The .NET Speech SDK integrates with Visual Studio .NET, providing developers with a collection of tools and technology enabling them to build voice-accessible Web applications. Included within the SDK are tools that assist in the debugging of speech-enabled apps, samples and tutorials, ASP.NET controls, a desktop speech recognition engine, Internet Explorer extensions that enable IE to become speech aware, and a "test-level" Text-To-Speech (TTS) engine.

The .NET Speech SDK is based on SALT, or the Speech Application Language Tags specification. SALT seeks to provide a set of extension tags to XML and HTML documents, which, in combination with SALT compatible technology (such as browsers that can recognize the SALT tags and utilize them in conjunction with speech recognition and TTS engines), allows for the interactive use of voice in Web documents. The SALT specification is being developed by the SALT forum, a collection of companies initially founded by Microsoft, Cisco, SpeechWorks, Philips, Intel, and Comverse; a SALT specification is expected to be submitted to a standards body for acceptance in mid-2002.

Microsoft announced the availability of the .NET Speech SDK 1.0 Beta at the AVIOS Speech Expo on May 7, 2002. According to the Microsoft press release, the SDK will "ship this week."

Contact Microsoft for further information.

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