Speech Technology eWeekly - March 01, 2002

Speech Technology News

Sensory's New Speech Technologies for Interactive Kiosk Avatars Make Shopping Easy

ORLANDO, FL —Sensory Inc., a provider of embedded speech technology, announced a new suite of technologies that combine to make retail kiosks act as service agents for customers in stores. The technologies in this new suite include speech recognition and synthesis, facial animation, and lip-synching.Information for this story was gathered from Sensory, Inc.

Ydilo Voice-Recognition-Based Ticketing Solution for Sports Event in Spain is a Success

MADRID, SPAIN - On the 6 of March 2002, Real Madrid does not only celebrate its 100th anniversary but also participates in the finals of the "Copa del Rey", the competition that brings together the teams from all Spanish divisions and allows the winner to participate in the UEFA cup.

Wizzard Software Adds Another Speech Developer Link

PITTSBURGH, PA -- Wizzard Software is pleased to announce a linking agreement with IBM, which positions Wizzard's Voice Tools 7.0 on the IBM Speech Developer Web site.

Information for this story was gathered from Wizzard Software.

ART'S Recognition Technologies Ported to Parthus' Mobile Computing Platform

ATLANTA, GA and DUBLIN, IRELAND -- ART Advanced Recognition Technologies Inc., a global provider of natural Human User Interface technologies for the mobile world, and Parthus (Nasdaq: PRTH, LSE: PRH), a provider of platform level IP solutions for the mobile Internet market, announced the porting of ART's speech and handwriting recognition engines to Parthus' InfoStream platform.Information for this story was gathered from ART.

Digital Datavoice to Distribute Syntellect's Vista IMR

PHOENIX, AZ -- Syntellect Inc. (NASDAQ: SYNL) announced that it has entered into a distribution agreement with Digital DataVoice as a preferred supplier of speech-enabled, self-service, software solutions to Digital DataVoice. Information for this story was gathered from Syntellect.

Voxera Named Best Communications Company by New Jersey Technology Council

Voxera was recognized with the "Best Communications Company" award at the New Jersey Technology Council (NJTC) Venture Fair.

SpeechWorks and Vocent Partner to Deliver Packaged, Speech-Activated, Password Reset Application

BOSTON, MA -— SpeechWorks International Inc. and Vocent Solutions Inc. announced a partnership to make SpeechWorks' technologies available in the Voice Secure line.

Angel.com Launches Service to Enable Online Voice Site Development by Business Users

MCLEAN, VA -- Angel.com announced the general availability of its service at www.angel.com.

iVoice Completes Second IVR System for Shelby County Tennessee

MATAWAN, N.J. -- iVoice, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: IVOC), a provider of speech recognition technology, announced the successful installation of a second Interactive Voice Response System for the General Sessions Court of Shelby County Tennessee.Information for this story was gathered from iVoice.

BeVocal's Foundation Platform Receives Frost & Sullivan's Product of the Year Award

SUNNYVALE, CA -- BeVocal announced it has won the Frost & Sullivan Market Engineering Product of the Year award for its open, VoiceXML platform serving the carrier market. Information for this story was gathered from BeVocal.

SVOX Introduces New TTS Software for Embedded Solutions

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND -- SVOX AG, a Swiss provider of synthetic speech technology, is introducing a new development in the sphere of text-to-speech software. SVOX SMART was conceived as an embedded application in mobile communication devices such as PDAs, Smart Phones as well as for automotive solutions. SVOX SMART is available in multiple languages, and is designed to be compatible with the Windows CE operating system.Information for this story was gathered from SVOX.

National Science Foundation Supports Virtual Human Technology

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC - RTI has received a $2.1million grant from the National Science Foundation to investigate responsivevirtual human technology (RVHT) applied to interaction skills training.Information for this story was gathered from RTI.

Software AG and Cambridge VoiceTech Announce Alliance

RESTON, VA -- Software AG Inc. and Cambridge VoiceTech announced an alliance to deliver complete speech recognition solutions to enterprise and government customers.

LumenVox Announces Speech-Driven Information System

LumenVox, a provider of speech recognition technologies, launched the Speech-Driven Information System v2.1, averaging at just $250 per port.

LOBBY7's x|mode 2.0 Released

BOSTON, MA -- LOBBY7 is releasing x|mode Network Server 2.0 for immediate availability.

