'Cutting Edge' Voice Activation for New Samsung Mobile Phones
By Jay Wrolstad
Wireless NewsFactor
August 23, 2002
One change from previous phones is a feature that enables callers not only to dial by name, but to dial any phone number by voice.
Mobile phone manufacturer Samsung has partnered with speech recognition software provider Voice Signal Technologies to provide users of new Samsung handsets with cutting-edge voice activation software, the companies said.
The first U.S. handset containing Voice Signal's latest voice interface system is the A500, a US$300 phone being offered by Sprint PCS (NYSE: PCS) as part of the carrier's recently launched next-generation high-speed data/voice network.
According to Voice Signal spokesperson Renee Blodgett, the interface application represents the next step in speech recognition for mobile phones with features previously unavailable. Before, voice activation software in phones allowed the user to dial by name after creating a voice tag for each entry, she told Wireless NewsFactor. The new voice-activated features enable callers not only to dial by name, but also to dial any phone number by voice.
Full Menu Access
Also, Blodgett said, callers now have voice access to all of the features of next-generation devices, including games, Web browsers and continuous dialing. "All the user has to do is say, 'play games' or 'browser' or 'voicemail,' and the phone will activate those functions," she said.
The phone either connects to a number or verifies the number by displaying it on the screen and repeating it back to the user. The caller replies "yes" to confirm the number and place the call. "This addresses safety concerns as well as the convenience factor," Blodgett said. "Phone keypads are quite small, and we are making it easier for users to access all of the menu functions of their new handsets."
The software is embedded, not server-based, which allows phone users to maintain voice-recognition capability while roaming on different networks in different parts of the country or the world, said Blodgett.
Safety, Convenience Factors
While the software is currently available in the U.S. only on the A500 phone and works only on the Sprint network, Voice Signal is in talks with other carriers and plans to offer versions for Asian and European markets within a year or two, Blodgett said.
"This is the next step in speech recognition technology , representing an intuitive interface that phone users want," Peter Skarzynski, senior vice president of Samsung Telecommunications America, told Wireless NewsFactor.
Voice-recognition apps, such as the one offered by Voice Signal, are gaining a following with carriers and device makers as companies address safety and convenience concerns, IDC analyst Keith Waryas told Wireless NewsFactor.
Challenges Remain
"Calling and accessing data, especially while driving, is tricky and dangerous," he said, "which is why speech recognition is becoming more popular. "Interaction via voice can open more doors for service providers, including telematics."
But, said Waryas, wide adoption of such applications will be a long time coming as there are bugs to be worked out of the software. "It's a difficult technology to do right," he said. "There are so many speech patterns and accents and tones that have to be recognized before it can be really useful."
