What Happened
SoundHound, a company mostly known for their Shazam-like music recognition app, has launched Houndify which promises to “add [a] voice enabled conversational interface to anything.” Available to all developers today, Houndify can bring natural language processing and voice command capabilities to other apps and devices – in other words, it will be like a “Siri for hire” to all the other non-voice-activated devices and apps. Better yet, it also promises to work across devices, so your smart coffee maker and your connected car could all be powered by Houndify in the future.
What Brands Need To Do
As more and more consumers start talking to their devices, thanks to the likes of Siri and Amazon Echo, it has become clear that voice-based interfaces will play a big role in tomorrow’s human-computer interaction. Brands can benefit from tools like Houndify to test out voice-activation in their apps, and see if they can develop a unique brand voice.
For example, a retailer may want to add a voice-activated shopping assistant to its mobile app to help guide users through the shopping process. Or an automaker may consider using Houndify to bring conversational UI into its in-car infotainment and navigation system, helping drivers to keep their eyes on the road instead of the dashboard screen.
Source: TechCrunch
