Voice Enabling Web Applications: VoiceXML and Beyond (With CD-ROM)
by Kenneth R. Abbott

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Book Reviews of Voice Enabling Web Applications: VoiceXML and Beyond (With CD-ROM)

Book Review: VoiceXML and a lot lot more
Summary: 5 Stars

provided which is explained throughout the book, and it is
even presented in a UML framework which will be useful to
engineers who want a good example of effective use of UML.
And there is a CD, and associated web site, with both the
application and all the tools you need to build and test
the example - note: some of the tools like XML Spy, IBM
WebSphere, Allaire JRun, and Apache Cocoon may have time
limits, so don't install the software until you are ready
to spend the time necessary to set up and test the
application. Finally, the book is written at an extremely
intelligent level and the reader may find some of the
philosophies like cognition and artificial intelligence
stimulating. Sounds like a lot for a 200 page book, but
the author has succeeded in delivering all the above and
more in a manner that should serve as a model for
presenting new technologies.

Summary of Voice Enabling Web Applications: VoiceXML and Beyond (With CD-ROM)

Ken Abbott's Voice Enabling Web Applications: VoiceXML and Beyond is a comprehensive introduction to the concepts, architectures, and implementation techniques underlying the development of voice-enabled Internet applications.

This book is divided into three parts, each of which tackles an essential piece of the voice application development puzzle. In Part One, "Retrospective on Voice and the Web," you'll learn how VoiceXML integrates voice recognition and synthesis technologies with markup languages, and you'll see how VoiceXML (VXML) is a powerful vehicle for incorporating voice and graphical interfaces into today's web architectures. In Part Two, "The VoiceXML Language," you'll be introduced to VXML syntax and programming concepts, and you'll quickly learn how to develop dynamic voice applications by following along with the creation of a voice-enabled personal information manager. You'll also learn about Voice User Interface (VUI) design principles, and you'll gain valuable insight into the techniques used to create efficient, user-friendly voice applications. In Part Three, "Incorporating Voice into the Web," you'll be introduced to the architectures and components used to create large-scale web applications, and you'll learn how to use VoiceXML with other web technologies in a multitier, voice-enabled Web application.

This short title starts out by explaining the evolution of user interfaces, from text and pictures on desktop browsers to new VUI standards, including VoiceXML 1.0, which is used here to build voice-based apps. (The book begins with an explanation that VoiceXML 2.0 was still being standardized as the title went to press. A later section details some of the changes you can expect when 2.0 does arrive.)

After explaining the unique challenges of creating voice-based interactions with users, much of the book relies on a sample case study for a simple Personal Information Manager (PIM), including some design documents (like use cases) presented in the Unified Modeling Language (UML). This application gets enhanced in steps and allows the author to tour the basic tags and programming strategies for voice-based dialogs with users. Throughout this title, the author considers "best practices" and programming hints for creating effective VUIs, which will require new ways of thinking from developers. Later chapters look at how to create an application that can be used with both traditional browsers and voice using XML presented using XSL style sheets. (This example makes use of both the Cocoon servlet framework and the IBM WebSphere Voice SDK, with screenshots showing these tools in action.)

The book concludes with some predictions about what to expect for the future of VoiceXML and voice-based computing as well as a handy reference to VoiceXML tags. Though it's likely to be superseded by more comprehensive titles as voice computing matures, this concise guide will provide an excellent resource for any early adopter of voice-based computing. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered: Introduction to VoiceXML and voice user interfaces (VUIs), brief history of the Internet, case study for a simple voice-based Personal Information Manager (PIM), user-case analysis of a VUI, VoiceXML 1.01 vs. 2.0, survey of toolkits and developer accessories, VoiceXML language tutorial (menus, dialogs, event handling, and telephony support), VUI design principles, techniques and programming guide; advanced VoiceXML topics (including resource fetching, voice gateways, and advanced event handling), quick overview of Web technologies (including XML, servlets, and JavaServer Pages), adding VoiceXML to traditional Web applications, grammar and speech synthesis specifications, reusable dialog components, and a reference to VoiceXML tags and syntax.

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