Articles

Augmented Reality Is a Therapeutic Game Changer

Users can interact with objects in a safe environment.

Nibble Health Re-Launches as Standard Practice

Standard Practice's relaunch gives medical providers access to its AI agent, which uses a human-sounding voice to complete outbound calls.

Natural Language Processing to Grow by $53 Billion by 2027

Technavio expects the worldwide market for natural language processing technologies to grow by 30.22 percent over the next three years.

Aculab Launches Audio-to-Audio Translation

Aculab's Live Audio to Audio Language Translation provides both audio and text translation for phone calls.

ChatGPT Solves Some Translation Conundrums

Outstanding automatic translation at everyone's fingertips is getting closer.

Safety and Ethical Concerns Loom Large in Voice Cloning

AI makes synthetic speech sound more realistic than ever—and therein lies the danger.

SpanishDictionary.com and ingles.com Add Voice Translations

New features empower users to navigate Spanish and English language obstacles with voice.

Deepgram Launches Aura, a Text-to-Speech API for Real-Time Conversational Voice AI Agents

With Deepgram Aura, developers can now build production-grade, secure, and human-like voice AI applications.

Deepdub Launches Accent Control

Deepdub Accent Control lets users retain or modify the accents of characters when translating into another language.

D-ID Release Agents, Real-Time Conversational AI Avatars

D-ID Agents can hear, think, and speak in real time. (Featured on DestinationCRM.com.)

Voiceitt Partners with Superyou Tech

Voiceitt and Superyou Tech make accessible speech recognition available for Aussies with disabilities.

Translation Management Systems Market to Be Worth $5.7 Billion by 2030

MarketsandMarkets expects the worldwide market for translation management systems to grow by 17.2 percent per year for the next six years.

Text-to-Video Market to Experience Robust Growth

With more than 90 percent of businesses embracing video marketing, demand for tools to convert text to visual narratives is on the rise, the Business Research Co. finds.

2024 State of AI in the Speech Technology Industry

How generative (and other types of) artificial intelligence is impacting five important sectors.

2024 State of AI in the Speech Technology Industry: AI Is Enabling Audiovisual Enhancements

Voice and video creation tools continue to benefit from AI augmentation.

2024 State of AI in the Speech Technology Industry: Voice Biometrics Both Profits From and Is Plagued by AI

Deepfakes threats advance, and technology is challenged to keep up.

Dante´ Restaurant and Bar Selects Voicify

Historic award-winning New York City gathering spot Dante looks to improve efficiencies and guest convenience with Voicify's Voice AI technology.

Outbound AI Joins Microsoft Pegasus Program

Voice tech startup Outbound AI has been named to the Microsoft for Startups Pegasus Program.

HitPaw Edimakor Version Includes Speech Tech

HitPaw Edimakor for Mac V2.6.0 combines generative AI with speech-to-text and text-to-speech.

Preventing Deepfake Phishing from Leaving Customers on the Hook

Customer service personnel need to be trained to detect and react to deepfake phishing attempts. (Featured on SmartCustomerService.com.)

The Speech Accessibility Project is Recruiting Adults with Cerebral Palsy

The Speech Accessibility Project is recruiting U.S. and Puerto Rican adults with cerebral palsy to aid in the training of speech systems.

Wondershare Launches Filmora 13.1.0

Wondershare's latest Filmora release includes enhanced text-to-speech options.

Vidnoz AI Unveils Voice Clone

Vidnoz now allows users of its video generator to clone their own voices in more than 80 languages.

TTS Market to Nearly Double in 5 Years

Cloud and SMB deployments will make up the largest segments of the TTS industry, which is poised to reach $7.6 billion by 2029, MarketsandMarkets found.

Fineshare Unveils FineVoice 1.5

Fineshare'ls FineVoice 1.5 is a versatile AI voice studio.

ID R&D Introduces Voice Clone Detection

ID R&D's Voice Clone Detection uses AI to protect against gen AI-based identity fraud.

FTC Solicits Help Combatting Voice Fraud

The Federal Trade Commission's Voice Cloning Challenge seeks submissions that can help protect consumers from the misuse of AI-enabled voice cloning.

OrCam Unveils OrCam Hear

OrCam Hear enhances hearing in noisy environments by isolating selected speakers

EaseText Adds Voice Cloning Feature

EaseText has added a voice cloning feature in its EaseText Text to Speech Converter.

BlipCut Launches BlipCut AI Video Translator

BlipCut AI Video Translator offers voice cloning, translation, subtitling, dubbing, and changing capabilities.

