Developed by Intelligent Mechatronic Systems, a Waterloo, Ontario, tech firm, the iLane will be marketed through wireless companies that already deliver service to cell phones and personal digital devices. That means users will probably have to pay for monthly cell-phone-like fees to use iLane, though the company isn’t disclosing any price structure until it goes public with its marketing program later this year. iLane may also be built into some car models.
The device, which connects wirelessly with Bluetooth-enabled gadgets, reads mail in a male or female voice (depending on driver preference), and starts with the sender’s name and the subject line. Drivers can go through e-mail by issuing simple commands like “read,” “reply” and “next message.” They’ll be able to respond with prewritten templates like, “I’m in my car and will e-mail you later,” or 15-second sound messages they can record on the fly. Attachments can be added, too.
The iLane won’t read mail it’s told to skip, which is probably its best feature. Cleaning out your in box while you’re on your way to the office sounds useful, but the idea of listening to a computer voice read spam while you sit in rush-hour traffic sounds like some special circle of hell.–L.S.
