[919] in OS/2_Discussion
Merlin to include VTD - press release(4/23/96)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (psarin@eagle.mit.edu)
Mon Apr 22 22:48:10 1996
From: psarin@eagle.mit.edu
Date: Mon, 22 Apr 96 22:48:14 -0400
To: os2partners@MIT.EDU
Interesting information that I'm sure you'll be hearing more about...
Pankaj
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>: Talk to Your Computer with IBM's Next Version of OS/2 Warp
>
>: Merlin Is Made Easy with Speech Recognition, UI Improvements and Better
>: Internet Integration
>
>: NASHVILLE, Tenn., Apr. 23, 1996...Are you talking to your computer,
>: yet? That's the question IBM is asking thousands of software
>: application developers this week at the IBM Technical Interchange
>: developer's conference in Nashville, Tenn. The company today unveiled
>: an early copy of the next version of OS/2* Warp, code-named Merlin.
>: Integrating IBM's latest VoiceType* technology in speech navigation and
>: dictation, an improved user interface which includes an enhanced version
>: of the Lotus SmartCenter, and easier-than-ever Internet access, OS/2
>: Warp "Merlin" will be the first major Intel-based operating system with
>: built-in speech recognition and will take the concept of ease-of-use to
>: an entirely new level.
>
>: "IBM has just raised the bar on operating system ease of use," said
>: Kathryn Dzubeck, executive vice president of Communications Network
>: Architects, Inc.., a computer consultancy in Washington, D.C.
>: "Human-centric versus machine-centric input will provide a major
>: productivity increase for corporate and consumer PC users."
>
>: Talk, Don't Type
>
>: Built-in speech navigation and dictation capabilities in Merlin will
>: allow OS/2 users simply to tell their computers what they normally would
>: have to type or execute with a mouse. The navigation portion will allow
>: people to vocally navigate through menu bars and objects on the desktop
>: in order to do things such as open files and launch applications, or pop
>: onto the Internet hands-free with a simple phrase like 'Jump to CNN Home
>: Page.' Working with a computer has never been so easy, and using a
>: computer has never been so much fun. The dictation component will allow
>: users to dictate memos and other documents and then paste them into word
>: processing or e-mail applications. With this technology, doctors will
>: be able to review X-rays or examine patients and dictate their findings
>: directly into a computer. Insurance agents can vocally process claims.
>: Attorneys can create legal briefs while flipping through research
>: materials. And business professionals can dictate electronic memos
>: while simultaneously reading through hard-copy documents.
>
>: "We believe that speech recognition in computers will be the next major
>: industry breakthrough when it comes to ease-of-use," said Wally Casey,
>: vice president of client product management in IBM's Software Group.
>: "Just as the Macintosh changed the industry when it introduced a
>: graphical user interface, OS/2 Merlin will alter the way people interact
>: with computers -- from new computer users to business professionals to
>: anyone who wants quick and easy Internet access."
>
>: The Technology Behind the Talk
>
>: Based on IBM's latest VoiceType technology, speech recognition in Merlin
>: will run with any common OS/2-supported sound card, like Sound Blaster,
>: which comes as a standard feature in most audio-enabled PCs. By
>: integrating industry-leading VoiceType technology into the OS/2 base,
>: IBM is offering customers an incredible value.
>
>: With years of IBM research behind it, the speech technology in Merlin
>: has advanced to a point where it is very easy to use. Merlin will be
>: speaker-independent, meaning the computer will understand what most
>: users say, without any training. And it even will know the difference
>: between words with the same pronunciation yet different spellings, like
>: to, too and two. Merlin also will come with a continuous navigator,
>: allowing users to speak as they normally do, without inserting pauses
>: between words, in order to navigate through the desktop and menus.
>
>: The navigation vocabulary in Merlin will include common desktop
>: navigation words. Dictation will come with a base vocabulary of 10,000
>: words and will allow the addition of up to 42,000 more unique terms.
>: Customers also may purchase separate vocabularies for professions like
>: healthcare and law. And speech will be supported in six languages:
>: U.S. and U.K. English, French, Spanish, German and Italian.
>
>: Application Support
>
>: This week at its developer conference, IBM is meeting with application
>: developers to rally support for speech-enabled OS/2 applications.
>: Currently, any OS/2 Presentation Manager (PM) object will automatically
>: work with the VoiceType navigator. PM objects include menu-bar
>: headings, drop-down menus and buttons on the screen.
>
>: IBM will be delivering a developer toolkit later this year, which will
>: allow solution developers to add a richer set of speech functions to
>: their applications.
>
>: "I'm excited about the new opportunities that will be created by
>: integrating VoiceType into the OS/2 base," said Jim Karn, operations
>: director for Pittsburgh-based Alien Robotics, a solution developer that
>: voice enables software using IBM's VoiceType Dictation on a number of
>: operating system platforms. "This will open up an entirely new level of
>: solutions that we will be able to create for our customers and a whole
>: new set of business opportunities for our company."
>
>: As with previous versions of OS/2, IBM will provide premier technical
>: support for application developers through its Solution Developer
>: Program.
>
>: New User Interface and Internet Enhancements Contribute to Ease-of-Use
>: Merlin will boast more than just speech recognition. It also will sport
>: a cleaner and more logical user interface with visual enhancements like
>: three-dimensional shadowed icons, 256 colors, an array of customizable
>: bitmaps and backgrounds, an attractive system font that reads well on
>: laptop computers and customizable colored tabs in a newly-designed
>: settings folder.
>
>: The WarpCenter...
>
>: IBM has taken the best of the SmartCenter technology from Lotus and the
>: LaunchPad from OS/2 Warp to create the new OS/2 WarpCenter. The
>: WarpCenter is an object-oriented icon ribbon on the desktop in Merlin
>: that will allow users to quickly and easily launch and group programs
>: and check on the status of their systems. It includes a "Warp button"
>: that dynamically creates a view of everything on the computer desktop, a
>: task list that indicates which programs are currently running, status
>: indicators for disk space and battery power, a calendar, clock and
>: timer.
>
>: Users will be able to customize their WarpCenter simply by dragging and
>: dropping icons onto it and then grouping those icons into trays. A tray
>: could group any combination of objects: folders, applications, even
>: icons representing World Wide Web pages.
>
>: With the WarpCenter visible at all times in any application, users could
>: launch a new application, check the contents of a drive or even jump
>: onto the World Wide Web without minimizing the space within which they
>: currently are working. The WarpCenter also can be deactivated if the
>: user so prefers. Merlin will include other features, like superior
>: networking capabilities, great security and OpenDoc run-time support,
>: that should distinguish it as the operating system of choice for the
>: connected consumer to the large enterprise customer. Merlin will go
>: into beta later this quarter and become generally available in the
>: second half of this year. ###
>
>: * OS/2 and VoiceType are trademarks or registered trademarks of IBM
>: Corporation. All other product and service names may be trademarks
>: and/or service marks of their respective owners.
>
>: For Internet users, IBM offers complete information about the company,
>: its products, services and technology on the World Wide Web. The IBM
>: home page is at http://www.ibm.com. The fastest, easiest way to find
>: any information about IBM software is to go to the IBM Software home
>: page at http://www.software.ibm.com. The IBM Fax Information Service
>: allows you to receive facsimiles of prior IBM product press releases.
>: Dial 1-800-IBM-4FAX and enter "99" at the voice menu.
