I found a couple of very nice X+V tutorials on the IBM developerWorks site that walk readers through the development of a voice-based SMS sending application. All that’s required is an editor (my favorite Windows editor is HTML Kit)** and a copy of the Opera Browser (version 8.0).
The first piece gently introduces readers to the idea of developing an X+V application, and the second elaborates on the initial example by introducing the concept of a mixed initiative dialog.
Multimodal applications hold enormous potential for improving government service delivery by enabling a broader array of input options for web-based services. This is a nice introduction to the concept of multimodality, and a good way to get your hands a little dirty with X+V. Plus the download of Opera 8.0 is free (if you don’t mind looking at a few ads as a tradeoff for integrated voice functionality — I don’t).
Good stuff. Bravo, Mr. Kusnitz! Bravo!
** The voice extensions for the Opera Browser are currently not supported on Linux, so you’ll have to download the Windows version. You can create the X+V content on another platform, and host it there if you like. If your looking for a good Linux-based editor, you might try this one.