Cepstral Announces Technology Partnership with SpeechWorks; SpeechWorks Introduces Speechify Solo

PITTSBURGH, PA - Cepstral LLC announced a technology agreement with SpeechWorks (Nasdaq: SPWX), a provider of speech recognition and TTS technologies and services. Cepstral is working with SpeechWorks on the development of a small footprint, multilingual unit selection TTS system. Under the agreement, Cepstral has been licensed to resell certain SpeechWorks technologies incorporated in its products. In addition, Cepstral will provide voice building and customization services. "We are pleased to be working with Cepstral to develop an exciting breed of TTS solutions," said Mike Phillips, CTO, SpeechWorks. "High quality, small footprint TTS solutions, such as the kind being developed by Cepstral and SpeechWorks, are ideal for use in embedded devices and automobiles. With the TTS solution, people can hear emails, retrieve directions and reminder services, and more just by listening to their device. This type of TTS is particularly important for device and automotive manufacturers because it allows them to enhance the personality and brand identity of their products, thereby increasing consumer appeal." Cepstral, founded by CTO Alan W. Black and CEO Kevin Lenzo, specializes in speech synthesis and custom voice creation. "SpeechWorks technology has led the field, and this partnership allows us to offer speech products, as well as great voices in a broad variety of languages," said Lenzo. "We are pleased that the leader in speech technologies has chosen our technology to work with." SpeechWorks Introduces Speechify Solo BOSTON, MA - SpeechWorks International Inc. (Nasdaq: SPWX), a provider of speech recognition and TTS technologies and services, introduced Speechify Solo software, an embedded TTS engine for the embedded TTS market. Speechify Solo software can be used for embedded solutions such as automotive, hand-held computers, and home entertainment systems. Speechify Solo software makes a voice in a compact, efficient memory footprint available to device manufacturers so they can enhance the personality and brand awareness of their devices, increasing consumer appeal. Speechify Solo software's voice creates opportunities for applications in the hand-held computing, home entertainment and automotive industries. For example, Speechify Solo can read text-based information such as email from PDAs and other devices. It can provide personalized program information for set-top cable boxes and home entertainment systems, such as "Hello John, the Red Sox are playing tonight at 7:00PM Eastern on ESPN." In addition, it provides an intelligible voice for navigation systems; a hands-free interface for vehicle information and controls such as car radio, temperature control and owner's manual information; and safety alerts and scheduled maintenance reminders. For example, "Attention: your air filter is due for replacement. Please proceed to the Ford dealership at 236 W. Main Street for service." "Speechify Solo delivers highly natural speech in a memory footprint smaller than Speechify, allowing advanced functions to reside on the client-side of a device, whether in-dashboard, handheld or set-top," said Rachel L. MacAulay, senior analyst with The Kelsey Group. "This compact version of Speechify 2.1 further extends SpeechWorks' position in the embedded technology marketplace." According to the 2002 Voice Ecosystem Report published by The Kelsey Group, embedded software license revenues for both speech recognition and TTS will grow from $38 million in annual shipments in 2002 to approximately $330 million in 2006.