Microsoft tests tools to make the Web talk
- Posted:
- 12:48 08 May 2002
- Topics:
- Web Browsers | Internet Portals & Search
As expected, the company made available the beta version of its .Net Speech SDK (Software Development Kit) Version 1.0. Used with Microsoft's Visual Studio .Net developer tools, the SDK is designed to add voice to the list of methods for inputting data, which includes the mouse, keyboard and stylus.
The tools are intended to "help jump start the industry" for building speech-enabled Web applications, such as an airline Web site that allows users to make reservations by talking into a microphone on their computer, said James Mastan, group product manager for Microsoft's .net speech technologies group.
ADVERTISEMENT
The .Net Speech SDK can be used on an existing Web application developed with Microsoft's popular developer tools, a benefit that Mastan said would spur its use.
Features of the SDK include workspaces for programming applications, as well as for creating the spoken questions and answers that a voice-enabled application would need to understand.
The tools come with a test release of a voice-enabled version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser. That software, which will be made generally available to end users with the final release of Microsoft's tools, will allow developers to test the applications they build.
The final version of the .Net Speech SDK is expected to be released by the middle of next year, according to Mastan. That version will also be capable of building voice-enabled Web applications that can be accessed through Pocket Internet Explorer, Microsoft's Web browser for small computing devices.
