Tech Shout!

Microsoft has announced that it will distribute Windows Speech Recognition in eight different languages as part of Windows Vista. This is the first time that its chief operating system would incorporate the technology. Vista users will be able to issue commands and dictate text in applications. The technology will support U.S. English, U.K. English, traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese, Japanese, German, French and Spanish languages upon release.

The software giant also intends to include Speech Server 2007 into Office Communications Server 2007, canceling the individual product. However, Microsoft says it will continue to support current Speech Server 2004 customers until 2014.

The Redmond company detailed the roadmap changes at the SpeechTEK 2006 conference in New York, where it demonstrated the new technologies, which the company says are immensely enhanced over previous generations. The idea is to lessen mouse and keyboard usage to boost productivity.

Windows Vista will direct users through a training process, in which the operating system optimizes speech recognition for their voice.

Anoop Gupta, corporate vice president of the Unified Communications Group at Microsoft said, “The integration of this proven, reliable technology into Office Communications Server further demonstrates Microsoft’s commitment to providing our customers and partners with a truly unified communications solution and platform.”

Office Communications Server 2007, which will serve as Microsoft’s new unified communications center when it ships next year, will offer speech APIs for developers who can create applications and build additional revenue streams using the functionality.

The speech technologies in Windows Vista, which is available in eight languages, allows users to interact with their computer by voice, and dictate documents and email messages in mainstream applications, fill forms on the web, and command applications and the operating system.