14 DAY TRIAL // We already knew that Microsoft packed voice recognition
capabilities within the upcoming Windows Phone 7 operating system, but few details on the availability of this features were known until now, it seems.
While the solution would be there, as Microsoft has great plans in the voice recognition area, it seems that not all users would benefit from it right from the start.
According to a recent article on MobileTechWorld, Windows Phone 7’s voice recognition features would be available only to users living in an English speaking country.
Basically, this means that other countries, including Germany, France, Spain and more, would have the functionality disabled right from the start without the user having to do something with it.
Not to mention that Microsoft would have the mobile platform launched with native support for only five languages.
However, the company announced previously that it plans on adding support for more languages during the next year, and Voice recognition might arrive for more users at that time too.
“Speech will become the tool we use to unlock the power of devices as their connectivity and capabilities accelerate,” Zig Serafin, general manager of the Speech Group at Microsoft, said during the 2010 SpeechTEK Conference in New York
This suggests that Microsoft is indeed determined to enable as many users as possible to enjoy voice recognition on their devices, while being set to expand the feature beyond simple search actions.
Of course, there is no telling on when Microsoft would make this available for all Windows Phone 7 users, nor the languages it would support, but the first steps in this direction should be made next year, it seems.
MobileTechWorld suggests that the Redmond-based company might make the move in Spring 2011, though it might seem too soon for some.
Hopefully, the rumor would indeed pan out, and more Windows Phone 7 users would be able to enjoy the feature on their handsets next year.