Whither Voice Command Over BTh?

Artigo
02/03/2006

I had a request to do a blog entry explaining why Voice Command doesn't work over Bluetooth (BTh) headsets. The long story is a sordid tale of love, betrayal, and the number 8.

The short story is that the current version of Voice Command relies on microphones that sample at 16 kHz, but BTh headsets only do 8kHz.

A sample by any other name...
So, you want the long story, huh? Okay, first let's talk about how computers collect data from microphones. Computers do almost everything in discrete chunks. When you listen to an audio recording, it sounds like a continuous stream of sound. But it's actually a bunch of small bits of sound played so close together that your ears can't tell the difference. A microphone is continuous. It continually outputs a value that represents what it's currently hearing. But the computer that is hooked up to that microphone is discrete. The computer generally ignores what the microphone is saying. Then, every so often, it checks the microphone's current value and writes it down. Then it goes back to ignoring the microphone again. When the computer checks the microphone, you could say that it is "taking a sample." Most people just call this "sampling."

The more often you sample, the more accurate your recording is. If you took one sample every second and then played it back, it wouldn't sound anything at all like what actually happened. If you sampled a thousand times a second, you'd end up with something that somewhat resembled the original sound. Do it 8 thousand times a second, and you'll do a pretty decent job of reproducing simple sounds like speech, but will do a poor job of reproducing more complex sounds like music. You need to sample 16 thousand times a second (or more) to reproduce music reasonably.

We talk about this in terms of "kilohertz" or "kHz." Kilohertz means "a thousand times a second."

The best laid plans
Some software takes a very long time to write, often multiple years. A problem facing any software developer on a multiyear program is that the world tends to switch out from under us. Assumptions we make at the start of development might prove to be incorrect by the time we're done.

This is what happened to the Voice Command team. They set out to make the best voice recognition software they could. And, their original analysis said that they could do much better recognition if they designed their database around the assumption that audio would be sampled at 16 kHz instead of 8.

At this point in history, BTh's future was murky. Although it had strong backers, it wasn't doing very well. There were people who promised that it would align the planets, create spiritual harmony, and bring about world peace. There were others who felt that it was a flash in the pan that wouldn't go anywhere. And there were a million more opinions that covered pretty much everything in between. Publicly, Microsoft was pretty cold on BTh at the start, though a number of people in the company were strong proponents.

So the Voice Command team had a tough decision to make. Should they assume BTh would continue to flounder and write a better recognizer that relied on built in microphones (which can sample at 16 kHz)? Or should they assume BTh would take off and everyone would want to do Voice Command over BTh headsets?

They decided that BTh would succeed, but that it was going to take a while to do it. So they chose to go with the better recognizer first. Then BTh took off more quickly than they expected. It hasn't aligned the planets yet, but it's clearly going to be around for a long time to come. So, in the end, they made the wrong choice. And, as a result, Voice Command doesn't work on BTh headsets today.

Are we learning yet?
Have we learned our lesson and will never fail to foresee the future again? Nope. This isn't the first time this has happened to us, and it's not going to be the last time either. We are constantly put in a position where there are competing technologies on the horizon but we only have the resources to support one of them. Sometimes we'll pick the right one, and sometimes we won't.

If our history has shown anything, though, it's that we won't give up. We'll continue to work on our products and fix our past mistakes. I can't announce anything with respect to future versions of Voice Command because announcing features is marketing's jurisdiction, and I'm a developer. But I will say that, yes, we understand that Voice Command over BTh is an important feature. You'll have to look to our history to figure out where we'll go from there.

Mike Calligaro

Comments

Anonymous
February 03, 2006
What an excellent article. Concise, interesting and completely understandable. Not a sentence of Microsoftian in it. (perhaps you could start a campaign in microsoft AGAINST their constant need to redefine half the words in the English language so that outsiders cannot understand what they are talking about.)
Anonymous
February 03, 2006
Not sure what all the hubbub is about - I use Voice Command over bluetooth on my Samsung i730 every day. Of course it is not a readily supported feature, but fortunately there are enterprising developers out there who make this stuff work for the rest of us poor slobs.
Anonymous
February 03, 2006
Frank, I'm glad you liked it. Thanks!

Mike, could you post a URL to the solution you have? I'm sure others will be interested.

Mike Calligaro
Anonymous
February 03, 2006
I like the article. Makes sense now as to why I am having trouble implementing this for a Dr. that wants to dictate into his Bluetooth Headset and have the text show up on the screen.

Does anyone know if there is a Bluetooth headset that will sample at 16khz as well as a Bluetooth receiver?? or is this not possible?

I'm using a sony laptop for this application and want to know if this is possible.

THanks in advance.
Justin
Anonymous
February 03, 2006
Mike, first, thanks for posting this.

Second, do you really mean 16Khz sampling rate, and not 16bit sample size? 8Khz is the standard PCM rate, and yields audio up to 4Khz, which I would have thought is more than adequate for something like Voice Command.
Anonymous
February 05, 2006
Since VC is sampling at 16kHz, does that mean the ALL PPC's support 16kHz sampling? PPC 2003se and also mobile 5?

This is not clear to me when reading the PPC documentation.
Anonymous
February 06, 2006
Thanks for explaining that. Too many times I wonder why one feature or another isn't implementated in windows mobile, or why it's taking so long for windows mobile to catch up. Your article puts the Voice Command over bluetooth issue to rest for me. Thanks!
Anonymous
February 06, 2006
Is this the same reason that Voice Command won't work on the Cingular 2125? Is it becoming a trend for the microphones built into handsets to sample at 8kHz?

Is there a beta program for any possible upcoming release that supports 8kHz?

