Microsoft has made available for download a new version of Live Search for Windows Mobile with lots of new features. As the post's title states, you can now speak your questions instead of having to type on that tiny little keyboard or keypad. That feature will come in very handy on devices like the HTC Touch. Once you locate the place you're looking for, you can call them with a single click. You can see the hours of operation for restaurants, and ratings, or get movie showtimes.
It also plays nice with your GPS unit (I'm talking to you, AT&T Tilt owners) and it will search nearby for the cheapest gas prices. Not to mention turn-by-turn directions and traffic info. It's available for both Windows Mobile 5 and Windows Mobile 6, so head over to wls.live.com on your phone to grab a copy. Ok, it will work with Windows Mobile 2003, too, but the feature set is somewhat limited.
If you'd like a little demo, here's one from Rob Chambers, who works on speech recognition at Microsoft:
Video: Live Search for Windows Mobile -- Now with Speech!
UPDATE: Just got word back from the Live Search team who said, "We have no plans right now to release an update to the Java version of Live Search for mobile." Sorry, Symbian users.