Targeting a family of devices that's picking up more and more of the smartphone market, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based mobile voice application maker today announced that it’s launching a new version of its flagship product.

 

Officials at Vlingo Corporation say version 3.0 of their self-named app supports the BlackBerry (News - Alert) Storm, Bold, Curve 8900 and Pearl Flip smartphone models from Research In Motion. Version 2.0 of Vlingo already integrates with the iPhone.

 

The new version of Vlingo brings enhanced text-to-speech read-back feature for easy hands-free confirmation of what was spoken, the ability to speak action requests such as “send,” and support for wired headsets as well as many Bluetooth headsets.

 

The company’s chief executive officer, Dave Grannan, said Vlingo debuted less than one year ago and already is being used by millions.

 

“We designed Vlingo to meet the real-time communications and multimedia needs of BlackBerry users on the go,” Grannan said. “With our latest version, we are excited to give users ‘hands-free’ control of their BlackBerry smartphones, simply by using the power of their voice.”

 

The foundations of Vlingo’s service haven’t changed. With version 2.0 of the app, which is free, users can speak into their phones to send and reply to e-mails and text messages, search the mobile Web, dial the phone, look up contacts and launch built-in applications.

 

Here’s what a message might look like if a person who is new to Boston and has nothing better to do wants to make plans with her friends. This individual would simply speak into the phone and – not knowing that a quality New York Yankees game is just a TV screen away – would say:

 

 

Officials at Vlingo say BlackBerry smartphone users can get additional voice capabilities, including the ability to send and reply to text messages and emails to anyone for a one-time charge of $17.99.

 

A few months ago, Vlingo added cool social networking integration, so that users could use the product to update Facebook (News - Alert) and Twitter statuses just by speaking. The application lets users of the popular mobile device search the Web, dial contacts and access Google Maps with their voices.

 

The IVR functionality – in addition to being a safer option for drivers who often get distracted, trying to operate their mobile devices while steering a moving car – also is hitting the expanded list of BlackBerry devices at a good time.

 

This week, a Port Washington, New York-based wireless industry research firm reported that BlackBerry Curve outsold the iPhone (News - Alert) 3G during the first quarter of 2009.

 

Officials at The NPD Group say an aggressive “buy-one-get-one” promotion from Verizon (News - Alert) Wireless helped fuel Curve sales. Overall, RIM picked up 15 percent of the consumer smartphone market in the first three months of 2009, and now holds nearly half of that market, while Apple’s share dropped about 10 percent, as did Palm’s.

 

RIM now holds three of the “top 5” model positions – with its BlackBerry Curve (all 83XX models), Storm touchscreen device and basic Pearl model (not including the flip). Apple’s iPhone 3G ranks second while the Google Android (News - Alert)-based T-Mobile G1 ranks fifth.

 

Ross Rubin, NPD’s director of industry analysis, said Verizon’s aggressive marketing led to the stellar RIM performance.

 

“The more familiar, and less expensive, Curve benefited from these giveaways and was able to leapfrog the iPhone, due to its broader availability on the four major U.S. national carriers,” Rubin added.