Interesting is that on my system without Accessibility features turn on, it took me less than 1 minute to get Voice Access set up and usable. However, with my impaired client, it could NOT correctly perform phone features consistently or even at all. For example, I managed to get a Google Phone # and registered via his Cell Phone. Then proceeded to have his Cell ring on a call received to the Google Phone #. The necessity to hit another option when calling or receiving is cumbersome, but we successfully did so. But, consistency is lacking. Sometimes the calling and receiving works, sometimes not, leaving Voicecall messages each time when it fails. The website screen for calling is NOT correct. To be specific, I first needed to find his contacts already stored by Google Gmail. No Luck getting them to voice Access calling! So, I though maybe I'll manually create necessary contacts. Instructions said to get on the screen interface and click CONTACTS. Well, NOT there! Never figured out how to create or import contacts! Then the worse thing is that Voice Access throws a banner line at top of Windows Home screen and it starts at Restart actions, forces a pre-login screen picture to some up and prevents getting to login screen unless you find the secret to kill the banner. I played enough to scrap this idea for calling and answering from the machine. I also wanted to use the microphone on Google Search to verbally submit queries. I was successful, but the response was in screen text only, unlike the Nest Hub which provides a verbal response or simply allows a user to turn on text-to-voice for any text on screen. Yes, this can be accomplished via Natural Reader or Narrator (another piece of crap - See 1208). Why should I have to jump through so many hurdles to get things working even adequately? And do not have any impairments hindering my visual capabilities. However, my client does, and these unnecessary steps is impossible to perform.
Today, I tried to get in contact with the Accessibility Help people, both by phone and chat, DURINH the operation hours published. Forget that! They were there, but proceeded to collect information BEFORE telling me that! Poor support for the needy.
So, we will stick with the Nest Hub and try to get it working for calling; the search by voice and response verbally is EASY. Unfortunately, a prerequisite for managing Nest Hub to use it is a Cell phone that he cannot see at all. We decided to switch to an existing Tablet (older one0, but are stuck getting that to work. Then there is the matter of CONTACTS again being shared. The entire process is too complex. btw, Nest Hub is a Goggle product! Why am I dancing around setting parameters on several devices to get it working? Who is designing products for Google? Where is the Google-Microsoft interfaces? If I had to design thing, I would have Microsoft provide EXITS (from their code) to one written by another user, like Google. The Exit would override settings in Microsoft (Google permission necessary and responsibility there's). That way, Microsoft's Voice Access could allow a user to control the interface to the user.
That is all another topic and too complicated for the normal user. They know where I am if they want to discuss.
For now, Voice Access (previously Windows Speech Recognition (WSR) is a disaster. I can see why WSR is being killed, but can't understand why Voice Access is even implemented to replce it. It seems like for now its only a name change! What a zoo.