Information for this story was gathered from LOBBY7.

Voice Signal's Speech Recognition Software Brings Interactive Characters to Life

At the Toy Industry Association's annual Toy Fair in New York City last month, several major toy manufacturers showed products that used speech recognition software from Voice Signal Technologies, Inc. to achieve new levels of realism and interactivity.

VoiceGenie's VoiceXML Gateway Replaces "Dinosaur" IVR Systems

TORONTO, CANADA -- VoiceGenie Technologies Inc. presents its Voice-Enabled Gateway for Call Centers at the Call Center & CRM Solutions Conference in Toronto, Canada.

Vocomo Software Announces Availability of Vocomo Voice

CUPERTINO, CA -- Vocomo Software Corporation announced availability of Vocomo Voice, a suite of enterprise-grade products for voice applications.

Sun, BeVocal and Nuance Form Alliance to Deliver Sun VoiceTone Platform to Telecom Carriers

Sun Microsystems, BeVocal and Nuance announced the availability of the Sun VoiceTone Platform.

Allied Business Intelligence Says Toll Bypass Remains Strong as New Enterprise IP Telephony Applications Emerge

OYSTER BAY, NY -- Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has come of ageand is now a consideration in any new enterprise telecommunications system installation or upgrade.

Brooktrout Technology Aids in Speech Recognition Applications

NEEDHAM, MA - Brooktrout Technology Inc., a provider of hardware and software platforms thatenable applications for the New Network, announced that it has beenawarded a patent for voice detection in audio signals.

Datria Systems Licenses Technology of JustTalk

Datria Systems has licensed the intellectual and technology assets of JustTalk

Syntellect's Speech Recognition Solution Selected by Questar Gas

PHOENIX, AZ -- Syntellect Inc. announced that it has receivedan order from Questar Gas to design and deploy a Vista Interactive Media Response (IMR) solution.

Information for this story was gathered by Syntellect Inc.

Telera Introduces True Multimodality for Today's Wireless Networks

CAMPBELL, CA -- Telera, a software platform provider for advanced voice applications, announced the launch of Telera SmartMOBILE suite for wireless service providers. SmartMOBILE, powered by Vialto - a certified Telera developer partner - provides multimodal interactivity with Microsoft Outlook/Exchange over existing 2G and 2.5G networks.Information for this story was gathered from Telera.

Brooktrout Technology Delivers Speech Recognition Platform

NEEDHAM, MA - Brooktrout Technology Inc. announced vendor-independent, automatic speech recognition (ASR) and text to speech (TTS) support on its TR1000 media resource platform.

Information for this story was gathered from Brooktrout Technology.

BeVocal Chosen by Wingcast to Provide Voice-enabled Information and Messaging Services

SAN DIEGO, CA -- Wingcast LLC announced that it has entered into an agreement with BeVocal.

Information for this story was gathered from BeVocal.

Aculab Unveils Latest TTS Software Featuring Variants in Voice Styles

PANAMA CITY, FL, MILTON KEYNES, UK, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA and MUNICH, GERMANY -- Aculab has unveiled the latest version of its text-to-speech (TTS) software, which now features five languages, including Latin American Spanish, as well as variants in voice styles.

Information for this story was gathered from Aculab.

VoxSurf Announces the Release of VoxSurf Messaging Version 5.0

LONDON, UK - VoxSurf Messaging Version 5.0 now offers the service provider greater flexibility in the creation and deployment of outsourced messaging services.

Information for this story was gathered from VoxSurf.

Domain Dynamics Opens New HQ in the Heart of the Thames Valley

NEWBURY, UK -- Domain Dynamics Limited has just opened new headquarters in the commercial heart of Reading, Berkshire, UK.

iVoice Announces Digital Telephony Solutions for Mitel Platforms

MATAWAN, NJ - iVoice Inc. announced a digitalcommunication solution that incorporates its Speech EnabledAutoAttendant, Voicemail and Unified Messaging applications for Mitel SX-50,SX-200ML and SX-2000 Private Branch Exchange (PBX) switches.

Voice Web Services and Colligo Announce Voice Books; Voice Web Community

New text-to-speech technology lets the blind "read" and navigate books using the telephone.

Voiceware Announces the Establishment of US Subsidiary

SAN JOSE, CA - Voiceware announced the establishment of US subsidiary, NeoSpeech Inc. in San Jose, CA.Information for this story was gathered from Voiceware.

