Windows Vista Update

Microsoft's take on Speech Recognition:

Windows Speech Recognition in Windows Vista empowers users to interact with their computers by voice. It was designed for people who want to significantly limit their use of the mouse and keyboard while maintaining or increasing their overall productivity. You can dictate documents and emails in mainstream applications, use voice commands to start and switch between applications, control the operating system, and even fill out forms on the Web.

Windows Speech Recognition is a new feature in Windows Vista, built using the latest Microsoft speech technologies. Windows Vista Speech Recognition provides excellent recognition accuracy that improves with each use as it adapts to your speaking style and vocabulary. Speech Recognition is available in English (U.S.), English (U.K.), German (Germany), French (France), Spanish (Spain), Japanese, Chinese (Traditional), and Chinese (Simplified).

With Windows Speech Recognition, you are empowered right from the start; a guided setup and an interactive training experience familiarize you with key concepts and commands. Windows Speech Recognition also features an innovative, natural user interface that efficiently assists you in controlling your computer by voice. Whether you are starting an application, selecting a word, or correcting a sentence, you are always in control and Windows Speech Recognition smoothly guides you to completing the task at hand.

Windows Speech Recognition—Key Features

Features	Description
Commanding	"Say what you see" commands allow you to naturally control applications and complete tasks, such as formatting and saving documents; opening and switching between applications; and opening, copying, and deleting files. You can even browse the Internet by saying the names of links.Featured in demo
Correction	Efficiently fix incorrectly recognized words by selecting form alternatives for the dictated phrase or word or by spelling the word. Featured in demo
Dictation	Dictate emails and documents and make corrections and save your work by voice. Featured in demo
Disambiguation	Easily resolve ambiguous situations with a user interface for clarification. When you say a command that can be interpreted in multiple ways, the system clarifies what you intended.
"How do I" help (U.S. English only)	You can say "How do I" followed by a task you want to perform with your computer. For example, "How do I change my desktop background?"
Innovative user interface	The new user interface provides a simple and efficient experience for dictating and editing text, correcting mistakes, and controlling your computer by voice.
Interactive tutorial	The Interactive speech recognition tutorial teaches you how to use Windows Vista Speech Recognition and teaches the recognition system what your voice sounds like. Learn how
Personalization (adaptation)	Ongoing adaptation to both your speaking style and accent continually improves speech recognition accuracy. Learn how
Support for multiple languages	English (United States), English (United Kingdom, German (Germany), French (France), Spanish (Spain), Japanese, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese.