Voice dial

[Billpb]

I just bought the Motorola Droid. I guess I should have done more research. The most basic function of a phone - and these devices are a phone first and everything else is secondary- the Droid cannot do. That is voice dial. What were the designers thinking of? Do they all live in a state that doesn't care if your messing around with a phone while driving? For all of the good things that I have heard about the device, the things that made me want to own one, this glaring, idiotic flaw, makes the Motorola Droid useless. And worst of all, the store sales person, who I asked specifically about how the voice dial works, did not tell me or perhaps didn't even know that the unit can't do it.

I'm astonished! Honestly...**bleep** were they thinking of????

[#2]

You can voice dial, but you have to unlock the phone and press the voice dial button.  So, you can voice dial, but it's not totally hands free.

[#3]

Well, I take it back.  It seems to work about 1/2 the time.

[Billpb]

Unfortunately and with extreme frustration, returning the Droid and reactivating the simple cell phone that I have now used for several  years seems to be the only viable solution. The waste of my time and effort is every bit as annoying as the obvious design flaw and lack of knowledge on the part of the Verizon sales person. Now I'm forced to do what I should have done in the first place - Research. My friend's son works for T-Mobile and my son owns an Iphone. That seems like a good place for me to start.

[Billpb]

That's another weird thing. They call it a voice dial and it's not. Look up the definition of dial. The Droid does a voice search but it does not dial at all.

[#6]

This seems like such an obvious flaw that they would soon come out with a solution.  Does anyone have any inside information as to if and when this will be resolved?

[basspro]

"That's another weird thing. They call it a voice dial and it's not. Look up the definition of dial. The Droid does a voice search but it does not dial at all."

If you press the "voice dialer" button, it WILL voice dial.

[Billpb]

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basspro wrote:

"That's another weird thing. They call it a voice dial and it's not. Look up the definition of dial. The Droid does a voice search but it does not dial at all."

If you press the "voice dialer" button, it WILL voice dial.

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NO, it does not. It voice searches it does not dial. Press voice dial and a little instruction screen comes up and then you say "Call Whoever, and the contact name comes up. Then you have to manually touch the screen again to initiate the call--that is dial the call.

It should be quite a simple function. I don't think I'm missing any steps and if I am then the process is definitely not simple.

[BigKahuna]

YES, VOICE DIAL IS TOTALLY HANDS FREE DIALING, IT DOESN'T WORK THROUGH BLUETOOTH, VERIZON OR HTC NEEDS TO COME UP WITH AN UPDATE, OTHERWISE YOU'LL GET ALOT OF PEOPLE SWITCHING TO IPHONE

[Billpb]

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BigKahuna wrote:

YES, VOICE DIAL IS TOTALLY HANDS FREE DIALING, IT DOESN'T WORK THROUGH BLUETOOTH, VERIZON OR HTC NEEDS TO COME UP WITH AN UPDATE, OTHERWISE YOU'LL GET A LOT OF PEOPLE SWITCHING TO IPHONE

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Thank you Bigkahuna, I'm having a difficult time getting some folks, like the customer service folks, to understand the concept of dialing. I actually had to say to one person, "When I use my finger to dial a number on my home phone I don't have to say anything. When I want to use my voice to dial a number on my mobile phone I shouldn't have to touch anything. I think the person got the concept but I cannot be sure.

Verizon may or may not lose me as a customer but I definitely cannot keep this device. I have to return it tomorrow or Friday (big snow storm today) and I'm not looking forward to the hassle.

[basspro]

I don't think that iPhone voice dials without an expensive app.

[basspro]

Install Voice Dialer HF from market, and that will eliminate the 2nd touch.

[GreySeal]

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basspro wrote:

Install Voice Dialer HF from market, and that will eliminate the 2nd touch.

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I will second that.  Voice Dialer HF is a great app.  Granted, it shouldn't be necessary, but it is.

Voice Dialer HF is insanely accurate also.  Well worth the couple bucks it costs.