Thanks for the detailed info!
Anonymous
February 06, 2006
Good article, makes me understand what happened. What I don't understand though is that there are solutions out that in fact make VC work with BT headsets (e.g. "Voiceenabler"). Couldn´t Microsoft simply implement one of these solutions to VC, release a quick update and everything is OK? Seems to me that this should not require too many developing ressources, right?
Anonymous
February 06, 2006
Brian, I really do mean 16 kHz, not 16 bit. Voice sampled at 16 kHz has information that we can use in our recognizer. When you sample at 8 kHz, that information is lost. It's definitely possible to recognize from 8 kHz samples, but it takes a different acoustic model.

PeterV, I believe that, yes, all PPCs can sample at 16 kHz on their built in microphone. I haven't personally tried them all, though.

Phil, I'm sorry, I don't know the story on the 2125.

Berthold, the issue with the solutions that make existing VC work on BTh headsets is that the recognition rate goes down. We would rather do the work to do a full 8 kHz model that meets our quality bar. If the intermediate solution is working for you, though, that's great.

Mike
Anonymous
February 07, 2006
Senhiesr bt headset should do the trick. Should be out first quarter 2006. But, it does not seem to be up on their website yet. Do not know were to buy it either. But, you can find it in their press release i think it was last may.
Anonymous
February 10, 2006
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Anonymous
February 12, 2006
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Anonymous
February 26, 2006
the HTC built smartphones like the audiovox 5600 and i'm sure the 2125 sample at 8khz. thats one of the reasons VC was never released for the Smartphone. it was a tough decision
Anonymous
February 27, 2006
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Anonymous
March 01, 2006
If you have gotten the BT button to work successfully on a Palm 700w please post instructions. I currently have a v710 and 700w so it would be nice to retire the v710 once the 700w works with the push of the BT button to make calls while driving.
Anonymous
March 01, 2006
I bought Voice Command for my Windows Mobile based device only to find out that it won't install on smartphones. I don't see what the difference would be really. Now I'm out the $40 for nothing. :(
Anonymous
March 02, 2006
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Anonymous
March 03, 2006
Just a couple of points to complete the discussion...

There is now a relatively simple means to get MS Voice Command to use a Bluetooth headset (both the microphone and speaker.) It involves using a PocketPC registry editor (google: PHM registry editor) to change the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREOEMVoiceCommandPath to a new value: 'Program FilesVoice CommandVoiceCMD.exe' (without the quotes.)

Secondly, the above statement about 8Kz limitation may have been the case with the original Bluetooth standard v1.0, but the standard for the last 18-months have been version 1.2 which has a bandwidth of
1 Mbit/s which equates to 16-bit mono at 62kHz in optimal conditions. Although in reality a radio interference environment of 50% loss would reduce this to 30kHz.
(Note: The new standard on the horizon is Bluetooth 2.0 with 4 Mbit/s designed for a realistic 16-bit stereo at 48KHz.)

Source: http://www.wirelessdesignasia.com/article.asp?id=1345

So the proof from the theory...

I have a Jabba JX10 headset (BT v1.2) partnered with a XDA Exec (aka HTC Universal) and have the headset working with 95% voice accuracy when the PDA is in my back pocket or in my shoulder-bag, a distance of approx 3 feet(1m.) The audio quality of the playback voice can be a bit crackly at times due to external interference of the surroundings but very audible.
Anonymous
March 04, 2006
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Anonymous
March 06, 2006
Here's my experience:

I have been using a Jabra BT250 and an iPAQ 6315 phone with MS Voice Command for the last 18 months. No major problems. Some minor issues: The phone needs to be answered with headset for the best clarity. I have to engage VC twice before it is picked up by the headset.
The best is it understands my "Philly" accent over the headset.

Joe
Anonymous
March 06, 2006
I got the registry editor and tried to do the " HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREOEMVoiceCommandPath to a new value: 'Program FilesVoice CommandVoiceCMD.exe' (without the quotes.)
" fix; however my Microsoft Mobile 5.0 registry has no such entry.

HELP

rgaran1@attg.net
Anonymous
March 13, 2006
Brilliant article - kept to the point and refreshingly honest (I think we can all appreciate that).

If only I could get the answer to my most perplexing BT problem with WM5. Unfortunately we instructed all our customers to upgrade from handhelds running CE4.012 to handhelds running ozone update if they wanted to use the Motorola V710 with Bluetooth. The problem is now that we've moved everyone to WM5, we now find that the V710 doesn't pair correctly. Rather embarassing and frustrating for all involved 8-(.
Anonymous
March 15, 2006
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Anonymous
March 20, 2006
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Anonymous
March 21, 2006
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Anonymous
March 21, 2006
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Anonymous
March 21, 2006
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Anonymous
March 21, 2006
Ronald Garand can't find registry?

What device are u using, cause on the WM5, if ur using a regedit, like kilmist Registry Editor, you don't see a HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE folder? And if u do see this folder, you can't click on the + sign and see sub folders? Which is were you find a Software folder, then open that up to find an OEM folder, then open that up to find a folder named VoiceCommand?

