Yesterday I have opportunity for first time use Voice Control built in Windows 7 and I would like to share my experience with you.
At first, there was 15 min intro about learning how to use voice control. Ok, I have made it somehow through, but it was not one of the most user friendly learning sessions. After that you can train you voice control by reading bunch of sentences about how voice control is awesome.
At least, when you make it to the real control of system, here it goes. I must really appreciate this "show numbers" command, which practically will show number over each GUI element and just by saying numbers you can navigate. I can not imagine such navigation in open-space lab, but whatever. So system control GUI is pretty good.
Next part of voice control is dictating, when you are saying text and it is actually typed on the screen. Here Microsoft claims that speaking is faster than typing. And yes, they are right, but fixing errors after voice recognition software takes you much more time than typing. This can be caused also by my bad accent, but should not recognition count also with that?
Ok, now when we are over short review, lets take a look about good use of voice control. While I was lying in bad and thinking, how voice control could help you and few things come into my mind. And perhaps Google will implement some of them someday :-). First of all voice control allows you to multi-task. You can be typing on a keyboard and at the same time you can make a note. Or better use, you let copy files and at the same time you are playing a game, but some of the files are in conflict and this nice windows with: replace, skip, cancel is show. Here instead of breaking your game you can just after voice reader reads that message say yes. Full screen applications are currently mostly games, so yes, use for games would be handy. Another example, you are playing a game and just in you have remind, that you must send an e-mail, you can do that by voice, while still playing. This is nice use for desktop applications.
Another story are mobile applications. In current world of smart phones and hands free this wont be such a big deal, but it could be nice to have sth. like this. Imagine you are just talking wit somebody and you are NOT using hands free. This person have just say you, that you will met at 8:00 pm at main square, you want to continue the call and at the same tame make notation about the meeting, what to do? You will just press voice control button and you will say: new event 8:00 pm at main square. And here we go, new event has been added to you calendar.
Anyway, why is not Google working on software, which will analyze context of spoken language, so it could automatically offer options, when someone say you his number, in case of appointment and a lot of others, which could be used in combination of Google calendar, contacts and many others.
So Google, go for it!
