Coming soon: the PC with ears

Article Abstract:

Computer that incorporate speech-recognition technologies are being developed. Add-in cards and software, priced at less than $1,000 and expected in the summer of 1993, will allow users with microcomputers equipped with Microsoft Corp's Windows to control their computers by voice. Voice-controlled videoCassette recorders (VCRs) and television sets could be available by Christmas 1993, and voice-controlled pay telephones and automatic teller machines (ATMs) could be seen by 1994. Dragon Systems Inc (Newton, MA) is a leading company in the speech-technology industry. Dragon Systems' president, Janet Baker, foresees fast growth during the next 12 to 24 months. Baker predicts that many new products will appear, and products will be both increasingly affordable and increasingly sophisticated. Speech-recognition systems are of various sorts: some are 'speaker dependent' and some are 'speaker independent'; and some, which are called 'continuous recognition' systems, allow users to speak naturally, while others, which are called 'discrete word' systems, recognize distinct commands.

Microcomputers, Equipment and supplies, Voice I/O equipment, Speech recognition, Industry Analysis, Microcomputer, Outlook, Voice Recognition

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Polyvision nips at the heels of the LCD

Article Abstract:

The Alpine Group Inc is developing a new flat panel display called Polyvision that is cheap to produce, offers better resolution than any other similar product on the market and may soon compete against liquid crystal displays. The company hopes that Polyvision displays, which are simple to manufacture and show up well in most lighting situations, will be used by computer manufacturers, bathroom scale manufacturers, gas stations for displaying prices and numerous other businesses. The displays use black characters on a white background and offer great contrast. The technology requires only 20 steps for production and uses only one panel of glass. There will be significant competition from Japanese manufacturers and the product has not yet been tested in heavy volume manufacturing. Household items may incorporate the technology by the 3rd qtr of 1992, while computers and televisions will use Polyvision in anywhere from two to five years.

Household audio and video equipment, Industrial machinery, not elsewhere classified, Scales and balances, exc. laboratory, Fasteners, buttons, needles, & pins, Electronics industry, Electronics, Liquid crystal displays, Product introduction, Screens (Separation), Future Technologies, Screens, New Technique, Market Entry, Displays, LCD Display, Alpine Group Inc.

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The A B C's come to life

Article Abstract:

Growth of educational software is being encouraged by new technologies that generate animated images and realistic voices. The Software Publishers Assn reports that parents spent $81.5 million on educational software for school-age children during the first nine months of 1992, up 39.3 percent from $58.5 million a year earlier. Bright Star Technology is developing a new way to reproduce voices. The technique uses 'voice fonts,' so called because they are analogous to collections of letters or other characters used to form text. The technology is known as Bright Talk, and it will be available later in 1993. Knowledge Adventure has developed a way to compress and decompress data for reproducing moving images on computer screens. The technology achieves a compression ratio of 50:1 for video data.

Research, Computer software industry, Software industry, Educational software, Multimedia software, Sound recording and reproduction, Animation software, Knowledge Adventure, Bright Star Technology Inc.

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