A system and method embodying the invention utilizes voice applications that are performed by voice applications agents resident on user local devices to deliver messages to the users. The voice applications can also be used to collect information from the users. Also, voice applications can be used to allow users to purchase goods and services. Voice applications for these purposes could be customized to take into account the individual characteristics of the users.

As a user interacts with a voice application, a history of the prompts played to the user and the users responses are displayed to the user. The displayed prompts and displayed responses could be summaries of the prompts and responses, or they could be full transcriptions of the prompts and responses. A user may be able to select a prompt or response in the history to return to a certain point in the voice application. It may be possible for a user to save a history of the interactions that occurred when a voice application was performed, and to recall the history to continue on from a selected location in the history.

Systems and methods are provided for text-to-speech and speech-to-text conversion in wireless devices such as wireless telephones, remote facilities, and land-based devices such as land-line telephones. A wireless telephone, such as a personal cellular telephone, is provided that converts audio data such as a voice message into text data such that a user can view the contents of the voice message as text on the user's wireless telephone.

Wireless output controller for wirelessly receiving, over a wireless local area network connection, digital content from a mobile information apparatus that is within the same wireless local area network as the wireless output controller is herein disclosed and enabled. To set up the wireless output controller, the wireless output controller receives first information from a portable electronic device and then provides, in response, second information to the portable electronic device over a short range wireless connection. The wireless output controller is further operable to connect to a wireless local area network, establish a wireless communication link over the connected wireless local area network with the mobile information apparatus, transmit device dependent attributes associated with the wireless output controller to the mobile information apparatus, receive output data related to the device dependent attributes from the mobile information apparatus, and process the output data for outputting or playing at an output device.

Methods and systems for context-based navigation through a plurality of applications on an electronic device are provided. The method includes generating and displaying an interactive user interface (a first interactive user interface) indicating a connection between a first application on the electronic device and at least one additional application on the electronic device. The first application and the at least one additional application, identified from the plurality of applications installed on the electronic device, are related to each other based on a topic selected from at least one topic identified in the first application. The topic may be identified based on content of the first application. Further, the method comprises allowing a user to launch the at least one additional application from the first interactive user interface.

An information apparatus that supports a touch sensitive screen for managing e-mails is disclosed and enabled. The information apparatus may include a graphical user interface, an e-mail application, an Internet browsing application, and applications for playing audio/video content. The information apparatus includes an operating system software and support for installation of new applications. In one example, a user of the information apparatus may reply to an e-mail by selecting an item over the touch sensitive screen. The user may scroll down or up an email using the touch sensitive screen. In other examples, the user may further select an item or functional control via the touch sensitive screen to output, synchronize, stream, transmit, play, print, display, or mirror at least part of digital content from the information apparatus to one or more output devices over air.

A device permits a conventional, analog telephone to connect to a smart phone to provide access to various smart phone features from the analog telephone. For example, the analog telephone can receive or initiate calls and send or receive texts and may provide a secure access point to home automation devices, including Amazon Alexa, Google Home, or the like. The device may be a stand-alone device that connects to an analog telephone or may be integrated into a telephone of any desired design or style. A smart phone application may be used to connect the smart phone to one or more devices to selectively activate features of select ones of the analog telephones. In some embodiments, the device can have its own subscriber identity module (SIM) and its own telephone number to directly send and receive calls or text messages.

In order to enable a kiosk terminal to respond to a user for providing services in either way, through avatar-based communication with an avatar as a human proxy or through face-to-face communication with an operator, depending on the type of service required by the user, a controller of the kiosk terminal is configured such that, in an operator display mode, the controller displays the video of the operator on a monitor concurrently with outputting an original sound of the operator's voice from a speaker whereas, in an avatar display mode, the controller displays a video of an avatar, the avatar being generated based on feature information including operator's features extracted from the video of the operator, concurrently with outputting a converted sound from the speaker, the converted sound being generated by converting the original sound of the operator's voice to one suited for the avatar.

Information apparatus specifications that include voice activated command functions are disclosed and enabled. The information apparatus may include a touch sensitive screen, a digital camera, a wireless communication unit, an operating system, a graphical user interface, an e-mail application, an Internet browsing application, and an application for playing audio or video content. The information apparatus operating system supports an application programming interface (API). A user can install additional applications. The information apparatus may further include a microphone and a speaker for interacting via voice commands with the user. In some examples, the user may take a picture with the digital camera included in the information apparatus and transfer or synchronize the picture to a wireless output device. In other examples, the information apparatus may further wirelessly play, print, stream, or mirror digital content, via the touch sensitive screen, to an output device.

Output devices (or output controllers connectable to an output device) that is wirelessly discoverable by an information apparatus are herein disclosed and enabled. An output device may be an audio output device, a printer, a television, a projector, or a display device. The output device may include one or more chips or chipsets that are compatible with Bluetooth or IEEE 802.11 standards. The output device is operable to: wirelessly announce its availability for the information apparatus to wirelessly discover the output device when the information apparatus is within a limited physical distance to the output device; wirelessly transmit one or more device attributes related to the output device from the output device to the information apparatus that has wirelessly discovered the output device; and wirelessly receive, from the information apparatus, output data that is in accordance, at least in part, with the one or more device attributes.