Handsets with rich voice capability to hit 1.1 billion by 2016

DESPITE being primarily a voice device, the mobile phone is largely controlled by non-voice mechanisms. Keypads and touchscreens continue to act as the primary modes of input.However, handsets now sit on the cusp of full command and control through voice, largely being fuelled as smartphone platforms play catch-up with Apple's Siri. As a result, in a recently published report, ARCchart estimates that 1.1 billion mobile phones with rich voice control capability will ship in 2016.Voice control on mobile devices has long been an aspiration owing to the rich user experiences it enables, but the limited accuracy of voice recognition made it difficult to implement.However, advances in mobile computing power and the imaginative usage of artificial intelligence are now making true voice control on handheld devices a reality. Apple's Siri, currently the most successful Rich voice solution on the market, has woven an attractive tapestry of search, intuitive answer and navigation functions, and ARCchart believes that this has ignited a voice command 'arms race' in the smartphone market.Basic voice control functions, which include simple voice tags, have now evolved into Rich voice, which leverages intuitive and artificial intelligence features. Intuitive assistance is a key aspect of Rich voice control and ARCchart sees the capability as the latest killer application in smartphones. It combines the power of artificial intelligence with voice search, allowing queries to be posed without adhering to a rigid syntax.
Click here to read full news..