Cool C - Dec/Jan '05

Cool C

Taking advantage of Microsoft’s Speech Recognition Engine, an optional Windows operating system module, Cool Conversations offers an inexpensive bundle of three speech applications, collectively called Cool C. While these are not great speech applications by any measure, Cool C is a good example of how media savvy the desktop computer has become. Without special additional hardware, its Talking Computer application responds to keywords, reciting back a saved text response. Talking Reminder is a speechified version of the alarm function found in many calendar and scheduling programs. The more ambitious Read Writer performs continuous speech recognition and transcription.

Even with this basic software, you will have to adjust to the idea of a talking computer possessing a kind of presence with its own “feelings.” In partial admission of its weaknesses, Cool C — configurable to either a HAL-like male or female voice — will remind you it’s not exactly 100 percent accurate when it doesn’t recognize a word. However, it then will say it “uses one of the most sophisticated speech recognition engines available.” Take that, humans.

If the Microsoft Speech Engine isn’t already part of your system, you will need to install it from the Cool C CD. To help the Microsoft Speech Engine adjust to your particular speech patterns, you will be asked to read prepared text. A complete session lasts about 15 minutes. Halfway through, I canceled my session, anxious to try Cool C. (You can always return later.) Well aware that successful language training programs for non-computers require three to five years, I knew I was taking my chances by cutting the session short.

I tested the Cool C Talking Computer application first. While the documentation seems to promise more, Talking Computer isn’t conversational but rather identifies single keywords. You are required to enter the text of the specific keyword and response into Cool C’s conversation database. If Cool C can match a word it hears, the corresponding response is triggered. Already loaded into the database are the keywords “date” and “time.” Talking Computer was programmed to answer as expected. This is a reasonable application of word spotting technology.

I, however, had another task in mind. I am always forgetting new phone numbers and searching for the contact information in Microsoft Outlook. So what better use of Cool C than to have it reply to “What is Bob’s phone number?” or “What is Bob’s fax number?”

After entering Bob’s office number into the database, I was ready to try my labor saving enhancement. Addressing Cool C as “Computer” — this is required — I rattled off my request for a phone number. You confirm Cool C’s word matching by looking at the small box in its interface window, where it prints a transcription of the resulting speech input.

When I noticed that “Bob” was being translated to “but,” I decided it was time to return to my previously abandoned training session. Clicking on the “Speech” icon located in Window’s Control Panel connected me to Windows Speech Engine, and put me back in the classroom. This time my test script was the beginning of H.G Wells’ “War of the Worlds,” where the narrator describes Earth being examined by a “cool and unsympathetic” intelligence.

This is a fair description of Cool C, with the emphasis on unsympathetic. Returning to my phone number test, I discovered I was forced to ask “What is Bob number?” rather than the more natural and correct “Bob’s number,” since the possessive form confused the software. A more serious problem is you can’t intelligently associate multiple responses with a keyword. So my plan for Cool C to answer requests for Bob’s phone, fax or cell number was not realized. There are ways around the limitations of spotting a single word, but Cool C regrettably has not explored them.

A more sophisticated application of this technology is Cool C’s continuous speech recognition processing, which converts speech into text. This function is performed by its separate Read Writer application. Perhaps it was the acoustic environment of my office or that more training was merited, but Cool C’s dictation capabilities are far from secretarial quality.

Even if Cool C Read Writer could be improved, I find Microsoft Word 2002’s “Language Bar” more convenient. Relying on the same Microsoft Speech Engine, Word’s built-in speech processing enters text directly into your document. You also can issue voice commands to trigger all the menu bar entries — “File,” “Edit” and the rest. Now that is practical.

Cool C
Cool Conversations
www.coolconversations.com
(954) 915-9903
Price: $29.95 basic, $34.95 with Cool C Read Writer.

Windows 98 and above.

Reviewed by Andy Green, a telecommunications consultant and technology writer and researcher based in New Jersey.

Dec/Jan '05 Issue

PROS
Inexpensive. You might find some use for the Cool C Talking Computer in your office.

CONS
Error prone transcription. If you own Microsoft Office 2002 or later, you already will have this feature. The standard version of the Cool C product is ad driven, with banners and a scrolling headline announcing product news within the interface.

VERDICT
Not law office quality.