Speech recognition software company Nuance is working with chip makers on how to build a chipset for a mobile device that would let users get assistance from a smartphone without touching it—even when it's in power-saving "sleep" mode—by simply speaking to it.

Burlington, Massachusetts-based Nuance is considered a market leader in speech-recognition, which has grown dramatically in importance in recent years as smartphones increasingly feature voice-powered personal-assistant capabilities that can do things like check the weather or find a sushi restaurant. Nuance, which makes a virtual assistant app called Dragon Go!, is also widely believed to be the voice provider for Apple's digital assistant, Siri.

 

Sejnoha believes that within a year or two you'll be able to talk to your smartphone even as it lies idle on a desk, asking it questions such as, "When's my next appointment?" The phone will be able to detect that you are speaking, wake itself up, and accomplish the task at hand.