BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : NOVEMBER 13, 2000 ISSUE
TECH BUYING GUIDE Let Your Voice Do the Browsing Anticipating that nontechies will want to navigate the Web with voice commands, dozens of companies are offering over-the-phone voice access to Web information, e-mail, and e-commerce. Here's a sampling: TELLME, 800 555-TELL The broadest of the services, with nationwide restaurant listings, travel reservations, nearly nationwide taxi dispatching, and brief, free phone calls. Coming: a personal phone book that lets you call Aunt Mary simply by saying ''Aunt Mary.'' THE SKINNY: It works well. Instructions are easy. And when the speech-recognition doesn't understand you, there are touch tone prompts as a backup HEYANITA, 800 44-ANITA Offerings are rather thin. Basic info on stocks, sports, weather, and the like is spiced up with only a few special features. ''Message Center'' will read e-mail only from Yahoo mail accounts. No purchasing capability. THE SKINNY: Voice recognition is shaky. More need to repeat than with Tellme in our test--got weather for St. Paul, Minn., when Maplewood, N.J., was requested. Constant repetition of ''Anita''-themed marketing messages was annoying. YAHOO! BY PHONE, 800 MY-YAHOO A limited service that relies on touch tone responses rather than spoken commands. Its big voice claim is that it reads clients their e-mail over the phone. Also offers basic news and financial info, but lacks easy voice access to e-shopping. THE SKINNY: It relies on touch-tone prompts, not voice recognition, earning big minus points for inconvenience. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP					RELATED ITEMS The New Wireless Wonders Desktops What If It Breaks? TABLE: Desktops: Best of Breed TABLE: How the Warranties Stack Up Cool Tools: iFeel MouseMan Help Is Just an E-Mail Away TABLE: How to Hook Up with a Nerd If Web Surfing Is All You're Into... Artistic Apples Notebooks Take It with You TABLE: The Lowdown on the Latest Laptops Cool Tools: Computer Safe Test Drive: Cutting the Cord at Last ONLINE EXTRA: Staying Connected on the Road Handhelds Pocket Rockets TABLE: Wireless Acts Cool Tools: Slimpoint Stylus ONLINE EXTRA: Modo's Mojo Falling Web Phones A Long Way to Go TABLE: Getting on the Wireless Web Cool Tools: M130 Headset Test Drive: ``Turn Off That Coat!'' ONLINE EXTRA: Part PDA, Part Phone, and Pretty Tricky Net Services It's Not Just News TABLE: Who Offers What Cool Tools: Palm Portable Keyboard E-Mail with No Wires Attached Vortal Combat: The Early Years TABLE: Let Your Voice Do the Browsing INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online

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