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Vox Proxy 4.0.


Vox Proxy 4.0, CD-ROM CD-ROM: see compact disc.
CD-ROM
 in full compact disc read-only memory

Type of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser).
, 2007, Right Seat Software, Inc., $199-$249.

Support: user guide.

Vox Proxy is a clever, creative, and charming add-in program for Microsoft PowerPoint (2000 or newer) that allows you to use Microsoft Agent Microsoft Agent is a technology developed by Microsoft which employs animated characters, text-to-speech engines, and speech recognition software to enhance interaction with computer users. Thus it is an example of an embodied agent.  Technology to provide talking, animated characters in your slides. The characters can express social roles, emotions, and organized personalities that match learning goals, company brands, and other circumstances.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

There are 29 different characters or personalities, each of which has a human-like presence that is altogether different than a static picture of a building or bar graph. The characters, in addition to talking in a variety of realistic sounding voices and accents, can make gestures while speaking. This ability to move, talk, and gesture allows the character to have an emotional impact on the audience.

The Scientist character, for example, looks like Albert Einstein. He--if I can call an animated character a "he"--could introduce a technical discussion on physics while nodding his head, look left, point to a graphic of the formula E=MC2, and then pause while you (the instructor) say something. The Scientist can then respond to your comment, wave good bye, and then leave the PowerPoint frame.

The character's ability to talk, gesture while speaking, and pause for a response simulates a conversation. The character and the instructor can engage in witty banter or a simple back-and-forth. This conversational rhythm draws the audience in while giving the presenter the uncanny feeling that he or she has created a sidekick The first popular popup program for DOS PCs, introduced by Borland in 1984. Sidekick included a calculator, notepad, calendar, phone dialer and ASCII table and popularized the concept of a terminate and stay resident (TSR) utility.  or partner.

Vox Proxy uses a series of wizards that control what the character does and how it does it. Here's a sample of the abbreviated menus and the actions the character might take:
SCRIPT                     DESCRIPTION

Show Janet at Left Center  The character Janet appears left-center on
                           the slide.
Explain                    Janet gestures to explain.
Say Welcome to Vox Proxy!  She speaks ...
Point45                    She aims his pointer toward the upper-right
                           (45-degree angle).


Multiple characters can be controlled just as easily. Vox Proxy's smart defaults automatically take care of timing issues--characters waiting for each other or making sure PowerPoint's animations wait for the character). Yet, it provides simple options to allow simultaneous activities.

Vox Proxy characters speak using built-in TruVoice Text-to-Speech engines, or they can speak using your own recorded voice. Included with the standard TTS (1) See text-to-speech.

(2) (Transaction Tracking System) Software that monitors a transaction until completion. In the event of a hardware or software failure, it ensures that the database is brought back to its former state before the attempt to
 engine are voices in French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, and British English British English
n.
The English language used in England as distinguished from that used elsewhere.
. You can also order state-of-the-art Natural Voices from AT & T Labs. The AT & T Natural Voices TTS Engine is the most realistic, human-sounding synthetic speech synthetic speech
n.
Speech that is produced by an electronic synthesizer activated by a keyboard, enabling individuals who are incapable of speech to communicate.
 system available today. Natural Voices are available in US English, British English, French, Spanish, and German.

There is virtually no learning curve with it. Vox Proxy uses a series of intuitive, click-simple wizards, allowing the user to string together a series of commands. The character follows the commands and says what you type into script boxes available through dropdown lists.

There are four primary wizards:

* Show/Select character

* Say

* Do

* Move

To create a character to introduce a lecture on business strategy, I might do the following:
  Show Janet at center left
  Say hello everyone. My name is Janet. I'll be assisting Professor Hall
  today.
  Wave, wave
  Janet say Today, Professor Hall will discuss business strategy and
  cover the BCG Matrix and SWOT Analysis techniques.
  Think
  Process, Process
  Janet say Have I left anything out, Professor?
  Lookleft, lookleft
  Janet say No. That's great. Call me if you need me. Bye.
  Hide


Vox Proxy could be used with PowerPoint and Camtasia Studio This article or section is written like an .
Please help [ rewrite this article] from a neutral point of view.
Mark blatant advertising for , using .
 to create a Flash or Quicktime file for fast viewing in a web browser The program that serves as your front end to the Web on the Internet. In order to view a site, you type its address (URL) into the browser's Location field; for example, www.computerlanguage.com, and the home page of that site is downloaded to you. .

Technical requirements are modest. Vox Proxy 2007 is designed for use on a variety of PC hardware configurations. It is not necessary to have the industry's latest processor or huge amounts of hard drive space available.

Vox Proxy is not yet ready for the Windows Vista The current version of Windows for the desktop. It was released in late 2006 for businesses and early 2007 for consumers.

Vista adds numerous features, including improved security and advanced multimedia capabilities.
 operating system operating system (OS)

Software that controls the operation of a computer, directs the input and output of data, keeps track of files, and controls the processing of computer programs.
, but the manufacturer is developing an update. Vox Proxy runs on all other Windows operating systems Operating systems can be categorized by technology, ownership, licensing, working state, usage, and by many other characteristics. In practice, many of these groupings may overlap.  from 98SE through XP home and professional and on all versions of PowerPoint from 2000 through 2007. Remote viewing is typically accomplished with a free "viewer" application

Recommendation

I give Vox Proxy a "strong buy" recommendation. It's not cutting-edge technology, but it does something very useful (and fun) for presentations and is quite easy to learn and use Easy to learn refers to software that is well designed and capable of being used right away without having to wade through documentation. If you make the program work with little effort, it is easy to learn. .

Review by George Hall George Hall may refer to: People
  • George Hall (bishop), bishop of Chester 1662 to 1668
  • George Hall (New York) (1770–1840), US congressman
  • George Benson Hall (1780–1821), naval officer and Upper Canada politician
 
Product Ratings

Vox Proxy 4.0

Overall rating  *** 1/2
COPYRIGHT 2007 TMR Publications
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2007, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Article Details
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Author:Hall, George
Publication:Training Media Review
Date:May 1, 2007
Words:734
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