LONDON, August 13 /PRNewswire/ --

- As More People Send Text Messages, Repetitive Strain Injury Cases are on the Rise

SpinVox, the leader in voice-to-content messaging, today issued new guidelines to help prevent repetitive strain injuries (RSI) caused by frequent texting.

"With people of all ages texting furiously at all hours of the day, we are starting to realise the toll texting places on our hands, fingers and wrists," said Christina Domecq, SpinVox co-founder and CEO. "There is a growing need for new behaviours and services that reduce the wear-and-tear on users without impeding their ability to communicate."

According to the latest figures from the Mobile Data Association, 6,467,070,000 SMS messages are sent within the UK each month, with almost 1.5 billion messages sent in between January and May 2008. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy reported last month that 16 percent of young people aged 16-24 consequently suffer from discomfort in their hands, with some experiencing even broader pain in their wrists, arms, neck and shoulders. This amounts to nearly 4 million people affected by text-related RSI, according to Virgin Mobile.

SpinVox has therefore issued the following guidelines to help frequent senders of text messages protect themselves:

1) If you anticipate a prolonged back-and-forth discussion, consider saving it for a time when you're able to speak with the person more comfortably via phone.

2) If you feel any pain in your fingers, hands or wrists, stop texting immediately-it will only get worse.

3) Use abbreviated text speak to cut down on characters wherever possible. Many phones also offer auto-text features that will automatically complete partially entered words.

4) Slow down, take breaks and cut down on needless texting. Most texting occurs when users are idle. Find something else to do with your down time!

5) Take advantage of new voice-to-content services such as SpinVox, which allow users to speak messages that are then converted to text and can be delivered simultaneously to as many people as you want (SpinVox Blast) or direct to your inbox (SpinVox Memo).

"Text messaging has become embedded into the fabric of our culture in recent years," Ms. Domecq added. "We believe there is a need to offer consumers a way to retain the ability to send messages without the risk of injury during the process. It's easier and potentially much less painful to speak messages rather than always typing them."

With SpinVox innovative service, which automatically converts voice messages into text, mobile users can more easily communicate urgent information while reducing the wear-and-tear associated with frequent texting on cramped and difficult-to-use mobile keypads.

Anyone can get SpinVox by visiting http://www.spinvox.com.

About SpinVox

SpinVox(R) brought together the two most popular methods of communication - voice and text - and created a new category of messaging called Voice-to-Screen(TM). Its award-winning service is now making everyday communication simpler and more powerful, creating new recurring revenues for wireless, landline, cable and VOIP carriers as well as service providers and web partners. SpinVox has already launched its service with Alltell, Cincinnati Bell, Sasktel, Rogers, Telstra, Vodacom South Africa and Six Apart and announced deals with Vodafone Spain and Skype. As a managed service provider any network or service can rapidly and cost-effectively implement SpinVox.

At the heart of SpinVox is its Voice Message Conversion System(TM) (VMCS), which works by combining state-of-the-art speech technologies with a live-learning language process. VMCS is being rolled-out across four continents in four languages - English, French, Spanish and German.

Media Contact: Ema Linaker SpinVox +44-7771-770317 Ema.linaker@spinvox.com

Media Contact: Ema Linaker, SpinVox, +44-7771-770317, Ema.linaker@spinvox.com