All: Check "Americas Network" magazine Prediction #6 for 2001 as the year Voice Recognition Takes Off!!!
6: The emergence of voice recognition technology
Internet penetration is at 43% in the US. This country is still far from having a
PC in every home, and penetration is even lower worldwide. For many
would-be users, the Internet is a confusing place, and today’s browsers don’t
make navigating it any easier.
Voice-enabled technology will change that. Imagine simply telling your PC, or
some other sort of ’Net appliance, what you’re looking for.
While barking commands at networked devices might seem rather
Jetson-esque, it’s closer than one might think. Frost & Sullivan projects the
telephony-based speech software market to reach $170 million by 2006, and
Datacomm Research predicts that more than 2 billion people will use Internet
voice portals, voice-enabled Websites and Web-based interactive voice
response systems by 2005.
Meanwhile, "voice portals" are picking up speed. Yahoo! and America Online
provide free access via a toll-free number to Web content that has been
reformatted for voice-based services, such as e-mail, weather reports, sports
scores and stock quotes. Niche sites such as BeVocal, HeyAnita and Tellme
focus on travelers, providing flight information, driving directions and restaurant
listings.
As voice recognition takes off, expect it to be bundled with location technology
and targeted at wireless customers. An FCC mandate required that wireless
carriers implement location technology in October to support emergency
services. Smart carriers are realizing that the technology also can provide new
revenue streams. A subscriber traveling in an unfamiliar city could use his
wireless phone to request a list of nearby restaurants – or the system could
recommend a restaurant, based on past requests or a personal profile. George
Jetson never had it so good.
americasnetwork.com
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