Speech Technology eWeekly - June 01, 2004

Q & A

Joel Riciputi and Gina Carriere, senior product marketing managers, Nuance Communications

We caught up with Nuance Senior Product Marketing Managers Joel Riciputi and Gina Carriere post-conference, V-world 2004, to discuss recent trends in speech applications.

Belinda Banks, Senior Associate Director of Customer Care, Bell Canada

Bell Canada was a winner of a 2003 Most Innovative Solution's Award from STM and we hear from Belinda Banks about the latest offerings from Bell Canada.

Talking Tech

Traps Leading from Good Intentions to Bad Automation

Peter Leppik - pleppik@vocalabs.com - takes a look at improving customer service.

Speech Technology News

Voicebrook Selects ScanSoft's Dragon NaturallySpeaking SDK for its VoiceOver Enterprise 2.0 Software

Voicebrook has selected ScanSoft's (Nasdaq: SSFT) Dragon Naturally Speaking(R) SDK for its VoiceOver(TM) Enterprise software solution, which enables healthcare providers to dictate directly into their computerized patient record (CPR) systems.

Invores Systems Announces EXpress2.0 Integration with Asterisk

Invores Systems integrated its SIP VoIP VoiceXML gateway platform, EXpress2.0 with Asterisk, an open source PBX.

Philips SpeechMagic boosts transcription productivity in Aiken Regional Medical Center

AIKEN, SC - Aiken Regional Medical Center in Aiken, S.C. significantly increased the productivity of report transcription by implementing the Philips speech recognition software SpeechMagic, integrated into the WinScribe digital dictation system.

ScanSoft Releases OpenSpeech DialogModules 2.0

PEABODY, Mass - ScanSoft released OpenSpeech(TM) DialogModules 2.0 software, that includes significant application development enhancements.

Camelot Lottery Chooses Syntellect for National Lottery Line

BERKSHIRE, UK - Camelot introduces enhanced telephone information service for National Lottery players.

Rhetorical's Dedicated Text-to-Speech Meeting

EDINBURGH, Scotland - The Edinburgh Festival fireworks this year will round off Rhetorical's second Text-to-Speech World (TTS World) meeting which takes place September 1-3, 2004 in Scotland's capital of Edinburgh.

Hasbro Selects Sensory for Shrek Products

SANTA CLARA, Calif.- Shrek II toy characters feature Sensory embedded speech products

Dspfactory Introduces Ultra-Low Power Audio Processing Solutions

Bundled Algorithms Enable Rapid Time-to-Market While Delivering Outstanding Audio Quality

Vocent Announces Industry's First True Multi-Factor Voice Authentication Solution

DecisionMakerTM Outperforms in Major Pilot Project

Parents Tap Speech Technologies to Get More Involved In Child's Education

Microsoft and Intervoice entered into a relationship with the NYC DOE to help deliver on the speech technology promise.

Scansoft Releases SpeechAttendant 8.1 and OpenSpeech Attendant

PEABODY, Mass., - SpeechWorks division of ScanSoft introduces multilingual geographies and large name directories and Auto-Attendant Application for VoiceXML-Based Telephony Platform Providers.

Aculab Integrates Prosody Media Processing Product Line with Envox 6 Communications Development Platform

MILTON KEYNES, UK - Aculab utilized the Envox Telephony Driver API to develop this integration package and provides Envox 6 developers with complete access to Aculab's telephony software.

Nortel Networks and Loquendo Team Up for Text-To-Speech Applications

LONDON, UK - Nortel Networks signs agreement with Loquendo to market and distribute text-to-speech offerings.

Philips Brings Hospital-wide Speech Recognition to Spain

BARCELONA, Spain and VIENNA, Austria - The Universitario Clinico San Carlos of Madrid, the Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves and the Hospital Universitario San Cecilio of Granada are the first hospitals in Spain to install the MultiMed Context throughout their entire organization.

VoiceSignal Provides Multiple Language Speech-Activation for Samsung A790 from Verizon Wireless

WOBURN, Mass. - VoiceSignal application delivers speech user interface for Verizon's new GSM and CDMA phone.

