Fonix has released an SDK (software development kit) for adding automated speech recognition (ASR) capabilities to mobile and embedded Linux devices. The VoiceIn 4.0 Standard Edition SDK can be used to create hands-free voice interfaces on mobile phones, PDAs, electronic dictionaries, PCs, automobiles, medical devices, alarm systems, and data loggers.

According to Fonix, VoiceIn 4.0 SE for mobile and embedded devices gives users an easy, safe way to access information and operate device functions without pressing buttons, scrolling through menus, looking at screens, or typing.

Fonix uses proprietary “neural network-based speech technology” said to provide accurate speaker-independent recognition even in noisy environments. No user training is required, and users need not pause between commands. Furthermore, ASR-enabled applications do not require significant system resources, the company says.

The Fonix SDK supports nine languages, including American and British English, Canadian and European French, Castilian and Latin American Spanish, German, Swedish, and Japanese).

The VoiceIn SDK supports ARM, XScale, Renesas SH3 and SH4, and MIPS architectures under Linux, WinCE, and Smartphone 2003.

Additional features and improvements over previous releases include:

• Phonetic voice tags
  
• Wide characters for improved Asian language support
  
• Optimized alpha-digit capability
  
• Multi-pass recognition
  
• The ability to create recognition grammars dynamically during run-time
  
• Improved memory usage
  
• Faster processing speed
  
• Better out-of-vocabulary recognition
  
• A simplified API to make development faster and easier

The SDK is available now under a royalty bearing license model. Interested developers are invited to contact Fonix through it's audio-enabled website or ASR-enabled phone tree.

 
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