Microsoft has released a new app called Dictate. It's an add-in for Word, Outlook and Powerpoint and uses Cortana's speech-recognition technology to let you speak what you want to type.
Evernote has let its Windows Phone app languish at times, but the company is making amends with a new version of its note-taking client that supports Windows Phone 8. The update primarily improves navigation and speed for modern hardware, although there are a few platform-independent additions. Users can now snap multiple photos without leaving the camera mode; the refresh also introduces photo slideshows, speech-to-text transcription and an automatic title generator. Evernote's big upgrade is available in the Windows Phone Store today, and there's promises of "lots more" coming to Microsoft's mobile platform in the near future.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Via: Evernote Blog
Source: Windows Phone Store
If you thought you were driving safe when activating your voice-to-text service or starting up Siri, a survey by the Texas Transportation Institute suggests it might dull your reactions just as much as finger-based typing. The study compared traditional text messaging with voice-to-text and found that drivers still took about twice as long to react compared to when they weren't trying to communicate. According to Christine Yager, who led the research, "eye contact to the roadway" also suffered, regardless of which texting method was used.
In fact, voice-to-text often took longer than manual input, due to the need to correct typing discrepancies while using the software: "You're still using your mind to try to think of what you're trying to say, and that by proxy causes some driving impairment, and that decreases your response time." The bigger issue is that the drivers apparently felt safer when using voice-based entry, even though test results proved that response times were just as negatively affected. "It is important to educate the public that even these seemingly new distractions are still distractions, and it will help people be safer when they get into the vehicle," Yager added.
Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation
Source: Reuters
Although they're called hearing aids, they can sometimes be as much of a hindrance as a help. Catch an unfamiliar accent and the attention might be on just parsing the words, let alone moving the conversation forward. Apple is applying for a patent on a technique that would take the guesswork out of listening by smoothing out all the quirks. The proposed idea would convert speech to text and back, using the switch to remove any unusual pronunciation or too-quick talking before it reaches the listener's ear. Not surprisingly for a company that makes phones and tablets, the hearing aid wouldn't always have to do the heavy lifting, either: iOS devices could handle some of the on-the-fly conversion, and pre-recorded speech could receive advance treatment to speed up the process. We don't know if Apple plans to use its learning in any kind of shipping product, although it's undoubtedly been interested in the category before -- and its ambitions of having iPhone-optimized hearing aids could well get a lift from technology that promises real understanding, not just a boost in volume.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables
Apple seeks patent for hearing aids that deliver speech at an even keel originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Aug 2012 11:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It somehow feels like it was only yesterday that Nuance unveiled its Dragon Drive! creation to the world, hoping to in the process make drivers' lives easier by delivering a fresh eyes / hands-free messaging system inside connected cars. Unfortunately, back then the savvy company didn't announce any partnerships with auto manufacturers -- still, we had a feeling it wouldn't be too long before one of them would want to come along for the voice dictation ride. The good news is, that's about to change pretty soon. Per the outfit itself, BMW's decided to bring the Dragon Drive! tech to its 2012 7 Series later this month, with the 3 Series Touring and the eco-friendly 3 Series ActiveHybrid expected to get it "later this year." Notably, Dragon Drive! will offer multi-language support, including English, Spanish, Italian, French and German. There's no word yet on just how much the fee for the service will be, but we do know those who land themselves one of these new Beemers will get a two-month trial to take Dragon Drive! for a quick spin.
Continue reading BMW's 3 and 7 Series to be the first with Nuance's Dragon Drive! Messaging aboard
Filed under: Transportation, Software
BMW's 3 and 7 Series to be the first with Nuance's Dragon Drive! Messaging aboard originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Jul 2012 21:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Translation apps aren't exactly the newest or sexiest thing in the world of technology, but we've got to hand it to AT&T for whipping up a rather impressive demo. The company showed off a next-gen version of its AT&T Translator app, which may one day allow people to communicate in real time regardless of their spoken language. The app uses the carrier's new Watson Speech API, in this case via a VoIP call on a pair of iPads, to not only transcribe dialog, but translate it from English to Spanish (and vice-versa), then play it back in the target tongue using a computer generated voice. This isn't like the Google Translate app on your phone -- the translation happens in near real time, with only a slight latency as your words are fed through the system. The demo wasn't without its hitches (the room was noisy and filled with bloggers totting wireless devices), but it went more or less as planned, and our gracious hosts were able to complete a call requesting a taxi cab. One day AT&T hopes to make this a standard feature of its services, eliminating the language barrier once and for all. To see the app in action check out the video after the break.
Continue reading AT&T Translator app hands-on: smashing the language barrier (video)
AT&T Translator app hands-on: smashing the language barrier (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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