Kirusa and VoiceObjects Partner to Create Complete Solution for Multimodal Applications

EDISON, NJ and KOLN, GERMANY - Kirusa, a provider of multimodal platforms enabling wireless applications delivery, and VoiceObjects, vendor of Voice Application Management Systems (VAMS), announced that they are teaming to extend and integrate the VoiceObjects Factory with the Kirusa Multimodal Platform, creating a complete solution to author, test and deploy mobile multimodal applications. Kirusa and VoiceObjects will jointly market and sell the integrated solution. Kirusa's multimodal platform, offering SMS, sequential, and simultaneous multimodality, enables wireless phone and PDA users to request or add information by speaking a command, or by using visual inputs such as typing or tapping with a stylus. Application results can be delivered visually on the device screen, by voice, or through innovative combinations of both voice and visual modes. In addition to support for VoiceXML-based multimodal solutions, Kirusa's platform supports the Speech Application Language Tags (SALT) specification for speech and multimodal application development, allowing speech capabilities to be added to mobile Web applications. Using SALT and Kirusa's simultaneous multimodal support, applications allowing users to use both voice and visual interactions at the same time can be developed and deployed for numerous advanced handsets, including those based on platforms such as Microsoft's SmartPhone™, Symbian™ (e.g. Nokia's Series 60 and Symbian OS Version 7), Qualcomm's BREW™, PalmOS and Microsoft's PocketPC. The concept of the Voice Application Management System (VAMS) VoiceObjects Factory is based on the generation of speech dialogs from objects. Based on the Lego principle, VoiceObjects can be put together in the form of modules with the aid of the built-in tools to form interactive dialogs of any desired degree of complexity, without any programming. This vendor-independent software supports current standards such as VoiceXML or SALT. VoiceObjects Factory consists of VoiceObjects Server to run the dialogs and VoiceObjects Desktop for use in design and development. The software is available for the Apache Tomcat, BEA WebLogic, Caucho Resin and JBoss Web application servers and IBM WebSphere Application Server, as well as for platforms like BeVocal, Genesys, Intervoice, Nortel, Pipebeach, Tellme, T-Systems and VoiceGenie. As a result of this partnership, VoiceObjects Factory will add support for visual interactions (such as interactive SMS and WAP) to speech applications. A developer can use the familiar VoiceObjects Factory interface to create multimodal applications, which are delivered to a mobile user using the Kirusa Multimodal Platform. "Support for multimodality by leading authoring tools like the VoiceObjects Factory is accelerating the widespread adoption of multimodality. VoiceObjects Factory makes it easy and economical to realize multimodal applications that can be delivered in multiple languages, with the customer's choice of speech technology vendors," said Ewald Anderl, chief technology officer and vice president of Kirusa. "We are thrilled to be working with VoiceObjects to bring multimodal development to our customers." "Adding new delivery channels to voice systems is key to building useful systems for consumers. Combining Kirusa's multimodal delivery capabilities with VoiceObject's easy to use development tools will mean that high-quality multi-modal systems can be delivered much more quickly," said Christian Dugast, head of business development at VoiceObjects. "We are delighted to be partnering with the industry leader in multimodality to boost the penetration of multimodal voice services in the market."