AxsJAX: a talking translation bot using google IM: bringing web-2.0 applications to life

Web-2.0 applications turn static Web documents into dynamic user interfaces. They epitomize the final realization of the vision "The Document Is The Interface!". This transition from static Web pages to interactive Web applications also requires the introduction of a fresh set of innovations to how such applications are accessed in conjunction with adaptive technologies.

Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX) breathes life into static Web pages. ARIA live regions helps bring such interaction to life when used in conjunction with adaptive technologies such as screenreaders and self-voicing browsers. This paper introduces the motivation behind live regions in ARIA, and describes how this support can be used to enhance the user interaction provided by Google Talk --- an instant-messaging client that is integrated into the GMail Web interface. We describe the interaction model as it is surfaced to the end-user, and show how the introduction of live regions makes all aspects of the resulting UI usable with adaptive technologies.

Web-2.0 applications---especially mashups---excel at creating end-user solutions that are greater than the sum of their individual building blocks. We demonstrate this by bringing together Google Talk, Live Regions and Natural Language translation by demonstrating a multi-lingual talking translation interface that is the result of speech-enabling these applications using the Google AxsJAX framework.