Re: Speech recognition...
Some kind technologist has obviously heard the collective sighs of the Scots; when I lived in Sydney, Australia, my mobile phone company (Optus) had a voice-activated menu system for support, and it could not understand my soft southern English accent at all. It was only when I affected a Scottish accent (no promises as to the quality of the accent) that it would understand me at all.
To the relief of Scots everywhere, as well as myself, I soon dropped Optus for mobile and never looked back.