Otermans Institute Launches AI-Powered Education

Voice-enabled virtual teachers will lead classes at several prominent world universities this year.

Adthos Now Lets Users Convert Images to Full Audio Ads

Adthos uses AI to create full audio ads from pictures. (Featured on DestinationCRM.com.)

A Perfect Storm of Speech Technologies

Now's the time to consider what new applications might be possible.

Hi Auto Debuts AI Voice Cloning at Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken

Former NFL Player Keith Byars will lend custom AI voice for a more enriched drive-thru experience.

Ottawa Infotainment Integrates Sensory's Voice Recognition into Dragonfire Domain Controller

Ottawa Infotainment elevates automotive infotainment with Sensory's advanced voice recognition in its Dragonfire domain controller.

Deepdub Launches Royalty Program for Voice Actors

Deepdub's Voice Artist Royalty Program will compensate voice actors for the use of their voices in generative AI.

Whispp to Debut Real-Time Assistive Voice Technology

Whispp's AI-powered assistive voice technology converts whispered and affected speech into a person's natural voice in real time.

Automatic Dialogue Replacement Will Translate to Big Profits

Voice-to-voice translation is one of the most potentially lucrative uses for voice cloning technology.

Gallaudet University and AppTek Establish GoBoVo to Develop Accessible Applications for the Deaf

GoBoVo will work to develop captioning and translation apps for videoconferences and other audio content.

ElevenLabs Launches Grants Program

ElevenLabs launches Grants to give early-stage innovators free access to its technology.

Voiseed Enhances Revoiceit Platform

Voiseed has extended Revoiceit's reach to other verticals outside of gaming.

OrCam Launches OrCam Read 3

OrCam Read 3 offers new features for scanning and converting text into spoken words.

Cirilica Studio Launches NeuroDubbing

Cirilica Studio's NeuroDubbing uses speech synthesis for voicing content in 25 languages.

OpenAI Launches TTS Models and APIs

OpenAI's new TTS model comes with six pre-set voice options and new file formats.

Addevice Launches idict.ai Translation App

Addevice's idict.ai allows users to instantly translate into 137 languages via voice and keyboard.

NYC Mayor Uses Voice Tech for Multilingual Robocalls

The robocalls, delivered via voice clone tech, present information on city job fairs and other events in Spanish, Yiddish, Haitian Creole, Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese, and several other languages.

Speech System Designers Need to Hold Procedural Memory in Mind

Don't assume all users will be able to follow design updates.

CYPHER Learning Unveils AI 360

CYPHER Learning's AI 360 features voice synthesis and other technologies for creating learning content.

Futuri Launches Futuri AudioAI

Futuri AudioAI is a rebranding of Radio GPT with a host of new voice options.

SignalWire Launches AI Agent

SignalWire's AI Agents helps companies build AI into voice applications.

Pictory Partners with ElevenLabs to Enhance AI Voice Technology in Video

Pictory's collaboration with ElevenLabs will enable users to add voiceovers to videos.

Real-Time Transcription Serves an Immediate Need (or Lots of Them)

Contact centers are seeing all kinds of potential use cases,

ElevenLabs Launches AI Dubbing

ElevenLabs' AI Dubbing can convert spoken content to another language while preserving the voice of the original speaker.

Spotify Tests Voice Translation Feature

Spotify is testing a feature that translates podcasts into other languages while keeping the speaker's voice.

OpenAI Gives ChatGPT a Voice

OpenAI's ChatGPT can now respond to voice commands and speak back to the user.

The Juice Learning Launches Family Platform

The Juice Learning's family platform includes a text-to-speech audio feature so kids can read along.

Roblox Acquires Speechly

Roblox is incorporating voice chat into its platform with its Speechly acquisition.

HitPaw Releases Voice Changer V1.1.0

The latest version of HitPaw's VoiceChanger features AI to create more effects.

vidby Unveils Voice Cloning Feature For Multilingual Video Dubbing

vidby's voice cloning feature works with 28 languages and allows users to translate and dub videos with their own voices.

Useful Sensors Launches AI-In-A-Box with NLP

Useful Sensors' AI-In-A-Box is the first to operate entirely locally.

Wondershare Virbo Unveils Features for AI Video Creation

Wondershare has added Talking Photo, AI Video Translation, and Speech to Video to its Virbo video creation platform.

Namecoach Update Brings Pronunciation Support to Microsoft Outlook and API Clients

Namecoach's latest update supports accurate name pronunciation in more places.

