GPS voices don't sound as "Kiwi" as they should

By: Graeme Roberts - 1 October 2010 12:39

As a native of New Zealand, this story in an email today caught my eye. Apparently some Kiwis don't think TomTom's current 'NZ' voices sound as authentic as they should.

Neither do I; I have one of TT's earliest 'Go' models and, though it has guided me flawlessly to many destinations in the UK, Europe and Canada, I don't reckon the Kiwi accent on it is genuine, nor is the Australian version. So I stick to the UK or US voices while resisting regular pleas from the company to pay to download Homer Simpson.

TomTom announced a competition this week to find "the voice of New Zealand" for its vehicle navigation tool and some of the entries so far are classic, if almost incomprehensible to foreign ears in some cases.

A little Friday afternoon entertainment awaits.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/motoring//4183082/GPS-systems-to-get-Kiwi-voice