Acoustic Magic Launches Next-Generation Array Microphone

SUDBURY, MA -- Acoustic Magic Inc. launched the Voice Tracker desktop array microphone.

D-Link and SVOX Launch Speech Server

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND -- D-Link, a global networking manufacturer, is launching its Speech Server together with SVOX, its partner in speech synthesis technology. At CeBIT, products and solutions for the call center sector will be presented for the first time. As well as the Speech Server itself, these products include Speech Server implementation into telephony environments.Information for this story was gathered from D-Link and SVOX.

Phonetic Systems Federal Sales Office Supports Voice Enabled Directory Assistance Applications

01 Mar 2002

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Phonetic Systems announced that its Federal Sales Office is supporting federal installations of the company's large-scale, voice-enabled directory search solutions.

General Voice Technologies Introduces RAP Meter and Version 2.0 of Voice Model Mobility

01 Mar 2002

General Voice introduced a standard of measurement for the voice recognition industry.

Comverse Unveils Its Developer Program And Online Developer Zone

01 Mar 2002

ORLANDO, FL -- Comverse unveiled the Comverse Developer Program

Information for this story was gathered from Comverse.

InfoTalk Unveils InfoTalk-Speaker 2.0 and Announces InfoTalk RSVP

01 Mar 2002

HONG KONG and BEIJING - InfoTalk Corporation, a provider of multi-lingual conversational speech understanding technology, unveiled InfoTalk-Speaker 2.0, multi-lingual text-to-speech (TTS) engine.

SpeechWorks and Kirusa Partner in Creating Advanced Multimodal Mobile Solution

01 Mar 2002

BOSTON, MA and BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ -- SpeechWorks International Inc. and Kirusa have partnered to develop a multimodal solution.

Information for this story was gathered from SpeechWorks.

iBasis Selected by Vietnam's Largest Telecommunications Carrier to Expand Global Service

01 Mar 2002

BURLINGTON, MA -- iBasis Inc. announced that Vietnam Telecom International (VTI) is interconnecting with The iBasis Network.

Information for this story was gathered from iBasis.

Fonix and Bantam Offer Free Trial of Personal Text Reader on Portable Players

01 Mar 2002

SALT LAKE CITY, UT and ST. LOUIS, MO -- Fonix Corporation (OTC BB: FONX), a provider of natural-user interface technology solutions for wireless and mobile devices, Internet and telephony systems, and vehicle telematics, and Bantam Interactive Inc., a leading manufacturer of Web-enabled digital audio devices, announced that Bantam's Explor BA350 digital audio MP3 player will now include iSpeak, a personal text reader from Fonix.Information for this story was provided by Fonix and Bantam.

Leverance Signs Beta Customer for Natural Language-Driven Report-Generating Application

01 Mar 2002

BOTHELL, WA - Leverance, a provider of natural language processing (NLP) technology, announced signing John F. Buchan Homes as the first Beta customer for its report generating NLP-enabled application,PowerTrieve. The agreement with one of the leading home building companies in the Pacific Northwest demonstrates Leverance's ability to deliver real business value through its language enabling technology. Information for this story was gathered from Leverance.

Audium 2 Now Compatible with Voxeo's Hosted Voice Centers

01 Mar 2002

NEW YORK, NY -- Audium and Voxeo Corporation announced that the latest release of Audium 2 supports deployment in Voxeo Voice Centers.

Information for this story was gathered from Audium.

Voxware's VoiceLogistics to Improve Efficiency for 7-Eleven

01 Mar 2002

PRINCETON, NJ - Voxware Inc. (NASDAQ OTC: VOXW)a speech recognition company providing natural language-based solutions for industrial applications, announced that 7-Eleven Inc. (NYSE: SE), through its third party logistics provider, Cardinal Logistics Management Inc., has selected Voxware's VoiceLogistics system for installation in its Fullerton, California facility. Information for this story was gathered from Voxware.

Ectaco Development Center Contracts with eVelopers Corporation

01 Mar 2002

ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA -- Ectaco Development Center has entered into a contract with eVelopers Corporation for licensing and integration of the 7 eSteps quality control system.

