A recent poll conducted by Pinger and Harris Interactive revealed that 57 percent of adults who drive a car and use text messaging have sent messages or e-mail from behind the wheel. In May, safety concerns prompted the state of Washington to pass the nation's first ban on texting while driving. Under the new law, drivers who read or compose text messages (or talk on cell phones) without a hands-free device could face a $101 ticket. And six other states, including New York, California, and Florida are instituting similar legislation. A potential alternative? Texting your buddies from your Bluetooth headset.
 
Advances in processing power, software algorithms, and microphones have greatly improved voice and hardware interaction, enabling everything from voice-dictation of e-mail and text messages to voice-based Web browsing (although it's best to pull over for that). "Our fastest-growing applications are in the mobile space," said Matt Revis, Nuance's director of product management for dictation solutions. "A blinking cursor on a phone means talking instead of typing, whether it's an open-ended Web search or text messaging."

 

The Next Frontier
Nuance's Mobile Speech Platform will be offered by major carriers by the end of the year and will be integrated into mobile phones. It will convert your voice into text messages and e-mail messages right on the handset. Currently, Nuance's Voice Control provides this service, but it's a third-party application available for only select smart phones.
 
We tested Voice Control using a BlackBerry 8830 on the streets of Manhattan, and it translated phrases like "Let's meet at Joe's Restaurant" and "Send over the agreement papers" to text perfectly. However, when we uttered the same phrases next to a loud speaker playing music, the recognition was less accurate, and Voice Control left out some words.
 
There are two big questions Nuance must answer: Will the company be able to achieve this level of accuracy on more mainstream phones that don't have nearly as much processing power? And will consumers change their behavior just because speech is an option? "Using the phone while driving is never a good idea, but voice recognition is a useful benefit for navigation-based features and commands, so you don't have to move your eyes to a screen or your hands off the wheel," said Elizabeth Herrell, vice president at Forrester Research.