The Java version, which is available off-deck via a text link, delivers free access to business listings, maps, driving directions and nearby businesses.
FreeMobile411 launched a mobile Web site earlier this month; the company’s flagship product is available on-deck through Alltel Corp. and MetroPCS Communications Inc.
The TellMe and FreeMobile411 announcements are the latest in a flurry of activity in the voice-activated search space. AT&T Mobility earlier this month launched a branded navigation application, and Yahoo Inc. used the CTIA Wireless 2008 show in Las Vegas to tout a new voice component for its oneSearch offering.