At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week, speech was all over the place. Companies of all sorts were out and about talking about products that let users control everything from cars to TVs with voice commands.
On the TV front, LG Electronics, Samsung, and Lenovo rolled out models that respond to voice commands, and Vlingo, Nuance Communications, and ActiveVideo all launched products to help everyday consumers find and access TV shows and other content by voice.
Consumer Electronics Show 2012
On the automotive front, Ford, Kia, and Toyota all touted new solutions that let users control even more in-car systems and information and entertainment options with voice. AT&T and Panasonic are even getting into this act with a partnership that will bring about an automotive personal assistant.
If this show is any indication, speech is sexy again. It had all but disappeared a few years ago, but it seems to be making a comeback. And in all of the products, it’s proving to be more than just a novel gimmick. These are all products with clear benefits to consumers, and they’re not futuristic. They’re available now.
We can thank Apple for this. With the Siri voice-powered app that shipped with the newest Apple iPhone 4S model, people showed a willingness to warm up to speech interfaces, and other companies have taken notice.
Siri certainly didn’t usher in the era of speech, but it made it attractive again. Or at least started people talking about it again. Hopefully it’s not a short conversation.
