Speech-Enabling a Windows Phone 8 App with Voice Commands

One recent evening I was running late for an after-work meeting with an old friend. I knew he was already driving to the rendezvous, so calling him would be out of the question. Nevertheless, as I dashed out of my office and ran toward my car, I grabbed my Windows Phone and held down the Start button. When I heard the “earcon” listening prompt, I said, “Text Robert Brown,” and when the text app started up, I said, “Running late, leaving office now,” followed by “send” to send the text message.