Weird device brother..
Anonymous
March 21, 2006
I appreciate some of the results people get, but it would be nice to get a link to some of the utilities or software, especially if they work for you, Fred who said, "I also installed the Bluetooth on,off, & toggle utility" I have no idea what that meant, and had to research it. This is called the BTAudio Toggle Utility, here is the link to more information on this utility: http://www.pdaphonehome.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=54951&perpage=20&pagenumber=1

Here is the download of the actual btaudio.zip file. This may work for some of us. http://www.pdaphonehome.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=6296&d=1125452100
Anonymous
March 21, 2006
That little utility BT AudioON may have saved my sanity for now. After a call on my t-mobile MDA when MVC drops off, I can click on the BT AudionOn and here comes MVC back again on BT! I still can't press connect button on BT headset to get MVC, but now if I can figure a way to assign a button to the BT AudioOn utility, I can trigger it after a call when driving, then press the assigned button to initiate MVC again. A two step process, but it's a better solution then soft reset with the Motorola H700 BT headset! Better yet, I wonder if u can make a batch file and run on a PPC, assign a button to the batch file which would run BT AudionOn, then VoiceCMD.exe. This would solve my immediate problem on one move! Well food for thought
Anonymous
March 27, 2006
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Anonymous
March 27, 2006
PingBack from http://www.pdxtc.com/wpblog/archives/191
Anonymous
March 29, 2006
Well thanks to Jon's input I was able to find a headset that worked with my T-mobile MDA and VC...the HS850. Problem was I didn't like the fact that I had to hold the button down and wait for the beep to break down the BT connection. This prompted me to try several other devices:
Motorola H700 - works 1 time and requires a reset to regain VC connection.
Plantronics Discovery 640 - works well but, I also have to push/hold the activation button 3 times to hang up a phone call and tear down the BT connection, similar to the HS850.
But I did find a winner...The Cardo Scala 500.
1st thing I noticed was that it began working immediately after pairing with my MDA. I put on the headset, tapped the activation button once and voice command activated. It only requires 1 taps to tear down the VC channel between VC activations provided that the command was not issued to make a phone call.
If you do issue a command to make a phone call you have to tap the activation button 3 times to end the call and tear down the BT connection. But after that it's back to single tapping;-)

The key for me was that in all cases it only requires a tapping of the button not a press/hold/wait for the beep scenario.

Also while the headset doesn't have true noise cancelling it has something called wind sensing technology or something to that effect.

I tested this by using the device to place calls from my car with windows open and in my company datacenter which is quite noisy. While the receiver of my call could her some of the background noise, they each said that the could hear my voice clearly.
I was also able to initiate voice commands as well with approx 90% or higher recognition.

As if this wasn't enough to make me happy already, the device comes with a travel and a car charger, a belt clip (although the clip is so tiny I'm not sure what it's supposed to clip to) and a neck strap all for $49.95 U.S. at CompUSA.

It would be nice to have the BT connection after a phone call with a single clip, but after all my testing I'm quite happy with the Scala.

Hope this helps someone out there.
Anonymous
March 31, 2006
Thanks for all the info, Joe.

Mike
Anonymous
April 03, 2006
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Anonymous
April 04, 2006
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Anonymous
April 04, 2006
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Anonymous
April 04, 2006
P.S. I am not aware of any devices that come preloaded with MSVC? What device are u talking about? I would have loved for MSVC to come loaded with the Wizard/MDA/Qtek9100 and with support for WM5 BT. That is too good to be true, cause I just hacked my device and loaded the new 2.17 T-Mobile US (custom) ROM upgrade, and still same issue with MSVC and BT. It has a lot to do, I believe with the model of BT headset, and the fact that MSVC does not support BT, yet.
Anonymous
April 04, 2006
Joe...."I'm quite happy with the Scala" Good to know man, cause my biggest frustration has been the H700 like u tested, but salvation has been BT SoundON assigned to button (hold) 4. I will look into the Scala.
Anonymous
April 04, 2006
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Anonymous
April 06, 2006
Made the very simple reg change. MSVC is working like a champ!! I really don't mind the second tap of the headset button to end the open communication between the two. I'm using a Motorola HT500 (Bth ver. 1.2)and have my mic set to 16bit stereo, no issue with voice recognition.
Anonymous
April 06, 2006
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Anonymous
April 07, 2006
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Anonymous
April 09, 2006
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Anonymous
April 09, 2006
Walt Amason on 6700.

I looked up ur phone 6700. Maybe I should have done more research? 416MHz CPU, wow! But I do need MSVC.
My Son in law is looking for this type of HTC style phone, but wants to use Verizon. Where did you get your unlocked version? Do you like Verizon over Sprint? or vise versa?
Anonymous
April 11, 2006
I know that Bluetooth SIG is working on a new thing called Wideband Speech. Wideband will be added to Headset and Hands Free profile.

Wideband Speech will carry 16KHz voice and it is going to use eSCO as opposed to SCO today.

eSCO can take advantage of Enhanced Data Rate only available in Bluetooth 2.0.

Long story short, next year you should see new headsets in the market using BT 2.0 with Wideband Speech.
Anonymous
April 11, 2006
I attended the Bluetooth SIG meeting last week.

I know that Bluetooth SIG is working on a new thing called Wideband Speech. Wideband will be added to Headset and Hands Free profile.

Wideband Speech will carry 16KHz voice and it is going to use eSCO as opposed to SCO today.

eSCO can take advantage of Enhanced Data Rate only available in Bluetooth 2.0.

Long story short, next year you should see new headsets in the market using BT 2.0 with Wideband Speech.
Anonymous
April 11, 2006
Quote:

Walt Amason on 6700.

I looked up ur phone 6700. Maybe I should have done more research? 416MHz CPU, wow! But I do need MSVC.
My Son in law is looking for this type of HTC style phone, but wants to use Verizon. Where did you get your unlocked version? Do you like Verizon over Sprint? or vise versa?