MacSpeech Upgrades German Speech Recognition for Mac OS X

SALEM, NH - MacSpeech releases the German version of iListen speech recognition product

Edify Receives Speech Solution Product Differentiation Strategy Award from Frost & Sullivan

Edify received the 2004 Frost & Sullivan Award for Speech Solution Product Differentiation Strategy

ChartLogic, Inc. Selects ScanSoft's Dragon NaturallySpeaking

PEABODY, Mass. - ChartLogic, Inc. selects ScanSoft's Dragon NaturallySpeaking SDK for its comprehensive EMR solution.

Pronexus VBSALT Now Available and Introduces 'Get-Up to Speech'

Rapid Application Development Tool for Microsoft Speech Server 2004 Makes Speech Accessible To Developers Using VB.NET

Specialpedagogiska Institute Introduces Tord, the Voice Enabled Word Processor for Pupils and Children.

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - The Swedish Institute for Special Needs Education, the national authority that coordinates government support in respect of special needs education for children, young people and adults with disabilities, has chosen Acapela TTS to voice enable Tord.

InfoTalk-Recognizer 8.2 Available on Aculab's Prosody

Singapore and Hong Kong - InfoTalk's InfoTalk-Recognizer 8.2 is now available with Aculab's Prosody media processing resource platform.

University of Kentucky To Deploy Emerging Technologies

LEXINGTON, KY. - Speech-activated messaging will allow callers to respond to email over the phone.

Apptera Launches Partner Program

Comprehensive alliance program designed to unite companies throughout the speech solutions value chain

VOXWARE Announces New Chief Financial Officer

PRINCETON, NJ - Paul Commons joins company to head finance and administration.

Intervoice and Emergency Email Network Align to Deliver Emergency Voice-Enabled Multi-Modal Notification Alerts

Jointly architected solution delivers critical voice-enabled messaging services in pursuit of eGovernment initiatives

New Frost & Sullivan Report on Biometrics Technologies

Extent of Trade-off between price and value critical to the future of biometric technologies.

Infomobile Offshore IP Contact Center Using Nortel Networks Technology

PARIS, France - French contact centre operator Infomobile has deployed Nortel Networks solutions for its first offshore IP contact center, based in Casablanca, Morocco.

Edify Announces Developer Network and Donates Auto Attendant Speech Application

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Developers Gain Access to Edify Virtual Attendant Source Code, Tools and Open Dialogue

TuVox Enhances Product Offerings and Reports Four Successive Quarters of Record Growth

LOS ALTOS, CA - TuVox CVR 4.0 expands the types of calls that can be automated, allowing call centers to automate calls of any type or complexity, including knowledge calls, routing calls and now sophisticated transactional calls.

Roxio Selects TuVox For Call Center Automation

LOS ALTOS, CA - Roxio aims to automate up to 30 percent of calls with speech solution from TuVox.

CyraCom Partners with Envox and Nuance for Enhanced Language Services to the Healthcare Market

The Envox platform plus Nuance 8.5 speech recognition software helps CyraCom healthcare clients overcome language and cultural barriers with patients.

Intra Call Center Deploys Nortel Networks Convergence Solutions for its IP Contact Centre

PARIS, France - Intra Call Center, a French company specializing in the outsourcing of contact centers, has deployed Nortel Networks solutions for its new contact centre in Lyon.

Datria Receives Two Additional Patents

ENGLEWOOD, CO - New patents simplify, complement and extend company's initial patent involving speech recognition technology

Vocomo Introduces Version 2.0 of VoiceXML IVR Platform

CUPERTINO, Calif.—Vocomo® Corporation released its VocomoVoice Response 2.0, a standards-based VoiceXML IVR software.

Aculab Integrates Prosody Media Processing with Envox 6 Communications Development Platform

Aculab used the Envox Telephony Driver API to develop this integration package and provides Envox 6 developers with complete access to Aculab's telephony software.

Growing Number of U.S. Companies License Text-To-Speech from Wizzard

PITTSBURGH, PA - Wizzard announced several new licensing agreements for their TTS products.

SupportSoft and Tell-Eureka Team to Make Telephone Self-Service More Efficient

REDWOOD CITY, CA - SupportSoft, Inc. , and Tell-Eureka Corp. announced the planned integration of SupportSoft's VoiceAssist(TM) product with Tell-Eureka's LevelOne Virtual CSR(TM) solution.

