Smart Tech Makes New VoIP Products No-Brainers

Jerk-O-Meter prototype http://www.media.mit.edu/press/jerk-o-meter/

A very interesting prototype is being developed, called the Jerk-O-Meter. This real-time speech-feature analysis application runs on a VoIP or cell-phone and can detect from your tone of voice whether you are interested in a conversation or just "being a jerk." This application has tremendous potential for sales, marketing and call centers, and political pollsters will want these on every fundraising phone in their office.

The Jerk-O-Meter is the work of Anmol Madan, a Ph.D. candidate at the MIT Media Laboratory, and Dr. Alex (Sandy) Pentland, a pioneer in wearable and socially aware computing.

To date, the current version of the Jerk-O-Meter is a research prototype, and it runs in Linux on the Zaurus VoIP phone but could easily be converted into a downloadable application for a cell phone.

Jerk-O-Meter is an academic research project and is not commercially available at this time. It is designed to analyze only the user's conversation, for now, and not the person at the other end of the line. Further developments on this could be interesting to watch.

Site to See: Cell-Phone Recycling

Enter your zip code and this site will locate where you can donate or recycle your cell phones. It lists both local and national programs in which you can participate, including domestic abuse centers, cancer centers and animal protection services. Now you can upgrade your cell phone and discard your old one for a good cause.