This is Speech Tech senior editor Len Klie’s first post on our blog. Be nice to him. Welcome to the interwebs, Len.

New Jersey-based speech technology vendor iVoice only a few months ago received a U.S. patent for a methodology to make “Talking Consumer Products with Voice Instructions via Wireless Technology.” The company is moving quickly, as today it announced that it has already contracted with a DVD production company to assist with the marketing of the technology.

Jerry Mahoney, CEO of iVoice, says that the company’s invention lets users of new products to activate a speaking package that will take the place of a manual when putting together products. No more mangled hands and bruised ego (or is that bruised hands and mangled ego?) as I simultaneously struggle with trying to hold a half-assembled wooden “guillotine” together with one hand and thumbing through the mini-tome to find out what wrench I’ll need to more permanently connect the pieces with the other. Invariably, that one sentence will appear on page 39 of the 160-page instructions booklet buried deep at the bottom of the box.

The hands-free, eyes-free instructions will make product assembly safer and quicker, but still might not fix my damaged psyche. It will also be a welcome endeavor if it means I no longer have to download and print hundreds of pages of PDF files to learn how to sync my new digital camera to my laptop.

[What we would like to see: A speech recognition component that translates our yelling, anger, and frustration with assembling furniture, and says, "Next time, pay someone else to put this together." -- Ed.]