Microsoft has released to developers a test version of its tools
for building applications that can be controlled over the Internet
using voice commands.
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.
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.