ScanSoft Added to Telematics Valley

PEABODY, MA - ScanSoft Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT), a supplier of imaging, speech and language solutions, announced that it has joined Telematics Valley, an open forum designed to promote the acceptance and adoption of telematics solutions on a global scale. With 56 companies active on its roster, Telematics Valley includes many of the world's automotive manufacturers and technology suppliers, including Ericsson, Hewlett-Packard, Motorola, Saab and Volvo. Telematics is an emerging market within the global automotive industry that combines wireless voice and data solutions to provide drivers and passengers a range of applications, including location-specific security, navigation assistance, real-time traffic information and in-vehicle entertainment services. Founded in August 2001, Telematics Valley was created to provide a cross-industry forum that facilitates collaboration between automotive and technology suppliers, strengthens commercial and political support for the industry and leverages research and education within the area of telematics. With the addition of multi-national vendors such as ScanSoft, the Telematics Valley is widening its efforts to an international scale, while gaining traction and recognition throughout the industry. ScanSoft's participation in the Telematics Valley consortium will allow the company to cooperate with leading telematics application developers, automobile manufacturers and suppliers, with the goal of more rapidly advancing the development and deployment of telematics applications throughout the world. "Speech is the most natural interface for applications where a keyboard and mouse are impractical or unsafe, both of which are true for automotive applications," said Robert Weideman, chief marketing officer at ScanSoft. "We are pleased to be the first embedded speech provider to join Telematics Valley, and are proud to join with other leading vendors in shaping the future of telematics technology and applications."