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September 20, 2005
TalkMan
Max, it's worth pointing out at this point, is a big blue bird, and he's the big heart of TalkMan. The idea is that you talk into a microphone attached to the PSP's USB slot, say what you want to say - to the girl on the bench, the waiter at the restaurant, the man at the checkout, the copper on the street, or whoever - and Max will translate it for you. There are various scenes (airport, hotel, shopping, etc.) and basic scenarios to pick from and each recognises various phrases - of which the game stores some 3,000 - and Max is not only capable of recognising them in four languages but also adding a bit of spark and emotion. You can even specify how forceful he is by setting the 'emotion level'.
Posted by Michelle at 12:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Speaker tells of learning disabilities
With the help of books on tape, voice-recognition software and other alternative avenues to learning, he graduated from Brown University with honors in English literature. The university, he said, was obligated to make academic accommodations to enable him to overcome his limitations.
Posted by Michelle at 12:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 19, 2005
American robots face spirited competition abroad
Mason, on the other hand, argues that robotic technologies "are really a spectacular success," contending that the panel took a narrow view of the field. Speech recognition, for instance, is widely used in telephone answering systems. Motion planning and simulation technology--necessary for robotic navigation--is now widely used in computer animation and video games.
Posted by Michelle at 05:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Sony PSP Talkman Accessory
Sony announces in Japan an new Sony PSP accessory. The Sony PSP Talkman is a microphone bundled with speech recognition software.
Posted by Michelle at 05:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 14, 2005
Fujitsu Makes $54,000 Guide Robot
Lost in a store? Let Japanese electronics maker Fujitsu's robot help guide your way. Equipped with voice recognition capabilities, cameras and sensors, the 4-foot tall robot on wheels will go on sale for 6 million yen ($54,000) each in Japan in November--for just such a purpose.
Posted by Michelle at 11:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 11, 2005
MedQuist Selects VoiceGard for Voice Disaster Recovery Services
Today, MedQuist announced a contract with VoiceGard, the leader in developing and implementing business solutions for today's business communication recovery needs, to help provide critical backup for telecommunications continuity to support in the event of an emergency.
Posted by Michelle at 12:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Seaman Returns On PS2
One of Sega's stranger games of the last few years was the voice-recognition Dreamcast game Seaman. Originally released on Sega's ill-fated console back in 1999, Seaman was later ported to onto PlayStation 2 in Japan. We haven't heard from him since.
Now, 6 years after the original release, the fun-loving Seaman is receiving a proper sequel from developer Vivarium, and it's also headed to PS2. "In the last 20 years there really hasn't been much advancement in the user interface of games," says Vivarium president Satou Yutaka, "If we could just change the interface, I think games would get much more exciting and unique."
In the original Seaman, the bizarre pet human/fish learned by exclusively recognizing single words. With Seaman 2, however, the team has researched ways to have Seaman understand full sentences, ultimately leading to more human sounding speech patterns. The game will use the PS2 USB microphone, and you have some time to prepare; Vivarium and Sega won't be unleashing Seaman until next year.
Posted by Michelle at 12:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 06, 2005
Verizon's 411 Directory Assistance Streamlines Access to Katrina Relief Agencies
Verizon has programmed its self-service directory assistance system with a special greeting that automatically directs callers to operators who have access to an expanding database of numbers when customers say "Katrina relief" or any variation of that phrase.
Posted by Michelle at 03:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
A gift of freedom
The house boasts roughly $35,000 in electronic equipment to help Gomez reclaim some freedom. From a voice-operated computer in his bedroom, Gomez can send e-mails, make phone calls and work his DVD player. He also will be able to monitor his front door through a Web cam posted on the stoop.
Posted by Michelle at 12:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Nortel, Two Customers Honored For Innovation At VoiceCon Fall, SpeechTek
At SpeechTEK 2005 in New York City, held August 1-4, Nortel and PG&E won "Best Advanced Speech Recognition Deployment" and "Best Text-to-Speech" awards for PG&E's deployment of Nortel's Multimedia Processing Server. This solution has allowed PG&E to increase contact center efficiency by 15 percent by enabling customers to start, stop and transfer service using automated speech technology to capture billing addresses. The "Best Advanced Speech Recognition Deployment" award recognized the top three advanced speech recognition deployments in the last 12 months in enterprise or carrier environments.