FTW Builds Multimodal Applications Using Kirusa

VIENNA, Austria and EDISON, NJ - Kirusa's open standards-based multimodal solution provides the foundation for FTW's work on next generation mobile applications that combine voice, text, graphics and touch

Viewplus to Incorporate TTS from Wizzard Software in New Chameleon Product Line

ViewPlus has selected Wizzard Software's text-to-speech technology for inclusion in their new Chameleon product line.

SandCherry Selects Paraxip Technologies' Media Gateway to Simplify Telephony Connectivity

BOULDER, Colo., - The companies will have a pre-integrated and certified solution for connecting the SoftServer platform to a wide variety of telephone switches, PBXs, and ACDs.

ClickFox Launches Customer Behavior Intelligence Suite for Self-Service Channels

A Customer Behavior Intelligence solution suite designed to model, measure and improve self-service applications.

Voice.Trust and Vocalocity Join Forces to Deliver Turnkey Voice Authentication Solutions

Embedded VoiceXML Platform Accelerates Deployment

NetCentrex Opens Apps Site

NetCentrex, launched the NetCentrex Interactive, a demonstration and development Web site.

LARTEC Home Solutions Selects Loquendo

TURIN, Italy - LARTEC, Spain's leading player in Home Domotics development - signed a Value Added Reseller Agreement with Loquendo to offer multilingual Text-To Speech within LARTEC's home automation solutions.

ZyDoc Receives Third Place in Nationwide Transcription Contest

ZyDoc.com won third place in the TEPR Recognition Program for Medical Transcription Business

Intervoice Announces Suite of Process-Based Applications for VoiceXML and SALT Environments

DALLAS, TX - Omvia Voice Express applications provide out-of-the-box solution for enterprises worldwide.

Acapela's TTS enhances Alarm Center software.

Security Information Systems has Chosen Acapela Telecom to Voice-enable its Alarm Center Telephone Access Module

Voxeo Announces VoiceXML Developer Certification Services

ORLANDO, Fla. - Voxeo's free developer tutorials, references, VoiceXML platform access, training, and support services for VoiceXML adoption and developer certification

US Cellular Launch Two Voice Activated Multimodal Customer Applications

Applications developed by Phonetic Systems and V-enable are available for customers for immediate download.

Wes Hayden Appointed President and CEO of Genesys

Hayden has more than five years' tenure at Genesys as senior vice president, Americas, where he led the sales organization.

LG Electronics Chooses smARTspeak XGT from ART for LX5550 Voice-Controlled Phone

ATLANTA, GA - In addition to its speaker-independent voice recognition capability, the new LX5550 allows users to access contacts, digit dial, redial, retrieve voice mail, and time all by voice command.

Kurzweil Educational Systems Announces Kurzweil 1000 Version 9

BEDFORD, MA - New product features expanded online search, portability and information sharing.

ScanSoft Releases OpenSpeech DialogModules 2.0

PEABODY, Mass.— ScanSoft released OpenSpeech(TM) DialogModules 2.0 software, that includes significant application development enhancements.

Consumer Electronics Growth Supercharging MEMs Microphone and Speaker Market

NEW TRIPOLI, PA, - Record-breaking growth in consumer electronics products has had a tremendous impact on MEMs microphones and speakers in 2004, according to the report "Market Analysis of Acoustic Products: Microphones, Speakers, Codecs, and End-Applications," recently published by The Information Network.

NMS Announces Winners of Open Access Application Challenge

CHICAGO, IL - On March 22 at the AVIOS~SpeechTEK Spring show in San Francisco, NMS Communications kicked off the Open AccessTM Application Challenge. This contest was focused on selecting the most creative and innovative communications applications utilizing IP and ASR technologies and powered by NMS Open Access™ building block products.

Loquendo Launches Loquendo Audio Mixer

TURIN, Italy - Loquendo makes available a new audio mixer feature for it TTS technology.

Utell by Pegasus Deploys Voxify Automated Agents

Speech-Automated Call Center Agents Expand Utell by Pegasus' Reservations-Related Services.

VoiceXML Forum Launches Developer Certification

PISCATAWAY, NJ - Exam Verifies Baseline VoiceXML Development Skills and is Now Available

Lumenvox and SandCherry Partner to Offer Speech Solutions

Partnership to offer speech and touch-tone solutions to service providers and enterprises.

Telstra's Speech System 'gets' Australian

From ZD Net Australia - Telstra claims its new 'One Number, One Voice' natural language speech recognition front end for residential, mobile and small business enquiries is working better than the company expected.