voice-activated

Ford this week announced it is partnering with MIT's AgeLab on a project to identify specific stress-inducing driving situations, monitor a driver's reaction to the situations using biometrics, and evaluate methods to incorporate new stress-reducing features into the next generation of Ford products. The six-month effort will begin in January and will focus on human interaction with a specially equipped 2010 Lincoln MKS.

Ford's goal for the program is to take this a step further by creating the most comfortable driving environment possible so that the driver is always relaxed and calm.

By using the Lincoln MKS, … Read more

If Moshi's voice-responsive alarm clock got you in the habit of talking to clocks, you can now continue the dialogue while traveling.

Moshi's Voice Control Travel Alarm Clock is a smaller, cheaper version of the earlier device. Like the Moshi IVR Clock, the new clock lets you use nine voice control commands to do things like turn the alarm on and off ("set alarm...7:30 a.m."), hit snooze, ask for the temperature, and access a help menu. As far as we can tell, the device does not respond to exhaustion-related rants.

The travel clock … Read more

The navigation system we're taking a look at today comes with the 2009 Volvo XC. This video's a little on the long side, but not only does it run down the features of the car's navigation system, you also get to hear about its blindspot information systems (get your safety on!), bluetooth connectivity, and voice-activated help. This video also gives a first-hand view of how the car drives as the vehicle is pioneered throughout the city of San Francisco (what beautiful views...)

You know all those commercials touting car stereos that respond to voice commands? Now you can do the same irritating thing even if you don't drive.

Other companies have toyed with building this feature directly into MP3 devices as a proprietary technology, but One Voice Technologies has developed software that it says will work with various music players. "VoiceTunes" plays nice with both iTunes and Windows Media Player, the company says, "allowing you to play music by simply saying the artist name, album, genre, or your favorite playlist."

Just what we need. In addition to … Read more

More good news for those of us who have been forced to divide our attention between the road and what seems like an ever-increasing number of gadgets and other in-car distractions: automotive voice-activation technology is becoming more widespread.

On Thursday, U.S.-based company Nuance announced that it will be putting its text-to-speech technology in select new Ford models in Europe. The system powers Ford's "Human Machine Interface" (HMI), which allows drivers to make calls, enter destinations into the navigation system, control the audio system, and change the inside temperature using simple voice commands.

For example, a … Read more

This almost sounds like a gadget from Maxwell Smart's repertoire, but it seems to be legit. This mini-safe opens not from the usual cumbersome combination of numbers but from your own voice commands.

If you forget the secret word, the safe tells you to try again in four preset phrases. (It sounds like a bad sitcom already.)

On the other hand, you could set up a hidden camera and have fun watching others trying to guess the code. Booby-traps might be in order as well. Maybe this isn't such a bad idea after all.

As technology manufacturers continue to design products that blend more naturally into the decor, some are taking the concept to an extreme--so much so that the items aren't even recognizable at all. Take the new voice-activated answering machine from Hammacher Schlemmer, for example. The idea behind the device is admirable, activated by the simple phrase "answering machine" and responding to 15 voice commands including "play new" and "set volume." We're just not exactly sure about the design; is there some reason it needs to look like a sushi plate? It's not … Read more

This is either an ingenious invention or a sad testament to the hopeless laziness of modern society--or, in our opinion, both. The "SmartShopper" is a voice-activated shopping list designed to put an end to the illegible Post-its you leave all over the kitchen.

Just tell the device what items you need as you think of them and print out the list before leaving for the grocery. Gadgetell says it even has 2,500 items already programmed in its memory.

The downside: You no longer have any excuses for not picking up any embarrassing hygiene items requested by other … Read more

TiVo may be falling under the superficial spell of techno-fashion with its Glo Remote, but competing gadgets know that beauty is only clamshell deep. Take, for example, the InVoca voice-activated universal remote, which supposedly recognizes up to four voices and 25 commands for your TV, VCR, DVD player and other devices. It also has a charging base--shouldn't all products have those by now?--and a hands-free surfing function (we're not sure exactly how that works). The InVoca's name reminds us of an Italian scooter, but we've already gotten over that. If it works as billed, we … Read more