I have a sprint 6700 and I like sprint because of their plans and willing to work with customers. sprint offer data plans for unlimited for as little as $15, not so for verizon
Anonymous
April 13, 2006
One has to wonder, this long after Windows Mobile 5 was released, if there really is any work being done on Voice Command anymore. As many have said, the hardware limitation mentioned in the blog are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Is there really a reason Microsoft can't release a simple patch that would allow VC to function properly with a Bluetooth headset (barring any hardware limitation with voice recognition)?
Anonymous
April 16, 2006
I hope so! These developers for MS don't have a clue! They are in a closet, with tunnel vision! Case in question, why does MSVC work so nicely on WM2003, actually my old iPaq 6315. MSVC works without a flaw with BT. Yet they could not keep this feature on WM5????

Why does it work so nicely with WM5, on my Motorola H700, IF, only IF, I use BT SoundOn utility?

Why does it work so nicely using my NOW BT H500, which is older then BT H700, with MSVC and the H500 BT connect button?

There is no excuses!! WM5 could also have included BT Audio streaming to STEREO BT headsets on extended ROM installation. How? Upgrade is available on XDA-Developers forums already.

These engineers, or software people have no clue!! And where is Mr. Gates?? Sitting in a room like 007 talking to video conference monitors?

This is a microscopic pimple on Gates rear, and it itches once in a while.
Anonymous
April 16, 2006
I have Cingular 8125 and use VC great but again not through my bluetooth. I saw at Comp USA they have a Bluetooth that uses the 16khz would that solve my problem?
Anonymous
April 17, 2006
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Anonymous
April 18, 2006
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Anonymous
April 19, 2006
MaddogX007, My carrier is Cellular South, a regional CDMA carrier based in MS. I'm employed there as a service technician. Pretty much all of the phones we carry are completely unlocked. Concerning my 6700, it did not come with VC, and doesn't have the appropriate registry entries to allow the bTHS to work with VC. It must be some type of customized option by a carrier that makes it possible.
Anonymous
April 19, 2006
Any one figure out why 6700 users don't have the OEMVoice Command in the registry?
Anonymous
April 19, 2006
If you guys are having trouble finding HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINES, use total commander registry editor. The folder will be listed as HKLM under the registry folder.
Anonymous
April 21, 2006
The problem is not finding the Local Machines Hive in the registry, the problem is that the on some devices there is no "VoiceCommand" folder under "OEM" in the registry.
Anonymous
April 21, 2006
In a previous post, there was mention of the Verizon 6700 pda running on WM5 and its ability to be hacked by changing the registry value for voice command. I have this phone and cannot find this registry value. Have any other Verizon users who have 6700s found this registry value or figured out some other way to activate Voice Command with their bluetooth headset?
Anonymous
April 25, 2006
I guess since people at Microsoft are under the impression that Voice Command doesn't work over Bluetooth (which it does) we'll never see a simple patch fix of closing it's connection to the bluetooth after it runs because that's all we need to get it to work with a greater amount of Bluetooth headsets.

It's a real shame, I've been trying to replace my Motorola HS-850 headset, so far tried a Jabra J10 and a Motorla H700, both seem to have issues after a call where Voice Command didn't close it's bluetooth connection.

VoiceCommand is the best voice dialing software out there, it needs a few fixes to get it working smoothly with today's devices and definately has a big enough following to warrent a new version with lots of new and useful features for WM5 phones!
Anonymous
April 26, 2006
The reason there is NO reg key for the 6700 is that it does not have Voice Command installed during manufacture.

OEM software is the software that is installed by the maker of your PC/device.

Since HTC did not include VC in their initial software package on the 6700 there is no OEM entry.
Anonymous
April 27, 2006
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Anonymous
April 29, 2006
Ok, so we all realize that on the 6700, the needed registry key doesn't exist. Is there any work around for this?

Thanks for the help
Anonymous
April 29, 2006
If anyone knows how the get MVC over Bth with the HP 6515 and a Discovery 640 - I'm your new best friend.
Anonymous
April 30, 2006
sorry, no new best friend for you. i've been looking into the 6515 for ages and followed all threads regarding this on mobility today and other 6515 forums. while there has been some success at figuring how to open the audio gateway, there has been zero success at actually transferring any audio over that gateway. the forthcoming 6915 does NOT resolve this problem as far as MVC over blue tooth (though unlike the 6515 it will play standard audio over bluetooth such as GPS directions and music).
Anonymous
May 01, 2006
I have been looking to purchase the E-TEN G500 and ended up at this forum trying to find out if it is possible to use voice over bluetooth. Anyone know of a fix specific to the E-TEN G500?

Thanks
Anonymous
May 05, 2006
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Anonymous
May 07, 2006
In a nutshell....

My goal is to use this Bth device:

http://blueheadsets.zoovy.com/product/BLUESPOON5G?META=froogle-BLUESPOON5G

to connect to my Verizon XV6700, using MS Voice Command.

By pressing a button on the 5G, I'd like to be able to speak the following commands and get a voice response:

1. What time is it?
2. What is mom's address?
3. What is my next appointment?
4. Call Bill at Home

Is this possible yet?

I would be very interested in speaking with anyone who has had successes similar to the above.
Anonymous
May 09, 2006
Trent how exactly did you make the missing oem registry entry? If you could relate the exact syntax in creating that entry it would be greatly appreciated.
Anonymous
May 11, 2006
I have installed the audio gateway software that forces the audio through the BT connectin, however the headset mic does not seem to be picking up my voice very well. I know this because when i force the Audio to the headset when using SKYPE the person I'm talking to can only just faintly hear me. Does anyone have any suggestions for this?

Regards
Chris.
Anonymous
May 14, 2006
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Anonymous
May 15, 2006
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Anonymous
May 17, 2006
In response to Trey.... I own a ppc6700, MVC, and a Bluespoon AX2. Using the phone settings in Tweaks2k2 I was able to activate Microsoft Voice Command with the bluetooth button and listen to the response on the headset, verify the command and have the phone dial the number. In short, with Tweaks2k2 and your listed setup you are good to go.

