Google Talk + Google Voice = monetised VoIP play

Many of you will probably remember Google Voice, the search giants effort at voice recognition search:-

http://labs1.google.com/gvs.html

Let's say that Google combine that with Google Talk - so you can call in to the Voice recognition engine at Google and get search results over VoIP.

Then take it a step further. If you have a WiFi network that's open-access, you can actually serve your callers with sponsored search results geotargeted exactly to your location.

So if I'm hungry in San Francisco, I pick up my Wifi enabled mobile handset, connecting via Google Talk on their Wifi link up to Google Voice and say "Chinese Restaurants".

Google then responds with a list of ad-paying Chinese restaurants local to me based on where I was at that moment, dictated by which access point I had connected to.

This is the type of monetised VoIP play that I can see the larger corporates getting involved in. At some point, there has to be revenue.

Given that VoIP is now effectively a zero value commodity, the only way of introducing a revenue stream is with these types of lateral thoughts on advertising media.

Dean

Reply from dean on Nov 07, 2005 - 02:23 PM

All the pieces are starting to come together. Google have launched a beta Google Local Mobile service:-

http://www.google.com/glm

Reply from Cyrus255 on Nov 16, 2005 - 12:15 AM

Acting like Google Local for Mobile Phones is something new???

Fact is, America is light years behind in the wi-fi and mobile technologies networks.

I was in Korea a year ago, and they had a full-functioning system similar to Google Local Mobile.

First, the system had all the local (ad-paying probably) restaurants and places listed.

Then, it was so advanced, that even your friends could "blog" about a restaurant, and when you walk into that area, your phone will show up with a message -if they are set as a friend in your blog- for the restaurant saying "Try the Chicken at Nam Ja Restuarant - From Joe" or "Don't eat there!! Horrible food!! - From Beth" etc.

So essentially it's like having all your friends with you all the time to tell you the best places to eat, shop, etc. (possible incentive programs for reviewing places)

They have thumb-print activated phones, that can be swiped like a credit card, used as an electronic key to an apartment, etc.

So, yea... glad to see atleast "some" progress here. But it's nothing really revolutionary.

Reply from dean on Nov 16, 2005 - 11:56 AM

Hi Cyrus,

It's not news in a technological sense, but when someone like Google starts doing it, with a global reach and huge brand power, it becomes a whole new ballgame.

Dean

Reply from dean on Apr 13, 2006 - 11:00 AM

Update on this one (I wonder if I'll be proved right in the long run?), Google had a patent for Voice Search published today:-

Quote:

A newly published patent provides further evidence that Google is developing a voice-activated search engine. Patent number 7027987, of which Google is the assignee, concerns "a voice interface for search engines. Through the use of a language model, phonetic dictionary and acoustic models, a server generates an n-best hypothesis list or word graph."

http://networks.silicon.com/webwatch/0, ... 059,00.htm

Reply from jpdw on Apr 13, 2006 - 11:29 PM

Every passing week brings more Google-News (tm) --- I'm really starting to think that Google could -- one day in the next few years -- make MS look like a community-centric king.

That said,... I still use Google for 90% of my web searching etc. So who am I to comment?!!!

Looking at the patent text quoted, it makes me wonder again about patents in general. The whole "originally as education.. now to generate $$$" issue. Reading the text I'm thinking that it's so general, the moment anyone talks to a voip phone that's terminated to anything other than a human, they owe google money. (almost).

I actually like the idea of a voice-activated directory but guess I object on blocking out the mere idea of competetive similar services... what it BT had a current patent on "a data base of subscriber telephone numbers indexed by surname or business name of subscriber, searchable using alphabetical paper-based or electronic methods". 118 would be paying huge patent ££££££ .

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