Responding Heads

Responding Heads is one of those cool applications that lets your computer chat back to you. Thanks to all the advancements in computer tech and recognition systems, we've got some neat accessibility tools available now. While face recognition and fingerprint readers are popular, voice recognition is definitely worth mentioning too!

Setting Up Your Microphone

Before you can start having a conversation with your computer, you'll need a microphone. When you're setting things up, the app walks you through some steps where you'll tell it what kind of microphone you're using and where it's placed. There are even test cases to make sure everything works smoothly.

How It Works with Microsoft Voice Recognition

This app relies on the Microsoft Voice Recognition feature. If something doesn't go right during setup, you can tweak settings later on using this feature. Once you launch Responding Heads, you'll see a small head pop up on your desktop that looks kind of human-like.

Your New Computer Buddy's Tricks

Your new buddy knows a few basic commands like listening to you, stopping listening or speaking, and even going to sleep when needed—this last one just temporarily turns it off. To make it really responsive, you'll need to add tricks manually by editing its settings.

Edit Brain Options

You can access different options through a little context menu that lets you edit commands and toggle settings like auto-listening or enabling a response line. There's even an option called "Edit brain" that opens a window showing all the commands.

Add Scripts and More!

The app allows you to add scripts, open files, speak lines of text aloud, type messages or read whatever text is currently selected on your screen. But remember: for any action to happen, you'll need to write down a trigger text for it to say.

Performance on Windows XP vs Newer Versions

Overall, this tool works pretty well if you're using Windows XP! It can run apps for you and even tell the date and time—all without needing to click anything! But here's the downside: it struggles with newer versions of Windows which is kind of disappointing since that limits its usability.

A Step Forward in Accessibility?

In summary, Responding Heads could have been an exciting step forward in making computers more accessible for everyone. However, its lack of compatibility with newer Windows versions makes it feel a bit less practical. If you're still rocking Windows XP though and want an easier way to launch apps quickly, this might be just what you need!