Touch anywhere to speak

A method for providing input functionality for a speech recognition interaction module, comprising:

• receiving an indication of a touch within a contextual area on a touch screen interface of a mobile computing device;
• and
• upon reception of the indication of the touch within the contextual area on the touch screen interface:
• identifying a contextual data of the touch and determining an identification of the touch in association with the identified contextual data;
• passing the identification of the touch to one or more software applications;
• activating a listening mechanism of a speech recognition module;
• receiving a spoken utterance;
• utilizing the identification of the touch in association with the identified contextual data, and causing a performance of a functionality of the one or more software applications based on the identified contextual data;
• and
• displaying dynamic visual feedback of a measured sound level of the spoken utterance received by the speech recognition module, wherein the displayed dynamic visual feedback is rendered as centered around an area on the touch screen at which the touch within the contextual area is received.

A computer readable storage medium containing computer executable instructions which when executed by a computer perform a method for providing input functionality for a speech recognition interaction module, comprising:

• receiving an indication of a touch anywhere on a touch screen interface of a mobile computing device;
• activating a listening mechanism of a speech recognition module;
• generating an acknowledgment in response to receiving the indication of the touch anywhere on the touch screen interface of the mobile computing device;
• and
• displaying dynamic visual feedback of a measured sound level of a spoken utterance received by the speech recognition module, wherein the displayed dynamic visual feedback is rendered as centered around an area on the touch screen at which the touch within a contextual area is received.