FW Editor: What are your plans or objectives in the near future?
Steven J Toce: I will continue to write voice recognition software based on the Microsoft Agent technology model. A new title will be released soon, Merlin Start, which will work under both Vista and Win 7.

FW Editor: How and when did you start writing the code for Peedy and Friends? What inspired you the most? Do you plan to develop new software, or are you more focused on optimizing the current ones?
Steven J Toce: I started researching voice recognition technology several years. It interested me because of the many challenges in presented. This technology is only as good as the accuracy it provides. We are definitely making progress.

FW Editor: I like the idea of having multiple characters to choose from. Do you plan to add more in the future?
Steven J Toce: The 4 Agent characters Peedy, Merlin, Genie and Robby are revolutionary achievements of Microsoft. I will develop new characters for other titles as needed, especially in the area of children's education.

FW Editor: Was Peedy and Friends designed for kids or everyone can use it?
Steven J Toce: Peedy and Friends was designed for users of all ages. The idea was to provide a simple and friendly interface that makes repetitious tasks easy to launch. Another title, Talking Flashing Cards, is a highly animated educational program designed for children ages 2 to 12.

FW Editor: Can you tell us more about Peedy and Friends? How does it work? It is possible to add my favorite applications in Peedy and Friends?
Steven J Toce: Uses Microsoft Agent technology. No.

FW Editor: What are the advantages of using Peedy and Friends over any other similar product?
Steven J Toce: Highly accurate voice recognition can be achieved with proper voice training.

FW Editor: Besides Peedy and Friends, is there any other similar product that had a positive impact over you? Why?
Steven J Toce: Voice recognition technology that is built into Windows 7 is quite good. I am impressed. However, unlike Peedy and Friends, the technology does "not" use a listen key, which can be frustrating.

FW Editor: What is your favorite Peedy and Friends feature and why?
Steven J Toce: There are many, but, press the listen key and say "desktop", and watch as all windows are minimized to the task bar. I also like "end program" as it reminds me of Star Trek.

FW Editor: Thank you for this small interview. Peedy and Friends is a great application and we are looking forward to see how it will evolve.
Steven J Toce: Thank you.