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Voice

New Microsoft software can translate voices into foreign languages

March 12th, 2012

Researchers at Microsoft have created software that can translate a user’s voice into a foreign languages, a solution with the potential to revolutionize communications, MIT’s Technology Review reported on Monday. “We will be able to do quite a few scenario applications,” said Microsoft researcher Frank Soong. “For a monolingual speaker traveling in a foreign country, we’ll …

Google to launch pilot program for Android-based HUD glasses

February 6th, 2012

Google has reportedly been hard at work developing glasses with a built-in heads-up display (HUD) on one lens. The glasses reportedly look very similar to Oakley’s Thump sunglasses, which allowed users to load songs onto a small flash drive and listen to tunes through integrated ear buds. According to 9to5Google, the glasses will be equipped …

Inspired by Siri’s success, Nuance acquires Vlingo

December 20th, 2011

Nuance announced on Tuesday that it plans to acquire Vlingo, a voice-to-text and voice recognition technology firm that was once the subject of a Nuance lawsuit. Nuance senior manager Mike Thompson said the decision was made after his company realized there’s a $5 billion market opportunity as demand increases for voice engine products such as …

Google Voice calls within U.S. and Canada free for another year

December 13th, 2011

Google on Tuesday announced that calls placed within the United States and Canada using Google Voice will continue to be free through the end of 2012. “This is our way of helping you connect with friends and family across the country,” Group Product Manager Vincent Paquet wrote on a company blog. Google stated last year that …

Amazon quietly acquires Yap in clear bid to combat Siri

November 9th, 2011

Amazon recently quietly purchased Yap, a Charlotte-based company that specializes in voice-to-text technology. CLTBlog, a Charlotte-focused website, discovered a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that doesn’t actually name Amazon as the purchaser of Yap, but it does attribute the acquisition to a company called “Dion Acquisition Sub,” and the “Surviving Corporation” listed …

Sprint says tablets need voice to succeed

November 9th, 2011

As also-ran media tablets continue to launch in rapid succession, Sprint says slates are missing a key ingredient needed before consumers will bite: voice. Sprint’s director of business product marketing Jeff Adelmann believes that before tablets can be widely adopted, they need cellular connectivity and telephony capabilities that are far more deeply integrated than current third-party solutions. …

New carrier to offer $19 unlimited voice, text and data on November 8th

November 2nd, 2011

A new wireless carrier named Republic Wireless, a part of Bandwidth.com, will begin to offer unlimited voice, text and data plans on November 8th for just $19 per month. How is that possible? Republic Wireless will route calls and text messages over Wi-Fi networks when available, and when you’re outside of one it will send …

Google Translate for Android now supports 14 languages [video]

October 13th, 2011

Google updated its Translate application for Android devices on Thursday with support for 11 additional languages as part of a major update. The application will now translate and speak English, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Russian and Turkish. Google originally launched the conversation feature of Google Translate …

Mock-up shows off iOS 5 ‘Assistant’ voice controls [video]

September 30th, 2011

Apple’s Siri and Nuance-powered “Assistant” voice control feature expected to launch with iOS 5 has hardly been a secret, and now MacRumors has commissioned a video mock-up of the service based on what we know so far. The video shows, for example, that a user might be able to hold down the home button to …

Verizon to ‘Unleash’ $50 unlimited prepaid plan this week

September 13th, 2011

In an effort to edge in on MetroPCS and Sprint-owned Boost and Virgin Mobile, Verizon Wireless will introduce a brand new $50 monthly prepaid this week that includes unlimited text, talk and web, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. The new plan, which first launched back in April as “Unleashed” in limited markets, will …