When mobile data was just beginning, and the only client product selling in quantity was a chunky device from Nokia, Dresdner Bank began testing a simple mobile banking application. The application offered restricted SMS-based access to accounts for customers who already used an existing phone banking service.
After a number of weeks the project leader was decidedly downbeat about the experiment. It seemed that very few users were completing the data sessions and were, instead, using their handsets to speak to operators in Dresdner Bank's call centre. This was evidence, arguably, of the convenience of a voice interface for mobile commerce.
The development of increasingly sophisticated software to support voice input and output could make the use of mobile data systems easier and more attractive. There certainly are applications where the user could benefit from hands-and-eye-free operation.
However, it is uncertain how helpful voice will be for general applications. It could be that at the moment speech I/O is a feature too far, placing an excessive burden on the client and the network, and increasing the complexity of installation.