Cheers.
Anonymous
May 23, 2006

Is there going to be a version of Voice Command made for Pocket PC Verizon XV6700 Smartphone? Would be nice!
Anonymous
May 30, 2006
I encouter a problem when using bluetooth headset/handfree with Window Mobile 5.0 Device Emulator! Could you help me?

Test environment:
The Window Mobile 5.0 OS is running on the Device Emulator. I connected a CSR bluetooth device successfully,
and this bluetooth device can detecte other bluetooth nearby(a PDA with bluetooth). I even can transfer some
files between them. But when I use bluetooth headset/handfree, the dialing functon of headset/handfree does not work, I can't
use this headset/handfree to receive music from Device Emulator either!

Try to resolve this problem:
When this problem ocurred, I find the Megneto Documentation said as follow:
"To enable Handset and Hands-free profiles on the device, the OEMs must add the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftBluetoothHandsfreeProfileOn key in the
registry. This registry key is not added by default because many devices do not
support Bluetooth."

So I add the the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftBluetoothHandsfreeProfileOn"
entry into Device Emulator's "common.reg" file. But when os running, the remote
registry editor can't find this key!
The registry entry I added is as follow:
;************************************************
; @CESYSGEN IF CE_MODULES_BTAGSVC
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINEServicesBTAGSVC]
"FriendlyName"="Bluetooth Audio Gateway"
"Dll"="BTAGSVC.Dll"
"Order"=dword:9
"Keep"=dword:1
"Prefix"="BAG"
"Index"=dword:0
"IsEnabled"=dword:1

; By default AG should not role switch (compatibility)
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftBluetoothAudioGateway]
"NoRoleSwitch"=dword:1
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftBluetoothHandsfreeProfileOn]
; @CESYSGEN ENDIF CE_MODULES_BTAGSVC
;************************************************

Could you please tell me how to enable bluetooth headset/handfree at Windows Mobile 5.0?
Anonymous
June 02, 2006
Sweet.

Writing to confirm that yes, the Tweaks2k2 feature for "Enable Voice Dialing Through Voice Command" does enable the my bluetooth headset, a Jabra BT800, to work for all Microsoft Voice Command features on my Sprint PPC 6700, which I also updated to the new ROM version per the above post on UT Starcom's site.

/steven
Anonymous
June 12, 2006
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Anonymous
June 15, 2006
Hi. Has anyone been able to get the Treo 700w Voice Command to work from a bluetooth headset? I personally use the Bluespoon AX2 and have tried the tips posted here, but none of them have worked. Thanks.
Anonymous
June 16, 2006
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Anonymous
June 24, 2006
The blogentry at the top seems to very eloquently describes why MSVC would not be able to recognize speech from a bluthooth headset. But I have not experienced any such problem, contrary, commands spoken into my BT headset are recognized just fine.

The problem is that I can only use the feature once after each reboot of my HTC Wizard in combination with a SonyEricsson HBH-662.

Why isn't there an updated version of MSVC or a a patch that will enable continual activation of MSVC from the bluetooth headset?

Consider this an invitation to anyone with some programming skillz!
Anonymous
June 26, 2006
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Anonymous
July 05, 2006
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Anonymous
July 11, 2006
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Anonymous
July 12, 2006
Frank D with the Verizon XV6700.....I need some help with mine.
Anonymous
July 14, 2006
Good News for Verizon! I just upgraded my telephone and voice over Bluetooth works great! Remember to do a backup first and all your programs and data will be lost unless you save it. It is worth the hassle of reloading all my programs again! Here is the link http://www.utstar.com/pcd/Downloads.aspx
Anonymous
July 15, 2006
To BJAB... What kind of help? For now though I can refer you to the Verizon Tech number specifically called Data Technical Support team: 888-308-5005. These folks are actually pretty knowledgable. Hope this helps for now. Good luck.
Anonymous
July 20, 2006
Hello to all,
Most Respectfully I am trying to develop an application on Bluetooth that is Voice going through bluetooth to PC. Is this possible or not? if possible then please send me the solution to the above URL.
Anonymous
July 27, 2006
And registry change works just fine with Verizon vx6700 PDA phone, WM5.0, ROM version 2.07.20, MS VoiceCommand and EMATIC BT Headset with BT v.1.2

If you can not find HKLMSOFTWAREOEMVoiceCommand
you need to do ROM upgrade and re-install MSVC.

Once you do the change VC will work fine with just one button click on your BT headset.
No double/triple clicking and everything works just fine.
You can use the headset button to answer and cancel calls as usual and use it for VoiceCommand when not in a call. Works great.
Anonymous
July 28, 2006
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Anonymous
July 28, 2006
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Anonymous
July 31, 2006
Thanks to all who posted information here. I knew absolutely nothing when I got my Sprint 6700, but by working my way through all the advice here I was able to get Voice Command working through my bluetooth headphone. However, I do have a few things I can't figure out.

Is there a way to hear the Voice Command announcement through the headphone when you get a phone call? I have the Cardo Scala 500 and it just beeps when I get a call, although the phone announces the caller.

Also, I installed the BTAudioOn/Off utility, and it doesn't seem to do anything. When I run BTAudioOn, it acts like the button on the headphone. Am I doing something wrong?

Please forgive me if these topics have already been covered. It has been hard for me to dig through all the information here, and I probably missed a lot. Thanks.
Anonymous
August 03, 2006
great article, now please give me a solution on how to use voice command with bth
Anonymous
August 12, 2006
Anyone figured out how to do it on a Treo 700W?
Palm says it can be done but they have no plans. It's not a hardware limitation but in the BT stack.

