Smartphones can be useful devices, but sometimes it's plain old inconvenient to use them to their fullest. When you're on a voice call, for example, how much fun is it to look up something on your calendar? Ditech Networks, which has a lot of expertise in voice applications for phone networks, is working on a product called TokTok that will automate retrieval and use of Google Calendar and Contacts info during a voice call.
For example, if you wanted to set up a meeting but didn't have your calendar in front of you, you could say the word "toktok" followed by the date and time of the proposed meeting. TokTok would check the calendar and either schedule the meeting or advise you of a conflict--without you having to put down the handset or go to a PC.
Another proposed application is what Ditech officials call voice poke. Like the Poke application in Facebook, a voice poke would be a quick short voice message to let the person know you were thinking of them--only it would be delivered by voice while you were on another call.
Ditech's Mike Lambert acknowledged that many people might find it disconcerting to hear a voice whispering in their ear while they were talking to someone else. But, he said, kids are becoming accustomed to managing communications from multiple simultaneous sources. We'll have to say how that one works out: TokTok will be entering private invitation-only beta later this year.
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