[Tilt, TyTN II, MDA Vario III Themes and Apps] joel2009:
Testing Basic MSVC Functionality

The purpose of this guide is not to walk step-by-step on how to use MSVC, suffice it to say that once you have installed the application, or located your installation, you should be able to use it to a basic degree. To test basic functionality, do the following:

Locate the voicecmd.exe file. This will be in the MSVC installation directory or \Windows. Usually a shortcut is also created in the Startup folder.

Click to run the file (sometimes you may need to click it 2 or three times to initialize).

When launched,

you should hear a beep and a microphone icon appear at the top of the screen

.

You should now be able to speak into your phone (not BT at this point) and get MSVC to respond. You can try saying “help” and MSVC should respond with some options. You can also try “dial 555-1212” (or some other number) to make sure it begins to dial.

To my knowledge, there are no issues with getting MSVC to work through the local speakers (assuming you are using a version appropriate to your Windows Mobile version). If you can click the “voicecmd” executable in the proper directory, hear the beep, and get the microphone icon to appear then you should be able to speak to MSVC to get it to dial, etc.

Mapping a button to MSVC

We obviously don’t want to have to manually run the voicecmd.exe every time we want to issue a voice command. The easy solution is to map a button.

In most cases you only need to map a button to MVC if you want to launch if from your phone. By this I mean if you

only

plan on initiating MSVC via your BT headset then you do not necessarily need to do this. However, for purposes of testing, I recommend you map a button and then you can remove the mapping once your BT works.

*In some instances it appears that the Bluetooth headset device may not trigger MSVC if a button is not mapped. If you are having problems initiating MSVC from your headset, I recommend you try and map a button.

Mapping a button to MSVC is as simple as going into Start > Settings > Buttons and changing any button to launch Voice Command.

The challenge is that most peoplewant to keep their buttons how they are and instead

remap the PTT button

(the one on the top-left side of the phone) to launch MSVC.

If you would like to remap your PTT button to MSVC, do the following:

Download and install on your phone one of the popular registry editors (PHM RegEdit, Resco, etc…).

Goto HKLM\Software\ Microsoft\Shell\Keys

- Add a new key named "40C6"

- Add a new string value under the key called "Name" with a value of "Button 6" (or anything else you may want to call it, like “PTT”)

You can test that this is created properly by going back to Start > Settings > Buttons and you should now see the button listed. Choose to change this button to “Voice Command.”

You have now mapped the button to MSVC! There are two issues however: The first is that this won’t work until after a soft reset. The second is that a soft reset will cause the PTT service to overwrite the change you just did! Therefore, our only option is to

remove the PTT service

.

To remove the PTT service do the following:

Goto HKLM\Services\PTT

Delete the entire “PTT” Key. (NOTE: You may wish to backup/export this key first with your registry editor.)

Soft-reset your device. You should now be able to launch MSVC from the PTT button!

Remember, if you have another application handling your device’s buttons (like AE Button Plus), you may not need to do any of this. In addition, if you prefer to use a button other than PTT, simply map the button without the above tasks.

Configuring the BT Headset

This is probably one of the more problematic issues that people encounter. Various results have been reported with trying to get your BT headset to launch MSVC. Sometimes it does nothing, other times it redials the last number or, if you’re lucky, it will actually just work!

The key configuration point appears to be a registry key named BTAGExtModule. I believe this stands for: BlueTooth Audio Gateway Extension Module. As its name suggests it is an extension to Bluetooth which controls what application to launch and thus establish an audio gateway between your BT headset and your phone.

NOTE: In some cases this is the critical and only step you need to get MSVC working. On some devices the BTAGExtModule is set to OEMAGW.DLL. Setting it to VCBTHAG.DLL and resetting is all that is need to get MSVC working!

There are several options you can enter here and you may need to do some experimentation. The important thing is that whatever file you enter for the value of the BTAGExtModule must actually exist on your phone! Be sure to use File Explorer and browse to whatever directory you are specifying any make sure the file exits (be sure to turn on “Show All Files in Explorer options!”).

In all my tests, I am using the 1.6.19209 build of MSVC and therefore the proper gateway to use is “vcbthag.dll” (Voice Command Blue Tooth Audio Gateway). This is true of all later versions as well.

For informational purposes, here are all the audio gateways that are known to exist:

VCBTHAG.DLL – This is the audio gateway included in all of the versions of MSVC I have tested. It always appears to work in all my tests and

I suggest you use this one

.

OEMAGW.DLL – This is the OEM Audio Gateway. I assume it can be customized by the OEM, or rather the OEM renames whatever gateway they want to use to this filename. It may not exist on your phone, or may not do anything at all.

BTAGTEXT.DLL – This is another audio gateway. It may be generic, but I think it may have also been the default in earlier versions of MSVC. I don’t think you should ever need to use this one, but I mention it because I believe it was used in previous solutions.

To check your audio gateway:

Goto HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Bluetooth\AudioGateway

Ensure BTAGExtModule is set to “\Windows\vcbthag.dll” or “\Program Files\Voice Command\vcbthag.dll” (or another location depending on where your MSVC files are located).

SOFT RESET the phone

Wait about 60 seconds after restart

to ensure all services are started

You should now be able to use your BT headset to initiate the audio gateway and initialize Voice Command.

Be sure you pair your BT headset with a “hands-free” profile!

Click your BT button and you should hear the MSVC “beep” and see the microphone icon. You should now be able to speak MSVC commands to initialize a call, etc.

TIP: You may want to walk about 10 feet away from your phone to test this. This will make sure that your voice commands are being send through your headset and aren’t just being picked up by your phone microphone. I have not seen this problem recently, although some people have claimed this issue previously.