The Top Speech Technologies and Vendors: The 2023 Speech Industry Awards

AI, AI, and more AI: The technology is disrupting everything, and it's found everywhere in our speech industry achievements for 2023.

2023 Speech Industry Award Winner: Microsoft’s VALL-E Breaks the Mold in AI Training

VALL-E, one of Microsoft's latest forays into artificial intelligence, is a transformer-based text-to-speech model that can re-create any voice from just a three-second sample clip.

2023 Speech Industry Award Winner: NVIDIA Is Making Voice AI Better for Almost Everyone

NVIDIA saw blowout second-quarter results, surging margins, and incredible demand, which prompted one analyst from Constellation Insights to conclude that "it's clear the company has little competition and a lot of pricing power."

2023 Speech Industry Award Winner: ReadSpeaker Embeds TTS in Many More Platforms

With almost 25 years of experience in developing text-to-speech solutions, ReadSpeaker today offers one of the largest selections of expressive, humanlike voices in the industry.

2023 Speech Industry Award Winner: SoundHound AI Brings Speech Breakthroughs to the Mainstream

SoundHound AI, based in Santa Clara, Calif., this year launched, among other things, Chat AI, a voice-enabled digital assistant with generative artificial intelligence; and Smart Answering, which uses voice AI to handle inbound customer calls.

Capacity Acquires LumenVox

Capacity expands into voice interactions with LumenVox acquisition.

Meta Introduces SeamlessM4T, an AI Model for Translations

Meta's SeamlessM4T performs automatic speech recognition and speech-to-text, speech-to-speech, text-to-text, and text-to-speech translations in nearly 100 languages via a single AI model.

ElevenLabs Launches Multilingual v2

ElevenLabs' Multilingual v2 is an AI speech model for creating and cloning voices in 30 languages.

Narakeet Launches AI Voice Subtitler

Narakeet's newest product converts subtitles to audio using text-to-speech AI voice generators.

iFLYTEK Supplies Speech Tech for the 2023 World Athletics Championships

iFLYTEK is supplying voice conversion and translation technologies for the World Athletic Championships in Budapest this week.

Conversational AI Market to Reach $43.7 Billion by 2030

Meticulous Research projects a 23.9 percent compound annual growth rate for the worldwide conversational AI market over the next seven years.

The Future of Dubbing: Automatic Media Voice Translation

Artificial intelligence is ushering in a new era in translation.

Voiceitt2 Launches for People with Speech Disabilities

Voiceitt2 offers transcription, dictation, and AI integrations for users with speech disabilities.

GenAI Acquires SpeakGPT

SpeakGPT is a virtual assistant mobile app with text-to-speech capabilities in multiple languages and voices

SoundHound AI Launches Smart Answering

SoundHound AI's Smart Answering Service lets business handle customer service calls with voice AI.

Instreamatic Launches Contextual CTV Voice Ads 

Instreamatic's voice AI modifies any audio track to turn a single connected TV ad into thousands of contextual versions personalized for each viewer in just minutes.

D-ID and ElevenLabs Partner to Add Voices to Creative Reality Studio

ElevenLabs is bringing nine of its voices to D-ID's Creative Reality studio platform for video creation.

AWS Launches HealthScribe Clinical Documentation Solution

AWS HealthScribe leverages speech recognition and generative AI to automatically create preliminary clinical documentation from patient-doctor conversations.

Murf Integrates with Canva

Canva users can now add voiceovers to their creations with Murf Studio.

With Conversational AI, the Standards Work Heats Up

The W3C has published recent standards that will impact AI-powered speech applications.

PH7 Adds ZapVoice to Zapshot Chat App

ZapVoice clones the user's voice to deliver messages.

SoapBox Labs Receives Funding to Develop Voice Technology for Spanish-Speaking Children

Funding will help SoapBox develop Spanish voice engine to support literacy and language learning for students across the U.S

Speech Analytics Can Help Steer Chatbot Interactions

Companies are beginning to apply traditional speech analytics to their automated conversations.

Analytics Continues Its Charge Beyond the Phone

Companies are gaining even more actionable business intelligence by deploying artificial intelligence and natural language processing engines to customer conversations in multiple digital channels.

Meta, Google Develop Their Own AI Speech Models

Facebook parent company Meta last month unveiled Voicebox, an advanced AI tool for generating speech from text, while Google introduced AudioPaLM, its own large language model that can tackle speech understanding and generation tasks.

Resemble AI Launches Detector, a Deepfake Identifier

Resemble Detect validates the authenticity of audio data to expose deepfakes in real time.

