Point and click and talk on the Web

By Alun Williams

Posted on 25 Jul 2002 at 15:30

IBM and Opera are to team up to produce a multimodal browser - one that can process voice commands as well as input from keypad or stylus.

Based on the XHTML+Voice (X+V) specification, a beta version of the browser for mobile devices is expected to appear by the autumn.

'Multimodal technology' is the means of supporting the much-talked-about pervasive computing - the general principal being that users seamlessly interact with devices in different ways in different situations. An example quoted by Opera is a user requesting inventory information by voice, when they are on a factory floor and information has to be accessed hands free.

'IBM and Opera Software are collaborating in developing speech technology by providing the tools necessary for multimodal applications,' stated Jon S. von Tetzchner, the CEO of Opera Software. 'We look forward to seeing how this multimodal browser will help shape the evolution of the mobile and wireless computing as we move into this next phase of e-business.'

IBM has already been busy in this field - last week it announced a multimodal toolkit for developers and it is planning to add multimodal capabilities to its recently announced WebSphere Everyplace Access (WEA). The toolkit will contain a 'multimodal editor' for developers to write both XHTML and VoiceXML in the same application and a simulator to test the applications.

'As we move further into the pervasive computing model, where our phones, handhelds and even cars become our gateways to information access, the ability to interact with technology in the most natural and convenient way possible will be key,' believes Rod Adkins, General Manager of IBM's Pervasive Computing Division. 'Together with Opera, one of the leading providers of browser technology, IBM aims to build an interface that will allow technology to adapt to end-users, rather than forcing them to adapt to technology.'