Vista is a step forward in terms of the evolution of natural input methods for the Windows client, in comparison to its predecessor, Windows XP. The latest Windows operating system features advanced speech recognition capabilities designed to supplement the now traditional input methods involving the keyboard and the mouse. As of the past week, the Redmond company is offering end users a way to extend the default speech recognition functionality offered by Vista via the Windows Speech Recognition Macros Technical Preview.

"The Speech Components Group has announced the availability of Windows Speech Recognition Macros (WSRMacros) Technical Preview. The WSRMacros is a tool designed to extend the Windows Speech Recognition capabilities already in Windows Vista today using Macros," revealed Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc.

Vista end users will have the possibility to take advantage of the Technical Preview for Windows Speech Recognition Macros in order to build macros which can be run using voice commands and perform advanced interaction with components in the operating system. Although the Technical Preview is already available for download, Microsoft informed that the Windows Speech Recognition Macros is far from finalization. In fact, the Redmond company has additional features cooking that will be included in future releases of the tool. "Users are cautioned to treat this release as "pre-beta"," Microsoft advised in the overview of the Windows Speech Recognition Macros Technical Preview.

"The Windows Speech Recognition Macros tool (aka WSRMacros) extends the usefulness of the speech recognition capabilities already included in Windows Vista. Users can now create powerful macros that are triggered by spoken commands. These macros can perform a single task, or a series of tasks. Macros can be as simple as inserting your mailing address to as complex as providing a completely different speech interaction utilizing a number of built in capabilities or utilizing custom JScript/VBScript actions," explained Robert Chambers, Group Manager, Microsoft.