PocketNow Reviews Microsoft Voice Command v1.5

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pocketnow.com/index.php?a=portal_detail&t=reviews&id=575' target='_blank'>http://www.pocketnow.com/index.php?...=reviews&id=575</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Microsoft's latest upgrade to their Voice Command software for Pocket PCs offers a number of excellent new features and is especially nice to use with a Pocket PC Phone. Being able to control your mobile device with your voice is an excellent advantage when your eyes and hands require attention elsewhere."</i><br /><br />Adam Lein at <a href="http://www.pocketnow.com">PocketNow.com</a> has put together a nice review of Microsoft Voice Command and comes out impressed overall. While the use of this type of software is of obvious use to PPCPE owners, I am intrigued at the possibilities of using voice recognition technology on my own non-PPCPE WM device. Initially, I saw this as a cool W?BIC! type of title, but more and more, I find myself in situations where I needed to retrieve information but didn't want to free up both of my hands just so I could hunt-and-peck with my stylus. What about you guys? Anyone use this software on a day-to-day basis?

[Eriq Cook]

I use VoiceCommand on a daily basis because it make it much easier to lookup contact information and make phone calls. Friends think I use it to show off, but really, Instead of opening the Contacts app, scrolling through 400+ names, and then tapping on the contact to view their information, I just press a button and say "Show Tim" or "Call Marissa" and it works great 99% of the time. I can't use a Pocket PC without VoiceCommand now because it makes it that much easier to use IMO.

[jimski]

I was using it basically as a W?BIC application, but because of HP's poor allocation of system RAM on the 4705, I had to disable it. It typically loads on soft reset and ties up about 3.5MB of system RAM. When it loads up I can't start Bluetooth without a soft reset. And that's with 72MB of RAM allocated to Program Memory (with PPC Tech upgrade) and only about 19MB in use. Hence the problem. Still waiting for HP to find a solution.

I may try this new version and see if anything has changed. It was impressive when I did use it though. Effective about 90% of the time.

[Sven Johannsen]

When it loads up I can't start Bluetooth without a soft reset. And that's with 72MB of RAM allocated to Program Memory (with PPC Tech upgrade) and only about 19MB in use. Hence the problem. Still waiting for HP to find a solution..

Probably not an HP problem. I consistantly have to reset my Dell x50v, with the PPCTechs 128M upgrade to get BT launched. Could be a problem with something common to the two devices...the OS perhaps. I notice I don't see the issue near as much on my non-VGA, WM2003SE devices, Dell X30 and HP rx3715, which is interesting. Maybe a question for a poll thread.

[njl2016]

I'm thinking about trying this on my rx3715. Can I install it to the iPAQ File Store, or do I have to put it in main RAM?

[Ed Hansberry]

I'm thinking about trying this on my rx3715. Can I install it to the iPAQ File Store, or do I have to put it in main RAM?
I installed it to the ROM store on my PDA2K. It is NOT supported on a memory card.

I've used it since 1.0 on a 2215. Awesome app. It isn't W?BIC at all for me, just really useful.

[bvkeen]

When it loads up I can't start Bluetooth without a soft reset. And that's with 72MB of RAM allocated to Program Memory (with PPC Tech upgrade) and only about 19MB in use. Hence the problem. Still waiting for HP to find a solution..

Probably not an HP problem. I consistantly have to reset my Dell x50v, with the PPCTechs 128M upgrade to get BT launched. Could be a problem with something common to the two devices...the OS perhaps. I notice I don't see the issue near as much on my non-VGA, WM2003SE devices, Dell X30 and HP rx3715, which is interesting. Maybe a question for a poll thread.

I tried it on my 4700 and it worked fine (except for Bluetooth interference), and I would have liked to have kept but the 3.5 MB is just too much for a 64 MB bluetooth device to handle. I haven't tried it on my x50v (sold my 4700) because it'll be as much of a memory hog on it as on the 4700. I believe that it's interference with bluetooth, BTW, is purely a matter of its size - I've seen a lot of posts that suggest that bluetooth will not load with less than 25 MB or so program memory. If you have PI or AF installed to RAM, then it's easy to go below 25 MB with Voice Command loaded.

IF I bite the bullet and do the PPCT 128 MB upgrade, I'll install VC - it's a great app (1.5 is much bettser than 1.01 was).

Regarding another user's question of whether it can be loaded in Flash ROM, it can. But when it runs, it loads itself into RAM, so there is no gain in doing this. PPC apps are just not setup to execute in place, which is a shame.

[JoC]

I haven't seen any mention of whether this software can cope with non-American accents. Does anyone have any experience with it? I was looking at the PocketNow review with it's list of commands and wondering how it would cope with the different pronunciations of schedule!

[bvkeen]

I haven't seen any mention of whether this software can cope with non-American accents. Does anyone have any experience with it? I was looking at the PocketNow review with it's list of commands and wondering how it would cope with the different pronunciations of schedule!

My recollection is that it is US only. I recall there being some discussion about the potential for a UK version as well, but do not know if that ever came to pass, and I do doubt that it has. But, my recollection has failed me before, ...

[Darius Wey]

I haven't seen any mention of whether this software can cope with non-American accents. Does anyone have any experience with it? I was looking at the PocketNow review with it's list of commands and wondering how it would cope with the different pronunciations of schedule!

I've tried it with my Aussie accent and it works fine. However, it is only available to residents in Canada and the US, so if you live elsewhere, the sane thing to do would be to just wait for a localised version to be released.

