New Voice-Enabled 'Click to Speak' Directions is a Search Engine First
OAKLAND, Calif., Jan. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ask.com today
introduced free(1) voice-activated capabilities to its Ask.com Mobile
Directions service, the first of its kind from a search engine. Called
"Click to Speak," the new feature lets people simply speak their location
and desired destination to receive directions on their web-enabled mobile
devices. Easy to use, it eliminates typing addresses, which can be slow,
error-prone and, in some cases, unsafe. Available immediately, "Click to
Speak" incorporates unique technology from Dial Directions, the leading
provider of voice-activated location-based services.
"Voice input is one more way Ask.com Mobile helps searchers find
exactly what they are looking for faster and easier," said Doug Leeds,
senior vice president of product management, Ask.com. "The new 'Click to
Speak' service is quick, free and accurate, and makes getting driving or
walking directions a breeze."
Voice In, Directions Out
Users of the Directions service on Ask.com Mobile will now see a new
"Click to Speak" option. Clicking it, consumers are prompted to speak their
location and their desired destination, either by specific address or
closest intersection. Within seconds, they will receive a text message with
a link to directions that can be viewed in either traditional list or
turn-by-turn step format, with an additional option to switch between
"Driving" or "Walking" routes.
"Voice input is a natural complement to the Ask.com Mobile Directions
service," said Amit Desai, co-founder and chief product officer of Dial
Directions (http://www.dialdirections.com). "Dial Directions' new spoken location
interface technology offers a dramatic improvement over typing addresses on
mobile devices. We look forward to a continued relationship with Ask.com as
they look for new ways to further improve the mobile web search experience
with Ask.com Mobile."
Click to Speak builds on the award-winning(2) features of Ask.com Mobile:
- Unique Interface for Streamlined Searching: Designed to minimize thumb
strokes, the Ask.com Mobile home page offers links to key mobile
categories, making it easier to navigate to relevant results.
- Instinctive Tools: Including Smart Answers, which provide shortcuts to
answers and tools at the top of the search results page and Zoom Related
Search, which provides conceptually-related suggestions to narrow or
expand queries.
- Platform Independent: Ask.com Mobile works on any mobile web browser so
consumers don't have to worry about which carrier they are signed up
with or which mobile device they have.
- Nothing to Download: Ask.com Mobile does not require a download to get
started, yet still offers features like street and aerial map views.
(1) Carrier and data charges may apply
(2) Webby Award: 2007 Best Mobile Site, 2007 People's Voice
About Ask.com
A leading search engine on the Web, Ask.com combines world-class search
technology with one-of-a-kind search tools to help people get what they are
looking for faster. Ask.com sites include Ask.com U.S. (http://www.Ask.com),
Ask.com Deutschland, Ask.com Espana, Ask.com France, Ask.com Italia,
Ask.com Japan, Ask.com Nederland and Ask.com UK. Additionally, Ask.com
syndicates its search technology and advertising units to a network of
affiliate partners. Ask.com is a division of IAC Search & Media, a wholly
owned business of IAC (Nasdaq: IACI).
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