[whatwg] Web API for speech recognition and synthesis

[Peter Parente]

> We've been watching our colleagues build native apps that use speech
> recognition and speech synthesis, and would like to have JavaScript
> APIs that let us do the same in web apps. We are thinking about
> creating a lightweight and implementation-independent API that lets
> web apps use speech services. Is anyone else interested in that?

> Bjorn Bringert, David Singleton, Gummi Hafsteinsson

I am interested in a JavaScript API for text-to-speech synthesis at
least. It would be a great help in creating more usable web
applications for people with visual impairments (i.e., self-voicing
web applications instead of screen reading). It could also enable a
slew of new web apps in mobile, eyes-busy situations (e.g., my smart
phone reads me my web mail, twitter feed, what-have-you, while I'm
driving).

Some folks working on enabling technologies at the Univ. of North
Carolina built Outfox (http://code.google.com/p/outfox/) as proof of
concept JS interface to text-to-speech engines on Mac, Windows, and
Linux. It's Firefox-only, but might be worth a look.

Pete