Tech & Biz

Ozzy is My Co-Pilot: Celebrity Voice-Skins for GPS

by Jordan Yerman | February 15, 2008 at 02:47 pm

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As it was with ringtones, so shall it be for GPS audio directions. From generic builds to actual celebrity voices, you, too, can get your driving directions from Ozzy Osbourne, John Cleese, or a sort of stripper-bot. Most are parodies, but some are actually licensed recordings.

Also, one company plans on creating a DIY kit so subscribers can create their own skins. The article below contains some audio samples; "Warnie" refers to Australian cricketer Shane Warne, but it's not a very good impersonation.

Colourful commands such as: "You have reached your f---ing
destination" and a regal-sounding "One has arrived" are taking the
place of more customary instructions as the growing popularity of
the novelty voice download market attracts a host of third-party
offerings.

The market for these "voice skins" is split between parodies of
famous celebrities such as Dirty Harry (Clint Eastwood), Mr T and
Marilyn Monroe, and generic characterisations featuring the likes
of the Voice of God, NASA Ground Control and the adult-oriented
Sex-Toy Susan.