April 2007

Magazine Features

Audio Search and Mining: A Look at Unstructured Data

Members of the audio search and mining industry find a voice for search.

Not Everyone Has a Phone Voice

The right voice is everything on an IVR, auto attendant, automatic call distributor, or voicemail system.

The Art and Science of War

U.S. forces in Iraq are stepping up field testing of speech translation devices.

Deployments

Another Perk for Frequent Flyers

South African Airways improves customer service with upgraded IVR.

Planning a Trip in Austin Just Got Easier

City's transit authority rolls out IVR to handle basic bus information.

Telecom New Zealand Gets Its Self-Service in Ship-Shape

TNZ takes its IVR by the helm and steers clear of bad customer experiences.

Editor's Letter

Blend Art with Science

Forward Thinking

e-Banking Security

Passwords and PINs are not enough as a single layer of defense

Human Factor

Is Your VUI Out of Tune?

Testing prompts for functional effectiveness is a fundamental tuning activity

A View from AVIOS

Boring Is OK, but Exciting Is Better

The time has come for a new era in speech

Voice Value

Innovative Research in the Labs, Part VII: SpeechCycle

SpeechCycle is young, but it still brings together innovative research and experienced speech scientists to deliver valuable products

Speech Solutions

.NET Tools

A number of tools are available to more smoothly and easily program and coordinate speech-based applications on the .NET platform.

FYI

IVR Security Is A Necessary Evil

British firm Biometric Security warned last month that the unceasing need for customers to remember new PINs and passwords is becoming unsustainable and could lead to customer churn.

Nuance Will Acquire BeVocal

Speech and imaging solutions supplier Nuance Communications continues the acquisition tidal wave that began with its purchase of Lernout & Hauspie in 2001.

Voicemail-to-Text Goes Wireless

Cincinnati Bell is becoming the first U.S. wireless carrier to offer a service that converts wireless voicemail messages into text messages or email.

VoiceXML Solutions Are Easy to Find

In response to the growing demand for speech solutions based on the VoiceXML platform, the VoiceXML Forum has released an online directory of solutions and providers.