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Dragon Drive! lets you take the wheel, while Nuance takes dictation

Joseph Volpe — Tue, 22 May 2012 18:12:00 EST

Do you like your cars smart? Are you itching to drive something a bit more K.I.T.T. than KIA? Well, this summer the glory of your Hasselhoff-soaked, '80s dreams will become reality, thanks to the folks at Nuance. Utilizing the same natural-language voice software currently employed across select mobile phones and TV sets, the outfit's hatched a new platform, dubbed Dragon Drive!, specifically for connected autos. The hands-free tech will support six languages at launch, with more to come throughout the year, giving drivers the ability to dictate texts and emails, as well as manage multimedia and navigation without ever lifting a finger from the wheel. So far, the company hasn't outed any initial partners for the voice recognition service. But if you're in the market for a high-end vehicle and your very own virtual Synergy, rest assured, your needs are going to be met. Hit up the break for the official presser and video tour.

Continue reading Dragon Drive! lets you take the wheel, while Nuance takes dictation

Dragon Drive! lets you take the wheel, while Nuance takes dictation originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 18:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nuance adds Rovi's metadata to Dragon TV, becomes annoyingly good at TV trivia

Daniel Cooper — Mon, 21 May 2012 21:33:00 EST

Nuance, of Dragon TV fame announced today that it was licensing Rovi's (formerly known as Macrovision) metadata for its talky-TV platform. Once integrated, the application will be able to marshall far more information than it currently can -- enabling it to give answers to queries like "Who plays Chuck on Gossip Girl?" That said, we're not holding out much hope that it'll be able to answer our question about which guy from CSI played that bad guy in that movie we can't remember the title of, or something.

Continue reading Nuance adds Rovi's metadata to Dragon TV, becomes annoyingly good at TV trivia

Nuance adds Rovi's metadata to Dragon TV, becomes annoyingly good at TV trivia originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 May 2012 21:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nuance takes credit for voice features inside Samsung's 2012 Smart TV lineup

Edgar Alvarez — Thu, 10 May 2012 06:41:00 EST

Back at this year's eventful CES, Nuance announced it was launching a platform to bring voice recognition services to connected TVs, among other devices. Now, just a few months later, the communications outfit's taking credit for the voice features packed inside Sammy's 2012 Smart TVs. Essentially, this means those speaking commands used to control the Smart Hub, applications like Skype and even web surfing are all powered by Nuance's Dragon technology. The move itself isn't a surprising one, given Nuance's credibility within the industry. So, now you know who's making it all happen the next time you're telling that ES8000 what to do.

Continue reading Nuance takes credit for voice features inside Samsung's 2012 Smart TV lineup

Nuance takes credit for voice features inside Samsung's 2012 Smart TV lineup originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 06:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mobile Miscellany: week of February 6th, 2012

Zachary Lutz — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:06:00 EST

Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This week, we've learned that T-Mobile is offering some of its best phones free after rebate (today only), and we've also spotted a new power management feature that seems destined for BlackBerry 7.1 OS. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride. Let's explore the "best of the rest" for this week of February 6th, 2012.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of February 6th, 2012

Mobile Miscellany: week of February 6th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG's Magic Remote is powered by Nuance

Daniel Cooper — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:09:00 EST

It was Monday morning at CES when LG unveiled its Magic Remote: a television zapper that recognized Wii-style motion control and voice recognition -- stripping out the fiddly array of buttons that most TiVo users are familiar with. Nuance, of Dragon Dictation fame, got all excited and lifted the lid on which company's voice recognition technology was powering the unit (hint: it's Nuance). Thanks to the handy press release after the break, we've learnt that if you bellow "Lady Gaga" into the unit, it'll return materials related to Ms Germanotta herself -- although if you've seen Jack Donaghy's voice-activated TV from 30 Rock, you might not be too convinced that you can kiss goodbye to buttons just yet.

