Windows 10 will also be able to be controlled by voice command, with Microsoft developing a Voice Launcher that also allows interaction with files and applications. The functionality is already in the testing stage and should be available to all Windows 10 users in the October 2021 update.
Windows 10 users will have a new tool for navigating the interface, initiating searches or commands in File Explorer, launching applications and interacting with them.
Even though the easiest way to control a Windows desktop is with the mouse and keyboard, Microsoft has worked hard to bring Windows into the age of touch screens. Even if not perfect, now we can use a tablet with Windows 10 without taking too much lack of the above tools. The next step, voice control, is based on an emerging technology – artificial intelligence-assisted voice recognition.
What the new Windows 10 Voice Launcher offers
More than an interface for voice commands, the new Voice Launcher relies on sophisticated algorithms to interpret not only keywords, but also their meaning in a given context.
The feature will automatically appear wherever there is a text field based on the Windows Search API. At the same time, the functionality can also be triggered by the Win + H shortcut.
If enabled in a text document, Voice Launcher comes with a useful feature called automatic punctuation, allowing you to automatically arrange dictated words into sentences and sentences.
The voice launcher will accept multiple languages for different regions, including English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, and Chinese.
As with other voice-based devices, Microsoft will collect (optionally) user data to improve its algorithms.
“Daily use of voice typing could make Microsoft’s online technology more accurate for everyone who speaks your language. If you decide to contribute to your voice clips, some of those clips will be reviewed by Microsoft employees and vendors,” explains Microsoft. The good news is that the feature is not enabled by default.
In the meantime, it remains to be seen whether the voice search feature will be added to Windows 10 next year or later. But if Microsoft’s tests are successful, the functionality could be available to Windows 10 users starting with the October 2021 revision.
