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Voicemail. You hate it. We hate it. Damn near everyone hates it – at least, we all hate it in its current form. It’s an antiquated system desperately hobbling on its last leg in an industry where technology moves forward at a nearly absurd rate. While our phones get bigger and better each and every month, our voicemail system has, for the most part, remained the same for over a decade.
That’s not to say there hasn’t been progress. There certainly has – but it’s isolated. A handful of smartphones (the iPhone, the Samsung Instinct, and a couple of BlackBerry handsets) have embraced visual voicemail, which does away with the archaic process of dialing in for your messages by bringing your messages to you. In 2008, YouMail rolled out an independent visual voicemail system aimed at smartphones that didn’t have it out-of-the-box. This morning a competitor out of the UK, HulloMail, took a huge step forward with the launch of a native BlackBerry application.
HulloMail’s taken a rather interesting route with their service; unlike the standard voicemail system and competing services, all voice messages are stored by the user – or, at least, the user’s email service. After signing up with HulloMail, the user configures their number (either on the handset or through their carrier, depending on both) to forward to HulloMail whenever a call goes unanswered. After a caller records their voice message, HulloMail encodes it into an MP3, tucks it into an e-mail, and sends it off to the user’s e-mail inbox. The strength of this approach is two-fold: it works on just about any handset that can receive e-mail and play audio files, and it makes sharing drunken voicemails with all of your friends a matter of hitting the “Forward” button.
So if it’s all handled through the user’s existing inbox, why the native app? Flexibility, primarily. There are a few things that can’t be done within the inbox, which is where the native app steps in. First of all, the HulloMail app trims the fat, plucking solely your voicemails from the mess that is your inbox. Beyond that, it’s all polish: automatic contact sync (both Google Contacts and those locally stored on your BlackBerry), one-click callback, and greeting customization to name some of it.
This isn’t HulloMail’s first foray into the native app space. Back in December of 2008, HulloMail made their debut as an Android application. The primary improvement in the BlackBerry app is the overall speed; they’ve learned a few new tricks for retrieving and playing your messages more quickly, and have built them into this new app. Don’t fret, though, Android HulloMail fans – they plan on rolling the same tweaks into the Android app shortly.
Both the HulloMail service and application are free of charge – the company plans to make money with premium services at a later date. The app, compatible with the BlackBerry Tour, 8900, and Bold, should be available shortly at http://www.hullomail.com/, and will roll out onto the BlackBerry App World shortly thereafter.
Well that’s just great – a visual voicemail app for a group of phones that’s either got it already (Bold on AT&T) or that’ll have it rather soon (Tour / 8900).
Let’s not even bother with those pesky Curves everyone has – no need to worry about those anymore! =P /sarcasm.
Great concept, great delivery, poor timing.
Tour (VZW) has had it since about a week after launch, along with the Storm.
Though there are a sizable number of 8300 Curve users that would enjoy this.
Also VZW Visual Voice Mail is a pay service ($2.99 / month): http://news.vzw.com/news/2008/08/pr2008-08-11.html
Handset manufacturer solutions provide a visual interface to legacy carrier network black boxes. It is a good step forward but its life support to old infrastructure.
Saying that its good enough for some.
HulloMail on the other hand is about email based voicemail the carrier networks from the burden of storing our messages.
cheers
andy
Good marketing can usually overcome bad timing.
Miren que videos más buenos he encontrado!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5fLvqDjNR4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRAfqKd6b4s
Hopefully it comes out for the storm soon :P
Hullo Wally – support for earlier curve models and pearl coming in two to three weeks..
cheers
andy
Interesting. You act like this is something new. I have been using PhoneTag from Simulscribe for several years which does the same thing. But it does not require me to download an app. Costs just $10 a month. AND, it gives me a typed out version in addition to a recorded one, which is much faster. Why do you guys think that the only cool solutions come to us via apps? PhoneTag works with ANY mobile phone today.
Hullo Dave,
Yes, valid point and there are similarities. We are adding to the pot of flavours available as not everyone wants the same flavour.
Our main difference is uber hullomail experience (HulloMail Sync) that turns your email store as the message store. The advantages of this are that no matter how you access the message via your web mail, email client or our own app the message status is always in sync – very useful for small to medium biz and it turn email providers like Google Apps into a real Unified Messaging proposition.
