Talk to Me

I am often asked about “talking computers.” It took me a while before I understood the question was not so much about computers that talk to you (voice out) – but about computers you talk to (voice in).

The concept is pretty fabulous; just tell the computer what to do. Forget about the screen, and the keyboard you can’t see, and pay no attention to that pesky mouse. This is what we all want, isn’t it, to give a command and have it carried out?

It is voice recognition that allows us to tell our phones who to call, ask 411 to give us a number, get schedule and fare information for trains or buses. The Mac OS lets us use some voice commands, Windows has built in a speech recognition feature, and Dragon programs are perceived as pure magic. They all require serious set up, and if you have trouble reading the screen, or operating a computer, you won’t get very far.

There is one person I know – only one --who uses a computer strictly with speech recognition. His name is Ben. He is not able to see the screen and was not previously a computer user. Yes, pretty remarkable, I would agree. What he doesn’t have in visual acuity he compensates for with pure tenacity.

Ben explored the Mac, and the PC, and Dragon – only to learn that they were not solutions for Ben. He came across assistive, third-party software called Guide and with a LOT of help from his family and friends, he began using it successfully to dictate emails and get to some web pages.

While he’s been happy to join the email generation and take a peek into the World Wide Web, Guide is no nirvana. It possesses the key characteristics of assistive, third-party programs – very glitchy and very pricey.

Ben dictated an email to me yesterday, telling me that he is getting ready to replace his computer and wanted to know if there is anything new that would do a better job for him. He thought we should show Guide to Apple and perhaps we could inspire their developers, who have proven to be the best of the best, to build us a comprehensive program that is as accessible, and as simple to operate as Voice Control in the iPhone.

I told Ben everybody wants exactly what he wants, and we will get it…soon. I’m sure Apple, Microsoft, IBM and many, many others are working diligently to make our wishes come true. It’s just not quite ready…yet.

There must be someone else out there, other than Ben, who has successfully integrated accessible speech recognition into their computing.

Talk to me ---tell me what you know.

The Seven Year Itch

For seven years I’ve been in a dysfunctional relationship --- with my personal computer. Yesterday, in Apple Fifth Avenue, I ended it. No one was surprised. My dissatisfaction was obvious, really from the beginning.

I must admit I’ve had my eye on Mac, for a while. To further explore my feelings, I schedule a date with a personal shopper, who would totally focus on my needs. We looked at the iMac desktop with a 27 inch screen. It’s not just a nice computer; this is a work of art. Apple’s Personal Shopper demonstrated its “Universal Access” essential to my computer use. Zoom enlarged everything on the screen to a size I can see. Voice Over is available to read out loud, upon request. Voice Control will allow me to ask the computer to go to my favorite websites. All of these features, built into the operating system, at no extra charge. (My ex, PC, required a third party assistive software license, at a cost of $700­­).

My personal shopping appointment was not pressured; I had as much time as I needed. There was no heavy sales pitch, no empty promises, just amazing product and incredible customer service. How could I help, but fall in love?

I should have known my relationship, with my last PC, was not going to work. In order to get it at all, I had to hire an IT Guy, at $85 an hour, to order the computer, from Del, and to set it up. This was my first mistake. We did not communicate well, I did not understand him. He did not understand me!

It was a replacement, and upgrade, so it should have been an improvement. It was a better computer with a bigger monitor. But it just didn’t work for me…the chemistry was gone. The reason it lasted so long is because I used it, almost exclusively, for iTunes, until it could hold no more.

Apple made it so easy to make the move. They told me the simplest way to do it --- if you don’t mind schlepping --- is to bring your PC to the Apple Store and they will transfer your files into the iMac, at no additional charge.

That’s what I did. Yes, it could not have been easier. This morning, less than 24 hours later, they called to say my iMac is ready.

There are no guarantees for success in a relationship, but this one already has a lot going in its favor, including a year of One-to-One therapy – I mean Training.

The iPhone Cometh

A few days ago, I became the proud owner and user of the iPhone 3GS. I walked into Apple Fifth Avenue and asked a specialist to show me the iPhone’s new features like VoiceOver and Voice Control, which enable access to the screen without seeing it. I was introduced to Ian, a personal shopper, who knew of these upgrades to the iPhone but had not experienced them himself -- until now. He enthusiastically grabbed a phone. We were then joined by Gilbert, an Apple specialist, and we let the festivities begin!

With the push of one external button and a voice command or two, dialing calls and getting music was ours for the asking. Then VoiceOver was turned on, and at the tip of my fingers was the reality of audible access that I only dreamed could be this good. We all burst into big, big smiles, again proving my point: Good for me, better for everyone!

Now I’m on the iPhone learning curve (which, incidentally, everyone must go through). Rhythm is required. It’s a little like learning to dance: one click to hear what button you’re on, and two clicks to activate it…one, two-three…one, two- three…now you’re dancing! I’m learning one step at a time. First, I’ll master the waltz: sending, receiving calls, retrieving voicemail and managing contacts. Then I’ll learn to tango: texting (a first for me), music, e-mail, photos, videos, recordings. Then, I’ll conquer the world -- I’m sure there’s an app for that!

I’m still smiling.

Let me tell you again. I walked into an Apple store and bought the iPhone 3GS, the same phone that everyone buys. In the same store. And at the same price. No extra charge for the special features I need, they’re built in for everyone. Never thought being like everyone else could be so good.

