Actually, I am kind of surprised about that based on the science. I thought that there was a study done quite a while ago that suggested that male voices are easier to understand by the majority of people due to the lesser high frequency components. Of course, maybe there is are new studies based on the psychological component rather than purely auditory.
I would guess the switch from a male voice to a female voice is not arbitrary, Chuck. I would imagine it's been tested. The practice is prerecorded voices is well developed. I would expect the voice choices have been tested to determine which are the most effective.
To me, it seems like phone-based systems are increasingly switching from male to female voices. For years, United Airlines Mileage Plus had a male voice. Same for my credit card company. But I noticed yesterday that the Mileage Plus starts with a male, who then hands it off to a female voice, who walks you through all the menu choices.
Now that's interesting Glenn. I can imagine why the voice would be switched to male for Spanish. I can understand the preference for a female voice. I can't understand a preference for a male voice. You're right, it's probably cultural. I'm would guess it's not arbitrary.
At the supermarket that I frequent the English self-checkout voice is female, the Spanish voice is male. Perhaps it is a Spanish cultural thing that they don't like to take instructions from women ?
Beth: If you own a GM car and have OnStar, then the virtual voice's name is Veronica. GM engineers called her Veronica for years. Don't know if they still use that name.
Yes, I agree the voices are annoying. I haven't experienced Siri yet either, but I've heard tons of automated voices. I can't recall any male voices used. So maybe there is something to the notion that we respond more positively to a femaile voice.
That's a curious thing to consider, Rob. Frankly I hate those voices. I have an annoying one on my GPS in my car and it's all I can bare to stand her directing me for too long. I haven't experienced Siri yet, but I'm told by those who have that's she's amazing. I suppose if someone talks to you that long, you tend to conjure up an image.
We looked at a number of sources to determine this year's greenest cars, from KBB to automotive trade magazines to environmental organizations. These 14 cars emerged as being great at either stretching fuel or reducing carbon footprint.
Researchers at MIT and Sandia National Labs have observed a reaction in lithium-air batteries that could help improve the design of these cells for electric vehicles and other applications.
Healthcare might seem to be an unlikely target application for the Internet of Things technology, but recent developments show small ways that big-data is going to make an impact on patient care moving into the future.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
3 
