Got A BlackBerry 8700c
#11
Contributors
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Brookline, MA, USA
Posts: 398
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: 2007 530Xi - Navigation, Premium package, Steptronic.
Originally Posted by Rudy' post='471116' date='Sep 18 2007, 10:26 PM
Although it's never 100% accurate, it works fairly well for me (when I use it -- which isn't too often except for the phone stuff) so it really does sound like something may be wrong with your car. I'd go to the dealer and try to see what happens if you issue commands to a different car in the showroom or something. If it works on the dealer's car, show them how it doesn't work on yours and ask them if they can make it work...
#12
I have a Blackberry 8703e (Verizon) paired with my 2008 528i. In my brief experience, I have found no connection between voice command and the BB phone book, even after I-drive downloads it. Some people seem to think the system can match a voice to the text names in the phone book. Not true. In my experience, all the voice command is capable of is matching spoken names to stored audio samples and sending numbers via Bluetooth for the BB to dial. It would work the same way even if the BB phonebook was empty.
At the voice prompt, you have to use SAVE NAME, follow the dialog, providing a name and number to dial, and then you have to say SAVE. Even then, when you want the number recalled, you have to get a pretty close match to the inflection used when making the original sound. Another important point to remember is that each of your phonebook entries should sound distinct from the others. If there are only subtle variations in the sound, expect misdirected lookups. Use the READ PHONEBOOK command to get an idea of what the system wants to hear for the various names you have stored. I made my voice phonebook entries with the climate control off, so I turn down the fan when I use the system. Road noise can also be an issue (although the E60 is a really quiet car anyway).
I am very new to BMW ownership, but I have the phone in question and I am successfully using voice command. My one wish is that I could change the voice. For what this car costs, I want it to speak with a sultry female voice. It should be just enough to make passengers smile (or for my wife to complain). Attention BMW: Check out http://www.theivrvoice.com THAT is the voice I want for voice command.
At the voice prompt, you have to use SAVE NAME, follow the dialog, providing a name and number to dial, and then you have to say SAVE. Even then, when you want the number recalled, you have to get a pretty close match to the inflection used when making the original sound. Another important point to remember is that each of your phonebook entries should sound distinct from the others. If there are only subtle variations in the sound, expect misdirected lookups. Use the READ PHONEBOOK command to get an idea of what the system wants to hear for the various names you have stored. I made my voice phonebook entries with the climate control off, so I turn down the fan when I use the system. Road noise can also be an issue (although the E60 is a really quiet car anyway).
I am very new to BMW ownership, but I have the phone in question and I am successfully using voice command. My one wish is that I could change the voice. For what this car costs, I want it to speak with a sultry female voice. It should be just enough to make passengers smile (or for my wife to complain). Attention BMW: Check out http://www.theivrvoice.com THAT is the voice I want for voice command.
#13
Super Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Pittsburgh, PA USA
Posts: 17,310
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes
on
2 Posts
My Ride: G30 M550i
Model Year: 2018
Originally Posted by dcavanaugh' post='471795' date='Sep 19 2007, 09:13 PM
I have a Blackberry 8703e (Verizon) paired with my 2008 528i. In my brief experience, I have found no connection between voice command and the BB phone book, even after I-drive downloads it. Some people seem to think the system can match a voice to the text names in the phone book. Not true. In my experience, all the voice command is capable of is matching spoken names to stored audio samples and sending numbers via Bluetooth for the BB to dial. It would work the same way even if the BB phonebook was empty.
At the voice prompt, you have to use SAVE NAME, follow the dialog, providing a name and number to dial, and then you have to say SAVE. Even then, when you want the number recalled, you have to get a pretty close match to the inflection used when making the original sound. Another important point to remember is that each of your phonebook entries should sound distinct from the others. If there are only subtle variations in the sound, expect misdirected lookups. Use the READ PHONEBOOK command to get an idea of what the system wants to hear for the various names you have stored. I made my voice phonebook entries with the climate control off, so I turn down the fan when I use the system. Road noise can also be an issue (although the E60 is a really quiet car anyway).
I am very new to BMW ownership, but I have the phone in question and I am successfully using voice command. My one wish is that I could change the voice. For what this car costs, I want it to speak with a sultry female voice. It should be just enough to make passengers smile (or for my wife to complain). Attention BMW: Check out http://www.theivrvoice.com THAT is the voice I want for voice command.
At the voice prompt, you have to use SAVE NAME, follow the dialog, providing a name and number to dial, and then you have to say SAVE. Even then, when you want the number recalled, you have to get a pretty close match to the inflection used when making the original sound. Another important point to remember is that each of your phonebook entries should sound distinct from the others. If there are only subtle variations in the sound, expect misdirected lookups. Use the READ PHONEBOOK command to get an idea of what the system wants to hear for the various names you have stored. I made my voice phonebook entries with the climate control off, so I turn down the fan when I use the system. Road noise can also be an issue (although the E60 is a really quiet car anyway).
I am very new to BMW ownership, but I have the phone in question and I am successfully using voice command. My one wish is that I could change the voice. For what this car costs, I want it to speak with a sultry female voice. It should be just enough to make passengers smile (or for my wife to complain). Attention BMW: Check out http://www.theivrvoice.com THAT is the voice I want for voice command.
On the E60, there's a huge difference between navigation cars and non-navigation cars. There is entirely different hardware running the iDrive system (nav cars use the CCC system and non-nav cars use the M-ASK system.)
On CCC based cars, the phone does, in fact, translate the speech to the text in the phonebook. There is no "save name" command and there's no "teaching" the system any entries. The M-ASK system is a bit more primitive and does require the teaching of names, etc. as you describe above.
Enjoy your car and enjoy the forums!
(Oh yeah, and one more thing.... Go Steelers! )
#14
Thanks for the info -- I had no idea that the nav system cars had speech-to-text matching. As a software guy, I can understand why it would be problematic. A car is a tough place to be doing any kind of speech recognition, even before trying to add text interpretation. I have seen some speech-to-text demonstrations in a controlled environment -- even then it's a hit and miss proposition at best. No wonder people are having trouble with it.
#15
Super Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Pittsburgh, PA USA
Posts: 17,310
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes
on
2 Posts
My Ride: G30 M550i
Model Year: 2018
Originally Posted by dcavanaugh' post='471990' date='Sep 20 2007, 07:57 AM
Thanks for the info -- I had no idea that the nav system cars had speech-to-text matching. As a software guy, I can understand why it would be problematic. A car is a tough place to be doing any kind of speech recognition, even before trying to add text interpretation. I have seen some speech-to-text demonstrations in a controlled environment -- even then it's a hit and miss proposition at best. No wonder people are having trouble with it.
#16
In my experience the voice commands are stored within the TCU seperate from the address book of the paired phone. An example of this is that my 2004 530i pairs with both my wife's phone and my Blackberry. Even when we are both in the car and the car is paired with her phone, the voice commands I saved still work with my voice. The voice commands she "saved" to the TCU work with her voice when my Blackberry is paired. The full address book of my BB appears when paired, and the limited phone book my wife has on her phone is listed when her phone is paired.
Scott
Scott
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
MRV99
Bluetooth & Cell Phone Forum
0
07-30-2007 01:07 PM
MUG3
Bluetooth & Cell Phone Forum
1
01-17-2007 02:12 PM
bmuu
Bluetooth & Cell Phone Forum
1
01-21-2006 12:32 PM