Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X1 – the appropriately abbreviated SEX1 – can do most everything. OK, it’s struggling slightly on watering the garden and I must confess that I had to help it out slightly with explaining what steps Jacob Zuma can still take to avoid seemingly unavoidable prosecution for being naughty with money. But aside from horticultural dampening and the legal minefield facing our President in waiting, it’s pretty awesome.
Thus, when it was suggested to me that it could possibly be made to be slightly more awesome, I snorted in a rather rude and derisory fashion. Aside from a hosepipe attachment, this was surely as good as it got, right?
Wrong.
Step forward, Microsoft’s Voice Command 1.6. I’ve been having the time of my life since I popped this little app on my phone. Because yes, I know you can get phones with voice dialling, but this is a bit different.
Users can go beyond today’s limited voice options by using speaker independent phonetic speech recognition and text-to-speech technology. Instead of requiring users to pre record all of the names of their contacts, the software is designed to recognize the commands users say without any training, resulting in effortless, hands-free communication.
So yes, it’ll call the wife if you ask it to. But then, you can ask also it what time it is, what date it is; it will chat to you about your upcoming appointments – even tell you who will be in your next meeting or you can ask it to play Favourite Worst Nightmare by Sheffield’s finest Arctic Monkeys* and it will launch into Fluorescent Adolescent recorded live at The Leadmill.
Which is pretty cool.
There’s a lot to learn on the X1 and I don’t think I’m getting anywhere close to complete knowledge just yet, but every step I take, I’m getting more impressed.
Now, does anyone have a beta version of Sprinkler for Windows Mobile?
* by literally just saying “play Favourite Worst Nightmare”…
I could not help but notice the loose-end “* by literally just saying “play Favourite Worst Nightmare”…”
Is it in reference to “it’ll call the wife if you ask it to”?
Emil´s last blog post was: Redefining Fatherhood (Note: 6000 miles… is not responsible for the content of external internet sites)
Oh my .. I am a new proud owner
Darkchocolate´s last blog post was: Happy Feet (Note: 6000 miles… is not responsible for the content of external internet sites)
My Nokia E71 seems to do that (I mean voice commands other than calling, not the garden thing) without adding any 3rd-party apps. Plus its battery lasts longer than 2 days, and Keith Ledger wanted one (reportedly).
Quinn´s last blog post was: They tried to teach my baby science… (Note: 6000 miles… is not responsible for the content of external internet sites)
Emil > Er… yeah. Righty. Just fixed that before you get us both into trouble.
DC > Nice, hey?
Quinn > Hmmm. Well OK. But don’t you have to assign voice clips to everyone and everything first?
Gsmarena reports battery life of 833h, vs 220h for the N71.
Also, I refuse to see Keith’s desire as big product endorsement.
Nope, you don’t have to pre-record or assign commands. But you do have to put on an exaggerated American drawl to get it to pick the right contact or command first time.
And there you go again with the Keith-abuse… why not pick on someone deserving, like Princess Di or Mother Theresa?
Quinn´s last blog post was: They tried to teach my baby science… (Note: 6000 miles… is not responsible for the content of external internet sites)
Quinn > I know. I just can’t help myself. I’m not sorry.
But no, you will never turn me against the X1. I am loving it. Just a perfect little bit of kit.
I think you and the X1 should get a room, 6000. 😉
It is a nice bit of kit, though, and will be a serious contender when my N95 gives up the ghost.
Fleet of Worlds´s last blog post was: Penguin Logic Epic Fail (Note: 6000 miles… is not responsible for the content of external internet sites)
Okay fine then, you’ve gone and made me jealous. All my stupid phone has to brag about is the fact that it survived being accidentally dunked in tea.
Oh, by the by, that forum discussion about Jeremy Nell has been blogged about on my site. Just warning you in case you click on and take personal offense.
SheBee´s last blog post was: Retards on the internet. (Note: 6000 miles… is not responsible for the content of external internet sites)
So you mean you talk to your phone like a crazy person?
And it answers back?
Riiiiiighttoomanymagicmushroomsforyou
Sounds cool.
Po´s last blog post was: Random post (Note: 6000 miles… is not responsible for the content of external internet sites)
Fleet > And so it should be. Better than the iPhone too…
SheBee > I don’t know if the X1 could survive being dunked in tea. I don’t know and I don’t want to know.
Po > It talks back and then it plays music or opens interwebs sites or waters the garden. Socool indeed.
Thanks so much for the tip. I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know about this. I’m definitely going to look into it. You are a star!
.-= Tracy Todd´s last blog ..How Do I Walk? =-.
Tracy Todd >Pleasure. Hope it’s of some use to you.