Microsoft
execs have indicated to the press that part of the problem with the Vista
version of Windows was too many silos, a lack of communication between groups
developing aspects of the operating system. The company is seeking to avoid
that problem with speech technology. Zig Serafin is General Manager of the "Speech
at Microsoft Group" and is responsible for both integrating the groups doing
speech R&D at Microsoft and its Tellme
subsidiary plus evangelizing and delivering speech solutions for some of
Microsoft's most critical products.
Two years ago, Microsoft acquired Tellme Networks
and has subsequently merged Microsoft?s speech development team (formerly the
Speech Components Group) with Tellme to form the Speech at Microsoft group. Recent
examples of the importance of speech technology at Microsoft are its inclusion
in Windows 7, with apps for end users and access for outside developers (p. 10),
its inclusion in Microsoft Exchange 2010 (p. 12), and Tellme's release of new
interactive outbound calling solutions for customer service (p. 8).
"Voice is the new touch," says Serafin. "It's
the natural evolution from keyboards and touch screens. Today, speech is
rapidly becoming an expected part of our everyday experience across a variety
of devices. Bill Gates articulated this vision a decade ago, and we're seeing
it happen today."
Microsoft cites examples such as the Ford Sync, with in-dash voice-activated
navigation and search supported by Microsoft and Tellme. Bing for Mobile and
new Windows Mobile phones such as the Samsung
Intrepid from Sprint are all
voice-enabled. The Intrepid is the first Windows phone to use Microsoft?s
Tellme voice user interface. Intrepid users simply press the Tellme button on
the phone and say what they want?speak a search query, dictate a text message, or
dial/text a friend by speaking their name.
The Bing for Mobile application is a free
version of Bing with voice-enabled search. Using this application, people
simply speak their search query to retrieve results on their Windows phone. The
Bing 411 service works for any phone. People call 1-800-Bing-411, speak their
search (or request other information, SSN, September 2009, p. 6), and hear the
results or get a text message for later access.
Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of the Online
Services Division at Microsoft, noted, "When you're on the go, using only
keystrokes to search can be cumbersome, especially if you?re multi-tasking. It
takes over 20 strokes of the keypad to find a restaurant on the Web. With Bing
for Mobile or Bing 411, you simply speak your query to get results quickly,
easily and safely. Using your voice to simply "say what you want and get it:"
helps you do more when you're in a mobile scenario."
Larry Heck, the new chief scientist for the
Speech at Microsoft group (p. 49), said, "Speech belongs in the cloud. Only
there can you reach the scale, the enormous volume of interactions required to
create a speech system capable of rivaling human understanding. With the
formation of the Speech at Microsoft group, the unrivaled breadth of our
platform today, and our cloud-based approach, this future is within sight."
"For perhaps the first time in the history of Microsoft, we
have our world-class speech scientists and highly respected
software-plus-services experts under one roof, and I believe the resulting
collaboration will lead to path-breaking innovation," emphasized Serafin. "The
climate in our R&D environment is optimally charged to accelerate advances,
leverage the power of software plus services, and revolutionize the ways
customers interact with a wide range of Microsoft products."
