Called NowPos (now possible), this will be the world's first voice mail service, indigenously developed by Hyderabad-based NowPos Online Services, a subsidiary of TrulyIntelligent Technologies Pvt Ltd.

This service has the potential to make text format e-mails redundant.

This technology will enable users to record and send voice messages as mails. The fact that users will be able to send mails in the text format as well is just incidental.

Speaking to Business Standard, Ayyappa Nagubandi, leader (title equal to a CEO), TrulyIntelligent Technologies, said, "We took nine months to develop the technology and will launch it in the next three weeks. It will be a free e-mail service. While the sender will need to register with NowPos to send a voice message (up to three minutes), the receiver will not."

Incidentally, advertisers will also find a new format to market products and services through NowPos.

"We plan to allow advertisers to play commercials before receivers listen to their mails. This will, therefore, work as a radio commercial in an online medium," Nagubandi said, adding that the firm would, however, permit only one commercial before a message and that too not exceeding 10 seconds.

"We will also use the AJAX technology that will enable users to customise their inbox and pages. This means, users will be able to drag and place an item of their pages anywhere they like, or even ensure that it is out of sight," Nagubandi said.

AJAX or Asynchronous JavaScript and XML is a web development technique that helps in creating interactive web applications. Rediff, for instance, is using this technology to enable users to drag and drop mails into the trash folder.

"Besides, another feature that the e-mail service will have is a tracking mechanism. So, if you send a voice mail to someone who in turn forwards it to another person, you will be informed about it so that you can delete it before it is heard by a third person," he added.