TellMe!!!

[dishe]

Originally Posted by kazzxtrismus

ok.... why cant we get something that doesn't need a data connection to work?
dragon naturally speaking has been arround since the dx66 desktop
im sure were all running faster processors than 66mhz
a 4gig memory card is more space than imagineable at that time too

why the heck do all these new apps require a data connection??

First of all, I don't remember Dragon being all that good, especially not on a 66Mhz machine. It would fail with any kind of background noise, such as you'd have in a car. I have a co-worker who tried it and only got it to work a little at certain times during the day, and we found it is was because of the sound of the air conditioner units running in the background at certain times every day.

The times that we'd want to use voice transcription are likely never to be the perfectly quiet environments this kind of precision requires.

Why is sending it to a server better?
Because MS (and Google with their Goog-411 service) have special audio processing servers that run complex filters and algorithms to determine exactly what it is that you said despite the background noise. This process requires a significant amount of intensive time-dependent calculation, the likes of which your home PC probably can't handle, let alone your mobile device.

Meanwhile, if you've used Microsoft Voice Command, you've seen that you can actually get a decent amount of voice recognition on the go without a cloud server, for things like queuing up music by artist title or commands like "What appointments do I have today?" "Next Track" or "Start Pandora Radio".
It is able to process these without any prior training, and gets it right even with some background noise and in varying vocal states. That's more than I can say about the old Dragon, although they may have gotten better with the later versions.

To put it simply- the technology in our phones is STILL not up to speed to do this satisfactorily. The only way around that bottleneck is cloud computing.

And since most people with a Smartphone also pay for data, its a no brainer. I'm sorry to say it, but I think your situation is something of an anomaly. I'd be surprised to find any other users of this forum that have current WM devices and not data!
Heck, my wife has a standard Samsung feature phone, and *SHE* has data, because it is included in our plan. She uses it sometimes, for the occasional Google Maps or mobile web spurt, but its just there for her to use. I don't know what carrier you are on or what kind of lousy plan, but it would be harder for some of us to have a decent plan WITHOUT data these days...

I'm still not convinced $500/yr for any of these apps is worth it to me.
even if I did choose to donate to all of them for their real development worth i'd be short of the $500. (for the 3-5 apps i'd buy)
let alone having to pay it again next year to continue using the programs.

I'm not sure I understand what you are referring to. Donate to whom? Microsoft? For creating this app for us? And for crying out loud my entire year's worth of bills isn't even $500, and I have a data plan...

not cause I'm cheap... but beause I dont care to give the telecoms 15x the $ value for basic data that gets lost in the regular data stream after the tower

Jeez, sounds like you're on the worst carrier ever! I don't think any of us share your sentiment, and I'm not sure I even understand the problem here... or why you'd choose to have an expensive device designed for connectivity, but skimp on a data plan.

[MrObvious]

Actually the biggest problem with using data to transmit for TellMe is that most of us have CDMA here and not GSM and our phones switch to 1x to text and if you're like me the switching constantly runs down the battery. Plus the data transcription in 1x mode is very crappy versus EVDO.

[dishe]

Originally Posted by MrObvious

Actually the biggest problem with using data to transmit for TellMe is that most of us have CDMA here and not GSM and our phones switch to 1x to text and if you're like me the switching constantly runs down the battery. Plus the data transcription in 1x mode is very crappy versus EVDO.

I could be wrong, but it sounds like you are confusing network hopping with transmission protocols. When you send an SMS, its not actually switching between 1x and EVDO. 1X and EVDO exist simultaneously on any given tower that supports them. The indicator changes to show you that there is information moving over the 1x side of the network you are attached to. Same thing happens when you make a phone call- the indicator shows that you're now using the 1x side of the same tower you just showed an EV connection for. You didn't just switch networks. The EV connection is still there, as well... it is just on hold since the current network technology for CDMA only supports one protocol at a time.

What DOES drain your battery, however, is when your phone has to hop back and forth between networks, usually in areas that are on the border of roaming. Switching in/out of roaming takes a major hit in the battery life area, and usually roaming agreements are
1x, which means you'll notice it as 1x and EV symbols hopping back and forth, each time depleting your battery life that much more.
I'm fairly certain that has very little to do with how TellMe works. When you speak into it, it records the sound and transmits over whatever data connection you have- usually EVDO if in a good signal area with a native tower that supports it. Once it sends back the transcription, it will then send the SMS, which uses the 1x side of the network. That's why you see the 1x icon for a moment. But you didn't switch networks and didn't start any new connections. Your EV connection is still there waiting.

The concept is a good and solid, however the actual execution is another story- the app just doesn't seem to do a good job at recognition. :P

[MrObvious]

Well kinda. I was talking about the modes of data transfer and how CDMA only allows for us to text or place phone calls in 1x mode instead of EVDO and I know both are there and stuff.

[dishe]

Originally Posted by MrObvious

Well kinda. I was talking about the modes of data transfer and how CDMA only allows for us to text or place phone calls in 1x mode instead of EVDO and I know both are there and stuff.

Yeah, but you don't "switch" back and forth between them. They're both always active, but it would be messy and cluttered to have a 1x and evdo meter up there at the same time, so the top bar only shows one at a time- whatever is currently sending or receiving. (If I recall, I think Verizon's feature phones actually show both 1x and Evdo meters... hated that)

So, there is no extra loss of battery or otherwise due to how this works.

[MrObvious]

Then how come going to 1x and EVDO drains battery a lot if it doesn't switch? Sure the tower supports it but I think the phones only do one at a time.

[dishe]

Originally Posted by MrObvious

Then how come going to 1x and EVDO drains battery a lot if it doesn't switch? Sure the tower supports it but I think the phones only do one at a time.

I explained that above. When you see it switching back and forth on its own, its because you are switching networks. Roaming networks usually only allow you to connect to 1x data and not EVDO, which is why you see the icon changing (otherwise you would have no idea what it is doing behind the scenes). Each time you connect to a network, it drains the battery.
However, it is not the 1X or EvDo switching that is killing it, but rather the fact that you are disconnecting and connecting to new networks in the background.

This is different from being connected to one tower, using the 1x side of it for a bit, and continuing your EV connection. They are both always active (although current CDMA networks only allow a phone to send/receive on one protocol at a time, putting the other on "hold". All the while the connection stays live and doesn't consume any additional battery power).