Speegle launched as first talking search engine

A SCOTTISH computer speech technology company has launched what it claims to be the world's first talking search engine.

CEC Systems, which operates from Edinburgh, has based its Speegle search engine on the look of Google and on its own PanaVox computer speech technology, which it launched last year.

While the results of a search on Speegle are spoken with voice of an American girl, newsfeeds from the BBC, the New York Times, Reuters and MSN are heard in a Scottish accent.

The company believes the future of Speegle lies not only in accessing searches for people with impaired vision, but also for "those of us who are lazy and want to open envelopes and discard paper in the morning as we listen to what site we need to look at for information".

Gordon Renton, managing director of CEC Systems, said: "It has been a long haul to get Speegle to this stage, and from here we will begin to tackle other languages to make this a truly universal use of our speech technology."

Renton expects his technology to be particularly useful to third-generation mobile phone operators, public access web sites, web users for whom English is a second language and on-line advertisers.

He said the company will roll out advertising on the site before the end of the year – which will work in the same way as Google ads, except users will not have to click them.

Although Google does not offer banner ads or other advertising displays on its website, it relies on discreet ads that are supplied only when users search for specific key words. When a user types in a sponsored keyword, the advertiser's links appear at the top of the search results.

While screen-reading software is already widely used by blind people, and speaking-website technology is available to those with broadband, no mechanism currently exists for users to hear web content on standard 56k modems, still the most common form of internet connection.

No global figures were available for total spending on speech technology, but in the US almost £400m was spent in 2002, according to the Kelsey Group. The market is expected to be worth £4bn by 2005.

URL: http://www.speegle.co.uk

--the Herald.co.uk 2004-11-08

While the results of a search on Speegle are spoken with voice of an American girl, newsfeeds from the BBC, the New York Times, Reuters and MSN are heard in a Scottish accent.

You've ghet to be kiddin...

Aye that ill be right

Are ya aff yur heid?

thats ###### <deleted> big man

I dinni underston ya. Ken!