Vlingo came pre-installed on the Nokia N97’s firmware 2.0 and I’m surprised at how well it works. You can use ordinary language to instantly send a text or an email message, call a friend, create a note, update your Facebook or search the web simply by saying what you want. I’ve included a video of while trying it out.

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The app recognizes commands pretty well if you follow the instructions. For example, I was not getting matches when I said, “Send message Sheila, what’s for dinner”. I had to say, “Send message to Sheila, what’s for dinner.” It tries to find a match from the phonebook when I want to call or message someone. It’s even accurate with numbers for zip codes. If you forget the exact commands, the instructions are one button-press away.

Vlingo really saves time. It’s faster than typing for certain tasks. I recommend checking it out yourself. The free version has all the features, but limits the amount of text messages and emails to 15 each. Buy Vlingo Plus from within the application to send an unlimited amount of SMS and emails. A 30-day license is $4.99 while the full license is $19.99.

Vlingo on the Nokia N97 currently cannot update Twitter status. It’s a feature available on the iPhone version. It also transcribes from the ugly default email program and cannot do it from Nokia Messaging. I hope these options get added in an update.

Vlingo have been around in the US for a year and have over 2 million users who downloaded from iPhone app store and the BlackBerry app world store. The free version is pre-loaded on Nokia N97, Nokia E72 & Nokia Mini at launch. It is also available for download at the Ovi Store and compatible with

• Nokia N95
• Nokia N95 8GB
• Nokia E51
• Nokia E71
• Nokia E75
• Nokia 5530 XpressMusic
• Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

Try it out and let us know what you think of Vlingo.