There is also the fact that our basic proposition is Free. Not everyone wants to spend 10 quid or bucks.
We are going to be adding transcription (typed out version) before xmas its advantages are obvious. However the advantage no transcription are also just as valid. For one you get the message faster and direct and no room for mis-interpretation of what the caller is saying e.g. sarchasm is rife today.
With high accuracy transcription there is human intervention to ensure QA and some us don’t want this.
Cheers
andy
This one is so helpful especially to those BB users.
Sounds Great, i’ll be getting this one!
Let’s not forget Youmail…It’s got the Visual VM, transcriptions, and it’s not tied to a particular device. I’ve been using it for a while and love it…
Interesting service, how does it get the VM from my carrier inbox to the Hullomail servers? Or do they intercept it before-hand? if so does this uses my data plan/dial an international number etc..
This could potentially cost me a small fortune to use depending on how the messages and calls get routed and by what means.
The Google Apps integration is huge.. Google Voice (which i use) ironically doesn’t even support Google Apps..
Hullo Andrew,
We provide a call forwarding number like all the other 3rd party service providers. We simply replace your carrier answer service. There is no international call.
Google Apps – thanks – and we need to some better shouting of our seamless integration with Google Apps.
HulloMail uses HulloMail (obviously) and as a business it brings voicemail back into the realm of usefulness! The voicemail becomes a voice-email from the caller with all their contact information so Its actionable, forwardable, easily replied to, and trackable.
I believe small to medium sized business with BlackBerry’s + Google Apps can reap huge benefits by simply replacing cell carrier voicemail with HulloMail.
cheers
Interesting, thanks for the quick response – got it, so you basically sit in front of my VM#, that is easiest but also tricky for me being in Canada, as I very much doubt you have a DID in my area, so I would be making a LD call from my BB everytime someone leaves me a VM.. which wouldn’t work.
What countries do you support now? Where are your Access#’s? Not every country has unlimited calling like the US etc.. so this will affect where you can roll out as I am sure you are aware.
Other than showcasing your Google Apps., integration make sure you tell people where you can use it without racking up LD charges to get your VM or you will be crucified in the blogosphere when the first HulloMail user gets a massive LD bill :)
Cheers!
We are live in UK and USA. We hope to add Canada soon. We are in the process of rolling out in other European countries in the next few months.
We have designed HulloMail save costs. This includes the usage of email push and IP notification over SMS notification to the use of geographic DDI’s for the service that are part of bundled minutes.
cheers
andy
I am trying to download the Blackberry app in the US, however the link doesn’t seem to be up, any help @andy munarriz?
Hullo Alex,
We’ve checked from the USA. Seems ok, a tad slow to reach landing but you should see HulloMail for BlackBerry and a button get it now? You are using the BB browser to look at http://www.hullomail.com?
Yep, using the BB browser, then when I click on the the right-hand side link for US carriesrs, I am taken to a page that has a link for blackberry sign-up, which then tells me to go to http://www.hullomail.com essentially sending me on an infinite loop. any chance I can get a direct link for a US 9630 tour version?
Aha you are not seeing the optimised BB landing page which has two options download or go to main site.
Try m.hullomail.com from BB browser
OR direct
http://www.hullomail.com/mobileapp/blackberry/blackberry.html
I’ve been using Hullomail with my HTC Magic Android phone since May. The app is a bit slow to load, but the general integration with Gmail is excellent (just having every voicemail and missed call turned into an e-mail so that you can mark it, file it, log it etc. is very useful) and they even send you an SMS notification, faking the from number of the person who actually called you, so it appears as a text from them which you can then reply to or call back etc.
Hullomail – you should consider offering the service to anyone who wants it (whether or not they have a Blackberry or Android), as the features described above are still a lot better than those most networks provide, even without the visual app.
The problem for us in the USA has been SMS notfication costs to us and the end user. Hence why to date we’ve limited the USA to mobile app enabled cell phones.
However we are planning going to piggy back push email phones shortly.
PS – Android will be speeded up over the coming weeks with our new found techniques developed for the BB…
cheers
andy
Doesn’t Sprint charge for call forwarding?
It looks rocking. How i can get it???/
http://www.justcompareit.com?ag=3