Letter from the Editor

Speech technology continues to gain acceptance among developers and end users, and this issue of the magazine strongly reflects that trend. Speech now has implications in many different markets, including the computer telephony industry and assistive technology, which we examine in this issue.

Our cover story, Speech Joins Computer Telephony Boom, examines some of the recent developments in the CT field, where speech is attracting great interest. We also feature an article on alphabet recognition in interactive voice response systems, The ABCs for IVRs, by Mark Nickson.

In Speech Turns People with Disabilities into Technological Leaders, Harry Nielsen details how speech recognition has made dramatic differences in the lives of many people with disabilities. We also investigate how speech recognition helped Dr. Stephen Hawking, the renown British physicist, continue his work after he was crippled by ALS.

This issue also features an in-depth discussion of some of the technical issues facing speech recognition developers. In How TTS Works, Sue Hertz examines the technology behind text-to-speech systems, with an insightful analysis of the complex nature of the problems TTS needs to solve.

We also offer two articles on API standards. Bruce Armstrong of Novell provides readers with information on the origins on API standards, and tells developers what issues they need to consider for their present and future needs in his article How Developers Can Choose the Right API Standards. In Weigh-ing the Possibilities, Kurt Fuqua examines the possibilities of the scalable API.

We also offer a preview of the ASAT Conference coming up in San Francisco, where many of our readers will have a chance to examine new technologies, new applications and new markets for the 21st century.

Do you have news about a speech technology product, story, or idea? Contact:

Brian Lewis, Editor
Speech Technology Magazine
CI Publishing
43 Danbury Road
Wilton, CT 06897
email: speechmag@aol.com