Nuance extends offer for shares of rival Zi

Speech-recognition software maker Nuance Communications said Friday it will extend its all-cash offer to acquire Zi Corp. by an additional two weeks.
In August, Nuance first offered to purchase Canada-based Zi for 80 cents per share. That offer was rejected and in November Nuance made a repriced offering of 40 cents per share, based on the deteriorating economic environment.
The company said Friday it has extended the offer to Feb. 13, from a prior closing date of Jan. 30. [click heading for more]

twit 2 who? Stephen Fry of course...

I was pondering the content of this article a few weeks ago, trying to get to grips with what it might mean to be a society of fully mobile individuals, always-on, always-connected. I can't help but feel it has the potential to change us - for better or worse - because it fundamentally alters the way we share and transmit information and engage with each other. Could it be so significant that the importance of the written word elevates itself above that of our innate desire to speak?

This pondering was, of course, all before our beloved Stephen Fry appeared on Jonathan Ross' talk show (23rd Jan 2009) and reminded us all how much of a twitterer he is. With reckless disregard for the consquences I logged onto Mr. Fry's twitter stream to discover a witty and joyful microscopic bi-hourly stream of what it is to be living the Fry-life, being followed by over 60,000 intrigued individiuals. Naturally I added one to their number (and it has since increased enormously).

At the time of writing, Mr Fry is 2nd in the twitter kingdom for his impressive Followship, while a certain Mr. Obama undeservingly heads the leader board (with a tragically small amount of actual content).

So immediately my mind turned to the thoughts I had been having previously, and to considering what influence does a man with an iphone and 100,000 voyeurs actually wield? What purpose and meaning is in it all? What is it we crave when we spectate on such a beloved figure in such touching detail. And how do we make sense of the paradox of such intimacy, yet such distance and remoteness? Is it doing something to our psyche?

While it remains one of my dearest aspirations to have Mr. Fry over for tea sometime (a cup of Eary Grey and a lip-smackingly good home-made curry), I have to make do with the virtual updates of his walks round Soho, trips to the Mexican visa office and meal choices while filming on set. This is extraordinarily intimate, so much so, that although he has never graced my table, I feel I do know him, I feel I am connected with him, involved in his life. (I wonder if he knows?)

Of course, if he ever replies to any of my twitty interjections, the mirage will be fully complete.

It is all very astonishing, most certainly more revolutionary than evolutionary, since Mother Nature could not have given us these abilities in quite such a short time frame - and therein lies the intrigue. We inhabit the information revolution, it is all around us. We cannot analyse its final outcome, since it is yet to happen. We can only feel our way, experiment with it, embrace it, learn from- and to enjoy it. Either way, in thrusting oneself headlong into this revolution's social web, it becomes captivating. The contribution of my new best pal Mr. Fry is as yet unmeasured, but in stature alone (regardless of content) is most certainly significant.

Where does this leave us in telecoms? Thinking hard about where to earn our lunch, that's where (in contrast to Stephen, who has it provided by the film production company).

(more thoughts on that later)

Speech Recognition on the iPhone, Via Vlingo

iPhone owners can download a free Vlingo app through the iTunes App Store. Much like the Blackberry software, the application lets users place phone calls to people in their contact lists by speaking their names, and initiate Web searches by speaking their search terms. (There’ a nice video here explaining all of the application’s features.) But unlike the Blackberry app, Vlingo’s iPhone app can also be used to search local business listings and see the results on a map—for example, by speaking an inquiry such as “movie theaters in Boston.” And it lets users dictate status-update messages that are posted instantly to their Facebook or Twitter accounts. [click heading for more]

Vocalcom Spain Picks Loquendo for Natural Language

Speech technologies play an important role in the contact center for the ability to improve customer interactions and the overall experience for callers.

 

In a bid to improve their product portfolio, contact center solutions provider Vocalcom has partnered with Loquendo for their ASR and TTS offerings.

 

Loquendo (News - Alert) ASR speech recognition technology is capable of recognizing a large scale vocabulary of continuous speech, even in noisy environments, and can be used for automated directory services and voice portals.

 

With Loquendo TTS, developers are provided with a number of emotional and lifelike voices that can be uniquely developed to fit specific needs in a number of languages. 

[click heading for more]

Do VoiceXML and VoicePHP actually compete?

This is my personal opinion - a comment on the following blog posting: 

With VoicePHP, you can write applications for your business or your mobile phone. Knowledge of PHP is sufficient since it’s the same old PHP which now enables you to create voice applications. There was the earlier XML version called VoiceXML, but due to limitations in XML mainly in designing selective and iterative programming structures, it has not been successful. 