Continue reading LG's Magic Remote is powered by Nuance

LG's Magic Remote is powered by Nuance originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nuance launches Dragon Go! for Android, available today for free

Brad Molen — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

As if its acquisition of Swype wasn't enough indication, Nuance has been working on its goal of dominating the Android speech recognition market, one step at a time. Today the company's pressing forward once again by introducing its Dragon Go! app for Google's mobile OS. The app focuses on verbal commands, giving you the ability to ask it to perform internet searches, make dinner reservations, buy movie tickets, play music on services like Pandora and Spotify and the list goes on. If you crave the specific details, make your way beneath the break and have a gander at the press release below.

Continue reading Nuance launches Dragon Go! for Android, available today for free

Nuance launches Dragon Go! for Android, available today for free originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel partnering with Nuance to bring voice recognition to Ultrabooks

Dana Wollman — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:17:00 EST

So far in the last hour, we've learned that future Ultrabooks will have NFC, possibly larger screens and touchscreens (maybe even touch-enabled palm rests). Well, we've got one more marquee feature to add to the list: Intel just announced that it's partnering with Nuance to bring voice recognition to Ultrabooks. And it sounds like Intel's vision is comprehensive: the company envisions consumers being able to launch applications, compose emails, update social networks and control media playback. During the keynote, Intel PC client head Mooly Eden even said he would one day like to speak to the computer and have this words appear in a different language. Will that be a feature in the 1.0 product? We'll have to see when it starts hitting Ultrabooks later this year.

Billy Steele contributed to this report.

Continue reading Intel partnering with Nuance to bring voice recognition to Ultrabooks

Intel partnering with Nuance to bring voice recognition to Ultrabooks originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nuance's Dragon TV offers voice recognition platform for connected televisions

Brad Molen — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST

Nuance isn't skipping a beat in Las Vegas, as the speech recognition company is busy launching a brand new platform that focuses on bringing its technology to connected TVs. According to the company, the platform, called Dragon TV, can be used to build customized voice and touch apps that run on televisions, set-top boxes, phones and tablets. Essentially, the technology will allow the viewer to use their voice to conduct searches, send messages and access plenty of other features, and mobile devices can be used to act as a remote to control the TV. Nuance's new platform is available now for OEMs, developers and operators to take advantage of, and supports Linux, Android and iOS as well as all major TV, set-top box and remote control standards. Head past the break for the full press release, and make your way to the company's site below to get more details.

Continue reading Nuance's Dragon TV offers voice recognition platform for connected televisions

Nuance's Dragon TV offers voice recognition platform for connected televisions originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Swype gets a new beta, adopts Dragon Dictation for speech to text (video)

Terrence O'Brien — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 12:55:00 EST

Look, either you love or hate Swype -- there's just no two ways about it. Those that can't imagine life without the gesture-based virtual keyboard will probably only fall deeper in amour with it when greeted with the latest beta. Eagle-eyed observers might notice the microphone key in that image above has been replaced with a tiny flame logo that should be familiar to any fan of Nuance's voice-to-text apps. Swype now has Dragon Dictation baked right in -- a development we could have guessed was coming after the October buy out. Check out the epic video after the break for a few more details.

Continue reading Swype gets a new beta, adopts Dragon Dictation for speech to text (video)

Swype gets a new beta, adopts Dragon Dictation for speech to text (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Dec 2011 12:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nuance gobbles up Vlingo, yearns to transcribe its own announcement

Dante Cesa — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 07:44:00 EST

Apparently, if you can't (legally) beat them, you buy them. Such is the thinking over at Nuance, who has decided to acquire its competitor and former courtroom dance partner, Vlingo. Should make for some nice additions to the former's voice recognition tubes -- technology which powers everything from Apple's Siri, Dragon dictation and even various autos. No indications as to how many greenbacks exchanged hands, but the newlyweds were happy to boast their "complementary research and development efforts" will result in a company "stronger together than alone." We'll have to see about that. PR after the break.

