Carrier Tries to Prepare Customers Sprint's not going out of its way to make a big fuss about it, but its long-standing Voice Command service will soon be no more. The service, which allowed Sprint-Nextel phones to dial two buttons and then give voice commands to place calls, will be discontinued on July 1st, 2008, meaning that all your server-based contacts will soon be inaccessible. Aside from removing the VC fee from your monthly bill, Sprint's advising users to download and print their contact lists, and better still, it's encouraging users to rely on handset-based voice-activated dialing (or pick up a new phone if their current one can't pass muster)

Here is the offical notice on the Sprint Web site:

Ready to save your Voice Command address book? When it comes to innovation, we're always adding new phones and services - like our revolutionary Simply EverythingSM Plan with unlimited domestic voice, messaging, Internet and more. Of course, innovation also means things change, including Sprint Voice CommandSM, which will be discontinued on July 1, 2008.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Besides automatically removing the monthly Voice Command fee from your bill, we'll help you prepare for the change with these steps:

Download your Voice Command address book. Download and print your address book soon. You won't be able to access it after July 1, 2008. Also, tell others on your account about the change so they can download and save their address book.

Check your phone. Next, see if your phone is voice-activated dialing capable. Voice activated dialing is a feature that allows you to use spoken commands to dial entries in your address book. Refer to your phone's user guide for more details.

Explore your phone options. Take a minute to check out our newest voice-activated phones. They get rave reviews and we think you'll like what you see.