VoxSurf and PipeBeach Announce a Strategic Alliance

01 Mar 2002

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN and LONDON, UK - PipeBeach, a provider of VoiceXML platforms and VoxSurf, a VoiceXML application developer, announced theformation of an alliance to sell voice enabled messaging andcommunications solutions to Fixed & Mobile Operators in Europe and SouthAfrica. Information for this story was gathered from PIPEBEACH.

iVoice Speech Enables the Borough of Leonia, NJ

01 Mar 2002

MATAWAN, NJ -- iVoice Inc. announced the installation of its Speech Enabled Auto Attendant at the Administrative offices of the Borough of Leonia, New Jersey.

Information for this story was gathered from iVoice Inc.

Syntellect Positioned as a Leader in Analyst Firm IVR Magic Quadrant Two Years Running

01 Mar 2002

PHOENIX, AZ -- Syntellect Inc. announced that it has been positioned in the leader quadrant for its completeness of vision and ability to execute among vendors in Gartner's latest IVR Magic Quadrant for North America report.

Serotek Selects AT&T Labs Natural Voices for Its New Freedom Box Product Line

01 Mar 2002

FLORHAM PARK, NJ - AT&T Labs announced that it has signed anagreement to provide AT&T Labs' Natural Voices Text-to-Speech Engine toMinneapolis-based Serotek Corporation for its Freedom Box Internetaccessibility product line and its Freedom Box Network online community.Information for this story was gathered from AT&T Labs.

Edify to Power Ticketmaster Consumer Self-Service Across Enterprise Call Centers

01 Mar 2002

SANTA CLARA, CA -- Edify Corporation announced it has been selected by Ticketmaster to help upgrade and automate its consumer self-service operations.

Information for this story was gathered from Edify.

SpeechWorks Announces The OpenSpeech Insight Tool

01 Mar 2002

BOSTON, MA —- SpeechWorks International Inc. announced OpenSpeech Insight analysis and reporting tool.

Philips Speech Processing Dictation Software Announces Re-certification

01 Mar 2002

VIENNA, AUSTRIA -- Philips Speech Processing announced its ISO 9001 re-certification.

SpeechWorks Named Market Share Leader in ASR Software by Frost & Sullivan

01 Mar 2002

BOSTON, MA - SpeechWorks International, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPWX), a global provider of speech recognition and text-to-speech (TTS) technologies and services, announced industry research firm Frost & Sullivan singled out the company as the market share leader in automated speech recognition software in a newly issued study. Frost & Sullivan also selected SpeechWorks for its Market Engineering Award for Business Development Strategy.Information for this story was gathered from SpeechWorks.

Voice Signal's MicroREC Software Enhances Toys that Recognize and Respond to Spoken Commands

01 Mar 2002

At the Toy Industry Association's annual Toy Fair in New York last month, several major toy manufacturers showed products that used speech recognition software from Voice Signal Technologies to achieve new levels of realism and interactivity.

Internet Speech's netECHO Voice Internet Solution to be Used in Tata Consulting's Products and Services Worldwide

01 Mar 2002

SAN JOSE, CA --­ InternetSpeech announced that it has inked a deal with Tata Consulting Services (TCS).

Information for this story was gathered from Internet Speech.

ScanSoft Announces AudioMining XML Speech Indexing Products

01 Mar 2002

ScanSoft introduced two products based on new AudioMining XML speech indexing technology.

Loquendo Technology Powers i-TIM Voice; Loquendo Adds Three New TTS Voices

01 Mar 2002

TURIN, ITALY — Loquendo, a global speech technology company, has provided its technology within Telecom Italia Mobile's (TIM) i-TIM Voice portal. Thanks to the new i-TIM Voice portal, subscribers can choose from a range of services in the menu or ask for other info just by saying what you want - you no longer need to key in your choice.Information for this story was gathered from Loquendo.

Philips and Sun Show Integration of MPEG-4 Player in J2ME for Mobile Multimedia; Philips Demonstrates Key Technologies for the Mobile Market

01 Mar 2002

ORLANDO, FL -- Philips is underlining its support of open standards-based technologies with a demonstration of mobile multimedia delivery

Information for this story was gathered by Philips.

IBM Announces New Languages for Websphere Translation Server

01 Mar 2002

SOMERS, NY -- IBM announced WebSphere Translation Server version 2.0, featuring new languages and linguistic improvements to existing languages.

