Anyone else disappointed by the lack of more speech functionality outside of Cortana...?

[jrdatrackstar1223]

Outside of Cortana (which is the #1 thing I have been waiting for since the day I got my Sprint Arrive), I was really hoping they would've put a microphone on the keyboard or something for text input in any field. Looks like they still haven't added that and won't.

It's so annoying having to use an app like "Copy This". I've mentioned it to Joe on Twitter, asking if they could implement it (because it would be as simple as just adding it in the mike and calling the TellMe/Cortana/whatever service now) when the mic is hit.

I wish I knew why this is at such a low spot on their list of stuff (if it's even on there).

 

[anon(7900571)]

just tap on search button and it will open cortana from any app or wherever you are on your phone // or tap on live tile when you are on your start screen.why do you want cortana on your keyboard ? you have text to speech for the same :wink:

 

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

you have text to speech for the same :wink:

Actually I think you've got your wires crossed there. From what I see he means you use voice to enter text onto the keyboard. A bit like my HTC One would allow you to activate the speech service by holding down the period button. And from what I remember it called Google Now to do that. Never used it to any real degree but it was a nice option. The amount if times I held the period button too long and called it by mistake though... Oops!

 

[rockstarzzz]

I think I still don't get it. At all.
If you want to dictate a text, when you are messaging, you have mic to do that.
If you want to call your voice assistant because you don't know the meaning of the word you typed, you hit search button.
Does it have to be a "." or mic button on the keyboard?

Apps can use Cortana - so that is speech outside of Cortana and any app can work with Cortana, which I am sure Siri fails to do and Google Now - don't know. It would probably do it anyway, more user data to sell, the better!

 

[anon(7900571)]

Actually I think you've got your wires crossed there. From what I see he means you use voice to enter text onto the keyboard. A bit like my HTC One would allow you to activate the speech service by holding down the period button. And from what I remember it called Google Now to do that. Never used it to any real degree but it was a nice option. The amount if times I held the period button too long and called it by mistake though... Oops!

umm android opens gate for customizations , Ok for a moment I imagine we have this option on windows phone , which will be more quicker to operate keyboard shortcut or by just pressing the search button (imagine when you don't have a keyboard popped up , you have to tap once to open the keyboard ..I am somewhat nit-picking here

 

[jrdatrackstar1223]

Ok, what I am talking about is this forum post for example. I am typing this message right now from my keyboard, when instead, I would like to just speak and the transcribed text go in this textbox. In iOS there is a MIC on the keyboard, on Android it is apparently the period button.

Either way, I would like to speak text instead of typing it ANYWHERE. Yes, you can for a text message and email, but what about a forum post like this...?

 

[Arya Satya]

I agree. I really hope someday MS will implement this. Opening cortana each time I want to use speech-to-text is a pain IMO. Not to mention the developer's willingness to support the use of cortana or not is still questionable, judging by the lack of updates from many app

 

[Foma Kiniaev]

Agree here, used that feature a lot in android for whatsapp answers while driving. It was implemented even in froyo

 

[Bogi Georgiev]

My mum would definitely use that feature on her 620 if it was available outside of text and emails, as her spelling is so bad, even autocorrect can't figure out what she's trying to say (she's Bulgarian) and the mic feature on her crappy Samsung galaxy ace la fleur could understand her accent, and that phone was the pinnacle of rubbish!

 

[tapehead]

Definitely, especially for Xbox Music. I usually search for new tunes when I'm out and about, and if I'm driving, I don't want to have to fumble with typing quickly at red lights. Spech to text is a godsend.

 

[steve_w_7]

Nope

 

[GoodThings2Life]

Outside of Cortana (which is the #1 thing I have been waiting for since the day I got my Sprint Arrive), I was really hoping they would've put a microphone on the keyboard or something for text input in any field. Looks like they still haven't added that and won't.

It's so annoying having to use an app like "Copy This". I've mentioned it to Joe on Twitter, asking if they could implement it (because it would be as simple as just adding it in the mike and calling the TellMe/Cortana/whatever service now) when the mic is hit.

I wish I knew why this is at such a low spot on their list of stuff (if it's even on there).

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this, but maybe you (and they) missed the fact that Cortana can be extended to 3rd-party apps, and both Text Messaging AND Email already use what you're asking. So does What's App, so obviously third parties are able to implement it if they choose.

The third party tie-in is actually one of the most compelling features for Cortana compared to Siri and Google Now.

 

[jrdatrackstar1223]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this, but maybe you (and they) missed the fact that Cortana can be extended to 3rd-party apps, and both Text Messaging AND Email already use what you're asking. So does What's App, so obviously third parties are able to implement it if they choose.

The third party tie-in is actually one of the most compelling features for Cortana compared to Siri and Google Now.

But that makes it so much more complex than what it has to be. If we were talking programming, a keyboard would be a class. Why would you not put a method in the keyboard class so that you can call the microphone method each time the keyboard is called? Why make it more complex than that?

Why go through writing a bunch of code in your app to extend to Cortana when Microsoft THEMSELVES should be extending to Cortana in the keyboard itself EVERYTIME, not the developers having to go through that.

 

[savagelizards]

Ok, what I am talking about is this forum post for example. I am typing this message right now from my keyboard, when instead, I would like to just speak and the transcribed text go in this textbox. In iOS there is a MIC on the keyboard, on Android it is apparently the period button.

Either way, I would like to speak text instead of typing it ANYWHERE. Yes, you can for a text message and email, but what about a forum post like this...?

I agree. You can dictate a few words at most. With Android, you could dictate a novel if you wanted to. The voice translation takes place in an ongoing fashion. You don't have to pause and then add more. The word recognition was really good too. I know I can talk faster than I can type, so it was useful for more then just dictating a response to a text.

 

[fwaits]

I think what MS is doing by adding the new speech APIs for 3rd parties to build speech capabilities into their apps is great and will create some cool uses, I do think they should also have built in the ability to use speech as an input method ANYWHERE the keyboard is invoked. Hopefully that will happen sooner than later. I can see it being quite useful in certain situations or for certain people.