[beq]

Regarding another user's question of whether it can be loaded in Flash ROM, it can. But when it runs, it loads itself into RAM, so there is no gain in doing this. PPC apps are just not setup to execute in place, which is a shame.
That's interesting, so if it's installed in RAM it won't have to load itself again or otherwise take twice the RAM than if it was installed in ROM?

I guess this is a concern for a lot of other PPC apps too, and I should rethink the whole approach of installing apps to ROM store?

Well, maybe the data files won't have to be reloaded in RAM, just the executables? So maybe there would still be space gain if the app in question has large data files that you store in ROM?

[bvkeen]

Regarding another user's question of whether it can be loaded in Flash ROM, it can. But when it runs, it loads itself into RAM, so there is no gain in doing this. PPC apps are just not setup to execute in place, which is a shame.
That's interesting, so if it's installed in RAM it won't have to load itself again or otherwise take twice the RAM than if it was installed in ROM?

I guess this is a concern for a lot of other PPC apps too, and I should rethink the whole approach of installing apps to ROM store?

Well, maybe the data files won't have to be reloaded in RAM, just the executables? So maybe there would still be space gain if the app in question has large data files that you store in ROM?

When it loads from ROM into RAM, it doesn't take up twice the space in RAM than if it had been loaded to RAM in the first place. It takes up the same space. So there is no double penality for loading into ROM, it is just that loading into ROM doesn't buy you anything.

The problem with it comes in from it remaining loaded - you can't unload it without going to the settings panel, turning it off, and then soft-resetting. A regular app, like Pocket Informant, can be put into ROM and then it will load into RAM when you run it, but then it will Unload from RAM when you close it out. Hence, there is a real gain in loading whatever apps you can to ROM - they are not taking up the RAM until they run, and then they free the RAM when they're closed. Not so with things like Voice Command, which are really designed to run all of the time.

[beq]

Oh I see thanks for the clarification bvkeen.

Sorry I just realized all of my sentences in previous post ended in a question mark and sounded funny :)

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

These are some great observations. According to what I read here, this memory issue is the biggest thing holding back this title from being a killer app.

I'm going to try to give this a go myself real soon and see if I can incorporate it into my daily schedule without without too much disruption caused by frequent resets and such.

[bvkeen]

These are some great observations. According to what I read here, this memory issue is the biggest thing holding back this title from being a killer app.

I'm going to try to give this a go myself real soon and see if I can incorporate it into my daily schedule without without too much disruption caused by frequent resets and such.

If not for the memory, I'd have this baby loaded. It is truly a killer app. I'll have to see how the tax man treats me this year, and, if it's not bad, I may go ahead and do the PPCT 128 MB upgrade, mostly so I don't have to worry about the size of programs anymore.

Update: I plugged through TurboTax yesterday and it told me I could go ahead and spring $179 for the PPCT 128 MB upgrade, so I've done it. Now I have to be without my x50v for almost a week! But, I do look forward to being able to add MS Voice Command without having to worry about whether it will choke off bluetooth or not.

[rene_canlas]

Voice Command 1.5, coupled with my XDAII and a 1Gb SD card makes for a superb music player! I just wish I could map VC's command button to one of the buttons on my XDAII's headset.

[Darius Wey]

I just wish I could map VC's command button to one of the buttons on my XDAII's headset.

If I'm not mistaken, you can do this with Fonix VoiceCentral 3. It's a pity that Voice Command lacks this feature though, since it's a great program.

[adamz]

I just wish I could map VC's command button to one of the buttons on my XDAII's headset.

If I'm not mistaken, you can do this with Fonix VoiceCentral 3. It's a pity that Voice Command lacks this feature though, since it's a great program.

Nope, doesn't look like it.
They're waiting for a generic solution from Microsoft for activating application functions via a Bluetooth headset.

I recently removed the IA Style Caller ID software from my JAM and am using Voice Command 1.5 as audible Caller ID without interference. I love just leaving the PDA connected to the Desktop, hearing the name of the incoming caller, then answering the call with my Bluespoon AX. No need to look at or go near the Pocket PC Phone!

[Darius Wey]

Nope, doesn't look like it.
They're waiting for a generic solution from Microsoft for activating application functions via a Bluetooth headset.

I see. Thanks for the heads-up. I must have been confusing it with something else I read on these forums. :|

[ToddJ]

are there any improvements from version 1.0 to 1.5? I downloaded the update, but it can't "find" 1.0 on my computer so it won't update...any idea on what I might be doing wrong? Is there something out there that is better? I mostly use it in my car to turn on the GPS...but would love to have a voice activated GPS system....

[adamz]

There aren't any GPS programs that work with Voice Command or have voice recognition built in.
The only one that comes close is Navigon/OcN4...
http://www.pocketnow.com/index.php?a=portal_detail&amp;t=reviews&amp;id=567

It has the ability to record voice tags for saved destinations so when you need to go there again, you just repeate the voice tag.

Fonix VoiceCentral has comparable voice recognition capabilities, but it also has different features. For example, it does not announce appointments or incoming phone calls as they happen. Nor does it work with Media Player. You have to activate it to do anything, it doesn't interact with the system as well as MS Voice Command. It does have some other unique features though... like the ability to read email aloud to you.

Voice Command 1.5 has some nice new features like TTS Caller ID, Phone Status Commands, and a bit better recognition. If you don't have a Pocket PC Phone or Media Player 10, the upgrade is not that compelling.

[peterawest]

I see version 1.6 is now out. Does anyone have any comments about this version. Is there any benefit to upgrading if you are using just a Pocket PC and not a PPC Phone?

[Catman51]

Seems 1.6 is only for WM2005. I have 2003SE, so no go there. Thanks Microsoft!