[gui-talk] FW: (BlindTech) a voice activated app

[Baracco, Andrew W]

FYI!
This article below describes what sounds like a useful app.

Soon, the IPhone will be more like a communicator.

                  Apple Buys a Start-Up for Its Voice Technology

         By [7]JENNA WORTHAM

    [8]Apple continued its migration into [9]Google's turf on Wednesday
    with the acquisition of Siri, a mobile application that allows users
to
    perform Web searches by voice command on a cellphone.

    [10]Siri, a start-up based in San Jose, Calif., describes itself as
a
    virtual personal assistant for the [11]iPhone and the [12]iPod
Touch.
    For example, Siri users can speak commands like "find a table for
two
    at 9 tonight" or "send a taxi to my house"; using GPS and
    speech-recognition technology, the application translates the
commands
    and uses search algorithms to find answers. For results, Siri worked
    with several companies, including Citysearch, OpenTable and Taxi
Magic.

    An Apple spokesman, Steve Dowling, declined to comment on the
specifics
    of the Siri deal. "Apple buys smaller companies from time to time
but
    doesn't comment on products or plans," he said.

    Norman Winarsky, vice president of licensing and strategic programs
at
    [13]SRI International, a research lab that [14]helped develop the
    application, confirmed the sale but declined to disclose any
financial
    details of the transaction. Mr. Winarsky described the sale of Siri,
    which was released as a mobile app in February, as "a great event
for
    us in terms of our impact on the world."

    Before its sale to Apple, Siri [15]raised a total of $24 million
from
    investors, including Menlo Ventures and [16]Li Ka-Shing, a Chinese
    billionaire who has also invested in [17]Facebook.

    Apple may eventually hope to offer an alternative to Google's search
    service on the iPhone, the iPod Touch and the [18]iPad, said Charles
S.
    Golvin, an analyst with [19]Forrester Research. Google has made
large
    investments in voice command search, location-based search and
    advertising and in visual recognition search.

    "Apple is trying to break ties to Google," Mr. Golvin said. "Rather
    than have search in the browser, users would have a more relevant
    search application to use."

    Apple has acquired several smaller companies over the last few
months
    as part of a larger effort to gain an edge on rival mobile
companies.
    Most recently, Apple bought Intrinsity, a company that makes a
speedy
    computer chip for mobile devices that uses very little battery power
    while processing graphics, video and other images. In January, Apple
    acquired Quattro Wireless, a mobile advertising company.

    "This is as much about keeping this good technology away from Google
as
    it is about wanting it for themselves," Mr. Golvin said.