text-to-speech
Latest
Nuance voices found in OS X Lion, patent application suggests new iPhone speech / text capabilities
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]
Apple patent reveals a text-to-speech and speech-to-text system for the iPhone
Apple recently filed a patent application for a text-to-speech and a speech-to-text converter designed to work in noisy environments. The patent describes a system that uses a converter included on the logic board of the phone. This hardware-based conversion would have a distinct advantage over current text-to-speech systems, which use an internet-based service from a company like Nuance to translate conversions. Unlike Android's text-to-speech system, which is used for searching and navigation, Apple's patent describes a system used for sending and receiving phone calls. In one embodiment, a microphone on the iPhone would detect the ambient noise level and prompt the user to answer a call using text-to-speech in a noisy environment when talking on the phone may be difficult. The person answering the call would type in their messages, and the phone would convert it to speech heard by the caller. In another example, the user could choose to talk via a two-way texting system that uses both text-to-speech and a speech-to-text within the conversation. Basically, your caller's words would be converted to text that you could read, and you could input a text response that is converted to speech for the caller on the other end. It's an elegant system that would be useful for making phone calls at a loud sporting event or a crowded bar. Apple is rumored to be in talks with Nuance that could bring an advanced speech recognition system to iOS. This above patent may describe a small part of what is to come for iPhone owners in the future.
Snail concept rolls out Braille-to-speech translation
A new concept that fits nicely in the things-you-never-knew-you-wanted category is determined to make speed readers out of the visually impaired. Snail -- deceptive name aside -- uses a pressure-sensitive touch pad to read patterns in a Braille passage, then translates them to speech, speeding up the reading process and allowing users to record audio passages for later playback. The user places his / her thumb, in the obvious opening and glides the device over a line of Braille. The translated audio is then played back either through a built-in speaker or over a connected Bluetooth headset. Snail was made with the blind in mind, but considering we've always been curious about what resides in those bumpy white lines, we wouldn't mind rolling with one of these things ourselves. As is the case with so many concepts, however, there's no telling when or if this Snail will slither on to the market.
Macs help Roger Ebert to speak again
Film Critic Roger Ebert has been a long time Mac fan, and now he is depending on his Mac laptop to speak for him. Ebert was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2002, and it was later discovered there was additional cancerous material in his jaw. His lower jaw was removed, and Ebert lost his ability to eat and speak. Now, Ebert uses the Alex voice, which is built into Mac OS X. Last month, with the help of his wife and some friends, Ebert talked about using the Mac to get his voice back in a TED talk. Note: the video uses Flash and is embedded on the next page. It's an inspiring session. Ebert has refused all further treatment for his cancer, and is willing to face whatever comes.
MyVoice app for iOS and Android enables the mute to talk (video)
Talking is something most of us take for granted, but a new app called MyVoice -- currently available for iOS and coming soon to Android -- is attempting to give the ability back to those who aren't as fortunate. Developed by a group of University of Toronto students after being approached by a man who had a stroke, the location-based app allows users to "speak" pre-programmed text macros using text-to-speech. You can't add new phrases from within the app just yet, though for now there's an online portal that also allows relatives to configure strings and organize them into "places" for the ultimate user. We checked out the app and it seems to work as advertised -- there's a pretty extensive word pack that comes with it. You can score the free download at the more coverage link below, and we've got a video demo after the break.
Voice Brief for iPhone is a great text-to-speech app with lots of potential
Want an assistant to help you keep up with your world and the world at large? Voice Brief might be just the thing. This US$1.99 app will read your Facebook updates, Twitter feed, email (with limitations), weather, schedule, stock prices that you follow, and even the latest news from RSS feeds of your choice. The voices are computerized, but very clear. There are four voices to choose from: an American male and female, and a British-accented male and female. You set up the app by giving it your location (for weather) and stocks you'd like to follow, pointing it to your iPhone calendar, and selecting some news feeds (I selected CNN and TUAW). Voice Brief also allows you to add custom sentences, like a personal greeting when the app starts reading, or something for when it finishes going through your feeds. You can add multiple custom sentences for transitions between feeds, but you don't have to use any at all. There are some limitations to Voice Brief's ability to read email. Apple doesn't allow third parties direct access to the iOS Mail app, but you can configure the app to read your Gmail inbox feed. At this version, Voice Brief reads the first line of the email, but the developer tells me he is going to add full text reading in a future update. %Gallery-119776%
Nuance opens Dragon Mobile SDK to app developers, we see end to embarrassing dictation
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.
