A few weeks ago I wrote an article about reassigning the push to talk button (ptt) on your Phone. I used my button as a Home Screen button, but you can really choose what ever app you want. After I published the article I received a response with a very candid idea. Use the ptt for what it was meant for. But the whole reason why I do not use it today is I have to pay for it. Loudtalks Lite lets you use it for free
How did this fly under the radar?
Loudtalks Lite is a free push to talk app for your Windows Phone. It essentially gives you free 2 way service. Now of course both parties have to have Loudtalks installed, but it did not take me long to get my son to install it in Ohio and my cousin in Phoenix to get on the bandwagon. And no sooner did they have it installed were we having 2 way conversations like a walkie talkie, only across the country! There is a bonus feature here, and that is, it works on your desktop too. So not only could I two way from my phone but I could sign into the desktop app and two way from my computer to any of my contacts (allowing me to go phone to phone, phone to desktop, desktop to desktop or desktop to phone).
How does it work?
Loudtalks Lite works by sending the conversation over the internet. It even works over the 3G network although noticeably slower. If more people catch on, they could really cripple AT&T’s push to talk business.
Let’s get started
You start out by downloading LoutTalks Push to Talk app Here.
After Loudtalks Lite is installed you simply need to create a unique account.
Once the account is created all you have to do is add your contacts. This is done by hitting Menu| Add a contact
Once they accept you, you will then be able to have two way conversations from your phone or desktop (just note that you can not be logged into two locations at the same time).
Simply highlight the contact and hit the button at the bottom of the screen. Hold the button while you are speaking or use the lock button to the right of it.
Reassign your Built in Push to Talk button
If you have a Push to Talk button on your Phone it is easy to set it up for Loudtalks Lite.
Go into Menu | Options and then choose the “Control Tab” once the window opens. At the top of the screen check the push to talk option and to the right hit set. Once Windows starts thinking, press and hold the physical PTT button for a few seconds. When you let it go it should assign the button you pressed (I had some trouble with this at first, if it doesn’t work the first time, close Loudtalks Lite and reopen it. Some phones may have a different name than PTT, it may say Button 2 or something else).
A few other features I like
1. The ability to change your status
2. The ability to use your own alert tones
3. The option to only vibrate when away or busy.
Enhancements
As much as I like this app and can see it as my new toy, there a few things I would like to see improved.
1. Clearly the team did a great job making this app finger friendly but a refresh of the skin would go a long way to making this app more attractive.
2. The notification of a contact request is really small and almost hidden, this should be more prominent on the screen.
3. All the conversations are recorded and can be replayed when going into Menu | History. While this is a feature that is bragged about, I have some reservations about it
a. This should be a configurable option. I am sure not everyone will want to do this.
b. The files are stored on Loudtalks server instead of your phone this should also be configurable.
c. What if someone starts a conversation with me but I don’t want my part recorded. There is no way to ask for consent to be recorded. More importantly I can’t stop the other part from recording me. I am not sure this it legal in every state.
d. As much as I would love to keep this to Windows Mobile folks only, there is a huge bridge that could be gapped here. Just imagine to be able to 2 way your friends on any phone on any carrier. This is a real opportunity to redefine the PTT feature among carriers.
Despite what I feel are needs for improvement I love this app. I can really see it as part of my everyday life.
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