IBM Announces Expanded Availability of ViaVoice Dictation Software in Europe

LONDON, UK - IBM announced an agreement with London-based MediaGold UK Ltd. to broaden the availability of IBM's ViaVoice dictation software in selected European countries. MediaGold will publish and provide sales, marketing and technical support for ViaVoice products in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. MediaGold will also provide channel support in the United Kingdom. Based on over four decades of research and development at IBM, ViaVoice dictation software features a vocabulary and back-up dictionary of about 250,000 words, as well as full-featured speech recognition software and microphone features. Built on IBM's series of continuous voice recognition products, ViaVoice gives users another way to communicate with computing devices when users want an alternative to the keyboard or mouse. Technology from IBM's ViaVoice family is used in areas including telematics, handheld devices and transcription. Expanding on currently available languages, IBM ViaVoice Pro USB Edition Release 10 for Windows is scheduled for release in German and Italian later this year, as are French and Spanish versions of IBM ViaVoice Pro Edition, Release 8. In addition, IBM ViaVoice Standard Edition Release 8, including support for Windows XP, will be published in French, German, Italian and Spanish. "We are proud to be associated with IBM and look forward to building on the excellent brand recognition that ViaVoice enjoys in Europe," said Andrew M. Goldstein, president of MediaGold. "We're ready to leverage our years of experience in voice recognition and grow IBM's market penetration in Europe, continuing IBM's tradition of excellent service." "In an increasingly mobile work environment, the option to dictate into a computing device and have that transcribed into text offers users flexibility and convenience," said Toby Maners, IBM Program Director, Retail Voice Segment, Pervasive Computing Division. "This agreement will extend our reach into European countries, making ViaVoice products more accessible than ever to a wide variety of users."