I just learned that Skype is going to be working with SpinVox on converting and delivering voice mail messages that are received by Skype users.
SpinVox will convert the voice messages to text in four languages: English, Spanish, French and German. The messages are then sent by Skype as an SMS text directly to a designated mobile phone for users to read.
So here’s the rub. $. 25 cents to send a text message…ouch. Free to send an email. YES.
Who is this good for? The carriers more than the user. Here’s why.
At .25 cents per message an average person receiving 4 calls a day over Skype that they don’t answer will cost $1.00 per day. Let’s do some fuzzy logic and figure that the person works 20 days a month. That’s a minimum of $20.00 a month for SMSing of voice mail as text. For the same $20.00 you can get an unlimited data plan with AT&T and use a Nokia SmartPhone with an email account via POP or IMAP and do more for your money. With an Apple iPhone the monthly cost is $35 or $45 but you can do a lot more than email. A RIM Blackberry account for data is also in the $19.95 a month range last I checked with most carriers in North America.
So, if Skype is an essential part of your comms arsenal, and you want the voice mail delivered as text, get a data plan and help a starving carrier out.