Continue reading Nuance gobbles up Vlingo, yearns to transcribe its own announcement

Nuance gobbles up Vlingo, yearns to transcribe its own announcement originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Dec 2011 07:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aldebaran Robotics announces Nao Next Gen humanoid robot (video)

Donald Melanson — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 00:51:00 EST

Aldebaran Robotics' Nao robot has already received a few upgrades from both the company itself and other developers, but it now has a proper successor. Aldebaran took the wraps off its new and improved Nao Next Gen robot today, touting features like a 1.6GHz Atom processor and dual HD cameras that promise to allow for better face and object recognition even in poor lighting conditions. What's more, while robot's outward appearance hasn't changed much, it has also received a number of software upgrades, including Nuance voice recognition, an improved walking algorithm, and a number of other measures to cut down on unwanted collisions. As before, the robot is aimed squarely at researchers and developers, but the Aldebaran's chairman notes that the company is continuing to pursue its goal of providing a Nao intended for individuals -- a goal he notes is being aided by the contributions from its developer program. Check out the gallery below and the video after the break for a closer look.

Gallery: Nao Next Gen

Continue reading Aldebaran Robotics announces Nao Next Gen humanoid robot (video)

Aldebaran Robotics announces Nao Next Gen humanoid robot (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Dec 2011 00:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jailbroken iOS 5 devices get Siri0us, tap into Nuance's dictation servers (video) (update)

Zachary Lutz — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:42:00 EST

Sure, it's leaps and bounds away from all the parlor tricks that Siri is able to perform, but now, jailbroken iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch devices -- that have been upgraded to iOS 5 -- may access the dictation portion of Siri's prowess. Thanks to Siri0us, the free app available through Cydia, users will gain the option to speak messages and search queries rather than type them, which could be a huge time saver -- unless there's a series of mistakes, anyway. Rather than accessing Apple's own system, the app works by tapping into Nuance's Dragon Go servers for speech recognition. Rather subversive, don't you think? If you'd like to get in on the fun (before Nuance breaks up the party), just check the video following the break.

Update: Well, who didn't see this one coming? Nuance has pulled the rug out from under Siri0us, and the app has been yanked from Cydia while the developer searches for another speech recognition server. Happy hunting, dude.

Continue reading Jailbroken iOS 5 devices get Siri0us, tap into Nuance's dictation servers (video) (update)

Jailbroken iOS 5 devices get Siri0us, tap into Nuance's dictation servers (video) (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nuance reportedly buying Swype for $100 million

Sean Buckley — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 22:08:00 EST

It's only been about a year since Nuance traced Swype's finger gliding input method with QuickType, but it seems like the firm is ready for the real deal: Michael Arrington says it's nabbing the Seattle-based startup to the tune of $100 million. With competition heating up in the voice command space after Apple's Siri assisted iPhone upgrade, Nuance could be stocking up on more traditional input methods, or at the very least edging out the potential for more competition. There's no word just yet if Swype will replace or fade away in lieu of the firm's own traceable input brand, but we'll be sure to let you know if we hear something official.

Nuance reportedly buying Swype for $100 million originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Oct 2011 22:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T intros free Android accessibility solution for visually impaired (video)

Zachary Lutz — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 09:46:00 EST

If you or somebody you know is blind or visually impaired, then you'll definitely want to take note of AT&T's latest offering for its Android phones, which is certainly more charitable than its prior solution. For a limited time, the carrier is distributing a free, customized version of Mobile Accessibility, an app that provides voice cues and assistance for completing many common tasks on Google-powered smartphones. Users will find the ability to place calls, send email and text messages, set alarms, browse the web, find their current location and more. With voice synthesis provided by Nuance Vocalizer, the app traditionally retails for $99 in the Android Market -- so it might be wise to act quickly on this one. To learn more about Mobile Accessibility Lite, you'll find a quick video tour and the full PR after the break.

Continue reading AT&T intros free Android accessibility solution for visually impaired (video)

AT&T intros free Android accessibility solution for visually impaired (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 09:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nuance adds WP7 support, gives devs better service with NDEV Mobile developer program

Michael Gorman — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST

You know Nuance right? They're the folks who make Dragon speech recognition software for Macs, iThings, Blackberrys, Androids and cars. Earlier this year, the company released its Dragon Mobile SDK to provide the tools needed to get folks talking to their phones, instead of with them. Now, Nuance has added support for Windows Phone 7 (no Mango support... yet) and upgraded its developer program to provide devs with more support so it's easier to make voice-enabled applications. Additionally, it's added eight new languages to its repertoire -- Canadian French, Americas Spanish, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Korean, Taiwanese Mandarin, and Cantonese -- with more to come.