How Voice Cloning is Transforming Podcasting

The potential of voice duplication and synthetic voices is huge for podcast creators, offering efficiency and lowering the barriers to production and distribution.

Deepdub Launches Deepdub GO

Deepdub GO lets creators use their own voice for dubbing in 65 languages, and emotion-prompting AI allows control over vocal emotional expression.

D-ID Updates Creative Reality Studio and chat.D-ID

D-ID's has updated its Creative Reality Studio to give avatars emotions.

XL8 Joins Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub

XL8's membership in the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub will help it accelerate development of its machine translation technologies.

Archieboy Launches AuthorVoice.ai

Archieboy's AuthorVoices.ai is a voice generation platform for audiobook production.

IGT Solutions Launches TechBud.AI

IGT's TechBud.AI includes generative AI speech translation capabilities.

FlexClip Adds AI to Its Video Content Creation Tool

FlexClip introduces AI Text-to-Video, AI Video Script, and AI Image Generator in the latest version.

Storytel Partners with ElevenLabs on VoiceSwitcher

Storytel and ElevenLabs are teaming up to develop audiobook AI voices and a VoiceSwitcher solution for customizing voices at scale.

Microsoft Gives a Voice to Bing Chat

Bing Chatbot can now have a voice conversation with users thanks to the addition of speech-to-text capabilities.

SyncWords Launches Platform for In-Player Live AI Captioning, Subtitling, and Dubbing

SyncWords now enables translation, captioning, and dubbing directly within streaming media players.

ROI4Presenter Launches Pitch Avatar

ROI4Presenter's new Pitch Avatar is a virtual assistant for creating avatars to make presentations.

Audiobooks Enable Greater Literature Consumption, Voices Survey Finds

Audiobooks are growing in popularity, with 67 percent of listeners saying they read more because of them.

Wondershare Launches Virbo, a Video Creation Tool

Wondershare's Virbo is an AI-powered text-to-video and avatar creation tool.

ReadSpeaker Provides TTS Announcements Along Japan's Tokaido Shinkansen Rail Lines

Station and platform announcements are made possible with ReadSpeaker's speechMaker Desktop TTS software.

NVIDIA Launches ACE for Games with Generative AI

NVIDIA ACE for Games sparks life into virtual characters using speech technologies and AI.

WiMi Hologram Cloud to Develop a Multimodal Data Processing System for Digital Humans

WiMi's technology combines modalities to help create digital humans.

Meishe Launches AI Avatar Generators

Meishe is releasing AI avatar generators taking cues from photos, videos, and GLB files.

AI Is Making UCC and the Contact Center into an Increasingly Powerful Combo

Teaming up these AI-fueled solutions yields a variety of shared capabilities and benefits.

XL8 Launches Projects for Voice-Based Translations

XL8's Projects is the latest version of its MediaCAT translation and localization platform.

Apple Adding Voice-Enabled Accessibility Features

Apple this year will roll out Live Speech, Personal Voice, and Point and Speak in Magnifier for iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices.

2023 Vertical Markets Spotlight: A Speech Technology Special Report

Our roundup of the speech innovation taking place in eight important industry verticals.

2023 Vertical Markets Spotlight: Speech Technology in Consumer Electronics

Interoperability's been the biggest challenge, but standards are emerging.

2023 Vertical Markets Spotlight: Speech Technology in Government

Public-sector entities can improve customer service, delivery of benefits and services, efficiency, transparency, and more.

2023 Vertical Markets Spotlight: Speech Technology in Healthcare

Speech gives caregivers more time to spend with patients.

2023 Vertical Markets Spotlight: Speech Technology in Manufacturing/Distribution

The right tech can improve productivity and enhance safety and quality control.

2023 Vertical Markets Spotlight: Speech Technology in Travel and Hospitality

Voice brings concierge service to bookings and hotel stays.

Replica Studios Adds Style Morphing Feature for Synthesized Voices

Replica's style morphing allows developers to expand the emotional range of game voices.

ReadSpeaker Brings Dynamic Runtime Neural Text-to-Speech to Xbox

With ReadSpeaker's TTS engine, developers can now develop voices for use in games on the Xbox platform.

Voice Creatives Optimistic about Generative AI But Concerned Over Its Ethics

Creative talent would welcome AI but feel they should be compensated for their work when it's used to train AI models.

ReadSpeaker TTS Integrates with Moodle Workplace

ReadSpeaker provides text-to-speech voices for Moodle's Workplace employee training platform.

