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Learn how to create innovative voice mashups without telephony expertise using simple APIs. Explore examples, key enabling changes, available services, and business models to leverage the power of telephony in your applications.
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Voice/Data Mashups Telephony power without telephony expertise Nick Branstator, VoodooVox
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
A sample mashup: “VoxPix” • Typical slideshow app
5 A sample mashup: “VoxPix” • Typical slideshow app • But adds voice to slides using phone as mic
Key enabling changes • Lowered cost of transport • Subsidization through in-call media • Telephony in the cloud • Familiar software 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
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 Asterisk and VoiceXML are not tools for Web developers!
Sliding scale of area knowledge Big Iron Asterisk/VoiceXML Adhearsion Web developer
Development as glue Telephony service Data source 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)
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
Business models • Per minute • Per call/active channel • Ad support • In-call • Web-based • SMS-based
Offering a developer program • An API is not enough by itself • Docs • Examples • Forums/Wiki • Live support • Getting out there
KISS 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! Nick Branstator nick@myvox.com