We got to speak with Nuance about its new program, now called NDEV Mobile, and were told it's broken into three tiers: Silver, Gold, and Emerald. NDEV Silver is the base level that gives devs free access to Nuance's text-to-speech and voice recognition technology. Gold service provides SSL data encryption and access to cloud-based speech recognition and TTS servers over the web (rather than using a client-side API) through per-user or per-transaction pricing models. At the top end, the Emerald level rolls out the red carpet with integrated custom vocabulary and grammar -- for creating apps that recognize industry jargon -- and dedicated account management. The company sees the Emerald tier appealing most to enterprise customers, but it's available to any dev willing to pony up for the extra Nuance TLC. So, intrepid app-makers, now that you've got the tools to make our phones understand us better than ever, how will you use them?

Continue reading Nuance adds WP7 support, gives devs better service with NDEV Mobile developer program

Nuance adds WP7 support, gives devs better service with NDEV Mobile developer program originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nuance Dragon Dictate 2.5 for Mac review

Darren Murph — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:01:00 EST

Voice recognition. Or, more specifically, speech recognition. It's one of those technological wonders that we all seem to take for granted, while simultaneously throwing laughter its way for not being nearly sophisticated enough. Anyone that's used an early generation Ford SYNC system -- or pretty much any vehicular voice command system -- knows exactly what we're getting at. While processing speeds and user interfaces have made great strides in the past handful of years, voice recognition has managed to continually disappoint. It's not that things aren't improving, it's just that they aren't improving at the same rate as the hardware and software surrounding them. Even today, most new automobiles have to be spoken to loudly, pointedly and directly, and even then it's a crapshoot as to whether or not your command will be recognized and acted upon.

For as much as we complain, we totally get it. Teaching a computer program how to recognize, understand and act upon the movement of human vocal chords is a Herculean task. Throw in nearly unlimited amounts of dialect and regional variation with even a single language, and it's a wonder that programs such as Nuance's Dragon Dictate even exist. Teaching a vehicle how to route calls, adjust volume and tweak a radio station is one thing, but having a program that turns actual speech into presentable documents requires a heightened level of accuracy. The newest build of Dragon Dictate for Mac (v2.5) allows users to seamlessly combine dictation with mouse and keyboard input in Microsoft Word 2011; it also gives yappers the ability to more finely control how Dragon formats text such as dates, times, numbers and addresses, while a free iOS app turns your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch into a wireless microphone. We recently pushed our preconceived notions about this stuff aside in order to spend a solid week relying on our voice instead of our fingertips -- read on to see how it turned on.

Gallery: Nuance Dragon Dictate 2.5 for Mac screenshots

Continue reading Nuance Dragon Dictate 2.5 for Mac review

Nuance Dragon Dictate 2.5 for Mac review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford bringing SYNC systems to base trim levels, drops from $395 to $295

Joe Pollicino — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:01:00 EST

Ford's been pushing SYNC in its autos since 2007, but you wouldn't have known it had you opted for the base trim level on your ride. Thankfully for those who appreciate the basics, that's a-changing. The automaker is aiming to entice more potential owners by offering the voice-activated infotainment systems across all levels for $295 (down from $395, where optional), starting with its 2012 Edge and Explorer models. To sweeten the deal even further, it'll also become standard on SEL variants for the first time -- before, it was a luxury previously reserved for Limited and Sport. Ford plans to roll out the system across its entire lineup in three years time, bringing the 2013 Ford Taurus, Focus, Escape and Flex into the fold. You know, options for all of you who aren't hip on the all-American, gas-guzzling SUV. Full PR past the break.