Vispero Launches Screen Reader for Kiosk

Vispero and TPGi have worked together to make the JAWS screen reader available in kiosks and other self-service devices.

Sensory Enables VoiceChat with Generative AI on Consumer Devices

Sensory's new hybrid edge and cloud AI models enable ChatGPT experiences to hear spoken prompts and reply with domain-tailored responses in natural human voices. 

Voices Acquires Voices.AI

Along with the Voices.AI acquisition, Voices plans to launch a developer platform.

Whispp Launches Mobile Speech App

Whispp's AI-powered speech app gives a voice to people with voice impairments.

FlexClip Launches Speech-Enabled Collaboration Feature

FlexClip's Team feature for creative collaboration includes text-to-speech and translation capabilities.

AppTek Updates Automatic Speech Recognition, Isometric Neural Machine Translation, and Speaker-Adaptive Dubbing

AppTek is rolling out a fully automatic dubbing solution featuring speech recognition, isometric neural machine translation, speaker-adaptive speech synthesis, solutions for language identification, voice conversion, subtitling, automatic captioning, and other AI tools.

Has Speech Crossed the Uncanny Valley?

People no longer see humanlike speech as too creepy. The question is whether that will last.

Tips for Adding Speech to Your Metaverse Presence

It's hard to imagine a virtual world without audio, but it doesn't just happen.

Speech Model Training Gets Easier with the Latest Tools

Training AI models for some voice interfaces could be as simple as drag and drop.

Chant Launches Developer Workbench 2023

Chant Developer Workbench 2023 accelerates speech technology integration for cross-platform and native apps.

Ellipsis Launches Personalized Podcasts

Ellipsis Personalized Podcasts is powered by OpenAI and the latest text-to-speech technology.

TTS Market to Grow by $3.14 Billion Through 2025

Market growth will be driven by the emergence of handheld devices with text-to-speech functionality, Technavio says.

Tavus Secures $6.1 Million for Video Creation Tech Expansion

Tavus will use the new funding to expand its voice and face cloning technology for video creation.

IngenioSpec Introduces Voice and Text Technology for Smart Eyewear

IngenioSpec's latest patented eyewear technology lets users send and receive text messages with voice.

Stations Test RadioGPT

RadioGPT scans sources for news and information, creates a script, and converts it to audio with voice AI.

Touchcast Launches ManualGPT

Touchcast's ManualGPT provides a voice interface for user manuals and handbooks.

D-ID Launches Chat.D-ID with Voice Capabilities

D-ID's new Chat.D-ID web app gives a face and voice to OpenAI's ChatGPT.

Samsung Launches Voice Cloning for Galaxy Phones

Samsung's voice cloning feature, currently available in Korean, can synthesize voice for automated call responses.

Speech in Healthcare to Grow 14.7 Percent Through 2030

InsightAce Analytic expects the worldwide market for voice solutions in healthcare to undergo robust growth for the rest of the decade.

ChatGPT: Why the Hype and How Does It Affect Speech Technology?

The AI chatbot is a fascinating step forward, and soon it could be much more,

Answer Technology: A Necessary Step in Human-Computer Conversation

Digital assistants need to get better at answering user questions to keep the conversation going.

Mozilla Adds Google's ReadAloud to Its Firefox Browser

A Mozilla Firefox browser extension enables Google ReadAloud to voice web content.

Veritone Adds Generative AI to aiWARE

Veritone's AiWARE now provides immediate native support for both large-language and domain-specific models.

RE/MAX Lets Agents Add Voice Recordings

Partnership with DO AudioTours lets real estate agents add audio descriptions with captions to property listings.

2023 State of the Speech Technology Industry

The latest developments and trends in seven important sectors.

The 2023 State of Speech Engines

More humanlike speech leads to more intuitive interactions.

The 2023 State of Speech Development Platforms

The quest for open standards will help speech apps' business case.

The 2023 State of Speech Analytics

Growth is set to continue as demand rises and use cases abound.

The 2023 State of Assistive Technology

New rules and initiatives are helping make devices more accessible.

The 2023 State of Artificial Intelligence

AI's influence on speech continues to expand.

ETRI Releases Multilingual Speech Recognition with 24 Languages

Korea's ETRI has launched an ASR engine that it hopes will support up to 30 languages by the end of this year.

Read2Me Launches TTS Product

Read2Me is a browser-based text-to-speech tool to convert text of any format into audio.

Humans.ai Adds Voice AI to the Hedera Network

Humans.ai's AIverse Klon text-to-speech launches on the Hedera network.

