The problem with voice recognition is that it doesn't work well in noisy environments and in most cases, if you have deep spech issues.  I do not consider this an added level of accessibility but an added level of convenience but having said all that, We'll see what apple actually comes out with.  I have siri and love it.

On Mar 30, 2011, at 11:33 AM, peter altschul wrote:

	Deeper Voice Recognition on iPhone, iPad?
Written by Ray Harris
Tuesday, 29 March 2011 22:15
Deeper Voice Recognition on iPhone, iPad? Yes, Please
By Brian X.  Chen


































Voice-recognition capabilities on the iPhone enable a user to play music and
call contacts using speech commands.  Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Apple's next-generation mobile operating system may include a more powerful
voice recognition system, putting to use the company's recent acquisition of
an artificial-intelligence startup.

Apple on Monday said it would announce details on the future of iOS, the
software powering the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, at the Worldwide
Developers Conference in June.  Expanded voice recognition features will be a
highlight of the new operating system, claims TechCrunch's MG Siegler.

The new voice system would take advantage of technologies developed by Siri,
an artificial-intelligence company that Apple acquired April 2010, Siegler
claims.  Before Siri was acquired by Apple, it released an iPhone app that
acted as a personal assistant.  Dictating a command such as "I'd like a table
for four at Nopa restaurant" would prompt Siri to reserve a table through
the OpenTable online-booking service.

Deeper voice recognition in iOS would be a plausible next step for Apple.
The touchscreen interface was already a giant leap forward for making user
interface more approachable, and an expanded voice recognition system that
controls core aspects of the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch would make Apple's
mobile products even more user friendly for customers.

I can imagine less tech-savvy customers picking up an iPad and saying
something like "Download Angry Birds," which would initiate the download
after you verify the purchase.  Some other casual use examples would be
"Search World War II on Wikipedia," or "What's the weather like next week in
San Francisco?"

An improved voice-recognition system would also be extremely useful for an
often-neglected audience: customers with visual impairments.  The National
Federation of the Blind previously applauded Apple for its VoiceOver system
in iOS, a computer voice that reads back any text that you touch with your
finger.


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