VeCommerce Implements NZ$1 Million Contract for NZ Government

01 Mar 2002

AUCKLAND, AUSTRALIA -- VeCommerce Limited has announced New Zealand's largest government department, the Ministry of Social Development (MSD), has implemented a voice recognition solution aimed at enhancing customer satisfaction and reducing ongoing costs.

Information for this story was gathered from VeCommerce.

Pingtel IP Phones Used by VoiceXML Technology Leaders and Developers

01 Mar 2002

WOBURN, MA -- Pingtel announced that leaders of the VoiceXML market are distributing the intelligent Pingtel VoIP phones.

One Voice and OZ Debut Voice-Based Instant Messaging Solution; One Voice Launches MobileVoice Platform

01 Mar 2002

SAN DIEGO, CA and MONTREAL, CANADA -- One Voice Technologies Inc. and OZ Communications Inc. debuted a voice-based Instant Messaging and Presence solution.

Information for this story was gathered from One Voice.

Voiceware Provides Solution to Australian Banking System

01 Mar 2002

SEOUL, KOREA -- Voiceware Co. Ltd. announced a contract with Premier Technologies for VoiceText.

AT&T Labs Natural Voices Announces Support for German Language in Multilingual TTS Engine

01 Mar 2002

FLORHAM PARK, NJ -- AT&T Labs announced German language support in its Natural Voices Text-to-Speech (TTS) Engine. The new language is immediately available and operates on platforms from large servers to the desktop to meet the needs of developers and businesses of all sizes.Information for this story was gathered from AT&T Labs.

Sound Advantage announces Tim Wudi as President/COO

01 Mar 2002

IRVINE, CA - Sound Advantage announces that Timothy Wudi has joined the company as president and chief operating officer.

Glenayre To Add SpeechWorks' Speech Technologies to Versera Voice; Glenayre Pioneers Next-Generation Messaging Solutions On Red Hat Linux Operating System

01 Mar 2002

ORLANDO, FL, and ATALANT, GA -- Glenayre Technologies Inc. announced it will integrate the OpenSpeechRecognizer speech recognition and Speechify text-to-speech enginesfrom SpeechWorks International, Inc.

Information for this story was gathered from SpeechWorks International Inc. and Glenayre Technologies Inc.

Fonix Solutions Powers Internet Device for Disabled Population

01 Mar 2002

SALT LAKE CITY, UT and MINNEAPOLIS, MN -— Fonix Corporation and Serotek Corporation announced that Serotek has selected Fonix Speech Solutions for use with Freedom Box.

Elan's New Solutions/Applications Deployed

01 Mar 2002

TOULOUSE, FRANCE -- Tecnomen eZONER makes full use of voice services with Elan TTS. By offering comprehensive voice services, Tecnomen eZONER benefits from subscribers' natural tendency to use voice services through an easy to use interface, which encourages increased calling and generates additional revenue streams for the operator.Information for this story was gathered from Elan.

Glenayre Versera Solutions to be Integrated with Voice Portal Framework

01 Mar 2002

ATLANTA, GA -- Glenayre Technologies Inc. announced plans to work with Oracle Corporation to integrate Glenayre's Versera solution portfolio with Oracle's voice portal capabilities.

Interactive Intelligence Launches Interactive Voice Response Product

01 Mar 2002

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Interactive Intelligence (Nasdaq: ININ), adeveloper of interaction management software, launched itsinteractive voice response product, called Vocalité, at CT Expo.

Telisma Opens Offices in Spain and Italy

01 Mar 2002

PARIS, FRANCE -- Telisma is opening offices in Madrid and Milan, confirming its strategy of international expansion.

VoiceGenie Powers Unified Dispatch Voice-Driven Taxi Booking System

01 Mar 2002

TORONTO, CANADA - VoiceGenie Technologies Inc. announces that Unified Dispatch Inc. (UDI) has partnered with VoiceGenie to power its voice-enabled taxi booking system for several of UDI's installations.

Information for this story was gathered from VoiceGenie Technologies Inc.

Telephonetics Unveils ContactPortal - a New Speech Recognition System for the Corporate Market

01 Mar 2002

HEMEL HEMPSTEAD, UK -- A new speech recognition platform that offers call screening and mobile working has been unveiled by Telephonetics.

iVoice Announces User Interface Enhancements to its TAPI Name Dialer

01 Mar 2002

iVoice announced new user interface enhancements to its speech-enabled call initiating software solution.