Continue reading Ford bringing SYNC systems to base trim levels, drops from $395 to $295

Ford bringing SYNC systems to base trim levels, drops from $395 to $295 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leak: future iOS update to introduce Siri-based voice control

Sean Buckley — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 09:29:00 EST

When Apple snatched up Siri back in April, we had to wonder exactly what Cupertino was planning for the voice controlled virtual assistant. The answer, according to a new leak, is unsurprisingly obvious: iOS integration. A screenshot leaked to 9to5Mac flaunts an "Assistant" feature presumably built into a firmware update. To back up the screenshot, the aforesaid site dove into the iOS SDK and uncovered code describing Siri-like use of the iPhone's location, contact list, and song metadata. The code also outlined a "speaker" feature, opening a door for further Nuance integration in Apple products. Sound awesome? Sure it does, but keep it salty: 9to5's source says the assistant feature only just went into testing, and may not be ready in time for Apple's next big handset upgrade. Hit the source link to see the code and conjecture for yourself.

Leak: future iOS update to introduce Siri-based voice control originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11.5 updates your Facebook, turns your iPhone into a wireless mic

Terrence O'Brien — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 09:54:00 EST

All your sci-fi dreams of being able to talk to your gadgets and have the do your bidding are slowly becoming a reality. Nuance, the company behind Dragon NaturallySpeaking, has been at the forefront of the technology since 1997 and, with the release of 11.5, it has added a few neat tricks to its dictation-taking repertoire. On the desktop side, new widgets allow you to post updates to your Facebook and Twitter accounts simply by saying "post to" you social network of choice before spouting off your status update -- perfect for drunk tweeting when those beer goggles make it hard to hit the keys. Nuance also released the Dragon Remote Mic App for iOS, which turns your Apple device into a wireless mic that beams commands and dictated notes straight to your PC. We're pretty excited for all this voice control stuff -- so long as our computers don't start refusing our requests in a detached monotone. Check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11.5 updates your Facebook, turns your iPhone into a wireless mic

Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11.5 updates your Facebook, turns your iPhone into a wireless mic originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Jun 2011 09:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nuance voices found in OS X Lion, patent application suggests new iPhone speech / text capabilities

Donald Melanson — Mon, 16 May 2011 15:25:00 EST

Apple's certainly no stranger to speech recognition, but it looks like it may have enlisted a bit of outside help for the next version of OS X, otherwise known as Lion. As Netputing reports, some of the text-to-speech voice options available in the developer preview of Lion just so happen to match the voices available from Nuance -- which would seem to suggest a partnership or licensing agreement of some sort, as the voices themselves cost $45 apiece directly from Nuance. In somewhat related news, Apple has also recently filed a patent application that would bring some fairly extensive new speech recognition options to the iPhone -- if it ever actually moves beyond a patent application, that is. In short, it would let you either instantly have a phone call converted to text, or send some text and have it converted to voice on the other end -- which the application notes could come in handy both in noisy environments or in situations where you simply aren't able to talk. It would even apparently incorporate a noise meter that could automatically trigger various options when the ambient noise hits a certain level. Hit up the source link below for a closer look at how it would work.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Nuance voices found in OS X Lion, patent application suggests new iPhone speech / text capabilities originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 May 2011 15:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Buick, GMC getting IntelliLink smartphone connectivity

Brian Heater — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 01:39:00 EST

Back in February, General Motors debuted its MyLink smartphone integration for the Chevy Volt and Equinox on the Engadget Show, letting drivers control their iOS, Android, and BlackBerry smartphone apps via voice or touchscreen. The company announced today that it will be offering the same technology -- albeit rebranded as the tongue-twisting IntelliLink -- on several 2012 Buick and GMC models, including the Buick LaCrosse, Regal, Verano, and the GMC Terrain. IntelliLink offers up a fairly similar feature set as its Chevy counterpart -- connecting to iPhones and Android handsets via Bluetooth or USB, and leveraging Nuance voice recognition and Gracenote databases to control the likes of Pandora and Stitcher Radio. Autoblog reports that IntelliLink will hit the Buick Verano first, followed by the LaCrosse and Regal, though you might be more interested in the Terrain -- owners will also be able to control their vehicle's rear-view camera with IntelliLink, and who doesn't like manipulating megapixels in the name of pedestrian safety?

