The Philips Speech Processing unit of Philips Electronics [NYSE:PHG] has announced a continuous-speech
recognition technology for home or small office PC use that it will retail over the Web for $39. Ron van den
Bos, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Speech Processing business unit, called the
software, dubbed FreeSpeech 98, "high-end speech technology at a price everyone can afford."
Philips spokesperson Matt Van Vleet told Newsbytes, "This software is a great experience out of the box.
We've been marketing professional-level speech recognition systems for years, and that experience shows
up in FreeSpeech 98 in ways a user wouldn't necessarily even notice. It really is a great product."
FreeSpeech 98 uses natural continuous speech recognition for dictation and voice commands for application
control. The idea is to let users create, edit, format documents, and control the general Windows environment
by speaking directly to the computer by microphone, with no unnatural pauses needed between words.
The software helps a user proofread using a patented synchronous playback feature, said Van Vleet. It reads
words and sentences back to the user while simultaneously highlighting the selection. This lets a user "proof"
text and make changes by voice only. Words can be replaced by choosing from an alternative word list, as if
using a typical spell check feature in hands-free mode, the firm said. "The program works best with good
Windows citizen software," said Van Vleet. "It's fully integrated into Microsoft Office but you can dictate into
almost any Windows application. Office works extremely well. If you're in Netscape or in a chatroom, you can
say 'smilie' or 'winkie,' or whatever, and it sends the symbols. You really have to see it in action to appreciate
all the little touches."
The firm offers a headset microphone with mute buttons to avoid recording the user's voice inappropriately,
for example, during phone conversations. However, the software also can be voice-toggled into a sleeping
state so the Philips headset is strictly optional, Van Vleet said. FreeSpeech 98 will "go live," as Van Vleet put
it, June 15 on the firms World Wide Web site at freespeech98.com . Visitors can order a free
CD-ROM at the site and then have seven days to trial the program, Van Vleet told Newsbytes. At any time
during the trial, a user may return to the site, register the program by credit card or free 800-number phone
call for $39 and receive a permanent registration number.
(Craig Menefee, Newsbytes)
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