Windows Phone speech recognition improved: Microsoft

Handset owners in the US may have already noticed the difference in terms of the speed and accuracy with which voice commands are understood.

Windows Phone

Handset owners in the US may have already noticed the difference in terms of the speed and accuracy with which voice commands are understood.

In all, Microsoft claims that "when you compose a text message or search using your voice, Bing will return results twice as fast as before and increase accuracy by 15%." This accuracy boost is most noticeable in noisy situations, such as on busy streets or in cafes and bars where ambient noise can often drown out the user's voice.

The company has also provided a video as proof of these improvements.

The changes are not just a simple coding tweak, but rather the result of its Deep Neural Networks (DNN) technology which replicates the way in which neurons fire in the brain in order to spot patterns and make predictions based on user need.

The updates are expected to be rolled out to Windows Phone 8 users beyond the US in the coming weeks and Microsoft promises that the improvements are "just the beginning."

The improvements also mean that Microsoft is in no way lagging behind Google or Apple in terms of speech to text or voice command features. Good news for consumers that have chosen a Windows phone over an Android or iOS device.