Service: Overview:
Vemail is a cool little (234k download) voice-2-email application for windows machines. There aren’t many features, but it does what it does well.
Once you install and launch the application, you simply type in an email address (no support for multiple emails), hold the F6 button and talk. If you have a microphone, it will record what you say, and once you let F6 go, it will email the file as a sound file to the selected email address.
I did a quick test email and sent it to myself. A 14 second message was only a 23k wave file, emailed to me with the subject line “Vemail Voice Message� (note that you cannot change the subject line of the email).
The quality was great, the file size was manageable and overall it worked as promised. It is also free, which we approve of greatly. Try it out, and drop us a voice message at editor@techcrunch.com.
Compare this service to Springdoo, which we profiled on July 27, 2005. Note that Springdoo is located in New Zealand, and Vemail is Australian. We like the rivalry. 
We also hear whispers that Nivi may be coming out with something somewhat similar, but much more interesting, in the near future.
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“Once you let F6 go, it will email the file as a sound file to the selected email address.”
This doesn’t strike me as particularly smart mode of operation. Is it configurable? It would seem quite easy to accidently let go of a key and send a partial message.
Similarly, what if you’d like to review or cancel the message before you send it (e.g. if you’ve been interrupted during the recording by a person/telephone/other background noise), or if you’ve simply lost your train of thought and want to abort? I’ll be interested to hear whether you’ve received many partial messages from readers of your blog …
Overall, it sounds like a neat little gimmick, but I’m not convinced it would work well in its current form, nor that it meets any real business need. Perhaps I’m being too negative though, what are your thoughts on these issues?
I didn’t write about these features, but should have. There is a delay between lifting your finger and sending the message that is quite long.
I liked it a lot when I blogged about it. I haven’t used it since. Not a keeper.
How does it compare to Springdoo? Which makes better sense to use?
A much better program is Vomail - exactly the same concept, but after recording it hands you over to your default email client - which allows you to specify a subject (something you can’t do with Vemail) and, more important, access your address book. Freeware, available from many sites, Google it.
(Incidentally a start-up called YackPack plans to offer the same functionality on a subscription basis; you must both be subscribed before you can send voice messages. Good luck! a) you can do this for free with Vomail or similar b) if it takes off, it will take Microsoft etc about 3 minutes to built this into their IM clients).
Yep, VoMail is a good program,
because I am the author. :))
To be serious, I am open to any suggestions and requests for new feautures
in my program.
url: ilhom.host.chat.uz