My Response:

VoiceXML, like HTML isn’t, and wasn’t ever designed as a programming language. It is a presentation language. VoiceXML is highly successful and massively deployed, however, the business logic of generating VoiceXML dialogs is done in the programmer’s favourite application environment (Enterprise Java is very popular for example).

So, I think you are missing the point to feel that VoiceXML needs “beefing up” somehow - separation of concerns: presentation and business logic, has been one of the major forces that has driven the incredible success and adoption of the web, alongside the open standards that have allowed a vibrant market place for technology, infrastructure and tools vendors to compete - and thus for organisations and enterprises to benefit. This is where the real value is, and VoiceXML emulates this paradigm - and its growth in adoption is testament to this.

VoicePHP probably has its place - and personally I will enjoy tinkering with it to see what it offers me - but you have to get it in context - I don’t think it even plays in the same space as VoiceXML.

[click heading for more]

Why VoiceXML 3 is not just VoiceXML 2.2

Why VoiceXML 3?

As with many programming languages, future versions are expected simultaneously to provide new features and to be simpler to use.

VoiceXML 3

- is precisely designed

- is more extensible

- contains new features

VoiceXML 3 began with the functionality of VoiceXML 2. This functionality was split up into logical modules of related functionality. Each module is now being defined in detail, in two pieces: syntax and semantics. The syntax of the module is similar to the syntax for corresponding capabilities in VoiceXML 2, with the functionality and event behavior of the syntax defined in the semantics portion.

These modular pieces are collected into profiles that essentially are complete languages.

So VoiceXML 3 now consists of:

- a framework for developing profiles from modules

- an XML-based eventing system

- an eventing system for the semantic descriptions associated with the syntax of each module

- several modules, including new audio control capabilities

- two module definitions, one emulating VoiceXML 2.1 and one combining the range of functionality available in VoiceXML 3.0 

[click heading for more]

Nortel Networks bankruptcy leaves Games organisers facing potential hurdle

[nik's note: this is big news but it's been expected for some time now... Nortel has such a large footprint it's hard to see how it could have all gone so horribly wrong. Can Nortel make a last dicth attempt to put its house in order? And even if it can, what is thing going to mean for its product roadmaps and internal investment? I think we all wait with baited breath...]

Nortel Networks, one of the leading sponsors of the 2012 London Olympics, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection yesterday, leaving organisers in the dark about the telecoms equipment maker’s participation in the Games.

Nortel, one of Canada’s biggest companies, is due to supply BT with the equipment to provide internet access, call centres and fixed phones for the Olympic site. In a filing with a Delaware bankruptcy court yesterday, Nortel said that it needed a break from its creditors to reorganise the company. It had been due to make a $107 million (£73.3 million) interest payment on loans today.

The Canadian Government immediately promised C$30 million (£16.5 million) in short-term financing for Nortel, which employs 32,000 people, mainly in Ottawa.

[click heading for more]

TringMe Launches VoicePHP for Voice Applications

Run by founder Yusuf Motiwala, TringMe provides a unified platform offering that claims to integrate all existing voice and telephony communication devices. Its latest attempt at providing Web-enabled voice application is the announcement of the VoicePHP programming language.

According to the TringMe Web site, VoicePHP is not an extension to PHP -- infact, it is still the same scripting language developers are already familiar with. The only difference is that the input and output is voice instead of text. 

In October 2008, the Indian startup had introduced Flash-based support based on the VoiceXML platform. VoiceXML is another standard XML format that allows voice applications to be developed to HTML for visual applications -- in this case for Flash-based applications.

[click heading for more]

West Interactive Selects PerSay for Voice Biometrics

West Interactive, announced that it has selected PerSay as its technology partner for its hosted voice biometrics offering.

Biometric speaker verification technology uses the power of voice to provide the critical component in an effective multi-factor authentication solution. Like a fingerprint, each person can be identified by the distinct features of his or her vocal characteristics and speaking patterns. Voice verification is the process of comparing a voice sample with a stored, digital voice model, or voiceprint, for the purpose of verifying identity.

[click heading for more]

Voice-control for mind mapping software

Mindjet and Nuance Communications are releasing Voxenable that delivers 'hands-free' mind-mapping to the desktop. In an innovative collaboration Mindjet's Mindmanager 8 mind-mapping tool has been combined with Nuance's Dragon Naturallyspeaking 10 speech-recognition software to bring a new voice-activated dimension to mind-mapping, thereby liberating individuals and helping them save time, conquer information overload, and be more effective. [click heading for more]