December 2007

  1. Create Your Own Button

    Need an easy, attractive button to front a Click-to-call link or another page? My cool button is a free Beta site that allows you to customize simple Web 2.0 buttons with an array of colors and icons, and will let you enter in your own text. If you're using an embedded Click-to-call, design the "Call" button here. The possibilities are endless (well, almost . . . we'll see what this nifty site does with future Beta releases).

  2. Bill Gates and the Desktop Telephone Revolution

    In a video interview posted on TechRepublic, Bill Gates discusses some of the ways that the standard telephone sitting on your desk with too many buttons and a tiny screen will change in the coming years. Only one in three people know how to successfully transfer a phone call to someone else in their office, according to Gates, who says that the desk phone has hardly evolved at all in recent times.

  3. How To Make Prompts Consistent

    One of the most important things I do when I write an application is check for consistent prompts. What do we say to the customer? Do we say the same thing everywhere, or do we suddenly change our minds half-way through the application?Here's an example from what I'm working on today. The client supplied the following prompt:

    "Press # or say "main menu" at any time during this message to go to the options menu."

  4. Paying Attention to Small Business

    A recent cover article in Speech Technology Magazine discusses small business and the adoption of speech technology. Of course, what they mean by "small" is one thousand employees or less; these businesses are just now finding that the purchase of special-purpose speech technology solutions and equipment can be cost effective.