voice mashups: telephony power without telephony expertise

Voice/Data MashupsTelephony power without telephony expertise

Nick Branstator, VoodooVox

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What’s a voice mashup?

• A mashup takes services or data from two or more sources, typically through APIs, and combines them into a new application

– Typically quick and easy to deploy– Doesn’t require you to understand the technology behind

the services

• A voice mashup simply uses some capability of the voice channel as part of the application

• Can also describe an app that uses the voice channel to power a Web, mobile, or desktop app

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• Typical slideshow app

A sample mashup: “VoxPix”

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• Typical slideshow app

• But adds voice to slides using phone as mic

A sample mashup: “VoxPix”

Key enabling changes

• Lowered cost of transport• Subsidization through in-call media• Telephony in the cloud• Familiar software

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Minimizing barriers to entry for non-telephony developers

Who is behind the development?

• Consumer application entrepreneurs• Brands and interactive ad agencies• Existing applications• Enterprise• Education

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Web APIs: Making things easy for the Web developer• Web developers are used to using APIs• RESTful APIs are key

– HTTP+XML– Stateless– Client-server relationship

• Supplemented by libraries for specific programming languages

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Asterisk and VoiceXML are not tools for Web developers!

Sliding scale of area knowledge

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Big Iron

Asterisk/VoiceXML

Adhearsion

Web developer

Development as glue

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Data sourceTelephony service

Glue code(Java, PHP, Perl, Ruby, Actionscript, Javascript…)

Example mashups• Store location (IVR API + data source)• Order status hotline (IVR API + data source)• Phone/Web karaoke (karaoke API + Web UI)• Voice cards (voice recording API + photo source API)• Voice on MySpace and Facebook (voice recording API + OpenSocial or

Facebook API)• Facebook-based conference calling (con call API + Facebook API)• Voice broadcast (outbound call API + Web UI)• Automated polling (IVR API + Web app)• Distance language learning (con call API + voice recording API + Web

app)

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Available services through Web APIs

• Call recording• Text-to-speech• Location• Phone number & transport provisioning• Conference call generation• Anonymous call bridging• Karaoke• Outbound call generation• Voicemail

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Business models

• Per minute• Per call/active channel• Ad support

– In-call– Web-based– SMS-based

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Offering a developer program

• An API is not enough by itself• Docs• Examples• Forums/Wiki• Live support• Getting out there

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KISS

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While the VoiceXML and CCXML standards have driven down the cost of custom IVR, these solutions are still too complex and expensive for many independent developers and small businesses. Many…solutions now available in the marketplace tend to be limited in flexibility. Phone mashups require flexibility. Phone mashup APIs need to be usable by any web developer with basic web form coding skills.

- Irv Shapiro, Ifbyphone

Thanks!

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Nick Branstatornick@myvox.com