Alright, I love playing with new technologies, but if I can’t make something wacky within the first 10 minutes then I tend to lose interest. There’s gotta be examples for me to rip off — stealing people’s ideas really gets my creative juices flowing. Tropo is a service that does exactly this. Great API, great examples, and super easy to get set up.

Tropo is a service that allows you to create your own voice or text-message based applications, or to integrate these features into your existing application. The boring example I give is the automated voice systems you always get when you call your bank. Well, using Tropo you can roll out your own and have a lot of fun doing it.

I jumped on one of their examples — the roleplaying game. Sure, I blatently ripped off their example and made it my own, but I had a lot of fun doing it and I learned a bit about their system. Very little barrier to entry. Just what I like.

Call the number on your screen!

If you call within the next 10 minutes… ah nevermind. Here’s the quick app I put together based on the roleplaying game example. Give it a shot:

• Phone: (773) 747-5007
• Skype Voice: +99000936 9991443446
• SIP Voice: sip:[email protected]

Ideas for a voice based system

Being able to use your voice or SMS with an application makes you think about new ways of interaction…

• I could call in and listen to one of my Twitter lists.
• If I’m a realtor, I could receive a text message whenever someone makes an inquiry on a house.
• While I’m driving, I could call in and hear prices for different stocks I’m following.
• People in a disaster area could call in and give personal accounts of their situation, allowing others to get a sense of what’s really going on.
• I could call in and record micro podcasts while I’m on the road.

And I’ve got a serious idea that I’m still fleshing out. Stay tuned :)

Telephone photo by Leo Reynolds