Shanda Releases Voice Assistant Application
36Kr, 12/16/12
Zhangmen Technology, a company affiliated with Chinese online media and game operator Shanda Interactive, recently released its first mobile product, "Bailing Voice Assistant" (unofficial translation). The development team for the mobile voice assistant application came from Shanda's Voice Technology Institute, and the voice recognition, speech synthesis, and speech parsing technologies for the application were developed in-house by Shanda.
Bailing Voice Assistant allows users to place calls, send SMS messages, open selected mobile applications, check weather, and search maps for route data using voice commands. The app also connects to Shanda's online bookstore, Yun Zhong Shu Cheng, to allow users to search and purchase e-books using voice commands, with functionality for the company's audio and video services to follow. Bailing Voice Assistant does not yet support voice chat.
In November 2012, Shanda CEO Chen Tianqiao and COO Chen Danian established Zhangmen Technology as a joint venture outside of the Shanda Group. The company is dedicated to mobile internet applications, and contains the mobile handset divisions of former Shanda Interactive electronics subsidiary Nut Shell Electronics.
Editor's Note: For more background on this topic, please see "Shanda Establishes Voice Technology R&D Institute" MD 11/17/10 issue and "Shanda Sells Nut Shell to Mobile Internet Company" MD 11/26/12 issue.
Keywords: Shanda Chen Danian Chen Tianqiao wireless voice recognition mobile application
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