By Tim Hillebrand
It seems I'm always talking to Hank, my Pocket PC, scolding him for this, asking him for that. But he is as responsive as a stump.
Well, Hank just had a brain infusion with Microsoft Voice Command. Not only can I order him around, but he can also talk back. I can tell him to play my favorite music, shuffle it, or to play a particular genre. I can tell him to launch any program in the Start menu and up it pops. I can ask for my appointments or to display a particular contact. Voice command is a simple to use, interactive method of bossing around your Pocket PC out loud.
While Voice Command works fine on 2003 Pocket PCs, it was intended more for Pocket PC phone users. This makes for a much safer driving environment since most people use a phone while driving.
The commands are simple, intuitive, and easy to remember. To make a phone call, simply say, "Call Contact Name." The program will respond with, "Call Contact Name at home, work, or mobile." You respond with the appropriate location, and the program will say, "Call Contact Name at work. Is that correct." You say, "Yes" or "Correct."
To save time, simply say, "Call Contact Name at Work." The number is dialed and you may begin speaking when the call is answered. What could be simpler? To make driving even safer, Pocket PC Phones have a speaker phone feature, making calling totally hands free. I don't know about you, but this makes me feel a lot safer in traffic. Now all I have to worry about is other drivers who do not have the advantage of Voice Command.
Speaking of driving, nothing makes driving more pleasurable than listening to some good music or to an audio book. Voice Command is again at your service by merely calling up what you'd like to listen to Windows Media Player. Just say, "Play Name of Tune." You can even tell it to play all your music and to shuffle it. Or you can play a particular type of music such as rock or classical.
I am particularly fond of how Voice Command functions as an application launcher with the ability to invoke any program in the Start menu. This can be a handy time-saver. I only wish it had more depth to it for such things as editing or reading text aloud. But, I suppose there are other programs that do fulfill this wish. All you have to do is say, "Start Application Name," or "Open Application Name," and it happens, as if by magic.
By default the Menu button turns the program on, but you can program any button for this task, should you wish to change it. This is an important feature, for if the program were running all the time in standby mode, your casual conversation might invoke unwanted responses.
