Help for voice recognition mess
Lernout and Hauspie's newly patented technology distinguishes user commands from text dictation without the user manually shifting from one mode to the other.
Voice recognition software, one of the fastest growing consumer software sectors, has been criticized for its spotty accuracy in early versions, and L&H in particular has been criticized for its inability to seamlessly shift from text dictation applications to file management commands.
L&H's newly patented technology distinguishes user commands from text dictation without the user manually shifting from one mode to the other, the company says.
In a report issued earlier this year by Fisher-Holstein, Voice Xpress' accuracy dropped because the product had a hard time distinguishing between commands and text--precisely the area the new patent purports to improve.
"The program did not always successfully determine whether the user's words were intended to be commands or dictation," concluded the report. However, many other voice recognition applications do not allow users to do both file management and word processing, said Roger Lanctot, an analyst at PC Data.
"Voice Xpress allows you to navigate around your computer, as well as dictate in Microsoft Word," Lanctot said. "The area is so young, it's still possible to come in with a different angle or approach, which L&H clearly has, and find a potentially different market."