Loquendo TTS to Power HP Navigator

Loquendo's text-to-speech engine will come pre-installed on the new HP Navigator, a location-based solution for Netbook, notebook, and tablet PCs.

The solution also combines Spime’s Hybrid LBS platform and Navteq content, and optimizes the interaction between the device and the cloud to power location, map, point-of-interest, routing, and navigation services, competing with the leading Web-based mapping service providers. The benefits to HP customers are they get location, mapping, POIs, textual routing, and voice-guided route simulation for free, even when the device is not connected to the Internet. HP Navigator is available in North America, Latin America and in both Western and Eastern Europe in 19 languages.

HP Navigator is an out-of-the-box free bundle for HP customers. Because the map/ POI data, LBS platform, applications and Loquendo TTS engine are pre-installed, HP customers can enjoy complete map-related functionality, even when not connected to the Internet. Because HP Navigator is a “hybrid” location solution, when connected to the Internet HP customers can discover, trial, and purchase premium LBS services, such as voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation, application upgrades, additional maps, POIs and emerging services from within HP Navigator. And, HP Navigator applications can fetch dynamic data from the Web, seamlessly overlaying information onto the existing map data. Since there are no restrictions, additional premium LBS services can integrate with the tasks performed on HP devices.

Loquendo's speech technology offers HP customers the utmost flexibility, supporting 30 languages and offering a choice of 71 high quality male and female voices. Since voice guided directions frequently involve information crucial to personal safety, it is vital that audio messages are highly fluent and intelligible. With Loquendo TTS in place, annunciation is clear and well optimized to the location of the vehicle.

Luisa Cordano, Loquendo's embedded sales area manager for North America, adds that “we are honored and excited to reach out to such a large and varied audience such as HP’s Netbook, notebook and tablet users. I am confident that they will enjoy being safely guided by our lifelike, expressive voices, while keeping their eyes on the road”