Ask.com Free Voice Activated Mobile Directions

Ask.com, you know – the other search engine, recently announced a new offering that caught my interest as a directionally challenged traveler. The company is now offering free voice activated mobile directions, dubbed Click to Speak, on its Ask.com Mobile Directions. Way cool! Especially when you’re driving.

Click to Speak allows you to speak your current location and desired destination and then receive directions on your web-enabled mobile devices. No typing in various addresses. The service “incorporates unique technology from Dial Directions, the leading provider of voice-activated location-based services.”

“Voice input is one more way Ask.com Mobile helps searchers find exactly what they are looking for faster and easier,” said Doug Leeds, senior vice president of product management, Ask.com. “The new ‘Click to Speak’ service is quick, free and accurate, and makes getting driving or walking directions a breeze.”

How do you use it? First, you’ll have to get to the Directions service on Ask.com Mobile, where you will now see a new “Click to Speak” option. When you click on this option, you will be prompted to speak your current location and your desired destination. You can either use a specific address or the closest intersection. After providing the required information, you will receive a text message with a link to the directions. The directions can be viewed as a list or as turn-by-turn. In addition, you can opt for either driving or walking routes, which is a huge bonus when you’re in the city.

Click to Speak builds on the award-winning(2) features of Ask.com Mobile:

– Unique Interface for Streamlined Searching: Designed to minimize thumb strokes, the Ask.com Mobile home page offers links to key mobile categories, making it easier to navigate to relevant results.
– Instinctive Tools: Including Smart Answers, which provide shortcuts to answers and tools at the top of the search results page and Zoom Related Search, which provides conceptually-related suggestions to narrow or expand queries.
– Platform Independent: Ask.com Mobile works on any mobile web browser so consumers don’t have to worry about which carrier they are signed up with or which mobile device they have.
– Nothing to Download: Ask.com Mobile does not require a download to get started, yet still offers features like street and aerial map views.

There you have it. I suggest those of you who don’t have your own navigation system give it a shot next time you need directions.