HeyTell

A new mobile phone communication application that is available for iPhones and Androids is HeyTell. Its purpose is to convey voice messages between friends quickly, easily and in a more personalized way. What it essentially does is allow you to turn your phone into a walkie talkie. How it works is one party sends one of his/her friends a short message by hitting record in the application and speaks into the phone. That message is then sent to the chosen receiver and they hear the message, much like how a walkie talkie would work. However, unlike walkie talkies, the messages are stored in the receiver’s phone until the receiver is available to listen to them, as it is with texting. This application combines the best benefits of voice communication and texting; you can hear the other person speaking which allows for more understanding of the message and more personalization without having to both be available at once. HeyTell allows you to send messages at a convenient rate but none of the message’s meaning is lost because it is only sent through text. We have all experienced some instance where a joke was lost because tone could not be conveyed through text, or emotions were not expressed fully, or where meaning was lost and confusion occurred because of autocorrect or a mistype. Those issues are no more though. 

On the main screen of HeyTell the newest messages appear first and you are alerted when you have a new message, but each conversation is stored in order to see each message sent from both parties, just as in a text message conversation. In order to be friends on HeyTell (so that you can send and receive messages to one another) you must send someone an invitation and the invitation must be accepted, therefore there is no anonymity. This application is also free, therefore anyone with one of the previously mentioned smart phones can use it. The normal uses of Hey Tell are short messages between friends. However, there is nothing to stop it from being used in a more formal business setting or with longer messages as well. HeyTell is only used for audio messages though, you cannot send any text or pictures through this application. HeyTell has a map feature in addition to sending voice messages which allows you to send others your location on a map and to see the location of your friends. This feature permits increased coordination; you can find your friends easier to meet up. HeyTell is attempting to take the best features on text communication and voice communication  and combine them into one application that is easy to use and allows for the most understanding between the parties. 

Sources: http://heytell.com/front.html