Nuance Gives Devs Ability to Voice-Enable iOS/Android Apps Through Dragon Mobile SDK

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How amazing would it be if your favorite iOS app no longer required you to type in information in order to use it? Imagine something like Google Voice Search, but in any number of apps and with the precision of something like Nuance’s voice-to-text technology instead of Google’s hit-or-miss version.

Well that just became possible with Nuance’s announcement that they will be providing access to the Dragon Mobile SDK for iOS AND Android. This will be accomplished through a new self-service website that is part of the new Nuance Mobile Developer Program. This new program will make the same voice-to-text power that is currently available in apps such as Siri, Price Check by Amazon, Ask for iPhone, aisle411, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com, and SpeechTrans.

As Nuance explains

Now mobile developers are able to quickly and easily leverage the powerful dictation and voice search capabilities at the core of the successful Dragon Dictation and Dragon Search apps, as well as Nuance’s trusted Vocalizer text-to-speech (TTS).

In a conference call yesterday, Nuance representatives told me that the Dragon Mobile SDK would become available this morning through the Nuance Mobile Developer Program for devices running Apple iOS 4.0 and for many devices running Android 2.1 and higher. [Note that not ALL Android devices will be available due to platform fragmentation; that’s my commentary not Nuance’s.]

Initially the SDK will support US and UK English, European Spanish, European French, German, Italian and Japanese for dictation and search. more languages will follow.

In addition Nuance notes,

The Nuance Mobile Developer Program gives developers instant access to easy-to-integrate prepackaged wrappers and widgets for rapid inclusion of voice recognition into their applications, all through a self-service website. Developers also have access to an on-line forum for additional support, a variety of code samples and full documentation.

“The mobile application explosion is in flight with Apple nearing 10 billion downloads and Android apps expanding rapidly,” said Michael Thompson, senior vice president and general manager, Nuance Mobile. “We’ve created an amazingly simple way for developers to innovate privately and securely on the two fastest growing platforms in the world.”

The full release, with pricing and availability details,  follows… With new powerful apps coming soon. 🙂

NUANCE LAUNCHES SELF-SEVICE MOBILE DEVELOPER PROGRAM
Dragon Mobile SDK Gives Developers Ability to Voice-Enable iOS and Android Apps

BURLINGTON, MA, January 19, 2011 –Nuance Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN) today announced that it is providing access to the Dragon Mobile SDK for iOS and Android via a new self-service website as part of the its Nuance Mobile Developer Program. Now mobile developers are able to quickly and easily leverage the powerful dictation and voice search capabilities at the core of the successful Dragon Dictation and Dragon Search apps, as well as Nuance’s trusted Vocalizer text-to-speech (TTS).

The Dragon Mobile SDK is now available through the Nuance Mobile Developer Program for Apple iOS 4.0 (iPhone/iPad/iPod touch) and for many devices running Android 2.1 and higher. The SDK currently supports US and UK English, European Spanish, European French, German, Italian and Japanese for dictation and search, with additional languages to be added through the end of the year. TTS capabilities exist for more than 35 languages.

The Nuance Mobile Developer Program gives developers instant access to easy-to-integrate prepackaged wrappers and widgets for rapid inclusion of voice recognition into their applications, all through a self-service website. Developers also have access to an on-line forum for additional support, a variety of code samples and full documentation.

“The mobile application explosion is in flight with Apple nearing 10 billion downloads and Android apps expanding rapidly,” said Michael Thompson, senior vice president and general manager, Nuance Mobile. “We’ve created an amazingly simple way for developers to innovate privately and securely on the two fastest growing platforms in the world.”

Many developers have already experienced the power of the Dragon Mobile SDK for their apps, including Siri, Price Check by Amazon, Ask for iPhone, aisle411, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com, and SpeechTrans.

Nuance Mobile Developer Quotes
“Integrating Nuance’s intuitive voice recognition brought a new level of user interaction to our Ask for iPhone question and answer service. Finding information is incredibly easy when you can simply speak a question versus having to type it in,” said Tony Gentile, senior vice president, products, Ask.com US.

“Voice-enabling our app was simple with the Dragon Mobile SDK, letting people easily look up words that they’ve heard but don’t know how to spell. And for many of our users, speaking directly to the dictionary is an intuitive and enjoyable experience,” said Miles Kronby, chief product officer of digital, Merriam-Webster.
“The Dragon Mobile SDK has allowed us to quickly and easily voice-enable our Dictionary.com app for both iPhone and Android, giving our consumers an amazing voice search experience across two unique platforms,” said Lisa Cross-Sullivan, GM Mobile, Dictionary.com

Nuance Mobile Developer Program Pricing

Developers can download the Dragon Mobile SDK and have access to the cloud-based speech services for 90 days absolutely free. And once ready for market distribution, developers have tiered pricing options to accommodate their unique needs and those of their applications. Nuance also offers a range of developer customization programs including specialized language models and application optimization. To learn more about the Dragon Mobile SDK and supported devices, please visit: http://dragonmobile.nuancemobiledeveloper.com

About Nuance Mobile
Nuance Mobile builds innovative, intelligent and intuitive touch and speech interfaces to simplify and enhance the way people interact with mobile devices, applications, and services. Nuance Mobile solutions make mobile devices and in-car systems easier to use, automate customer self-service, and optimize the access and discovery of even the most advanced mobile applications and content – regardless of technical know-how, location, environment, or physical and literacy capabilities.

About Nuance Communications, Inc.
Nuance is a leading provider of speech and imaging solutions for businesses and consumers around the world. Its technologies, applications and services make the user experience more compelling by transforming the way people interact with information and how they create, share and use documents. Every day, millions of users and thousands of businesses experience Nuance’s proven applications and professional services. For more information, please visit: nuance.com.

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About the Author

Dan Cohen
Having a father who was heavily involved in early laser and fiber-optical research, Dan grew up surrounded by technology and gadgets. Dan’s father brought home one of the very first video games when he was young and Dan remembers seeing a “pre-release” touchtone phone. (When he asked his father what the “#” and “*” buttons were his dad said, “Some day, far in the future, we’ll have some use for them.”) Technology seemed to be in Dan’s blood but at some point he took a different path and ended up in the clergy. His passion for technology and gadgets never left him. Dan is married to Raina Goldberg who is also an avid user of Apple products. They live in New Jersey with their golden doodle Nava.

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