Any volunteers for digging into the MS BT stack with the developer tools. The person that gets it working on a T700W has an opportunity for some cash.
Anonymous
August 22, 2006
Great article again!!

Question for folks at Microsoft: when can we expect version 2? Will this things be fixed? Can anyone tell what else can we expect in next version?

Thanks,
rp
Anonymous
August 24, 2006
I know a perfect way on fixing that, but its only tested on XDA, Imate , and HTC (2003,2003SE and 2005), other brands i dont knw, Please email me at Gex_Tesla@hotmail.com if u need more info.
I know its wrong to paste me email here coz il be getting thousands, but i wana help. Tell me whats ur phone model and whats the things u need to do
Anonymous
August 28, 2006
Not sure if anyone is still checking this thread or not, but in response to everyone's question about the location of the registry key and not being able to find it -> ...OEM will only contain software that was pre-loaded on the device. Since MVC isn't, you need to look in:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftVoiceCommandPath

Not sure how the original poster got his MVC key in the OEM directory, but someone said something about upgrading ROM and re-installing... I have no idea what all that is about.

Obviously MVC is a Microsoft product, so you need to look in the Microsoft directory for it. Someone else said that they just created an MVC key in their OEM directory, which would mean that you now have two MVC keys floating around. Doesn't sound fun to me.

After update the registry key, starting MVC using my Jabra BT800 works fine. Haven't done any testing though to see if I experience the same types of problems mentioned here.

Have fun.
Anonymous
August 28, 2006
OK, I'm a bit of newbie when it comes to modifying my registry. I have an MDA and just got the bluetooth device (Motorola H700) and am trying to attempt the registry fix. So far, I can't get the programs to run to modify the registry. Is there any patient person who can give me detailed instructions? Thank you.
Anonymous
August 29, 2006
Has anyone been able to find a way to hear Voice Command announcements through the BTheadphone when you get a phone call?
Anonymous
August 31, 2006
Lis,

You need to install special sw to do a registry change. One good program is Total Commander 2.o
Use link bellow to download it
http://www.ghisler.com/ce.htm
Anonymous
September 01, 2006
Thank you so much -- I think I figured it out. (And if I can do it, anyone can.)
Anonymous
September 05, 2006
Is anyone using Bth on thier Sprint 6700?
Anonymous
September 27, 2006
This is a great series of comments. Learnt alot!