Hybe Acquires a Majority Stake in Supertone

Hybe invested $37 million in Supertone, which uses AI to synthesize voices for the music industry.

Eleven Labs Raises $2 Million in Seed Funding Round

Eleven Labs hopes to use new funding to expand its technologies into other languages and voices.

Altered AI Rolls Out Voice Copilot

Altered AI's Voice Copilot lets voiceover artists and content creators change their voices to fill multiple roles.

Bookwire Partners with Google for TTS

Bookwire partners with Google to offer customers auto-narrated audiobook technology.

The Voice Actor Talent Pool Is Growing Fast

The number of voiceover actors has grown substantially in the past three years amid an audio content boom, Voices report finds.

Seasalt Partners with Twilio on SeaX Contact Center Bundle

SeaX combines Seasalt.ai's speech technologies with Twilio Flex contact center technologies.

Xinapse Begins Global Expansion

Korean Voice AI producer Xinapse is coming to the United States.

FineShare Launches FineVoice

FineShare's New FineVoice combines text-to-speech, speech-to-text, audio extractor, and file voice changer.

Sonos Launches French Voice Assistant with ReadSpeaker

ReadSpeaker has developed a French version of Sonos' Voice Control.

Microsoft Adds Real-Time Translation to Skype

Skype's new translation feature uses AI to detect the languages being spoken during video calls and translate them in real time.

Digital Plan for Irish to Include Speech and Language Technologies

Irish government's Digital Plan for Irish will include development of speech synthesis and translation technologies using the Irish language.

D-ID Updates Creative Reality Studio

D-ID's Creative Reality Studio can now generate and animate faces and add AI-generated text and speech in one interface.

Veritone Provides the Voices for Cameo Kids

Veritone is powering Cameo Kids' personalized videos with AI voice technology.

Attack of the Smart Bots

AI-powered bots paired with TTS could be used for nefarious purposes.

Voice Cloning: A Breakthrough with Boundless Potential

Get ready for a set of technologies that could revolutionize human communication.

Gyst Analytics Launches as a Stand-Alone SaaS Subscription

Previously only available as part of a full solution set, Gyst Analytics is now available on its own.

The Low-Code/No-Code Movement Builds in Speech Technology

Programming speech applications is becoming easier for people outside the IT department.

Stanford Model Teaches Turn-Taking to Virtual Assistants

With the goal of creating a more natural conversational flow, a team of researchers at Stanford University replaced the classification approach traditionally used with a more continuous approach.

Why Can’t Speech Tech Have a New York Accent?

With a population of 8.8 million within the five boroughs, and nearly 19 million if you include the suburbs, one would be hard-pressed to call the New York metro area a small subset of any U.S. population group.

Gaumard Installs Robotic Patient Simulator with Conversational Speech

Emory nursing school students are training on an interdisciplinary patient simulator, HAL S5301, with speech capabilities.

TTS Market to Reach $12.5 Billion by 2031

The market for text-to-speech systems will see 16.3 percent growth through 2031, Allied Market Research finds.

IBM Expands Embeddable Voice AI Solutions

IBM has expanded its embeddable artificial intelligence software portfolio with libraries for building natural language processing, speech-to-text, and text-to-speech capabilities into applications.

SoundHound Launches Intelligent Transcription

SoundHound Intelligent Transcription generates text from speech, of course, but it also derives meaning from the audio.

Estonia Collecting Speech Data to Preserve Its Language 

Estonia's government is asking for speakers of the Estonian language to donate voice samples to create a database to support speech technology initiatives.

3CLogic Integrates with SAP Service Cloud

3CLogic releases a voice and SMS solution for SAP Service Cloud. (Featured on DestinationCRM.com.)

Stats Perform Partners with Veritone for AI Commentary

Veritone's synthetic speech technology will power Stats Perform's live sports commentary.

Seaplace Group Launches Create AI Voiceovers.com

Create AI Voiceovers.com is a library of more than 530 customizable TTS voices.

Murf Raises $10 Million to Advance TTS

Synthetic speech startup Murf seeks to create voices for companies of all sizes.

Interactions Adds NVIDIA's Riva to Its Conversational AI

Interactions' collaboration with NVIDIA combines conversational AI solutions for contact centers.

D-ID Launches Creative Reality Studio

D-ID's Creative Reality Studio is a self-service video creation platform that lets users create custom narrators.

Rephrase.Ai Raises $10.6 Million.

Rephrase will use the additional funds to expand its video creation tools and expand in North American presence.

