Rhetorical Partners with Motorola on VIAMOTO Solution

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - Rhetorical announced an agreement with Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT) to provide speech synthesis software for use with Motorola's VIAMOTO products. Motorola's VIAMOTO products and solutions are designed to allow consumers to access location-specific information and turn-by-turn directions on wireless devices. "This agreement reflects our growing reputation in the U.S. and showcases Rhetorical as a key player in the text-to-speech market," said Marc Moens, CEO of Rhetorical. "We have worked hard to make sure we have the best text-to-speech system and we are delighted that Motorola has chosen to work with Rhetorical." According to Rhetorical, VIAMOTO users can select their destination in one of three ways -- by calling an operator, using the phone keypad or through a Web interface. The voice directions for a route are determined by VIAMOTO servers, downloaded and stored in the phone. The directions from the current GPS location to the destination are then read to the user along the route. The VIAMOTO solution is currently launching nationwide in the United States with AVIS Rent a Car. The Avis Assist service is currently available for rent in more than 20 U.S. cities including Dallas, Washington, D.C., Boston and Newark.