We're often asked about our plans for the future of
imo.im. Our mission is to simplify and improve online communication. Here are some of our planned projects:
Text to speech and speech to text in all languages
These technologies are useful in general. Some immediate imo uses are reading IMs to you / taking IM dictation when away from your desk.
Advertising system that's useful
We'd like an advertising system that is targeted -- for example, maybe based on the geography of our users, or possibly on stated interests of users -- that works with multiple payment systems in multiple countries.
Face and object recognition
We're interested in object recognition in images and we'd like to apply these technologies for use in both online environments and the physical world (via glasses/goggles).
Echo suppression for Flash video conferencing
Last year, we released a flash-based video conferencing solution. Because some people's microphones are close to their speakers, we're experiencing echo on some conversations. We'd like to write a server-based echo cancellation system for two-way conversations over Flash.
Emoticons 3D avatars and rooms
A lot of our users express interest in representing themselves with avatars and having rooms. IMO Widget for blogs, open social, facebook. For example, this could be an OpenSocial widget you could use to tie in a social network with your IM networks or something to IM you from within a blog.
Offline messaging and email integration/notification
This includes checking messages from the imo interface and possibly responding.
Shared whiteboard collaboration and multi-user games
Users constantly look for new ways to interact with their friends in real time. Whiteboards and games are a good place to start.
Group messaging system
Helping ad-hoc networks of users communicate at an event using either web sites or phones.
imo clients for phones
Phones are getting better and better data plans, and having presence and a nice messaging system on phones is really useful. We'd like to write clients for the iphone, android, blackberry, and J2ME phones.
Resume posting and job/volunteer search engine
Lots of people are looking for jobs right now. Help us pair up users who know about jobs with those who need jobs.
Web recommendation system
Reviews of different entities as well as web-sites.
Automated translation system
Translation between all language pairs.
Voice and video mail
Leaving multimedia mail for users who are currently offline.
Flash streaming server
We'd like to write a Flash streaming server that's optimized for the needs of low latency and variability of voice and video communications.
Medium and large group decision making
A system that helps us make decisions internally which can be scaled to making decisions in group settings.
Group and friend lending
A way to lend resources between friends.
File Transfer
Files should be transferable either through IM networks, through imo or through peer to peer connections between users.
Peer to peer videoconferencing
For very remote users, sending their information through imo is inefficient. We are interested in using peer to peer technologies, possibly over flash to deliver the video.
Chat history and search
The ability to save histories of chats with people and search through them very quickly.
Video Conferencing Robot
A mobile robot that allows users to use video conferencing technologies on the move, in an office, as well as remotely.
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