Continue reading Buick, GMC getting IntelliLink smartphone connectivity

Buick, GMC getting IntelliLink smartphone connectivity originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 01:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford SYNC goes global, 2012 Focus will accept commands in 19 languages

Tim Stevens — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:14:00 EST

For a long time Ford kept its best cars in Europe and Australia, leaving Americans to make do with the Tempo or teasing us with a Focus that wasn't nearly as good as those elsewhere in the world. That's all changed now, and we're dutifully returning the favor. SYNC, which has been present on many an American Blue Oval since 2007, is now going international, Ford and Nuance managing to add an additional 16 languages to the voice recognition processing, bringing the total to 19. Emergency assistance has also been expanded to cover other languages as well, so you can now hollar for help, schreien for hilfe, or even schreeuwen om help.

Continue reading Ford SYNC goes global, 2012 Focus will accept commands in 19 languages

Ford SYNC goes global, 2012 Focus will accept commands in 19 languages originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nuance opens Dragon Mobile SDK to app developers, we see end to embarrassing dictation

Christopher Trout — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 07:05:00 EST

There are some messages that are just too embarrassing to dictate to a human being. Lucky for us and the retired circus contortionist we hired to type up our missives, Nuance is expanding the reach of its transcription software by making its Dragon Mobile SDK available to developers for use in iOS and Android applications. The SDK, which is free to members of the Nuance Mobile Developer Program, sports speech-to-text capabilities in eight languages and text-to-speech in 35. There are already apps out there that can do the job, including Nuance's own Dragon Dictation, but we welcome new advances in automated transcription. You know, it's not exactly a walk in the park dictating an entire Clay Aiken Fan Club newsletter to a guy named Sid the Human Pretzel.

Nuance opens Dragon Mobile SDK to app developers, we see end to embarrassing dictation originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Jan 2011 07:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T9 Trace ships as QuickType on Samsung's Wave II

Chris Ziegler — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 11:59:00 EST

So Samsung's Bada 1.2-based Wave II is now shipping in a variety of European and Asian markets, and it turns out that so phone's so-called "QuickType" input method is actually T9 Trace, Nuance's Swype competitor that was announced earlier this year. Just like Swype, T9 Trace works by letting the user glide a finger around the virtual keyboard to identify what letters they're trying to type -- and if it works as well as Swype does, it's a surprisingly natural, accurate, and fast way to enter text. Samsung, of course, has been one of Swype's longest-running partners, notably having its Omnia II featured in a Verizon commercial where the Guinness record for fastest text is broken -- so it'll be interesting to see whether Sammy keeps a healthy mix of T9 Trace and Swype in its products, or if Nuance has locked up a more lucrative deal. At any rate, follow the break for the full press release.

Continue reading T9 Trace ships as QuickType on Samsung's Wave II

T9 Trace ships as QuickType on Samsung's Wave II originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 11:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford's SYNC learns 100x more voice commands, integrates Nuance technology

Darren Murph — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 22:10:00 EST

We'll be honest -- we weren't the biggest fans of SYNC from the onset, but that had more to do with its insistence on playing Run DMC on our request for Naughty By Nature during a cross-town CES run than anything else. Now, Ford remains one of the few automakers that actually bothers to update their navigation systems on a consistent basis, and while SYNC is still far from perfect, it's getting a rather significant update today. The introduction of MyFord Touch brings the amount of commands that SYNC understands up to 10,000 -- that's a pretty big jump from 100, where it began. Following in BMW's footsteps, Ford is also integrating voice control technology from Nuance, which allows drivers to speak "more naturally" to the system rather than having to memorize a few hundreds first-level snippets. Unfortunately, we still think voice control within vehicles is too slow; much like Windows Vista, there are simply too many confirmation prompts, too many forks in the decision tree and not enough of an overall benefit to chose it over handling things with your digits. Feel free to disagree and pick this up on your 2011 Ford Edge, but be sure to view the video past the jump before getting all hot and bothered.

