Book People Archive

Re: Clarification

On Mon, 22 Oct 2001, Joseph Esposito wrote:

> I snipped the following from a discussion thread:
>
> > The first steps on that road will be taken
> later this year when Microsoft adds support for text to speech to its
> Pocket PC 2002 operating system.
>
> Has this in fact been confirmed?  This is a big deal, IMHO.  Does anyone
> know if this is purely a client solution, or does the application presuppose
> an Internet connection (server solution)?  And related to these questions
> is, Does the Pocket PC operating system now or as planned include Microsoft
> Reader?
>

Here are a few things I clipped that might be of interest re: this subject:


ETextViewer displays text as a single-page scrolling view with a cursor,
which is useful when used in conjunction with text-to-speech applications.
Main features are the ability to open very large files; automated text
scrolling; full user customisation of the viewing environment (includes
font styles and margins); text reformatting to remove hard returns,
and saving of all user settings.  On start up, ETextViewer will
automatically open the file you were reading at the position where
it was left.  It also allows for setting of up to 5 bookmarks per book
and saves a history of 20 books.
(Software by Julie Brazier - fractl@[redacted]

SAYING GOODBYE TO THE STYLUS
Technologists at IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center and other
speech recognition labs are pioneering new software that makes the
handheld computer a voice-computing platform. Such computers are
able to accept voice commands and reply to questions. Currently,
IBM has succeeded in equipping Palm and Compaq PDAs and other
handhelds with microphones, speakers, and extra processing power
so that they can be operated without a stylus. This approach
capitalizes on recent improvements in battery life and processing
power. The strategy differs from that of Microsoft, which favors
wireless connections between handhelds and central processors
that translate voice data. Meanwhile, speech software company
Voice Signal Technologies has succeeded in compacting its voice
recognition software to about one megabyte of memory, letting
handhelds process e-mail dictation.
(New York Times, 11 October 2001)

HANDSPRING TO DEBUT ALL-IN-ONE UNIT
Handspring announced its new line of handheld organizers that will
incorporate built-in cell phone, Web-browsing and e-mail features. The
all-in-one Treo devices, which will hit the shelves in early 2002, could
help revitalize the sluggish PDA market, analysts say. "Over the past year,
of all othe devices that have come out -- the Palms, the Handsprings, the
Pocket PCs -- all of them have given current users very little reason to
upgrade," says an IDC analyst. The Treo 180 features a tiny keyboard
similar to those used in e-mail pagers and the Treo 180g uses Palm's
Graffiti handwriting recognition system. Both weigh 5.4 ounces and are
priced at $399. A color-screen version, the Treo 270, is tentatively priced
at $599 and will be available by mid-2002. (AP 15 Oct 2001)
http://news.excite.com/news/ap/011015/00/handspring-pda-phone


TALK TO THE PALM
Engineers at IBM's Watson Research Center are developing a speech system
small enough to reside on a Palm PDA. The personal speech assistant, as one
example is called, enables the user to give voice commands and receive
answers to questions such as "How do you feel?" (Answer: "My battery power
is at 83%.") Meanwhile, voice recognition technology company Lernout &
Hauspie plans to release software called PDSay, which consumers will be
able to download into newer Compaq iPaq devices. Other companies, including
SpeechWorks and Voice Signal, also have developed embedded speech systems
for handheld computers, which should be available next year. (New York
Times 11 Oct 2001)
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/11/technology/circuits/11VOIC.html


Sorry, there was another one describing a 1M voice recognition program
for the PDAs, etc., but I can't find it. . . .