Trainingless Voice Dialing Arrives on the iPhone

by Michael Santo

It was really annoying, despite all the snazziness of the iPhone 3G, that it didn't include a voice dial application built-into the OS. After all, most of the smartphones we had been using of late (mostly Windows Mobile) had voice dialing built-in.

And while some never use voice dialing, in reality, for safety reasons, voice dialing is the only way to go --- at least while driving. And sometimes, for legal reasons, too, if the state you are in requires a hands-free setup while driving. If a cop catches you holding up your cell phone to dial, he may feel you are violating the hands-free law.

When we first bought the iPhone 3G, there were some voice dialing apps available through the App Store, but they all required training. Training means you have to provide a "sample" audio clip for each contact for the program to match with. Yeah, right, people with tons of contacts are really going to do that.

Of course,we kind of gave up for a while, and when we heard about this application, Say Who, from developer DialDirections, we took another look in the App Store.

Now, Say Who is free. That alone gives it a major leg-up on any other similar app. And, according to the reviews, the darn thing is extremely accurate. Set it to "autodial" and it will dial without confirmation, otherwise it will wait for you to confirm.

And when we say free, the app's FAQ does indicate they are exploring other options: ad-supported or subscription, so it may not be free forever. One nit we have is that you have to press and hold an on-screen button while speaking; we prefer to just hit a button and then speak; the "hold" action means more distraction (and of course, as we said the reason we want voice dialing is to help while driving).

Say Who currently has a **** rating on the App Store.

What we noticed also is, despite the fact that a number of sites have been implying this is the first voice dialing app that doesn't require training (e.g., here), that's not the case. There are now a number of voice dialing apps now in the App Store that duplicate that functionality.


Examples:
VoiceBox Dialer (free), average rating ****
Fonix iSpeak ($9.99), average rating *** 1/2 - the highest priced, but their upcoming feature list is compelling, plus the company is well known for its speech recognition technology and even licenses it to other companies

There are others, but they had ratings of 2 1/2 or less stars (Voice Lookup, VoiceThis Voice Dialer, AdelaVoice Voice Dialer, etc.). We wouldn't go there, particularly since there's no try before buy (hint, hint Apple) at the App Store.

Veency Offers Remote Control of Your Jailbroken iPhone

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On its face, a tool that gives you remote control over your jailbroken iPhone or iPod touch seems kind of pointless. If you're sitting at a computer already, why would you need to use your tiny touch screen computer? But take a moment to think of the things you could save time typing out—like built-up text messages and frustratingly non-syncing notes—as well as the ability to charge or play music while still using the software. Now it's a safer bet that some curious hackers will want to tunnel into their gadgets. Let's take a look at how to set up Veency, along with a few good uses for it.

Setting up Veency

First off, Veency is only available for unlocked (i.e. jailbroken) iPhones and iPod touch models running the 2.0 software. We've detailed the jailbreaking process using Pwnage Tool on a Mac and QuickPwn on Windows, along with a few apps you can only get with jailbreaking worth checking out. Once your device is unlocked, open the Cydia installer, hit the "Search" button in the lower-left corner, and type until you see "Veency" available. Install the app, and hit "Reset Springboard" when finished. You won't see any new icons, but your iPhone or iPod touch can now accept VNC connections.

Head to the home screen and then to the Settings tool. Click Wi-Fi, then the arrow to the right of your home connection, and note the IP address listed there. If you're going to use Veency, you should probably click the Static preference at the top-right and choose an IP address you can remember. You might also want to set your Auto-Lock timer (under the General tab in Settings) to a higher number, or "Never" if you're going to be connected for a lengthy session.

Now you'll need a VNC client to connect to your device. Windows users should check out UltraVNC or TightVNC, while Mac OS X users have the excellent Chicken of the VNC. Most Linux distros have a VNC client pre-installed; if not, TightVNC or most any option offered in your repositories should do the trick. Open your client, enter the iPhone or iPod touch's IP address as the host, then pick up your device.

You'll see a prompt to accept or reject the connection from your computer's IP address. Hit "Accept," and you'll notice a small VNC icon in the upper-right, near the battery indicator. Those show that your iPhone has accepted a remote connection, and now you're on your way.

What can I use it for?

Using your mouse and keyboard, you can do pretty much anything you're normally able to do on your Apple device. Left-clicking is the equivalent of tapping, and holding the button while moving is like swiping. Right-clicking effectively presses the bottom "Home" button, and a middle click activates the top-left locking/power button.

Having said that, here's a few good reasons to consider VNC-ing into your iPhone or iPod touch:

• Turbo-type text messages: Need to get back to a whole bunch of folks you dodged while out? Got a longer text you don't feel like touch-typing? Just log in, head to your text messages, and smack them out. Use the extra time to write a nice one.
• Use your phone while charging it: These gadgets aren't known for super-long battery life. Whether you want to text, pump music to your speakers, or play with new apps, you can do it across the room from your docked unit.
• Write notes for later: Whether it's grocery lists or an address, the Notes app still doesn't sync to any desktop app or files (why, Apple, why?). VNC into your device, copy-paste your grocery list or vital data, and you're set, online or off.
• Edit contacts, update calendars, finish a long email: Because none of these things can't be done faster with a real mouse and keyboard.

Got another VNC/iPhone trick, serious or silly? Share it in the comments.