Nuance and Pebble partner to bring voice recognition to many of Pebble’s smartwatches

Nuance Communications and Pebble Technologies have announced that, together, they’re bringing Nuance’s voice recognition technology to the Pebble Time, Pebble Time Steel, and Pebble Time Round smartwatches.

This added voice recognition technology will allow Android users to reply to emails and text messages by using their voice with a simple touch of a button.

It’s available for the Pebble Time and Pebble Time Steel straight away, but Pebble Time Round owners in the US will have to wait until November 8 to take advantage of the built-in voice recognition technology.

Pebble also in conjunction with Nuance has created a Dictation API, which is open to developers to build voice-enabled applications. Developers who are interested in taking advantage of Pebble’s API can check out the all the documentation on Pebble’s developer website.

Was it really worth the time and money of integrating voice technology into the Pebble devices, though? Only a very small group of people will take advantage of the feature, as smartwatches still aren’t widely adopted. And given the chance, most people would rather type an email or text message than yell at their smartphone or smartwatch.

There’s also the frustrations of voice recognition that isn’t just limited to Pebble. When using speech-to-text technology, more often than not the user has to go back in his or her email or text message and edit the parts that the smartphone or smartwatch didn’t hear correctly.

While it’s a nice feature to have on hand, it’d difficult to see how it enhances the Pebble experience for the large majority of its users. Voice recognition technology just isn’t in its prime, but hopefully that will change sooner than later.

Android Users Can Reply to Texts and Emails Using Their Voice with Pebble Time and Pebble Time Steel; API Now Available for Pebble Developer Community

Burlington, MA. – October 15, 2015 – Nuance Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN) and Pebble Technology Corp. today announced that Nuance’s voice recognition technology enables Android users with Pebble Time and Pebble Time Steel smartwatches to reply to email and text messages using their voice at a touch of a button. This feature will also be available on Pebble Time Round starting on November 8 in the US. In conjunction with the voice recognition capabilities, Pebble created a Dictation API leveraging Nuance’s voice technology for the Pebble developer community to build unique and engaging voice-enabled applications that will work seamlessly with Pebble smartwatches on both Android and iOS.

“The value of a smartwatch is directly connected to its overall aesthetics, fit, and intuitive functionality. Pebble is committed to offering not only a variety of smartwatches that blend into individual lifestyles, but also to expanding the usability of Pebble smartwatches world-wide through frequent software upgrades,” said Kean Wong, Vice President of Software Engineering at Pebble. “Making voice capabilities accessible to developers will help grow the Pebble app ecosystem exponentially, providing Pebble users access to more apps that are fun, intuitive, and easy to use.”

“Voice opens up a world of possibility for wearable devices – in seconds, messages dictated by voice are sent right from the wrist with just a touch of a button. By opening the Dictation API to Pebble developers, more experiences will be delivered and consumers will be able to connect without having to look down at their device,” said Scott Taylor, senior vice president of devices, Nuance Mobile.

Nuance provides a voice for everything through a portfolio of innovations that is defining a new generation of virtual assistant experiences. As a result, people experience a more human conversation with the world’s best phones, tablets, computers, cars, TVs, apps and services from leading manufacturers and operators.

Click here to learn more about Pebble’s voice API.

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