With Nokia’s “Own Voice”, You Can Tell Yourself Where To Go

Nokia has unveiled a new feature for it’s popular Ovi Maps application which gives the user the ability to override built-in voice prompts and allow the recording and sharing of their own navigation instructions.

Named “Own Voice“, Nokia handset owners can download a utility to their device that when installed, helps generate a new voice pack for the Ovi Maps application.

The process is simple – record 53 separate voice commands, add your name, save and the new creation is uploaded to the Own Voice website to be processed and be made available for download.

Should a user choose, voice packs can be shared with other Ovi Maps users using Facebook and Twitter, also giving the option to rate creations at the same time. Utilising the ratings, users can browse new packs by popularity, by in-built recommendations or by manually searching through the Own Voice archives.

With over 10 million downloads of Ovi Maps, user created voice packs could become a new viral sensation (imagine download a random submission just to see how quirky their commands were)  but could also put the custom voice-over navigation artists out of business.

Own Voice for Ovi Maps is available only in English and is compatible with all Nokia devices which support the new version of Ovi Maps (3.03).  The Own Voice app is a free download from the Ovi Store.

[Via – Nokia Conversations]