Voice recognition technology forum boosts ranks
SEATTLE, Jan 31 (Reuters) - A new group backed by Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) and Intel Corp. (NasdaqNM:INTC - news) that aims to speed roll-out of voice recognition for computers and the Internet on Thursday added a raft of new members to help ready the technology for prime-time.
The SALT Forum is drafting specifications for Speech Applications Language Tags, a voice-recognition capability that could be used in software, Internet services and devices like handheld computers.
Founded last October by Microsoft, Intel, Cisco Systems Inc. (NasdaqNM:CSCO - news), Philips Electronics, and voice technology specialists like SpeechWorks International Inc. (NasdaqNM:SPWX - news) and Comverse Technology Inc. (NasdaqNM:CMVT - news), the SALT Forum is adding more than a dozen new members including Compaq Computer Corp. (NYSE:CPQ - news) and Korea Telecom.
Other new members include smaller companies that focus on voice technology, such as Telera Inc., Sweden-based PipeBeach and Canada's VoiceGenie.
SALT was set up to go beyond VoiceXML, a current technology that has been approved by the W3C Internet standards body but is considered by some to be too limited because it was designed mostly for phone-based voice recognition.
VoiceXML is used to computerize customer call centers, but SALT aims to also be able to combine voice recognition with traditional graphic or text input, a feature termed ``multimodal'' by the industry.
But the intelligent talking computers of ``Star Trek'' and ``2001: A Space Odyssey'' are not around the corner.
``That sort of thing is a long way off,'' said Rob Kassel, a SpeechWorks product marketing manager who is working with the forum.
However, SALT will be important for wireless devices like cell phones and handheld computers, which can be cumbersome for entering and retrieving data.
``In terms of practical applications, take a PDA. Rather than look up a name by clicking with a stylus, you just say the name of who you want to call. But you may want to say that name not only to dial it but you may also want to see the address or get a map for it,'' Kassel said.
When the SALT draft is released in the next couple of months, the forum will look to submit it to a standards body, but is prepared to push on if the approval process is slow.
``We do want this specification to move to a standards body at some time in the near future. But standards bodies tend to move slowly and there's tremendous market demand right now. If we don't move quickly we'll end up with a market that is splintered,'' Kassel said.
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