A Touch of Genius
Today, Nuance Communications announced that its natural language technology will power the Genius Button and hands-free modes on the T-Mobile myTouch 4G. After pushing the Genius Button, and saying Turn hands-free mode on, users will be able to use voice commands to send and receive text messages, send email, search the Web, and more.
“What’s different as part of the myTouch 4G is the ability to initiate a text message, as well as reply to and send those messages via Hands-Free mode,” says Matt Revis, vice president of product management and marketing at Nuance. “Hands-Free mode also reads text messages aloud as they arrive, and now features caller announcement.”
In this mode, users can also have dictated messages read back to them, and can also then correct these messages using voice. The company says the Genius Button will make it easier for users to multistask.
Users will also be able to dictate anytime they use a keyboard, Revis points out, saying that Dragon Dictation is shipping right on the device as an input option. “To edit, users simply choose the area in the text box they need to adjust, and delete or add words either via the keyboard or with their voice. And it’s incredibly accurate. It’s based on the core technology from Dragon NaturallySpeaking, which is 99 percent accurate right out of the box.”
Nuance says its voice control is platform-agnostic, meaning that it will work with any mobile platform; its hybrid approach uses embedded and connected voice technology. “Our embedded technology enables the command and control of voice dialing, launching the text message, pulling up the Web interface, checking status, and others, while we leverage the connected technology for fast and accurate text dictation,” Revis says.
“T-Mobile’s Genius Button demonstrates how innovative voice capabilities can customize the smartphone experience and add significant consumer value right out of the box—no apps to download, just simple, one-button access to all your favorite apps and services,” Michael Thompson, senior vice president and general manager, Nuance Mobile, points out in a statement. “The T-Mobile myTouch 4G is the world’s first 4G phone to feature Nuance’s full breadth of intuitive, natural voice recognition and text-to-speech capabilities, including Hands-Free mode, which is revolutionizing mobile messaging. Working with T-Mobile, we plan to deliver mobile innovation to the consumer market for quite some time.”