OnStar announces Bluetooth voice app, reads your Facebook messages to you
Texting while driving is deadly, for serious. But, letting someone else read to you is rather less risky, and talking isn't so bad either -- in moderation, anyway. Bring those two together and you have OnStar's solution, an upcoming Bluetooth app that will read text messages and status updates to you and, somewhat more interestingly, lets you speak a custom message that will be transcribed to your recipient. Fascinating? Absolutely, but we can't wait to hear what sort of fun and cheeky mistranslations come out of that feature. You can also post voice messages to Facebook and say things like "call back" to return a call. The app is, as of now, intended for Android devices only and is set to hit the Market sometime in the first half of the year, and at least initially it'll only work on cars that have Bluetooth or those equipped with the company's new aftermarket mirror, though you'll have to be paid up on your OnStar dues if you want to use it. Full details in the PR after the break. %Gallery-112593%
Patent application suggests contextual voice commands for iPhone
A patent application filed by Apple in 2009 but just released to the public last week shows that they want to improve on the voice command abilities of the iPhone. As reported by AppleInsider, the patent looks as though it would make voice commands available in individual applications rather than system-wide, narrowing down the possibilities to a chosen few commands and drastically reducing the chances of the iPhone making a mistake. The patent also mentions allowing third-party apps to make use of voice commands, and that users could be audibly notified of what app they had selected along with a list of corresponding voice commands. This could come in really handy when driving the car or riding a bicycle, when one's eyes should be on the road and not staring at an iPhone screen. Now I don't know about you, but I have never been able to reliably use the voice command feature on my iPhone. The few times I've tried to use it, I ended up calling an ex-girlfriend when I meant to call the current one, or I called my grandmother instead of my brother. So any improvements Apple could make to voice command would be more than welcome. I have used other voice command apps like Dragon Dictation and Apple's recent acquisition Siri, but a context-based voice command system would be a great addition to the iPhone's abilities.
Google acquires speech synthesis outfit Phonetic Arts, plans to use Jack Donaghy's voice for everything
Don't ever knock Google for not reinvesting a little of that cheddar it's stacking in Mountain View. Barely two months after pulling the trigger on BlindType, El Goog has now sunk an undisclosed amount of money into Phonetic Arts, described as a speech synthesis company based in Cambridge, England. Naturally, Google's been toiling around the clock in an effort to better its speech technologies, and it looks as if it could be cutting out quite a few months (or years) of work with this one purchase. Phonetic Arts was known for being on the "cutting edge of speech synthesis, delivering technology that generates natural computer speech from small samples of recorded voice," and we get the impression that the team will be given clearance badges to enter Google's London-based engineering facility shortly. The company's own Mike Cohen is hoping that this will help us "move a little faster towards that Star Trek future" -- frankly, we're hoping to have Jack Donaghy's voice become the de facto standard in under a year. We hear some dudes at 30 Rock are already toying with a prototype...
OnStar announces MyLink smartphone apps, voice-based SMS, Facebook plans
Looks like OnStar users (and not just the Modest Mouse-lovin' yuppies in the commercial below) will soon get their beloved social networking where they need it least: behind the wheel. The slogan for the company's latest re-branding campaign is "responsible connectivity," meant to highlight the company's next-gen hardware, OnStar MyLink smart phone apps, and the Audio Facebook Updates feature we saw last month that, along with voice-based SMS, is being tested as we speak. MyLink, by far the most interesting of the lot, will let you start your car, hit the horn, control lights and door locks, and check your vehicle's diagnostics -- from your iPhone or Android handset. Now that we got all that out of the way, why don't you check out the newest commercial (and read some sweet, sweet PR) after the break?