Posted by Michelle at 12:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Camera phone raises the bar
But Samsung's MM-A800, the first two-megapixel camera phone sold in the United States, delivers improved picture quality and ups the ante with a raft of multimedia features. It's a new offering from Sprint.
In addition to a beefier camera, the MM-A800 has a business card reader, camcorder, multimedia player, speech-to-text dictation, a snazzy slider phone design, and streaming video via Sprint's PCS Vision service.
Posted by Michelle at 12:43 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 03, 2005
Smart homes of the future
In the kitchen, similar sensors detect the contents of the refrigerator. The moment you discard an empty packet of butter, the fridge tells a computer to order another packet online--and this is delivered to your delivery box. A voice-activated computer will also guide you on preparing meals from digital recipe books.
Posted by Michelle at 02:18 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 01, 2005
Computer Program Learns Language Rules And Composes Sentences, All Without Outside Help
Cornell University and Tel Aviv University researchers have developed a method for enabling a computer program to scan text in any of a number of languages, including English and Chinese, and autonomously and without previous information infer the underlying rules of grammar. The rules can then be used to generate new and meaningful sentences. The method also works for such data as sheet music or protein sequences.
The development--which has a patent pending--has implications for speech recognition and for other applications in natural language engineering, as well as for genomics and proteomics. It also offers new insights into language acquisition and psycholinguistics.
Posted by Michelle at 05:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Sensory unveils RSC-464 Speech Recognition Microcontroller
Continuing to mine the speech recognition niche in many embedded consumer and industrial applications for all it is worth, Sensory, Inc. released the newest member of its RSC-4x family, the RSC-464, supported by a suite of development tools.
Posted by Michelle at 05:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
OC3 Entertainment's FaceFX to Use Fonix VoiceIn Technology
OC3 Entertainment, a provider of facial animation technology in games, announced the use of Fonix VoiceIn speech recognition technology in the FaceFX product.
Posted by Michelle at 05:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Sprint wins contract for deaf phone service
Sprint Communications has been approved by the Tennessee Regulatory Authority to provide Captioned Telephone Service (CapTel) in Tennessee.
CapTel is a service that enables deaf people to use telephones through a relay service. The software uses voice recognition software to create a caption that will appear on the user's telephone, allowing the user to either hear or read the communication.
Posted by Michelle at 04:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
NASCAR game promotes teamwork
Another video game incorporates some voice recognition: "NASCAR 06: Total Team Control".
A voice-recognition headset can be used to issue the on-track commands (including some that can only be accessed with a headset), but we suggest you do this when nobody's around ro risk getting caught acting like a dork.
Posted by Michelle at 04:53 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Parrot's Bluetooth Car Kit Makes Holiday Gift Giving Fun for Tech Toy and Gadget Lovers
Parrot, known for developing the first-ever Bluetooth car kit as well as the first car kit requiring no installation, has taken its Plug & Play solution to a new level. Easydrive simply plugs into any vehicle's cigarette lighter for hands-free phone function. The integrated microphone and speaker are attractively displayed providing close range convenience for the driver. Enhanced noise reduction and echo cancellation features allow you to hear and be heard clearly despite ambient sound and on busy roadways.
Posted by Michelle at 04:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Nuance takeover by ScanSoft approved
Shareholders of Nuance Communications Inc. and ScanSoft Inc. Wednesday approved a merger of the two voice-recognition technology companies.
Posted by Michelle at 04:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Injured Wrists or Hands? Discover Your Typing Alternatives
While Pogue cut back on the latter, he looked for another writing solution. He tried dictating to a stenographer. "It was fine for laying down the text," he said, but polishing his work proved a nightmare for both him and his assistant. Ultimately, he found an answer in what was then only an emerging technology: computer software that transforms speech into electronic text. Pogue suffered through several generations of primitive programs that required him to speak slowly and haltingly into his computer. But he adapted, and the technology improved. Today, he said, voice-recognition software allows him to turn out clean and error-free copy at nearly twice the speed the typical person types.
Posted by Michelle at 04:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack