Pebble Improves Voice Recognition With a New API

Time to feel like James Bond or any other spy movie you have ever watched.

Pebble on Thursday updated the Android version of its Pebble Time app to include more granular controls over notifications.

Even though Pebble Time users can already send quick voice replies through their smartwatches even without using an app, getting more developers to give voice-recognition abilities to their apps and programs is truly useful for existing users, and also a good marketing tool to get more people (both developers and customers) to get on board the Pebble train.

“You speak and we listen”, announced Pebble.

Beyond giving users a deeper system for voice control, Pebble concocted a dictation API from Nuance’s voice technology – the same Nuance that develops the Dragon NaturallySpeaking software. The Pebble Time Round smartwatch will get this feature on November. 8, the company said.

Pebble has launched third-party developer support for voice dictation to the Pebble Time, Pebble Time Steel and upcoming Time Round. The community is encouraged to use it to build “unique and engaging” voice-enabled apps to work with the smartwatches on Android and iOS.

Of course, it remains to be seen just how many developers will integrate the new API into their Pebble apps.

Scott Taylor, Nuance’s senior vice president of devices, stated that making the Dictation API available to Pebble developers will benefit the consumers in a way that they would be able to connect without having to look down at their smartphones.

“The value of a smartwatch is directly connected to its overall aesthetics, fit and intuitive functionality”, says Wong.