With the recent release of Windows Phone 7.5 Mango, Microsoft has begun to show off its features. In an official blog post, the company showcases the new voice-to-text capabilities that will be available in Windows Phone 7.5 Mango that is sure to be a game changer.
According to Microsoft, Mango will have the ability to read out tech messages and accept voice commands and transcriptions. Microsoft gives an example of this feature and mentions how it can improve your driving experience as well. While driving and playing music from a WP7.5 Mango handset, a new text message comes in:
WP: [music pauses]You have a text message from Cody Pardi. You can say read it or ignore.
Me: Read it.
WP: “When will you be home?” You can say reply, call or I’m done.
Me: Reply.
WP: Say your message.
Me: “In about 20 minutes.”
WP: [The phone transcribes and repeats the message] You can say send, try again, or I’m done.
Me: Send. [music resumes]
Microsoft states that this is obviously a “game changer because it felt natural to use while driving” without being distracted. In an attempt to set the platform apart from other competitors, this new voice-to-text feature in Mango makes it seamless to call someone or find a local restaurant.
The voice-to-text feature utalizes the Microsoft Tellme cloud service for voice recognition and transcription. From what Microsoft says, “no one else has it.” The service itself is smart and has the ability to learn from itself and improve recognition and transcription accuracy over time, without any updates or additional software. The feature “will just get better and better as more people use it.”
Mango, which was released to manufacturers not that long ago, will have this new voice-to-text feature that allows you to make a phone call by saying a name, redial a number, call your voicemail, search Bing, turn on the speakerphone, start an app while in a call, and navigate your maps. Take a look at the demonstration below:
Further reading: Mango, Windows Phone 7
