Voice Maps on Google, and VoxCards

Two tidbits:

The Google Maps API folks picked up our Voice Maps app to feature on their site (scroll to the bottom right).  We were very honored that they chose to highlight us; this came out of meeting many of the API developers at Google I/O, where we demoed Voice Maps to them.  I continue to feel that Google is in a unique position to help out not only end developers, but also API services like ours, and bring us all together.

We also added a new app to our gallery:  VoxCards!  VoxCards are electronic greeting cards with a twist:  you can pick up the phone and add voice to any of them.  When the recipient opens your card, she’ll be greeted not just with the visual card, but also your voice.  Check it out!

MyVox 1.1 Launches

Yesterday saw the launch of MyVox 1.1, which added a number of new features to the product.  Perhaps the most significant is the concept of the call-initiated app.

In 1.0, every MyVox application was written with the expectation that a user would be sitting in front of some sort of screen in order to start the voice recording process.  That could be a Web page, a desktop widget, a mobile app, even an email or text message… but you needed to take some screen-based action in order to start a MyVox session, and get the phone number necessary to call and make your recording.

We realized a while ago that there was a whole class of applications that opened up if a user could start the recording interaction simply by picking up the phone.  Freed of the need for a screen-based interaction, suddenly you can have people making recordings while they are out and about, untethered.  People can call in from cars, concerts, nightclubs, on bikes, hiking trails, at museums, in classrooms… wherever.  But importantly, the recording can still be tied back to an application, which takes it and makes use of it.

1.1 makes this possible.  These “call-initiated” apps still use the same structure and API; the main differences have to do with how you set up your voice recorder (the core object of the MyVox API – each app has one), and with the assignation of a specific phone number to each application (as opposed to the traditional MyVox app, where a phone number is handed out for each recording session).

1.1 also offers…

* Identification of call-initiated users by caller ID, access code, or both, allowing (among other things) the gating of access to such apps

* One-time collection of a touchtone code at the beginning of the call, to use however you will; think zip code collection, product ID entry, etc.

* Caller ID as an attribute available on any call/recording

MyVox 1.11 will be launching very soon as well.  Keep an eye out!

Ludacris and MyVox?

You may have heard of WeMix.com, a site founded by Matt Apfel and rapper Ludacris. WeMix is community for unsigned talent in the music industry — singers, songwriters, rappers, musicians and producers — who can register, create profiles, upload original music and record their own demos using the phone as a mic. The connection: the MyVox API powers the technology here and makes this musical revolution possible. Now, anyone with a phone can record a demo.

Ludacris threw a party in New York last week, and by all accounts, the WeMix Webby Awards After Party was a tremendous success. Ne-Yo, Rachel Zoe, Michael Kenneth Williams, and Seth Meyers were some of the folks attending. And of course, Ludacris.

Check out the WeMix party pictures.

–Richard

Success stories among the challenge winners

A quick shoutout to some of our Developer Challenge winners:

* Learnit Lists was recently nominated to Startup 2.0, a demo conference for European Web 2.0 startups.  They also received mention on Techcrunch for their participation in CrunchNetwork Prague.

* maaap received honors in the WHERE developer challenge.

* WeMix is hosting the Webby Awards afterparty, where we’ll be joining Ludacris to celebrate WeMix’s ongoing growth!