The messages were understandable if you didn't take them literally, and they arrived about 15 minutes after being spoken -- not bad considering the human intervention.
Jott, which is still in its preview release, is free to use and Pollard said the company plans to keep it that way, relying on revenue from display advertisements that appear on the text versions of the messages.
Setting up the program is easy. You register online and list the people you're likely to text, including their e-mail addresses and cellphone numbers.
Then when you're out driving, you call Jott's toll-free number. Presumably, you'll use a voice dialing program or at least speed-dial -- otherwise, why bother with hands-free texting? The computer that answers recognizes your cellphone number and makes your contact list available.
You say the name of the person you want to text and then you say the message.
Unfortunately, Jott is a one-way system: It can't work in reverse to translate incoming text messages into speech.
If someone texts you, fight the urge to read it until you can pull over. Or hope for a traffic jam that will bring you to a stop.
EVA
This is a two-way service. EVA, or Electronic Virtual Assistant, delivers messages to you by voice and then allows you to respond, mostly hands-free.
But the program was so problematic during testing that I nicknamed it "Eva Destruction" after a famed drag performer.
Here is the way it's supposed to work: You sign up for the service, which EVA calls E-max, and list your VIP contacts. Whenever someone on the list sends you an e-mail, you get a phone call from a computer that reads the message to you. It's kind of like getting a call from Stephen Hawking, without the brilliance.
At the end of the message, you get the opportunity to respond by recording a reply that goes out as an e-mail attachment.
The limitations start with the fact that the system can't be used to leave a text message on a phone; it works only with e-mail. Worse, it doesn't work with all e-mail services.
To sign up for the service, you must have a POP3 e-mail account from a commercial provider such as EarthLink or Charter. Free e-mail accounts from services such as Yahoo or Google usually won't work, however. And some corporate accounts (latimes.com is an example) won't cut it with EVA.
Even if you have an e-mail account that the texting service finds agreeable, it might not welcome all messages.
