07-23-2002, 08:54 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,060
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IBM ViaVoice for the iPAQ 3600, 3700, 3800 and 3900
http://www-3.ibm.com/pvc/products/voice/vv_mobility_suite.shtml
Reader Bob Anderson has reminded me of a post I meant to finish up several days ago about IBM's ViaVoice. Of course, the iPAQ 3800 series ships with a version of the ViaVoice speech recognition software installed, but IBM now has similar versions for the 3600, 3700 and 3900 devices.
"When you 'Go to Mail', you can have all of your mail read to you, or you can read only selected messages. You can easily keep track of your busy schedule, all by using voice commands. In the 'Calendar' function, you can check your calendar for your next appointment, or add new ones. In addition, this IBM software gives you the added convenience of being able to listen to, rather than read information and messages."
The link above contains three different downloads for the:
� Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC H3800 - owners of Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC H3800 Series can refresh the IBM Embedded ViaVoice Mobility Suite version currently installed.
� Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC H3700 and H3600 - Embedded ViaVoice Mobility Suite will be available July 12, 2002 for Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC H3700 and H3600 Series.
� Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC H3900 - Embedded ViaVoice Mobility Suite for the H3900 is available for purchase or a free reduced functionality trial version for download.
The "refresh" files for the 3800 iPAQs are free, but the software for the 3600, 3700 and 3900 costs $29.95 apiece. I never really use this feature of my iPAQ, but I'd love to hear what those who have used it think.
Thanks, Bob!
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07-23-2002, 09:31 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,768
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Too early
This technology is still too young to be practical as an alternative interface. Text to speach however is very handy. It is improving however and I hope that ASR and TTS technologies continue to improve to the point where we can rid ourselves of much of the manual keying we do now.
In limited fashions, it does work well... for example, the Mobile Conversay software that came bundled with the HP Jornada 56x devices can be mapped to the record button and then quick short commands given... and when driving, it is good to listen to the appointments of the day. That is one example where it worked... until the technology improves, it is trying to do too much.
__________________
Jonathan (JonnoB)
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." -Edmund Burke
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07-23-2002, 09:53 PM
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Theorist
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 278
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I didn't notice the option for a trial version. (Prehaps because there isn't one.) I would like to try it out for my trust 3635 but not for US$30 only to find out it's not any good.
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07-23-2002, 10:25 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 111
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I had it on my 3800 iPaq and found it to be pretty frustrating overall. It's not really ready for prime time. Sometimes it would work, sometimes it would refuse to recognize even simple commands, either because of background noise (hard to escape when you're in a car, for instance) or cosmic rays, or something... I uninstalled it eventually (did I mention it takes up a good whack of storage space, as well as operating memory when it's on?).
That said, I can certainly see the potential - I'd love to have it read me my email, for instance, and I do use the voice recognition on my cell phone all the time.
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07-24-2002, 01:18 AM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,060
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I guess I've always thought that a good text-to-speech app would be more useful that a good speech-to-text app for the Pocket PC. Personally, I'd rather be able to listen to e-mail messages or documents than be able to dictate. When I use my Pocket PC, I'm usually around other people and wouldn't want to be speaking out loud anyway.
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07-24-2002, 07:11 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 179
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Re: IBM ViaVoice for the iPAQ 3600, 3700, 3800 and 3900
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Brad Adrian
The "refresh" files for the 3800 iPAQs are free, but the software for the 3600, 3700 and 3900 costs $29.95 apiece. I never really use this feature of my iPAQ, but I'd love to hear what those who have used it think.
Thanks, Bob!
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I installed it initially thinking that this would be a neat 'wow factor' app to show off the PPC...except that it is not reliable enough to wow anybody. Ya look pretty stupid, standing there yelling "Phone home" or whatever and it dumbly asks you to repeat the question...
Shame because some simple structured voice recog is what a lot of my colleagues are waiting for...although how much they'll actually use it in practice is harder to predict...I suspect that after the novelty wears off, it won't get used that much, even if it does become reliable.
How many people use the voice activated dialler on their cell phones after the first month of novelty effect? They seem to be more reliable in recognising commands but do folks use them much in real life?
Of course, my Scottish accent has nothing to do with it! (ya wee bastard!)
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07-24-2002, 12:50 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,060
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Re: IBM ViaVoice for the iPAQ 3600, 3700, 3800 and 3900
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Originally Posted by topps
How many people use the voice activated dialler on their cell phones after the first month of novelty effect?
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I use it constantly. Even though I can only program 20 voice dial phone numbers, I probably only have to manually dial 5% of the calls I make.
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07-24-2002, 01:31 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 197
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Phone dialler for the iPAQ (Plus crazy idea - see bottom)
Is there an free application for the iPAQ (I am a 3850 owner) that does what my old Psion used to do - please read below. BTW it is great that the Psion is back in production - if that is true.
Many moons ago - about 6 years past I used a Psion 3a. It had a built in dialer which was really useful for my job as a design co-ordinator as I was constantly ringing different offices and different engineers with their own speed-dial.
To use you found the contact from the address book, put the Psion next to the mouth piece of the phone and selected dial. The Psion would then beep notes into the earpiece and hey presto the number would ring.
I think you could also tell the Psion 3a whether you were at home or at the office and it would automatically add the 9 for an outside line if you were at the office.
The Psion also had a fantastic keyboard - which makes me think of a crazy idea - can the Psion communicate with the iPAQ via IR - i.e. an IR keyboard for the iPAQ - Psions can be picked up quite cheap. Probably a stupid suggestion but it just came to me in my lunchbreak.
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07-24-2002, 02:24 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Sure, there are many "dialer" apps for the Pocket PC - some of the first programs every released for it. Check Handango.com and you'll find some...I think Ilium Software had one too.
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07-24-2002, 04:17 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 138
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
Sure, there are many "dialer" apps for the Pocket PC - some of the first programs every released for it. Check Handango.com and you'll find some...I think Ilium Software had one too.
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It is also built into Agenda Fusion. www.developerone.com
/Timmy
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