Technology: Voice
Microsoft starts test of new VoIP server
Reuters - Microsoft Corp. started testing on Monday a new computer server software that allows corporate customers to make Web-based phone calls through its Office suite of business software. Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, due for release in the April-June quarter of 2007, will push the software giant into the business telephone market at a time when many large companies shift to cheaper telecommunications powered by Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology.
Dec 12, 2006, 11:00

Technology: Voice
CellMax to provide cafeteria voice-ID system to US schools
Voice biometrics company CellMax Systems Ltd. and point-of-sale (POS) system producer PCS Revenue Control Systems, Inc. today announced the joint development of a rapid, voice recognition-based identification, verification and payment system for school cafeterias. The system, which will be piloted in the first quarter of 2007, has an initial potential market of 800 US school districts. The system provides a solution to logistical challenges faced every day by school facilities managers tracking meal accountability, enhancing student-per-minute processing time and increasing line speed all to ensure that pupils get their meals quickly.
Dec 11, 2006, 10:52

Technology: Voice
U.S. Air Force Seeks Voice-Transformation Technology
Here are the requirements, from the official U.S.A.F. solicitation: The goal of this phase is to research techniques to analyze a person [sic] voice for voice transformation. While voice transformation have [sic] been around for awhile, the ability [sic] to transform a person's voice to a target voice is not yet solved. Parameters such as the speaking rate, stress, and intonation will provide broad parameters for modeling a person's voice. A finer grain analysis of a person's voice may also be performed by de-convolving an audio signal into its glottal pulse and vocal tract information. This could be accomplished with voice transformation algorithms that can also detect transformed voices.
Incredibly, the U.S.A.F. is even looking further ahead for different uses for voice transformation technology, including "medical applications if a person's voice box was damaged, in the gaming industry and animated films for creating and modify voices, for voice dubbing of foreign films, and for creating/reducing a person's accent."
Nov 15, 2006, 09:49

Technology: Voice
It's the next best thing to a Babel fish
Imagine mouthing a phrase in English, only for the words to come out in Spanish. That is the promise of a device that will make anyone appear bilingual, by translating unvoiced words into synthetic speech in another language.
The device uses electrodes attached to the face and neck to detect and interpret the unique patterns of electrical signals sent to facial muscles and the tongue as the person mouths words. The effect is like the real-life equivalent of watching a television show that has been dubbed into a foreign language, says speech researcher Tanja Schultz of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Oct 26, 2006, 10:07

Technology: Voice
Voice recognition goes wireless
With a new service launched by his network provider Sprint Nextel Corp. on Friday, you can press a button and say the recipient's name and dictate a message of up to 20 words on your Blackberry's receiver. Within about a minute, the full message appears on the screen and you can send it off with one keystroke. The technology was developed by privately-held MobileVoiceControl Inc., one of a number of companies developing voice control systems as consumers increasingly use mobile devices to surf the Web, shop and download ring tones.
Sep 1, 2006, 09:22