Talking With Your Browser

Someone recently said that using Google has added 20 points to our IQ. Other than using Google, however, most of us use a browser the same way we used it ten years ago. We type a url and wait for the web server to return the requested page to us. Opera Software ASA is changing the model. In partnership with IBM Corporation, Opera has developed a new browser that will allow you to use your voice to request web pages -- and the browser will talk back to you. "Good morning, John. Where would you like to go". "Weather Underground", I might say. "What city?", the browser replies. "Phoenix, Arizona", I say. "Sunny and 92 degrees today. Tomorrow will be partly cloudy and 88. The next day will be sunny and 85". "Anything else?", the Opera browser says. "Technology News", I say. "Headlines", the browser responds. After reading the top ten stories, the browser says, "More headlines?". "Full story, I say". "Which story?". "Opera". The browser says...

"Opera Sings with IBM's Speech Technology: New version of Opera Embeds ViaVoice from IBM"
"Oslo, Norway and San Francisco, CA - Mar. 23, 2004"

"Today at AVIOS, SpeechTEK 2004, Opera Software announced the upcoming release of a multimodal desktop browser that incorporates IBM's Embedded ViaVoice speech technology. By leveraging IBM's voice libraries in this version of Opera, users can navigate, request information and even fill in Web forms using speech and other forms of input in the same interaction". (read full press release)

Internet Technology March 28, 2004 10:44 AM