Veritone Adds Advanced Capabilities, Voices, and Languages to Veritone Voice

Veritone Voice's new features include integration with VocaliD speech engines, more than 70 premium voice-over AI models, new languages, lexicon, speech style, and more.

The Top Speech Technologies and Vendors: The 2022 Speech Industry Awards

Advances in AI, machine learning, natural language processing, and more fueled speech industry progress in the past year.

2022 Speech Industry Award Winner: ReadSpeaker Customizes TTS Voice Development

ReadSpeaker, a Dutch company founded in 1999, has operated as a subsidiary of HOYA since 2017. It provides text-to-speech solutions with more than 110 voices in more than 35 languages, but its most significant work has been in the area of customized voice creation.

2022 Speech Industry Award Winner: Veritone Voices All Sorts of Projects

Veritone is an artificial intelligence tech company based in Irvine, Calif. Established in 2014, it has as its centerpiece the aiWARE hyper-expansive enterprise AI platform, the foundation for its extensive voice technology lineup.

AI Voice: Working with, Not Against, Humans

Companies can leverage automated voice in new ways, building fuller, more authentic connections with their audiences.

Speech Generation Devices Market to See Strong Growth

Data Bridge expects the market for speech-generating devices to more than double by 2029.

7 Ways to Avoid Code Rework for Language Translation

Code is logical, organized. Unfortunately for developers, language is less so.

Mozilla's Common Voice Project Supports Projects in Africa

Funding goes to eight projects using voice technologies to further financial inclusion, access to reliable information, and legal rights for marginalized communities.

The Impact of Web 3.0 on Voice Technology

AI-powered voice applications will be important in Web 3.0.

Google Launches Web Version of Read Aloud

Read Along, a speech recognition and TTS app to help children read, is now available on the web.

The Rise (and Risks) of Speech Synthesis Applications

The use cases for synthetic voice abound, but companies will need to guard against malicious actors.

Globant Invests in Ping Voice

Globant's Be Kind Tech Fund invests in ping's voice platform that reads aloud drivers' text and email messages.

Speechmatics Launches Financial Services Language Pack

Speechmatics' financial services language pack is trained on industry-specific terms and abbreviations.

Tencent Cloud Collaborates with Voicemod on Voice-Changing Chat Solution

Leveraging Tencent Cloud's Game Multimedia Engine, the collaboration allows players to transform into game characters by customizing voices.

Korean Researchers Launch Daily Talk Dataset

DailyTalk is the latest conversational text-to-speech dataset based on the FastSpeech Framework.

Valuates Sees TTS Technology Topping $5.79 Billion by 2028

The text-to-speech market will grow at a CAGR of 12.3 percent for the next six years, according to Valuates Reports.

Renesas and Cyberon Partner on Voice Recognition

Renesas and Cyberon are making it easier for developers to add voice interfaces to endpoint applications.

The Conversational Cloud Promises Breakthroughs, and Plenty of Complexity

Cloud-delivered speech services are the future, and that future will require a lot of thought.

Aimesoft Updates Its Aimespeech TTS

Aimesoft has applied the latest prosody modeling in its Aimespeech speech synthesis engine.

Mycroft AI Launches Mimic 3 TTS

Mycroft's Mimic 3 text-to-speech software includes more than two dozen languages and100 voice sets.

Speechmatics Raises $62 Million

Speechmatics' latest funding round will support international expansion and infrastructure upgrades.

Sanas Raises $32 Million for Real-Time Accent Translation

Sanas' funding round will be used to advance its speech-based accent translation technology and global expansion.

VocalChimp.Com Launches Human Voice Over Creator

VocalChimp.com has introduced an AI-enabled text-to-speech creator for marketing animation videos, video projects, sales presentations, and more.

Veritone Acquires VocaliD

Veritone will incorporate VocaliD's synthetic voice technology into its own Veritone Voice offering.

Spotify Acquires Sonantic

Spotify looks to bring text-to-speech to its audio streaming service.

Vertical Markets Spotlight: Speech in Gaming and Entertainment

Voice recognition is making it possible for characters to have the player's individual voice

Vertical Markets Spotlight: Speech in Education

Speech solutions help school professionals assess student progress.

SuccessKPI and LiveVox Partner

LiveVox customers now have access to SuccessKPI's contact center insights platform. (Featured on SmartCustomerService.com.)

Elara and iTherapy Develop InnerVoice Unreal, a Speech Training Tool

InnerVoice Unreal uses speech synthesis and other technologies to teach autistic children how to speak.

