VoiceXML Review - Letter from the Editor

Volume 6, Issue 2 - Mar/Apr 2006

March 2006

Dear Readers,

In the distant past there was a misconception among some that VoiceXML was limited to constructing voice-only traditional IVR applications. This was in part due to some of the telephony-related artifacts that found their way into the VoiceXML specification, such as support for DTMF input, and the tag. Nevertheless, the primary focus of VoiceXML is authoring speech dialogs, and the language has proven to be quite applicable to applications beyond the traditional call center variety. If it isnt already, this point will become quite clear as you read through the feature articles included in this issue of the VoiceXML Review.

Our first article, entitled “Video Interactive Services with VoiceXML” by Dave Burke (Voxpilot) and Scott McGlashan (HP) describes how VoiceXML can be used to deploy video telephony services over 3G mobile telephony and IP networks. The article demonstrates how powerful video services can be deployed without requiring any extensions to the VoiceXML 2.x specifications. The authors also provide a bit of a sneak preview into the new media-related features under discussion for the VoiceXML 3.0 specification that can be utilized by video services.

In our second article, entitled “Twenty Multimodal Projects Using X+V on the Opera Browser”, Jim Larson shares his classroom experiences using the Opera 8 browser to teach students to design multimodal applications. The students’ applications are available online, so if you happen to have Opera 8 for Windows installed on your PC, be sure to try them out.

Our Speak and Listen columnist Matt Oshry (Tellme) addresses some of the questions that were provoked from his earlier in-depth column on implementing “pick lists” using some of the new features in VoiceXML 2.1. In particular, Matt provides an interesting workaround for platforms that are “bargein challenged”.

In our First Words column, having wrapped up his epic series of columns on the goodies VoiceXML 2.1 has brought us, Rob Marchand (VoiceGenie) takes inventory. Rob has compiled an up-to-date list of online VoiceXML resources. This list is useful not only to VoiceXML newbies just beginning to find their way, but is sure to include a few helpful links even the old timers among us have yet to discover.

We hope you enjoy this issue of the VoiceXML Review. If you’re interested in contributing an article to a future issue of the e-zine, feel free to send me an email describing your proposed article. My email address is .

Sincerely,

Jonathan Engelsma
Editor-in-Chief
VoiceXML Review

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