Continue reading Ford's SYNC learns 100x more voice commands, integrates Nuance technology

Ford's SYNC learns 100x more voice commands, integrates Nuance technology originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Jul 2010 22:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dragon for Email hits BlackBerry, turns your voice into a QWERTY keyboard

Chris Ziegler — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:41:00 EST

Okay, your voice isn't literally turning into a keyboard, but you know what we mean -- Dragon for Email is exactly what it sounds like, an app that brings Nuance's well-known speech-to-text technology to the BlackBerry platform with a special emphasis on composing emails. That's a perfect fit considering that email has remained BlackBerry's main raison d'être over the years, and it sounds delightfully unobtrusive considering that you merely need to press and hold your phone's side key while composing an email to kick off the dictation. Even better, it's free from App World for a limited time, so you might want to get in on that while the getting's good.

Dragon for Email hits BlackBerry, turns your voice into a QWERTY keyboard originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T9 Trace lets you Swype through your text messages

Vlad Savov — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 10:49:00 EST

You may or may not yet be aware of the Swype virtual keyboard (comes preloaded on the Cliq XT from Motorola), but you'll definitely be hearing about the T9 Trace from Nuance. This is because, although it's fundamentally the same thing as Swype (but from a different maker), the T9 Trace is on offer from the company behind the T9 predictive text dictionary that pretty much everyone from your 7-year old nephew to your octogenarian grandpa has used. The big idea here is that you trace out the word on your virtual keyboard without lifting your finger off, with short stops at each letter you want to add being taken for input. Once you get over the seemingly unintuitive idea of abandoning those woodpecker taps for the grace of tracing, it promises to be a real fun and rapid way to input text. Nuance has bundled the whole thing with error correction, word prediction and auto-completion, while supporting 70 languages. The company has yet to tell us when the T9 Trace will be showing up on phones (touchscreens only, for obvious reasons), but you can check out video of the competing Swype implementation after the break.

Continue reading T9 Trace lets you Swype through your text messages

T9 Trace lets you Swype through your text messages originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 10:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nuance outs free Dragon Dictation for iPhone

Chris Ziegler — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:41:00 EST

Talking on your phone is one thing, but talking at your phone makes you look like a crazy person. Of course, virtually everyone on the Engadget masthead is crazy in one sense of the word or another, so we have absolutely no qualms about the release of Nuance's Dragon Dictation for the iPhone, which uses the company's NaturallySpeaking engine to let you transcribe pretty much whatever you like. Of course, seeing how the iPhone lacks multitasking, it uses the clipboard as an intermediary -- talk into the Dragon app, then move over to wherever you want the good and paste 'em. It's free for a limited time, so you might want to grab this one sooner rather than later.

Nuance outs free Dragon Dictation for iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2010 BMWs boast improved Nuance voice control system

Donald Melanson — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 09:27:00 EST

BMWs aren't exactly lacking for technology these days, but it looks like the new 2010 models come packing a little something extra to make your life even easier. As Nuance Communications is all too happy to announce itself, the new vehicles boast an improved voice control system from the company that promises to allow for a "more conversational dialogue between drivers and BMW navigation and entertainment systems." That, naturally, gets paired with BMW's own iDrive system, and includes some Sync-like abilities to search for music by voice, as well as a new "One-Shot Destination Entry" feature to let folks enter a destination address in one simple voice command. It can even apparently recognize several different language in parallel, letting a French-speaking driver, for instance, search for a German song title or English album title.

Filed under: Transportation

2010 BMWs boast improved Nuance voice control system originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Sep 2009 09:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T9 Nav now available on S60 3rd Edition

Chris Ziegler — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 22:31:00 EST

Nuance's T9 division -- you know, the alpha keypad tech found in virtually every phone sold today -- has rolled out its shiny new T9 Nav software after going through beta last year, offering device-wide searching for device settings, applications, contacts, media, test messages, and pretty much anything else you can think of from one convenient location. Naturally, the app uses T9 to work its magic, which should feel right at home for pretty much anyone who's ever used a phone with a numeric keypad. For now, it's only available for S60 3rd Edition devices, and it'll run you €16.95 (about $22) from Nokia's Software Market.

