Thanks in part to Siri, voice command is all the rage, and now a developer known as KeyboardP has figured out how to have his Windows-based computer play music simply by saying the name of the song he wants to hear. Using his custom software and an active mic, KeyboardP can just tell his computer the name of an artist and song and it starts playing instantly; the system also responds to commands like "pause" and "stop," offering totally hands-free music control. This system works with any sort of mic, though KeyboardP notes that using a Kinect has provided the best results due to superior voice recognition.

KeyboardP also wanted a solution that worked around the house, away from his computer and mic, so he built a Windows Phone app that offers the same controls. Assuming the phone is on the same network as the PC, launching the app allows him tell the computer what to play without being restricted by microphone placement. KeyboardP has posted a full demonstration video of his voice-activated music setup and has plans to release of this for other users. While this is only a proof of concept at this point, it would be a most welcome utility if it works as well as it does in the video.