For this, I give Apple a standing ovation!

Get Me to an Xbox

Never did I think I would be interested in Xbox ---- until now. The New York Times reported Microsoft’s Xbox Live entertainment service will allow subscribers to access television and video content right from their Xbox 3600 console.

Okay, so that’s nice, but not enough to get me on an Xbox.

I continue to read and learn you can search for the programming you want with Voice Commands. Yes, that’s right; just tell your Xbox what you want to watch – verbally.

Apparently I am not the only one having difficulty operating (the now almost archaic) remote control and cable programming guides. The clunky old cable box may soon be an antiquity.

“In a demonstration of the technology last week at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Wash., Michael Suraci, director of marketing for Xbox Live, told an Xbox to “Bing Sandra Bullock,” which promptly found “The Blind Side,” “Crash” and several other movies starring the actress that were available through various sources of video on Xbox Live.”

“Mr. Suraci also used a sequence of voice commands to switch to an app for Verizon’s FiOS TV, within which he could flip among live channels by using more voice commands or a swiping motion with his hands.”

Now I have one very important question. Does it talk back?

Read the New York Times article:
“Xbox Live Challenges Cable Box”

Ground Control to Major Tom

I like to talk about technology. I claim no technical acumen; I am the voice of the purely average user. I do not speak, or understand, tech talk, but I do have tremendous respect for those who do. I just hope and pray they do not speak “geek” to me.

A good technology experience can put you over the moon, without requiring a degree in rocket science. I find no joy in tinkering or toiling over a computer or electronic device, and I know I’ve got trouble when I continually default to the ‘shut down and reboot’.

Last week I decided it was high time I deal with some chronic problems I was encountering with a very important computer program, critical to my work. I had been shutting down and rebooting for months, and felt empowered as I sent off an email to the support desk, anticipating that my problems would be magically corrected with the checking, or un-checking, of an obscure box or two.

The very prompt and polite response appeared to come from another planet, in a completely unfamiliar language. However, it did give me an answer to my problems: I’ll just continue to live with them.

Below, is just a portion, of the alien instructions I received…

“1. Click on the Start button
2. Click on Control Panel
3. If you are using Windows XP Category view click on Sounds, Speech and Audio Devices (if you are using Windows Classic view skip to step 4) 4. Click or Double Click if you skipped step 3) on Sounds and Audio Devices 5. Select the Audio tab 6. Make sure that "Use only default devices" is unchecked 7. Click the OK button

Look for a file called tts.ini. Its location is the following:
C:\\Program Files\\ZoomText 9.1. Open the file in notepad. Look for something in that file that looks like what I have below:

[TextToSpeech]
EnableOnlyDefinedTTS=0

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Speech\\Voices\\Tokens\\VW
Kate 16k]
comment=NeoSpeech Kate - AiSquared engine
VALID=1
FAMILY_GUID=4C46D835-4C95-4b15-9147-48939B6060D3
VOICE_GUID=A7D57D51-E96D-4a0b-97C6-BEC1544F5E8A
ENGINE_NAME=NeoSpeech English [Ai Squared (v2)] ENGINE_NAME_LOW=NeoSpeech English [Ai Squared (v2)] VOICE_NAME=Kate DESCRIPTION=
PBR_RATE=35
PBR_PERIOD=100
PBR_STEP=0
COLUMNPAUSE

In the section that has the following: EnableOnlyDefinedTTS=0 change it to read this:

EnableOnlyDefinedTTS=1

Then save the changes and do a reboot and then see if that helps.”

THEN, TAKE YOUR PROTEIN PILLS AND PUT YOUR HELMET ON!

Make It So

I spoke with a Microsoft executive last year about the inaccessible nature of Speech Recognition in Windows Vista. I was excited by the prospects presented by Microsoft – “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.”

I expected it to work. Seemed like a natural for people with impaired vision. Unfortunately, it was not up to the task, and my friend at Microsoft told me that I was expecting “Star Trek Technology” and they were not quite there yet.

All I could think of were the words used by Captain Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek, when commanding his crew to execute an order --- “Make it so!”
I know, we are not on the Starship Enterprise, but it is 2010 and there are a few things that cannot wait for the next generation:

Speech Recognition is still at the top of my list. I want an easy to access program built right into my computer. We can, after all, get movie tickets, conduct banking transactions, and pay our bills, at this point, just by speaking into the phone. Ford put Sync in cars to dial the phone or find our favorite music. It’s high time our computer can do the same.

The Kindle should make those menus talk!
In order to enjoy the text-to-speech feature, I must find the publication I want to read, but the print is not big enough, so I need it to speak. I can live with the Authors Guild restrictions, but I cannot use a Kindle without spoken menus.

Mobile phones should make their menus talk too! Not such a leap, if Apple could make it happen on a touch screen iPhone, it’s time to make it a build in option in all phones.

Give me access to the GPS that is apparently in mobile phones, at the touch of a button, I want to hear my exact location: You are on the northeast corner of Seventh Avenue at 24th Street.

The DVR (Digital Video Recorder) needs a voice as well. I want to DVR my favorite programs, like everyone else. Then again, will Web TV make the DVR mute?

I want to hear from the bar code scanners, too, in the grocery store, the drug store, the department store. It should just be standard…like the talking ATM.

Make it so.