If Alexander Graham Bell could only see what he started. From barely distinguishable words traveling between two rooms to instant, often free calls carried around the world, voice communications have made startling leaps in the last two hundred years.
Web-based teleconferencing, a cheaper and more flexible
alternative to traditional telephone services, is quickly becoming the
communication medium most people prefer.
Nowhere is this rapid shift more evident than in the explosively
popular world of online voice chats. VoIP, the name of the technology
that effectively lets people talk back and forth over the web, has
become the new backyard fence: a place where "neighbors" meet to
flirt, exchange news and gossip, and build ideas.
One aspect of voice chatting, the use of voice changing software,
adds security and lets the users enjoy the anonymity of the internet
with flair. Voice Cloak Plus, by Blaze Audio, is a good example of
this technology. Users of Skype, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk, and
other VoIP applications can instantly present virtual personas.
Special effects are activated with a single click, including
pre-recorded wisecracks, unusual sounds, or even dialog from movies.
Blaze Audio originally developed this technology as a work place
security application, but Voice Cloak Plus grew into a software tool
that amplifies and enriches the on-line experience. As part of its
development, Blaze Audio invented "Acousticons." These are unique
icons organized into a library of voice clips and sound effects. By
clicking the appropriate icon, budding commentators and comedians can
respond instantly with everything from sarcasm to real sympathy. Users
are referring to them as "emoticons for your ears."
In addition to Acousticons and special voice effects, Voice Cloak
Plus boasts a multi-purposed recorder. Among other things, it records
both sides of VoIP and internet chats. It allows users to create
voiceovers for presentations, podcasts, audio mixes, and videos.
Another feature lets users create custom presets so they can instantly
summon up original "chat characters" at the click of a key.
How people converse is likely not as important as the fact that they
are conversing. VoIP technology makes it safer and more affordable for
people to, among other things, "make the human connection." Products
like Blaze Audio's Voice Cloak Plus help communication be as
pleasurable as it is vital. Voice Cloak Plus is an invitation for
people to linger in conversation over the fence.
http://www.blazeaudio.com/
