[GraemeT]

After owning an 820 for two months I've just downloaded my first speech language, English (United Kingdom). It sems pretty good to be honest, but with a couple of caveats.

First, it doesn't recognise the keyword "text" unless I've selected "Enable Speech Recognition Service". This strikes me as odd as it recognises "call" and they both go through the same cell network (don't they?). I wouldn't mind so much but under "Enable Speech Recognition Service" there's an M$ statement which implies for speech text to work they must see what I'm sending, under the pretense of them trying to improve the service. That can't be right, can it? So speech text won't work unless M$ know what you're sending???

Second, when you hit help (?) some keywords come up: Call; Find; Open; Text; Note. Yet I find I can launch an app with Open, Start or Begin. Is that just luck or is there a more comprehensive list of keywords somewhere?

[Jazmac]

You have to give it time to learn how you speak. Mine has become more accurate almost without warning. That's my experience with my 920 anyway.

[xWisp]

Using Speech on your phone | Windows Phone How-to (Australia)
here you go :)

[GraemeT]

Thanks for the inputs. I should've found the link myself. I'll check it out.

[GraemeT]

Well, I've played about with speech a bit more. I'm still very impressed with its functionality (it's a good party trick if nothing else, although not foolproof by any means, depends on how you phrase your request), but I'm less impressed with the M$ documentation. On the "WP8>Basics>Using Speech on your phone" webpage there's a table of "...some of the things that you can do with your voice". Some? Are there more? Or is that it? Down at the bottom of the page is the real gotcha that I've been looking for, "Some voice commands, such as texting a contact or searching the web, will not work unless the speech recognition service is enabled." with all that implies with respect to sending M$ your data. I'm astonished that people haven't kicked up about this before with its implications, or do folk not bother with WP native speech, for perhaps this reason?

[xWisp]

Its the same with androids now or siri, audio is sent to their servers for processing. No shocker, though I don't think most of the tasks you will ask it to do are really anything worth them listening to.

[GraemeT]

Thanks xWisp. Well, it was a shocker to me! That said, I take onboard what you say about the other operating systems. I'm slowly coming to realise that although they all look different, under the hood there are many similarities between them in they way that they operate. BTW, you're not the first person to suggest that what I say on my phone isn't worth listening to!!!