[Billpb]

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GreySeal wrote:

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basspro wrote:

Install Voice Dialer HF from market, and that will eliminate the 2nd touch.

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I will second that.  Voice Dialer HF is a great app.  Granted, it shouldn't be necessary, but it is.

Voice Dialer HF is insanely accurate also.  Well worth the couple bucks it costs.

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This sounds encouraging but I have to ask; Does it enable the Bluetooth device to work as well? That's still an important function. You are correct, the app should not be necessary and you certainly should not have to pay for it. If the Bluetooth will work HF then I may keep the unit. Thanks - very encouraging.

[GreySeal]

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Billpb wrote:

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GreySeal wrote:

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basspro wrote:

Install Voice Dialer HF from market, and that will eliminate the 2nd touch.

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I will second that.  Voice Dialer HF is a great app.  Granted, it shouldn't be necessary, but it is.

Voice Dialer HF is insanely accurate also.  Well worth the couple bucks it costs.

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This sounds encouraging but I have to ask; Does it enable the Bluetooth device to work as well? That's still an important function. You are correct, the app should not be necessary and you certainly should not have to pay for it. If the Bluetooth will work HF then I may keep the unit. Thanks - very encouraging.

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Bluetooth works with Voice Dialer HF, but you need to initiate the call on the phone.  It's just one button (or Icon) press, then speak what you want done, and it's all bluetooth after that.

The voice recognition is still through the phone, but it's thru the speakerphone, so not so bad.  All it means is you can't have the phone in your pocket like you could if the bluetooth activation button worked.    I have mine in the car dock, so it's just a quick press on the screen and all voice after that.

You can try it out for 24 hours and uninstall it if it doesn't work for your situation.  Worth a shot, i think.

[Billpb]

Yes, thank you . It is clearly worth a shot. But if it means that I have to take my eyes off the road for even a few seconds then the purpose is defeated. However, I am learning that the Verizon and Motorola folks can fix the problem. The question is, will they do it before I return the phone and potentially leave them as a provider. The answer I think is, 'Not a chance'. I wish they would monitor this blog in order to better understand the problem. Many states already have a hands-free cell phone law in place and Massachusetts will soon have one as well. Massachusetts has the notoriety of creating the worst laws in the nation so you can be sure that it's cell phone law will terrorize users and will make the flawed Droid obsolete.

[#17]

They don't need to monitor this thread, they are well aware of the problem.  Verizon has nothing to do with fixing the problem.  It's a hardware and/or operating system issue.  I have a thread on this page with a few more details of the solution posted above.  If you put your phone in an auto dock to use the GPS function, you don't need to take your eyes off the road to reach up and push down the camera button on the side of the phone to activate voice dialing.  That is the last time you'll have to look at or touch the phone.  If you don't use the docking station, you can grasp your phone and push the camera button without even looking.  You just have to keep the phone plugged into the cigarette lighter to keep the phone awake. 

[Billpb]

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jimfitzgerald wrote:

They don't need to monitor this thread, they are well aware of the problem.  Verizon has nothing to do with fixing the problem.  It's a hardware and/or operating system issue.  I have a thread on this page with a few more details of the solution posted above.  If you put your phone in an auto dock to use the GPS function, you don't need to take your eyes off the road to reach up and push down the camera button on the side of the phone to activate voice dialing.  That is the last time you'll have to look at or touch the phone.  If you don't use the docking station, you can grasp your phone and push the camera button without even looking.  You just have to keep the phone plugged into the cigarette lighter to keep the phone awake. 

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Jim, once again, thank you for your tips on how to overcome the Droid's flaws. And I will certainly consider them before making a decision to return the unit. In my opinion, the simple things should remain simple. Telephone functions, voice activated dialing, the Bluetooth earpiece accessory are all old technology now and you should not have to find a work around to use those functions. If anything they shoud become even simpler, a no-brainer.

Verizon should have a lot to do with fixing the problem. They have the contract with the manufacturer, they should have a say regarding funtionality. I bought the phone from their store. So to me the problem is theirs. I've been talking to Verizon Customer Service, Verizon tech support, and this is the Verizon. blog. Believe me, the buck stops at Verizon they own the problem and they sold the problem to me.