OnStar expected to add Facebook updates and texting soon, might make some services free
Time waits for no infotainment system and GM's OnStar seems to be well aware of that fact. Plunging headfirst into the social world, the driver assistance service is said to be planning to start conveying Facebook status updates and text messages in an upcoming update, reputedly landing later this month. Text-to-speech translation will be done on incoming notes and voice-to-text is said to be undergoing testing for outgoing updates. So you can tell your friends you're free as a bird, born to run, rocking the highway, or whatever else, without ever having to speak to them directly or going to the effort of typing anything. The future sure is awesome. Oh, and it might not be all that expensive either, as we're also hearing that OnStar might make some services completely free to better compete with Ford's Sync. Original image courtesy of merriewells (Flickr)
Prizmo is a pretty amazing iPhone app for OCR and more
There are a few apps that are great demos for the iPhone. Pulse News is a super RSS feed reader, iMovie always drops a few jaws, and Siri is a pretty amazing way to talk to your iPhone and get intelligent search results. You can add Prizmo to the list of great demo apps, and it's going to be a very useful app for a lot of people. Prizmo combines OCR (Optical Character Recognition), text to speech, and translation all in one place. Prizmo, which sells for US $9.99, can scan business cards, books, white boards, or even receipts. It can output the text to the clipboard or email, and can even take a receipt and put it into a spreadsheet format. If that isn't enough, Prizmo can read the text to you with the addition of an optional text to speech module. There are 35 voices you can choose from, in ten languages. Each module is $2.99. %Gallery-100014%
BlueAnt Q2 Bluetooth headset enables noise-free calls during Usain Bolt's sprints
It's not guaranteed to make you any smarter, but having such an intelligent little bird upside your ear may at least give you a minor boost in confidence. A full 1.5 years after the original Q1 made its debut, BlueAnt is introducing its Q2 Smart Bluetooth Headset. Aside from being able to cancel out noise while traveling at up to 22mph (read: Usain Bolt's average walking speed), the Q2 also touts a fully integrated text-to-speech feature that belts out news, weather, sports and the latest gossip from Microsoft's Bing 411. And if you just so happen to use a smartphone with Android 2.0 or newer, it'll actually read your text messages and emails aloud without you having to fish your handset out of your britches. It's available now at AT&T stores for $129, and just in case you're wondering, you can freak mall walkers out for five solid hours without needing a recharge. Not that we'd encourage such behavior. [Original image courtesy of Ryan Pierse/Getty Images]
Dragon Dictation updated with iOS 4 support and some new features
Dragon Dictation is one of the most popular free apps on the iPhone and iPad, and now it has been updated to support iOS 4. Nuance Communications, creators of the app, have added a pop-up toolbar that allows you to speak a status update and send it directly to Facebook or Twitter. You can also speak and send the text to the clipboard. As in the original version, you can dictate emails and text messages. Another nice to feature is the app now saves your dictated text if you are interrupted by a phone call. This latest version also supports U.K English now, as well as German. The app already supports Spanish, Italian and French. I've had an advance copy of the app for a week, and I can confirm it works as advertised, although my high school German is a bit rusty so I didn't try that feature. Someday, I hope, Apple will build complete speech recognition into the iPhone and iPad. If they do, I hope they use the Nuance speech engine, which is very accurate and easy to use. Until then, Dragon Dictation is a must download for use with email, social networking and texting. The app runs on iOS3.1 or later on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.