Filed under: Software, Symbian

T9 Nav now available on S60 3rd Edition originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 22:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nuance launches Nuance Voice Control 2.0, hello feature phones

Sean Cooper — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:37:00 EST

We've had opportunity in the past to play with some of Nuance's voice control software -- in an alpha state -- on a Windows Mobile handset and to say we were blown away is an understatement. Things like voice dictation for messaging and handset control were loaded with wow factor, but sadly, it fizzled away, or at least appeared to. Nuance launched Nuance Voice Control 2.0 today, and this package is headed to feature phones -- in some 20 languages -- via carriers and OEMs as a value add for customers. With NVC 2.0 your set will offer voice activated dialing, by just saying a name, voice activated web search, SMS and mail dictation, music search, and just about anything else that a service operator wants to add. Sure, we've all tried various speech to text engines, but this one -- at least the version we tried -- is truly something that we'd dive to pick up, if the integration is done well. We're going to get together with Nuance at Mobile World Congress next week to get some proper hands-on time, but until then, check the video of it in action after the break.

Continue reading Nuance launches Nuance Voice Control 2.0, hello feature phones

Filed under: Handsets, Software

Nuance launches Nuance Voice Control 2.0, hello feature phones originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T9 predictive-text input developer purchased for $265M

Nilay Patel — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 06:22:00 EST

Tegic might not be a household name, but it's a solid bet you've used their software -- the company is responsible for the T9 predictive-text input system that's installed in virtually every cellphone out there. That makes Tegic worth about $265 million, apparently, because that's how much voice-recognition firm Nuance just dished out to Time Warner for the company. (Disclosure: Time Warner is our parent company's parent company.) Nuance is on a buying spree lately, having bought VoiceSignal, BeVocal, and Dictaphone in the past year -- the goal is apparently to control much of how users interact with their phones, be it voice, touch, or text. Here's hoping Nuance doesn't make any sweeping changes while they chase that rainbow -- at this point we're so hard-wired for T9 that it's difficult to imagine that it's licensed software and not, say, a fundamental property of mathematics. 4663 5825, 4897.

[Via RCRWireless News]

Filed under: Cellphones

T9 predictive-text input developer purchased for $265M originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jun 2007 06:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T9 predictive-text input developer purchased for $265M

Nilay Patel — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 02:22:00 EST

Tegic might not be a household name, but it's a solid bet you've used their software -- the company is responsible for the T9 predictive-text input system that's installed in virtually every cellphone out there. That makes Tegic worth about $265 million, apparently, because that's how much voice-recognition firm Nuance just dished out to Time Warner AOL for the company. (Disclosure: AOL is our parent company's parent company.) Nuance is on a buying spree lately, having bought VoiceSignal, BeVocal, and Dictaphone in the past year -- the goal is apparently to control much of how users interact with their phones, be it voice, touch, or text. Here's hoping Nuance doesn't make any sweeping changes while they chase that rainbow -- at this point we're so hard-wired for T9 that it's difficult to imagine that it's licensed software and not, say, a fundamental property of mathematics. 4663 5825, 4897.

[Via RCRWireless News]

Filed under: Messaging, Software

T9 predictive-text input developer purchased for $265M originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jun 2007 02:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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World's fastest texter gets pwned by voice recognition

Chris Ziegler — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 00:32:00 EST

A young lad by the name of Ben Cook might be able to school his pals with his lightning-quick text messaging skillz (he even prefers plain ol' multi-tapping to predictive text) but one company set out to prove that the world's fastest texter is still no match for voice recognition. Nuance Communications is gearing up to release its Mobile Speech Platform to carriers -- a system that'll ultimately allow users to dictate SMSes, among other tasks -- and they obviously needed some high-profile way to get the word out, like picking on Ben Cook, for example. For the contest, Nuance pitted its software against Mr. Cook and two Nuance employees packing QWERTY and T9 devices, throwing them each this little tidbit of everyday conversation: "The razor toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygo centrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human." Our world record holder finished in 48 seconds -- not bad, considering he was doing it without any predictive assistance -- but the software spanked everyone with just 16 seconds on the clock. Now we just need to take a hard look at why one would dictate an SMS (versus, say, placing a phone call) and we'll be jumping right on the bandwagon.

Filed under: Software, Misc

World's fastest texter gets pwned by voice recognition originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Oct 2006 00:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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