[basspro]

" I am learning that the Verizon and Motorola folks can fix the problem"

No, they cannot. It is a OS problem, which has to be handled by Google. It is on Google's list to fix. 

 I don't feel that Verizon "sold a problem to me", as I was never told that I could voice dial with bluetooth. As far as I know, the iPhone doesn't have this feature, and look how long it has been out. Give them some time.

[Billpb]

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basspro wrote:

" I am learning that the Verizon and Motorola folks can fix the problem"

No, they cannot. It is a OS problem, which has to be handled by Google. It is on Google's list to fix. 

 I don't feel that Verizon "sold a problem to me", as I was never told that I could voice dial with bluetooth. As far as I know, the iPhone doesn't have this feature, and look how long it has been out. Give them some time.

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Not to belabor the point but the problem is, in fact, Verizon's. They sold me the unit, the unit is flawed (and it is flawed - it will not permit the user to comply with driving laws in numerous states) therefore, they sold me a flawed unit -- that's a problem. The fact that their supplier sold them inqdequate equipment or software is their problem also. The fact that you were not told that you could voice dial with or without Bluetooth is certainly not a very good defense. As I said, this is a basic funtionality and shoud be a minimum expectation. However, in my situation, I was told that the unit would voice dial and I was specifically sold a new Bluetooth unit that would work well with the voice dial function. So even if I wanted to give them a pass on this, I can't.

[PPC_Dude]

Billpb wrote:

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basspro wrote:

" I am learning that the Verizon and Motorola folks can fix the problem"

No, they cannot. It is a OS problem, which has to be handled by Google. It is on Google's list to fix.

 I don't feel that Verizon "sold a problem to me", as I was never told that I could voice dial with bluetooth. As far as I know, the iPhone doesn't have this feature, and look how long it has been out. Give them some time.

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Not to belabor the point but the problem is, in fact, Verizon's. They sold me the unit, the unit is flawed (and it is flawed - it will not permit the user to comply with driving laws in numerous states) therefore, they sold me a flawed unit -- that's a problem. The fact that their supplier sold them inqdequate equipment or software is their problem also. The fact that you were not told that you could voice dial with or without Bluetooth is certainly not a very good defense. As I said, this is a basic funtionality and shoud be a minimum expectation. However, in my situation, I was told that the unit would voice dial and I was specifically sold a new Bluetooth unit that would work well with the voice dial function. So even if I wanted to give them a pass on this, I can't.

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First of all, I disagree that the lack of Bluetooth voice dialing is a "flaw".  Yes there are currently numerous phones that can do full Buetooth voice dialing, but there are others that cannot (smartphone or otherwise).  Are all of these phones "flawed" as well?  I agree with you that you have a gripe if the sales rep told you the phone would do full BT voice dial and I think you have every right to return the phone based on that.  But do not blame VzW, Motorola or even Google for the sales reps mistake and/or intentional misrepresentation.  Blame the sales rep.  VzW, Motorola and Google are well aware of the BT voice dial issue and I'm sure the are working on it.

The fact that the phone "wil not permit the user to comply with driving laws in numerous states" does not mean that it is flawed.  Actually, at least per my interpretation of New York's and California's laws the Droid fully complies, as long as you either use the speakerphone option or another "hands free" solution.

New York Cell Phone Law 

California Cell Phone Law 

I'm not a lawyer, but it seems pretty clear to me in both of these states, they are simply requiring "hands free talking and listening" and/or prohibiting "holding" the phone while driving.  Neither one says anything about "dialing".  While I agree, it's not a good thing to physically dial a number while you are driving, it's apparently not against the law in these states.  Other states may be different, but I used these two as they are generally the most populous and have some of the stricter laws.

Further, BT voice dialing or even talking on a phone while you are driving, for that matter, is not a "right", it is a "priviledge".  If it is that important to you and the attempted solutions offered previously do not work for you then the Droid is not for you.