Nuance Mobile Developer Program helps devs create-voice enabled apps

Nuance maker of the awesome Dragon Dictation speech recognition suite of applications has opened the doors to their software for developers. Through their Nuance Mobile Developer Program they are now offering access to the Dragon SDK. This given access will allow developers to put the same core functions into their apps that are found within the Dragon Dictation speech and search software. This is big news for developers who are looking for a better way to implement speech to text within their apps. Full press release can be found after the break. [Nuance]

NUANCE LAUNCHES SELF-SERVICE MOBILE DEVELOPER PROGRAM

Dragon Mobile SDK Gives Developers Ability to Voice-Enable iOS and Android Apps

BURLINGTON, MA, January 19, 2011 –Nuance Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN) today announced that it is providing access to the Dragon Mobile SDK for iOS and Android via a new self-service website as part of the Nuance Mobile Developer Program.   Now mobile developers are able to quickly and easily leverage the powerful dictation and voice search capabilities at the core of the successful Dragon Dictation and Dragon Search apps, as well as Nuance’s trusted Vocalizer text-to-speech (TTS).

The Dragon Mobile SDK is now available through the Nuance Mobile Developer Program for Apple iOS 4.0 (iPhone/iPad/iPod touch) and for many devices running Android 2.1 and higher.  The SDK currently supports US and UK English, European Spanish, European French, German, Italian and Japanese for dictation and search, with additional languages to be added through the end of the year.  TTS capabilities exist for more than 35 languages.

The Nuance Mobile Developer Program gives developers instant access to easy-to-integrate prepackaged wrappers and widgets for rapid inclusion of voice recognition into their applications, all through a self-service website.  Developers also have access to an on-line forum for additional support, a variety of code samples and full documentation.

“The mobile application explosion is in flight with Apple nearing 10 billion downloads and Android apps expanding rapidly,” said Michael Thompson, senior vice president and general manager, Nuance Mobile.  “We’ve created an amazingly simple way for developers to innovate privately and securely on the two fastest growing platforms in the world.”

Many developers have already experienced the power of the Dragon Mobile SDK for their apps, including Siri, Price Check by Amazon, Ask for iPhone, aisle411, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com, and SpeechTrans. 

Nuance Mobile Developer Quotes

  • “Integrating Nuance’s intuitive voice recognition brought a new level of user interaction to our Ask for iPhone question and answer service.  Finding information is incredibly easy when you can simply speak a question versus having to type it in,” said Tony Gentile, senior vice president, products, Ask.com US.
  • “Voice-enabling our app was simple with the Dragon Mobile SDK, letting people easily look up words that they've heard but don't know how to spell. And for many of our users, speaking directly to the dictionary is an intuitive and enjoyable experience," said Miles Kronby, chief product officer of digital, Merriam-Webster.
  • “The Dragon Mobile SDK has allowed us to quickly and easily voice-enable our Dictionary.com app for both iPhone and Android, giving our consumers an amazing voice search experience across two unique platforms,” said Lisa Cross-Sullivan, GM Mobile, Dictionary.com

Nuance Mobile Developer Program Pricing

Developers can download the Dragon Mobile SDK and have access to the cloud-based speech services for 90 days absolutely free.   And once ready for market distribution, developers have tiered pricing options to accommodate their unique needs and those of their applications.  Nuance also offers a range of developer customization programs including specialized language models and application optimization. To learn more about the Dragon Mobile SDK and supported devices, please visit: http://dragonmobile.nuancemobiledeveloper.com.

Dragon has long been a leading speech recognition application on the desktop, used by millions of people around the world.  Nuance has launched an array of Dragon applications across a variety of mobile platforms including iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7, and more.  To learn more, visit www.dragonmobileapps.com.

About Nuance Mobile

Nuance Mobile builds innovative, intelligent and intuitive touch and speech interfaces to simplify and enhance the way people interact with mobile devices, applications, and services.  Nuance Mobile solutions make mobile devices and in-car systems easier to use, automate customer self-service, and optimize the access and discovery of even the most advanced mobile applications and content – regardless of technical know-how, location, environment, or physical and literacy capabilities.

About Nuance Communications, Inc.

Nuance is a leading provider of speech and imaging solutions for businesses and consumers around the world. Its technologies, applications and services make the user experience more compelling by transforming the way people interact with information and how they create, share and use documents. Every day, millions of users and thousands of businesses experience Nuance’s proven applications and professional services. For more information, please visit: nuance.com.

Bla1ze