Alpine Electronics Integrates Loquendo TTS
Alpine Electronics of America, a manufacturer of automotive mobile media solutions, has added Loquendo TTS to its new All-in-One Audio/Video/Navigation Receiver.
The all new INA-W900 is the first Alpine product to use Loquendo's text-to-speech (TTS) technology. Loquendo TTS is fluent and expressive synthetic speech providing immediate and eyes-free access to navigation features, such as turn-by-turn driving directions and the announcement of street and freeway exit names.
With the INA-W900, large icons, direct source buttons, and a simplified interface allow drivers to easily manage navigation functions and control all of their digital sources and driver assist products when on the move.
These rich features and the high quality of the INA-W900 were recognized by the consumer electronics experts that honored the product with a 2010 CES Innovations award for the In-Vehicle Audio Category.
The INA-W900 receiver has a built-in proprietary navigation system with more than 6 million points of interest and voice-guided turn-by-turn driving instruction all read with Loquendo’s text-to-speech voices in either U.S. English, American Spanish, or Canadian French. The system also uses Alpine’s OnPoint advanced GPS positioning to ensure that the vehicle stays accurately positioned on the map, even in tunnels or around tall buildings.
"Alpine is pleased to bring this INA-W900 AVN system to the market. Its easy-to-use interface will make this an appealing and versatile source unit for an aftermarket system of any size," said Mike Anderson, assistant vice president sales and marketing at Alpine Electronics.
"CES Innovations Awards are a clear recognition of superior quality and state-of-the-art technology," says Luisa Cordano, Loquendo's sales manager for embedded technologies. "We are glad that Alpine’s commitment to innovation has been recognized with this award, and proud to have contributed to this achievement. We believe that drivers will have a safer and more enjoyable driving experience, thanks to Loquendo’s lifelike voices."