BostonPocketPC.com Reviews VITO Voice Dialer for Windows Mobile Smartphone

[Mike Temporale]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.bostonpocketpc.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2540&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0' target='_blank'>http://www.bostonpocketpc.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2540&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0</a><br /><br /></div><i>"I continue to find the lack of a built-in voice dialing solution for the Windows Smartphone OS to be a serious limitation of the platform. While I understand that "handsfree dialing" is a virtual impossibility for the OS without device manufacturer integration (it is a combination of software and hardware that makes handsfree operation possible), the fact that voice dialing without handsfree is o*nly available via third-party applications simply astounds me. One third-party application that fills the voice dialing gap is VITO Technology's Voice Dialer for Windows Mobile Smartphone. I decided to give this application a try and see how it stands up to various scenarios. If you are looking for a voice dialing solution for your Windows Mobile Smartphone"</i><br /><br />Another good review from BostonPocketPC.com. You might want to check this out if you've been looking for voice dialing software.

[possmann]

interesting... his comment about:
"handsfree dialing" is a virtual impossibility for the OS without device manufacturer integration (it is a combination of software and hardware that makes handsfree operation possible"

flys against what Microsoft already created in their PocketPC application: Voice Commander- which I understand is quite a very good product.

I don't understand why MS couldn't just make this product compatible with the smartphone devices... I would assume that the voice collection devices (microphones) on the PPC devices are actually poorer in quality than a microphone on a phone would be...

interesting

[Don Sorcinelli]

interesting... his comment about:
"handsfree dialing" is a virtual impossibility for the OS without device manufacturer integration (it is a combination of software and hardware that makes handsfree operation possible"

flys against what Microsoft already created in their PocketPC application: Voice Commander- which I understand is quite a very good product.

I don't understand why MS couldn't just make this product compatible with the smartphone devices... I would assume that the voice collection devices (microphones) on the PPC devices are actually poorer in quality than a microphone on a phone would be...

interesting

It's important to remember that the Pocket PC hardware platform (including Phone Edition) is quite different from the Smartphone. The big problem here resides in the actual hardware implementations and the manufacturers that create them. Remember - a Smartphone is, first and foremost, a phone. A phone must expose some sort of API for handsfree support in order for an OS or application to take advantage of it. As the OS vendor (MS in this case), you can provide a high-level API that could take advantage of handsfree dialing, so long as each hardware manufacturer takes the core OS and customizes ("integrates") it.

The original Smartphone reference design did not require phone manufacturers to have handsfree functionality (actually, it is still not a requirement); as a result, it was not implemented in the majority of first-generation phones. Even some of the later Smartphone devices (the Mitac Mio 8390, for example) still do not. Most of the phones instead implemented the ability to receive a call without touching the handset (using the headset), but of course that is not true handsfree.

As for Voice Command - it does not solve the basic problem of the hardware integration. If offered for consumer purchase, I am sure that a lot of people would be ticked off when they discovered that it didn't work with their phone as a result :wink:

Personally, I cannot see how any Smartphone hardware manufacturers would leave out handsfree functionality, as it is common in a lot of "less than smart" phones. It just kills competitive advantage. Fortunately, the increasing inclusion of Bluetooth technology in Smartphones (with the proper profiles) is making this less of an issue.

DonS