Twittering away
We have yet to quite see the point of Twitter, the online service that lets you keep the world posted on the most minute details of your day (”Retrieved bellybutton lint, 5:04 PM”). But at least now there’s TwitterFone, a hands- and cost-free option for creating Twitter posts via speech recognition of phoned-in updates. As the article points out, this could also be used to create to-do lists for yourself, so maybe there’s a purpose after all.
Gadgetell.com: Twitterfone: why type when you can call in your tweets?
Say “goodbye” to saying “hello”
Sprint Nextel is ending its Voice Command service, which allowed users to store numbers and say names to dial them. Is this a tragedy? Not really, but like Hamlet, it is marginally interesting. Voice Command was a network-based service; that is, the names, numbers, and matching voice files were stored on Sprint’s network. Now that so many wireless handsets have voice dialing, the network service isn’t that useful (or billable), but the network cost of maintaining it was probably as high as it ever was.
So chalk this up as another salvo in the endless battle between network/shared resources and those feasible in every pocket.
Sprint discontinuing Voice Command on July 1st - Engadget Mobile
Take me there
Nuance voice recognition technology and TeleNav GPS systems are teaming up to create smart navigation systems. Just say the type of location you want to reach (e.g., “airport” or “gas station”) and the new unit will provide directions, presumably to the nearest relevant location.
Talk back to your Blackberry
We’ve covered Jott ever since it was a wee app. Now it’s got a beta for RIM Blackberry that lets you reply to emails by voice; Jott does the speech-to-text transcription. Neat trick, and perfect for people with typing trouble of all sorts.
Jott: Jott Beta for Blackberry Lets You Reply to Email by Voice
Talking blues…
…or bluegrass, or hip-hop, or show tunes, or whatever type of music floats your boat. VoiceTunes (One Voice Technologies) is software that works with iTunes and Windows Media Player to provide a voice-input interface that lets you make selections by genre, artist, album, or playlist. Good idea for a hands-free option for folks with dexterity or some types of cognitive disabilities; does not compensate for impairments in musical taste.
Dial “M” for mitten?
Just a prototype, this new glove is a Bluetooth phone with voice recognition dialing. Designed for the winter sports set, it’d be great for anyone who can’t hold a cellie or find and press teeny keys.
Limeys lock on lip look
Here’s another step towards automatic speechreading: a UK research lab has developed an improved algorithm for identifying fine lip movements (our favorite kind!) and making best-guesses about what’s being said. It’s like silent speech recognition. This may serve two disabled constituencies: deaf and hard of hearing people who want to communicate with speakers, and as an interface to computers and other gadgets for people who can’t use keyboards, and can’t produce reliable articulate speech.