On the road with the latest Navigon MobileNavigator
The iOS 4 update to MobileNavigator North America has been eagerly awaited by fans of the best selling turn-by-turn navigation system, and overall I'd call the update a win. To test the system, I took a drive from Southern Arizona to Chandler, a suburb of Phoenix. First off, having the multitasking capabilities was wonderful. I could take or make calls without stopping the route guidance, and while I was on the phone, I could get notice of turns. Since my phone was connected to my car via Bluetooth, the voice announcements came through the car speaker. I set up speed limit warnings, and the system dutifully warned me if I was going too fast, which is easy to do on those long, straight Arizona highways. %Gallery-97295%
RIM converts BMW's iDrive into 'a remote control for your BlackBerry' (video)
If there's one thing business types love more than their BlackBerry, it's their BMW -- or so we're told. It makes all sorts of sense, therefore, that the two companies would partner up to help the things they sell communicate with each other more effortlessly. Using Bluetooth MAP (Message Access Profile), BlackBerry devices can now beam emails and contacts over to BMW's iDrive dash system, where the driver can listen to his messages via a text-to-speech option or make calls using the car's speakerphone. The first supported handset is the newly minted Pearl 3G, and we're told this functionality will come as an integrated part of BlackBerry 6. To see how it works on a 335is, click past the break for the video. [Thanks, Horatiu]
Motorola announces H17txt Bluetooth headset with MotoSpeak
Looking for another reason to wear a Bluetooth headset all the time? Then you might want to consider admitting you have a problem, or you might want to get Motorola's new H17txt model, which can be paired with the company's new MotoSpeak text-to-speech application to read text messages aloud as they come in. That software is available for Android and BlackBerry initially, and will apparently even translate 150 different commonly used acronyms so things like l8r don't get read as l, eight, r. As for the headset itself, it's a fairly standard affair, with it boasting CrystalTalk noise-canceling technology, five hours of talk time and seven hours standby, and Bluetooth 2.1 compatibility. Still no indication of a price, but it should be available through Verizon starting today.
$2 Sensory chip could give toys (and other products) improved speech recognition, additional capabilities
Sensory Inc. may stay behind the scenes most of the time, but the company's speech recognition chips are already used in toys from JVC, Mattel, Hasbro and others, and it's now announced a new chip that could lead to toys with some significantly improved capabilities. Costing just $2 apiece (in quantities over 100K/year), the company's NLP-5X chip not only boasts support for speech recognition and text-to-speech that lets it "generate thousands of voices on the fly," but support for sound samples and MIDI playback as well. What's more, the chip uses what's described as an "incredible algorithm" that allows it to be on all the time and simply listen and activate itself when needed -- or when you least suspect it. Of course, while toys are one application, the company also sees the chip being used in a whole range of other consumer electronics -- Sensory even gives the example of an internet-connected oven that could let look up a recipe and then have a conversation with your oven about how you'd like to cook it.
CoPilot Live now offers almost complete nav app for free
ALK Technologies, the creators of CoPilot Live, have released a free version of their navigation app with some catches. The free version, called CoPilot Directions [iTunes link] has turn-by-turn navigation, trip planning and 2D maps. You can download the whole map database over Wi-Fi (not via iTunes) or you can download individual states or cities to save space on your iPhone. If you download the free version, you get a free, 30-day sample of the complete app, including voice navigation with street names, 3D views, and the ever important option to update to the full version. After 30 days users can opt to continue using premium voice-guided GPS navigation with a 12-month or 30-day subscription via in-app purchase ($19.99 and $2.99 respectively), or they can simply continue to enjoy free lifetime use of map-only, turn-by-turn directions. CoPilot Directions sits alongside a feature-complete version called CoPilot Live North America [iTunes link], which costs U.S. $34.99 and allows in-app purchases of live services, like Traffic Reports, Gas Prices, and Live Local Search. We reviewed that version of the app and found it to be about average in terms of ease of use, accuracy of the database, and features. I don't see any way to update to CoPilot Live North America from CoPilot Directions, so if you go with Directions you are stuck and unable to recoup any of your investment. Potential buyers should carefully consider which way they go, because after a few years the subscription option gets expensive. As a result, I think ALK has complicated, rather than simplified the choices for consumers. Even if you opt for two years of CoPilot Directions, it costs more than CoPilot Live North America. The free version is fine, but without any voice prompts it's not the safest way to get from point A to point B. CoPilot Directions also has run up a pretty significant negative score at the iTunes Store, with customers complaining mainly about the accuracy of the maps. Other were quite pleased with it, especially for the price. ALK also offers versions for the UK and Ireland [iTunes link], as well as CoPilot Live Europe [iTunes link]. The app runs on the iPhone 3G and 3GS and requires at least version 3.0 of the iPhone OS.
