Nuance and AutoNavi Collaborate in China
Nuance Communications and AutoNavi, a provider of digital map content and navigation and location-based solutions in China, have teamed up to provide intuitive voice-enabled navigation capabilities to the Chinese market.
The two companies will collaborate on the voice-enabled navigation product AutoNavi Map.The product will be made available in the second quarter of 2013 to automotive and navigation device manufacturers globally that are developing navigation offerings supporting Chinese languages.
As a result of its collaboration with Nuance, AutoNavi will be able to deeply integrate voice data to its core navigation data and further optimize the user experience for its map navigation products shipping in China, as well as meet the localization demands of global automotive manufacturers in the China market. AutoNavi will rely on Nuance's voice technologies to provide more accurate voice recognition and text-to-speech.
Currently, AutoNavi provdes navigation data products and services to more than 100 models of domestic and foreign auto brands and navigation application software to mainstream automotive manufacturers. Along with the scalability of its digital map data and location-based service, AutoNavi has developed two core mobile map apps, Amap and aNav. At the beginning of 2013, AutoNavi announced that its free mobile map application, Amap, had surpassed 100 million users.
"The world's automotive and navigation device manufacturers need access to dynamic map data, particularly in countries such as China, where infrastructure and the number of cars on the road continues to expand," said Daniel Cheng, general manager of Greater China Region, Nuance Communications, in a statement. "Through our collaboration with AutoNavi, manufacturers will be able to offer an incredibly intuitive voice-enabled navigation experience that keeps Chinese drivers' eyes on the road and hands on the wheel."