Nuance Rolls Out Dragon Dictation and Dragon Search Apps in Saudi Arabia
Nuance Dragon Dictation and Dragon Search applications for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad are now available for free in Saudi Arabia in the Apple App Store, supporting the Standard Arabic language.
The launch marks the first deployment of Standard Arabic Dragon voice recognition for iOS applications, and the debut of the Dragon apps in the Middle East. According to a recent Arab Advisors survey of mobile phone users in Saudi Arabia, 47 percent of respondents who use applications prefer to use them in the Arabic language. iPhones make up 40 percent of all smartphone operating systems in Saudi Arabia.
"We are very excited to bring the power of voice to Saudi Arabia via Dragon Dictation and Dragon Search, marking our debut in the Middle East as part of a response to global demand for voice interfaces and applications," Anil Kumar, regional director, Nuance Middle East and Balkans, said in a statement. "With availability in twenty-nine countries, Dragon Dictation and Dragon Search make it incredibly easy for mobile consumers all over the world to bring their ideas to life by just speaking."
Dragon Dictation is iOS-5 compatible and features a pop-up toolbar with app icons that enable users to send their dictated text to email, SMS, Facebook, Twitter, or the clipboard. Dragon Dictation also includes an auto save function that retains dictated text when the user is interrupted by an incoming phone call.
Dragon Search is now also available in the Saudi Arabia App Store, allowing users to speak any search query in Standard Arabic to find information and answers on the mobile Web. Dragon Search is the only app to feature Nuance's Dragon Search Carousel, which delivers search results across multiple channels all at once including Google, Yahoo!, Twitter, iTunes, Wikipedia, and YouTube.