Advancements in A.I. technology has paved the way for breakthroughs in speech recognition, natural language processing, and machine translation. A new startup called Voicery now wants to leverage those same advancements to improve speech synthesis, too. The result is a fast, flexible speech engine that sounds more human – and less like a robot. Its […]
View More Voicery makes synthesized voices sound more like humansCategory: voice computing
Microsoft Teams will integrate with Cortana, add transcription and translation features
Microsoft Teams, the company’s team collaboration software and challenger to Slack, announced this morning- on its first anniversary – a suite of new features that will roll out to the software throughout 2018. This includes features that will allow users to record, transcribe and save meetings to the cloud, integrations with voice assistant Cortana, inline message translation… Read More
Designed for enterprise, PullString Converse lets anyone create Alexa apps
PullString, the voice technology company that began its life as ToyTalk, and counts among its customers brands like Mattel, Activision, and Samsung, is today publicly launching software that allows non-technical creative professionals the ability…
View More Designed for enterprise, PullString Converse lets anyone create Alexa appsAmazon’s Alexa Skills Developer Console gets its biggest redesign since launch
Amazon today is rolling out the biggest makeover for its Alexa Skills Kit Developer Console – the console where voice app developers create their skills – since its debut back in 2015. The new console has been redesigned with a focus on improving developer workflows, says Amazon. It now offers separate sections for “build,” “test,” “launch,”… Read More
Storyline lets you build and publish Alexa skills without coding
Thirty-nine million Americans now own a smart speaker device, but the voice app ecosystem is still developing. While Alexa today has over 25,000 skills available, a number of companies haven’t yet built a skill for the platform, or offer only a very basic skill that doesn’t work that well. That’s where the startup Storyline comes in. The company is offering an easy to use… Read More
Voicelabs launches Alpine to bring retailers to the voice shopping ecosystem
Voicelabs, a company that has been experimenting in the voice computing market for some time with initiatives in advertising and analytics, is now pivoting its business again – this time, to voice-enabled commerce. The company is today launching its latest product out of stealth: Alpine.AI, a solution that builds voice shopping apps for retailers by importing their catalog, then layering… Read More
TCL unveils its voice-enabled, Roku-connected Smart Soundbar
Last week, streaming media company Roku announced its plans to enter the voice controlled device market through a new program that would allow other manufacturers to integrate with Roku’s voice platform in their own smart speakers, soundbars, surround sound systems, and more. At the time, Roku TV maker TCL was the first to commit to using Roku Connect, as the integration technology is… Read More
iHome debuts a Google Assistant-powered clock radio, the iGV1
Amazon’s Echo Spot, introduced late last year, smartly combined the power of Alexa with a more traditional clock radio type form factor and interface, complete with a screen for video viewing and calls. Now, the Google Assistant-powered competitors are starting to emerge. At CES this week, iHome is debuting its own take on the “smart” clock radio, with the iGV1 device.… Read More
Smart speakers top AR, VR and wearables to become fastest-growing consumer tech
Amazon and Google were willing to lose money on smart speaker sales over the holidays by discounting their hardware in order to gain market share. The reason? Smart speakers are now the fastest-growing consumer technology – faster than any other recent consumer technology, including AR, VR or wearables, according to a new report today from Canalys, which pegs smart speaker shipments to… Read More
Roku joins the voice computing market with smart soundbars, speakers and more built by partners
Roku, which sells the most popular brand of streaming media players in the U.S., is now aiming to carve out a niche for itself as the voice control platform for home entertainment. Today, Roku is unveiling a licensing program for manufacturing pa…
View More Roku joins the voice computing market with smart soundbars, speakers and more built by partnersVoice interfaces beginning to find their way into business
Imagine attending a business meeting with an Amazon Echo (or any voice-driven device) sitting on the conference table. A question arises about the month’s sales numbers in the Southeast region. Instead of opening a laptop, opening a program like Excel and finding the numbers, you simply ask the device and get the answer instantly. That kind of scenario is increasingly becoming a… Read More
Alexa skills top 25,000 in the U.S. as new launches slow
Amazon this week officially launched the first skills for Alexa offering premium content that customers can purchase while using the voice apps – a move the company had announced was in the works back in November. The ability for developers to generate money from their skills comes at an opportune time, as it turns out, given that new data indicates the rate of skill growth is beginning… Read More