Today, according to several “unofficial tallies”, the Android marketplace has exceeded 50,000 applications. According to this official announcement from mobile speech specialist Promptu, its flagship product is among them. Promptu has been enjoying some success around the globe as a provider of network-based speech recognition to support transcription, text messaging and email messaging. Its core product debuted on the iPhone last December, as I reported here.

In its press release, the company claims to be the first to offer “voice addressing” for text messages. The company claims high levels of accuracy because it is the only application to be “fully integrated with the Android SMS client and uses Smartword, Promptu’s editing tool that lets users see and select from likely word alternatives.” The application debuts today (April 26) for the Motorola Droid with features taht include: voice addressing, “full integration with the phone’s messaging service (including message exchanges threaded by recipient), thumbnail images displayed for contacts and “one-touch navigation to all recent incoming and outgoing messages.

As reported here, Promptu’s revenue model will test the value that users attach to transcription services. If it remains true to form it market bundles of “voice credits” in increments of 50 for $1.99; 150 for $3.99 or 250 for $4.99, as it does for iPhone users. This is in contrast to its closest functional rivals Vlingo (which has charged for a $17.99 for its application on the Blackberry) and Nuance Dragon Dictate, which has not yet announced a revenue model. Vlingo, by the way, has a “beta” of its application for the Android, which has been available since mid-March.

Along with Google, Microsoft and (to some extent) AT&T, these are the initiatives that are shaping the way that spoken words will be integrated into the mobile messaging flow.

Categories: Articles

Tags: Android, Promptu, Recombinant Communications, mobile speech