Microsoft's Tellme subsidiary has launched voice search software which runs for now only on BlackBerry devices. The program enables smartphone users to perform searches through voice recognition technology, as well as check traffic and other types of frequently-used queries such as online maps.

There are five keywords: "weather," "movies," "traffic," "map" or "driving directions." In addition users can say the name or type of the business they are looking for. All searches are handled by Microsoft's Live Search engine. Tellme also makes use of incorporated GPS receivers to determine the user's precise location, very useful in bringing up maps, for example.

For now, Tellme can run only on Research in Motion Ltd.'s newer BlackBerry models. Versions for Helio, Windows Mobile and Apple Inc.'s iPhone devices are in the works, the Microsoft subsidiary announced.

The software release appears to be a reaction to the recent oneSearch 2.0 by Yahoo, which includes voice search and is also designed to run on some BlackBerry models. Yahoo! Inc. announced the software at the CTIA Wireless convention in Las Vegas in early April, which enables users to have a faster searching experience by using voice commands. Yahoo! says their service offers relevant result every time, unlike other mobile voice recognition methods for mobile searching previously used.

Tellme Networks, which specializes in voice recognition technologies for telephone-based applications, was founded in 1999. The company, based in Mountain View, California, was acquired by Microsoft in 2007 for a significant $800 million. Tellme is the most succesful company of a series of such enterprises which tried to create voice portals, which essentially delivered Internet content to telephones.

The Tellme Voice Portal can be accessed by calling 1-800-555-TELL, and the company also provides directory assistance (4-1-1) for Cingular and Verizon, customer service for Merrill Lynch, E*TRADE Financial and American Airlines, and e-commerce services for Amazon.com and Fandango. Tellme's networks process billions of calls each year, The New York Times reported in 2006.