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Voice-Op Linux PDA

Posted by michael on from the no-more-RSI dept.

Anonymous Coward writes "At http://www.the-times.co.uk/interface/dailyextra5.html is news of a voice-operated Linux handheld computer to be announced at CeBit next week. Sounds cool!" Oh yeah. Until someone shouts out, "ARRR-EMMM ARRR-EFFF STAR!" Then we'll see who's laughing.

3 of 104 comments (clear)

  1. Voice-recognition pitfalls by acb · · Score: 4

    I recall reading once (in Risks perhaps?) about a workplace where they were testing voice recognition. All was well until a disgruntled employee walked down the corridor, shouting "FILE! EXIT! NO!", with predictable results.

  2. Heh, how about this? by guran · · Score: 4
    If you enter the DeCSS code (code != speech according to some judge) via a speech recognition device...

    Would *that* qualify as "free speech"?

    Seriously, Voice interfaces probably have a very limited usage. Some disabled would benefit (much). Hands free applications are very useful in cars and such, but typing is generally less tiresome.

    Sure many people type faster than they speak (at least if it is to be interpretable by a machine) but the main problem is that speaking for an hour is very tiresome (and irritating for those around), and commands by voice are difficult compared to mouse and keyboard. ("Swap those two words,... three sentences back" as opposed to drag and drop or the arrow key dance.).

    Still cool is always cool...

    --

    All opinions are my own - until criticized

  3. Voice recognition is useful for a PDA by oren · · Score: 4
    I don't grok the objections people raise to voice recognition. Sure, a keyboard is a better interface for VI and a mouse is a better interface for GIMP. So?


    The killer applications for a PDA are the contact info, schedule, and memos - in general, maintaining a database made of records with a small amount of data in each field. Short messaging (integrated with E-mail) too, I guess - still small amount of data. Everything else is bells and whistles. People do not write long texts on a PDA - they use laptops, or at least buy one of the nifty folding keyboards for their PDA. People do not run GIMP on a PDA.


    For these killer apps, a voice API is great: "show today's schedule". "new meeting, March 14th, at 10, with L&H". "new memo: buy milk for santa". "new expense: the L&H account, 112$, business lunch". "show contact Joe". "Message to Jane: Lunch at 2?".


    I'd expect you'll need to push a button to make the PDA listen - I wouldn't like one which listens all the time (it might make sense for a desktop system but not for a PDA). I also expect you'd still have a touch-sensitive display, and be able to use a stylus for menu navigation and writing. Just like desktop systems did not give up the keyboard when they got the mouse!


    Something like the "Itsy" would be perfect for the above. Take my REX-PRO and add handwriting recognition like the Palm's and voice recognition like the above and you end up with the perfect PDA. The only possible improvement would be integrating it with a cellular phone, or maybe with a holographic projector :-)


    Obviously working on the voice UI would take a lot of effort to get right. I predict the initial offering - by L&H or whoever - will flop like the Newton, to be followed by a Palm-like successor which would get it right.


    And both L&H and Compaq know this. Thats why they are both using Linux; writing a voice UI that works is a classical open source "itch to scratch". They'll be able to obsolete the first generation software and replace it with a second open-sourced generation - while maintaining the same hardware platform, escaping the Newton's fate. Good move for them, good move for us, bad news for Microsoft :-)