Introducing TalkBox
TalkBoxApp.com is an iPhone and Android app that allows users to exchange their messaging in a new way- via voice. As this technology propels us forward into the future, it uses the dying art of speaking via phone to boost its offering. The above video outlines just one of its features, but the premise is that if you are at an open house and don’t have time to type out a message to your spouse that you are running late, simply hold down the speak button, say “running late, be home by dinner” and instantly, your spouse has a talk bubble on their phone that when they touch, it plays your voice. What a time saver for those not quite loving text messaging.
Voice messages are one minute in length maximum, and we discovered that the longer the message, the longer it takes for delivery. Short messages act more like a walkie-talkie and is delivered faster than most text messages take. Although setup was buggy for the two of us that installed the app on Android, it ended up working after setting it up and force quitting.
Things you can do with TalkBox that we love:
- Send a quick voice message that looks and acts like a text message. It’s a time saver.
- You can tweet or update Facebook with your voice faster than typing on a phone.
- Voice Broadcast sends one voice message to all of your contacts.
- Contacts can be imported from your phone’s address book or your Facebook account or manually added.
- Up to nine users can chat in the same stream, visually organized by time stamp.
- Not only can voice messages be sent, but photos are sent and visible in the stream without having to open.
- Your very precise location can be attached to a photo or voice message. Warning: it’s eerily accurate.
The premise is that there is often a delay with communications, and this is a way to speedily compose and send, knowing that a user can listen at any given time. Not only does it save you from typing messages out (which is tough if you have fat fingers or are new to a sensitive touchscreen), it improves the text messaging scenario so many demand out of you from your friends to clients, and trust when we say that consumers demanding use of text messaging as the primary mode of communication is on the rise. College students don’t answer their phones or even talk on them unless it is their parents, they text. They can ignore a text or delay answering a text and consider their answers rather than be caught on the spot uninformed or uncomfortable in a conversation.
As a broker, if you keep your network limited to your agents, once per week, you can TalkBox them all with one click to give them a quick update or reminder. If you’re an agent and you have clients that insist on text messaging, getting them on TalkBox at least allows you and them to hear inflections so less is lost in translation. There is a great deal of possibility for this app that bridges phone and text.
We plan on using TalkBox first for personal use to get used to it and eventually for personal use. The caveat is that to TalkBox with someone, they have to have the app as well, but the upside is that it is insanely fast and saves us from typing on a smartphone. It is still a little buggy, but it is brand new. Visit TalkBoxApp.com for more information.
Other video demos:
AGBeat is not affiliated with TalkBox.
