Developed by the Dutch parent's Philips Speech Processing, its speech recognition software converts speech to text immediately.

The product, priced at Rs 7,995, uses natural continuous speech recognition for dictation and voice commands for application control by virtue of which PC users can create, edit, format documents and control the Windows environment by speaking directly to the computer, via a microphone. With FreeSpeech 98, users can dictate directly into Windows applications, instead of conventional typing on the keyboard.

"We are confident that this software will be integrated by those who are keen to have a new tool for PC interaction, and also for those whohaven't learnt to use or cannot use a keyboard," Philips business electronics general manager Ankan Biswas said.

The dictation process is assisted by EasyEdit feature that allows for synchronous playback and correction. Easy Edit plays back words and sentences, while simultaneously highlighting the selection, enabling the user to proof read text and make changes quickly and easily.

The product also allows users to replace words by choosing from an alternative word list, simply by speaking into the application like using a typical spell check feature.

FreeSpeech 98 supports most Windows applications, such as those in office 97 and 95, and other applications like e-mail. The product also supports standard microphones for voice input.

A company statement here said that the speech recognition experience can be enhanced with the Philips SpeechMike, an all-in-one trackball, microphone and speaker that maximises the convenience and ergonomics for speech applications on PCs.