1. VERY OLD problem
Some 40 years ago when mobiles and GSM was launched Tomorrows World reported on it : GSM compresses the speech to save bandwidth, the decompression is done subconsciously by your brain. And yes, the people driving simulators in the TV studio were distracted.
2. OLD solution.
Virgin had a tariff with FREE voicemail. With hands free equipment, you can easily dictate and send FREE voicemail to any Virgin mobile, 5 min long if you like (never found a limit..) Far easier then text.
And you can just as easily listen to any incoming message at your convenience.
IMHO reasonably safe, if need be you can concentrate on driving, listen later to the message again or dictate again when its safe.
Alas Virgin ended that tariff.
3. Current solution:
Orange copied Virgin's tariff. I and my family have been using it for 10 YEARS !
OK, they stop selling it years ago, but you could buy a SIM from someone, transfer it, voila FREE voicemail.
OH, HOLD ON. Just got a letter from Orange:
As of 1st May, call charges going up 500% !!!, voicemail will cost 25p send and receive !
They wrote some garbage about 'aligning tariffs, but if fact they want to KILL it stone dead !
Bye Orange !
4. Future solution ?
I recon ORANGE bosses are totally EE ! They should realise that, as above, that sending voicemail could be a HUGE selling point to DRIVERS. I believe, that, same as texts, voicemail costs them NOTHING and so should be still be free. Was for 10 years, why not.
Perhaps some THINKING mobile provider might pick up this opportunity.
Are you there Giff Gaff ?
Regards,
Martin
Biting the hand that feeds IT