Barry
Anonymous
October 05, 2006
O.K. One more time. ANYBODY with a success story with the IP6515, Bth, and MSVC. Besides the unit being temperamental, I'm about to throw the thing in the trash unless I find something (anything) that can give it value.
Anonymous
October 05, 2006
The comment has been removed
Anonymous
October 09, 2006
Craig: I also have an iPAQ 6515, and I was able to get Voice Commander to work via bluetooth - however, I had to use a Cardo Scala Bluetooth adapter (http://www.cardowireless.com/BTAII.php). This means that I have to push a button on the phone to activate Voice Commander, but other than that, it works fine!
Anonymous
October 11, 2006
The comment has been removed
Anonymous
October 16, 2006
The comment has been removed
Anonymous
October 26, 2006
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Anonymous
November 14, 2006
Voice Command version 1.6 is slated to be released 12-15-2006: http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=12087
Anonymous
November 17, 2006
I just got an email from Handango that v1.6 is available and includes BlueTooth compatibility!!! Downloading it shortly to test this out. :-)
Anonymous
November 18, 2006
I installed the new voice command 1.6 and it works great on my ppc6700. The only thing that does not work is getting announcements over the BT headset. Is there a way to hear the incoming caller id announcements with a ppc6700?
Anonymous
November 20, 2006
I got the new v1.6 for WM 5.0 and tried to load it on my iPAQ 6925. It installed on the PC fine, but failed to install on iPAQ. There was a window with progress bar, which stopped short and display an error message: "MVC US SP 1.6 M2M.CAB was unsuccessful." Any ideas how I debug this problem further? -Soheil
Anonymous
November 21, 2006
You are attempting to install the Smartphone version on a Pocket PC Phone edition device. There are two distinctly setup programs, one for Smartphone and one for PPC/PPCPE
Anonymous
November 21, 2006
Thanks for the comment, iPAQ 6925 is a Smartphone sold by Cingular, runs WM 5.0. Here is a link showing it on the list of Smartphones, http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/smartphone/default.mspx?curPg=All
Anonymous
November 21, 2006
This is an unfortunately confusing subject that we need to do a better job of explaining. Currently, the easiest way to tell the difference between a Windows Mobile "Smartphone" and a Windows Mobile "PocketPC" is to check whether or not the device has a touch screen. If you can interact with the device by touching the screen, it's a "PocketPC." If touching the screen has no effect (other than smudging it :-), it's a "Smartphone." Yes, we've had OEMs that make PocketPCs call them "Smartphones." It's very confusing to the user. But that's the case. The 6925 is definitely a PocketPC. As fro the link you provided, the heading says, "Smartphones and PocketPC Phones." So the list shows both. Mike
Anonymous
November 21, 2006
Seems the Cingular 8525 took VC 1.6 back in time as it no longer works over BT. Pushing the headset button activates the program, but it only listens and responds using the device hardware, not the headset. Any fix forthcoming?
Anonymous
November 21, 2006
Thanks for the clarification, sounds like my phone is not so smart :) I will get the right software.
Anonymous
November 21, 2006
I am in the same situation with the Cingular 8525/TyTN HTC. Any idea if this is a VC 1.7 feature, or a 1.6.x fix (ie. what is the time frame for a fix)? I guess the difference in how various phones 'work' depends on the Bluetooth stack or is it the Bluetooth device? On second thought I would think the stack abstracts the OS from the Bluetooth hardware, so VC should work on all devices that can send the audio stream to the Bluetooth device? Help!!
Anonymous
November 22, 2006
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Anonymous
November 22, 2006
I need to use the microphone attached to my desktop to deliver voice commands to an application running on the Windows Mobile emulator. unfortunately this is not working. Can some one help me with this?
Anonymous
November 23, 2006
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Anonymous
November 24, 2006
I have a Cing 8525 installed MS-VC 1.5 applied the 8125 MS-VC. VC worked greated over BT. Then installed MS-VC 1.6 VC over BT broken as others have talked above. Removed 1.6 re-installed 1.5 and now 1.5 acts like 1.6 (no VC over BT). So there much be something in 1.6 that modifies either some dll's or make other reg. mods that are not removed when you uninstall 1.6 and drop to 1.5. I made reg back-ups before the change so will take a look and post what I can find.
Anonymous
November 27, 2006
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Anonymous
November 29, 2006
Is it safe to presume that the MS/HTC fix will be free for 1.6 customers, or should I wait for 1.7?
Anonymous
November 30, 2006
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Anonymous
December 06, 2006
I have an HP6925 with Voice Command working fine via my Nokia BH-900 blue tooth headset. The exception is that I cannot activate Voice Command from the headset, I have to push the button on the 6925. Once I do that I can run Voice Command from the headset without a problem. Shouldn't I be able to activate it from the headset though? Suggestions on getting this to work? Thanks, Mike
Anonymous
December 11, 2006
Hi all... I'm using Jabra JX10 with UTStarcom 6700 (PDA/Phone) and it works wonderfully!! I simply press my BT's button and VC activates itself thru my headset. I give it the command and voila! :) Ciao
Anonymous
December 21, 2006
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Anonymous
December 23, 2006
I installed MS-VC 1.6 on my TYTN/8525. As discussed ad nausea, it didn't work as expected. I removed it and now I can no longer initiate calls over bluetooth w/ the OEM voice program. How do I fix this???
Anonymous
December 29, 2006
As Johhny says, UTStarcom 6700 seems to handle VC over my cheapo Motorola H300 headset. I press the talk button, the headset beeps to acknowledge, then VC beeps to indicate it's listeneng. I can issue commands from the headset mic with about 60% recognition. Problem: once I installed VC, button-5 short press always starts Voice Recording, same as a long-press. Change the app to be started by a long press, and it starts instantly with a short press even though short press is setup fo something else. Any ideas?
Anonymous
December 30, 2006
Would it be possible to write a program to emulate 8khz from 16khz and add it to vc 1.6?Windows XP has has a feature to emulate different Window OS.
Anonymous
January 02, 2007
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Anonymous
January 02, 2007
....oh please send me the answer to akclou1@swissonline.ch many thanks !
Anonymous
January 14, 2007
The comment has been removed
Anonymous
January 16, 2007
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Anonymous
January 16, 2007
I've been using VoiceCommand 1.5 every since I got my HTC Wizard and loved it. My only wish was bluetooth support, after waiting what seemed like an eternity for Microsoft to update VoiceCommand, the finally came out with bluetooth support in 1.6 and I upgraded the second it was available. It was awesome and it was much more accurate and added voice notification on sms/email subjects to boot! Now I upgraded my Wizard to an HTC P3600 (Trinity) and find that it doesn't work properly :( I really hope it won't be another waiting for what seems like an eternity for Microsoft to release an update to add support for the TyTn/Trinity and other newer phones. Actually it surprises me that Microsoft hasn't put more priorty in VoiceCommand. Very few phones support voice recognition and none that I know of can do what VoiceCommand can do. This is the future of mobile communication! It should be integrated in the OS and hardware specs and further enhanced. Imagine being able to schedule an appointment through voice commands, sorting through emails and voice messages with the control of your voice, even sending of an SMS or email by dictating it and saying repeat it back to me, ok send it! IPhone or any other gimmiky phone couldn't touch such a truley useful and amazing feature like this, I've sold more PPC phones just by sitting in front of someone and saying dial whomever at home, or knowing about an incoming email during a meeting without ever looking at my phone. Ah well, I hope Microsoft is at least working on a fix to get VoiceCommand working with the phones they list as not working as they are capable, just not supported :( Please release a patch soon so I can go back to using VoiceCommand on my HTC Trinity, once you use it, you can't live without it!
Anonymous
January 25, 2007
I purchased Voice Command 1.6 for Smartphone yesterday from Handango. I have tested it little, but it does seem to work. Of course, I have the same challenge many others have - how to make the button on my Motorola BlueTooth headset activate Voice Command, instead of the built-in Voice Tag recognition on my T-Mobile SDA device. I have tried the Bluetooth-Voice-Command-0.9c.CAB from the XDA forum. That didn't seem to help. I messed with Registry settings under HKLMSoftwareMicrosoftBluetoothAudioGateway - BTAGPBModule, changing its Value to the same as the value under BTAGExtModule, thinking that the Ext module (which has Value "Storage CardProgram FilesVoice Commandvcbthag.dll") might launch Voice Command, and that the PB Module, for Phone Book, might be what was launching the built-in Voice Tag recognition, but no luck there either. So, how do I make the button on my Bluetooth headset launch Voice Command instead of Voice Tag recognition on my T-Mobile SDA? Thanks! -Jay
Anonymous
January 27, 2007
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Anonymous
February 02, 2007
Jay, Voice Command 1.6 should work fine on your SDA. To reset your registry, uninstall 1.6, reinstall 1.6 and then perform a nice soft reset (don't pull the battery). Also, you must install to main memory for the bluetooth functionality to work on some devices. So:

Install to main memory
Soft reset (nicely) after you install

Anonymous
February 03, 2007
The comment has been removed
Anonymous
February 08, 2007
The comment has been removed
Anonymous
February 11, 2007
I was asing around some folks about this issue and here's the latest; VC 1.6 doesn’t work with Cingular 8525 and its variants for BT routing because of its different way of implementing BT Stack. I heard a fix is coming from HTC but it’s been months since then with no fix available!!!
Anonymous
February 12, 2007
mghazai: Thanks for update on VC 1.6 and cingular 8525. Quite possibly, VC 1.5 may be more compatible with 8525. I'll troll the HTC site and be a pain to them for awhile to see if / when a fix is forthcoming. W!
Anonymous
February 12, 2007
Thanks to Rath for the tip on settings for each service. I had the same problem with notifications. Now at least I get notifications over the phone speaker. Still do not get them over BT headset though. I have an XV6700 with the AKU3.3 upgrade. Which brings the build to 15671.3.5.0. Headset is a Plantronics Discovery 645. Has anyone been able to get notifications to work over the BT headset on an XV6700 or PPC6700 with the AKU3.3 upgrade? Thanks
Anonymous
February 13, 2007
See below. Recent feedback from HTC regarding 8525 / bluetooth Compatibility. FROM HTC USER SUPPORT RECEIVED 2/13/07: "Thank you for your email. The MS forums are current, the MS Voice Command does not currently work with the Cingular 8525. There is an upcoming ROM update for this model but it is not yet clear if it has a “fix” for MS Voice Command." To: HTC USER SUPPORT SENT 2/12/07 Subject: Regarding Voice Commander 1.6 Compatibility with Bluetooth headsets for CIngular 8525 "I'm considering the purchase of an Cingular (HTC) 8525. Both Microsoft Developer forums and Cingular forums site bugs and incompatibility problems with bluetooth / Voice Commander 1.6 functionality. A few of the posts have stated that the problem may be with a "stack" or other software-related problem with the HTC device, and not necessarily the Microsoft Voice Commander 1.6 software or the Windows Media Edition. Are there any fixes, updates, or patches coming out from HTC for the 8525 that will address this issue? Thanks in advance."
Anonymous
February 19, 2007
I have a "new" Treo 700wx, that I find is a few builds out of date that was supplied by Bell Mobility in Canada. It has all the same shortcomings as has been mentioned in the prior postings here for other devices. Also, the Registry fix noted; the Treo 700 wx does not have the same path as noted earlier so couldn't use that either. Wish I have more to offer than what I do, however, my experience, after now 2 months of searching, cajoling, begging and pleading has been to be ingnored by Handango, Palm, Microsoft and Bell Mobility. Asking and connecting through various forums has simply indicated...it ain't gonna work :-) Have a great day all and let's hope the providers listen to us before they try to sell us their "new and improved" versions :-)
Anonymous
February 28, 2007
The comment has been removed
Anonymous
March 04, 2007
ok, i have a tmobile mda vario and a jabra jx10 bluetooth device. how do i get microsoft v.c 1.6 to run correctly. 8,ve read
Anonymous
March 04, 2007
sorry about that. as i was saying, I've read just about everything out there but have found anything that works, someone help! thanks
Anonymous
March 05, 2007
I have a MDA Vario (wizard) and a nokia BH200 bluetooth headset. Cyberon voicedailer (also programs t call) works ok. But when i put off bluetooth and then on again it doesn't word anymore, then i have to reset. After that it works again! Strange he! any solutions?!
Anonymous
April 05, 2007
The comment has been removed
Anonymous
April 08, 2007
HTC released an updated Rom for the HTC Trinity, didn't give much details but said Bluetooth enhancements were part of the fix. Tried it and audio still coming out of the device speaker even though now my OS is newer than what is listed on Microsofts site. So is this a problem with HTC or Microsoft. Why can't these two companies work together to get something working for such a great but now useless applicaton!
Anonymous
April 18, 2007
I have an HTC Hermes with WM 6. Voice command does not announce incoming calls at all. My phone just rings normally. The registry on mine is hkey_current_user/controlpanel/sound categories/voice command1. I changed Attenuationcategory to 0x1(1)and have intvol at 0x5(5) also tried it at 0x40(40) but no matter what my phone just rings and it does not announce the contact? Any help at all?
Anonymous
April 25, 2007
Whither the Microsoft Voice Command Support!
Anonymous
April 28, 2007
Hello, I have downloaded total commander (reg edit) and I have been able to locate the file< HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREOEMVoiceCommandPath when I click on it I get the following items Default launchapenable voicecmenable how and where do i change the path to Program FilesVoice CommandVoiceCMD.exe thanks in advance for your help
Anonymous
May 08, 2007
OK, I understand there's a technical obstacle to Voice Command recognizing commands spoken over Bluetooth. But while I can speak loud enough for the Treo's microphone to pick up my voice, on a busy street or in my car with road noise all around I can't usually hear what the Treo is saying in response all the way by my hip. It would actually be useful to have at least the response portion of Voice Command function through Bluetooth.
Anonymous
May 08, 2007
Hey guys, the fix for the registry doesn't exist for the Windows 5.0 version there is no HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREOEMVoiceCommand all that I see is either LaunchAPenable or VoiceCmdEnable what now? Need some help, please
Anonymous
May 14, 2007
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Anonymous
May 16, 2007
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Anonymous
May 20, 2007
I just installed 1.6 on my 8525 and I am not able to get this funky little piece of software to read me my text messages. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. TIA. Peace.
Anonymous
June 06, 2007
The comment has been removed

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