VoxML:
Get Your Database Talking
By Srdjan Vujosevic and Robert Laberge
If you don't have a Web enabled cell phone, don't worry, you may soon be able to hear your Web site of choice on a regular phone. Developers are working on a new generation of user interfaces that make it possible to access the Internet with your voice.
Imagine dialing into a portal and asking, "What's the current price for XYZ?" The portal would respond, "XYZ at 11:45 a.m. is trading at $88, with a day high of $89 and a day low of $87." Other possible applications include checking individual movie times and show listings, searching for specific items on your bank statement, and having your latest email read to you as you drive to work.
Some of this technology has existed for awhile now, but only limited and proprietary form. VoiceXML and VoxML, which are derived from the XML specification for languages, allow any company to develop a voice-enabled application without starting from scratch.
It's important not to confuse VoiceXML, or the related VoxML, with Voice-over-IP, which is a technology that lets people make "phone calls" over the Internet. VoiceXML and VoxML are languages that must be interpreted by a voice browser. Just like Web browsers read and interpret HTML documents, voice browsers read and interpret VoiceXML documents. The voice browser also accepts voice commands and sends them to applications over the Internet. The browser then reads the output from the applications back to the end user.
Conversation Starters
Motorola took a big step toward merging telephony and the Internet when the company announced VoxML in September 1998.