AppTek Launches OmniCaption 300

AppTek's OmniCaption 300 is a broadcast-ready live automatic captioning appliance.

Wondershare Introduces Filmora 11.3 Video Editing Software

Filmora 11.3 includes new speech-to-text, text-to-speech, and subtitling features.

Fiverr Introduces AI Auditions for Voiceover Artists

Fiverr's AI Auditions gives customers instant access to personalized samples of scripts while enhancing the productivity of Fiverr's voiceover artists. 

ReadSpeaker TTS to Be Featured on the Open edX Platform

ReadSpeaker's is offering its text-to-speech for courses available on the Open edX platform.

Narakeet Releases TTS API

Narakeet's new text-to-speech integration interface expands access to its voices.

Quantum Expands Use of NVIDIA Technology

Quantum's new video enrichment and analytics solution uses its CatDV software with NVIDIA's AI.

MagicData-RAMC Releases Mandarin Speech Dataset

The open-source MagicData-RAMC is a 180-hour conversational speech dataset in Mandarin Chinese.

AppTek Launches Metadata-Informed Neural Machine Translation System

AppTek's new system offers advanced customization options for multi-domain, multi-dialect, multi-genre translations.

Veritone and OOONA Partner to Create Synthetic Audio Description for Silver Trak Digital

Partnership integrates Veritone Voice with OOONA's platform for creating and managing media localization projects.

Why Speech Tech Is Key to a Well-Rounded Metaverse

Voice adds an exciting fourth dimension to 3-D virtual worlds.

Speech Technology’s Next Frontier: Developing Countries

Low-resource languages in South Africa and elsewhere are finally catching the attention of speech tech developers.

Natural Language Interfaces That Everyone Can Use

Users can differ widely in their ability to express themselves and understand.

Deepfakes: The Latest Trick of the Tongue

Tips to protect your organization against the growing threat of speech deepfakes.

NHS Trust Hospitals in England Deploy Nuance's Dragon Medical One

NHS health informatics specialist launches voice recognition technology at Yorkshire hospitals trust.

Quantinuum Updates Its Iambeq Quantum Natural Language Processing Toolkit

Quantinuum's updates to Iambeq provide researchers and developers more options and flexibility in turning sentences into quantum circuits.

NVIDIA Updates Riva Speech, Recommender System, and Hyperscale Inference

NVIDIA has updateds its entire NVIDIA AI platform, including its Riva speech AI SDK.

Real-Time Speech Transcription Spells Out Contact Center Excellence

This former nice-to-have is becoming increasingly critical for agent training.

The Path Ahead (and Behind) for Conversational AI

You have to crawl before you can walk (and talk).

LumenVox Earns ISO Certification

LumenVox's speech platforms meet ISO standards for information security.

Veritone Earnings Call Used Synthetic Voices

Veritone showcased multilingual synthetic voices of executives and Vin Scully on its financial results call.

AMAI Launches Multispeaker TTS Model

AMAI's multispeaker AI voice solution makes it possible to voice, dub, and translate text in any language in real time.

ZeroSum Partners with WellSaid Labs

WellSaid Labs' text-to-speech will help ZeroSum Auto-Stream users create voice avatars for video ads.

Veritone Updates Veritone Voice

Veritone enhanced its Veritone Voice platform with new languages, stock voices, and editing capabilities.

Speech Graphics Rebrands as Rapport

Following a $7 million funding round, Speech Graphics expands and introduces a new Rapport brand.

ReadSpeaker Unveils Runtime TTS Plugin for Unreal and Unity Games

ReadSpeaker's new plugin lets developers add voices to Unity and Unreal games.

The Need for Continuous Speech Recognition Testing

Conversational AI and voice have to be tested to ensure that they work flawlessly.

Cerence Partners with Pioneer on Voice Interface

Cerence lends its speech recognition engine to Pioneer for use in the NP1 in-car assistant.

2022 State of the Speech Technology Industry

The latest developments and trends in seven important sectors.

The 2022 State of Speech Engines

Innovation can't be denied, but challenges remain.

The 2022 State of Speech Development Platforms

2022 emerges as a turning point year.

The 2022 State of Assistive Technology

Expanding opportunities to improve everyday lives.

TMR Sees IVA Growth of 33 Percent Per Year

The worldwide market for intelligent virtual assistants will likely reach $50.9 billion by 2030, TMR predicts.

Vasco Partners with ReadSpeaker on Translator

The Vasco Translator M3 includes TTS voices from ReadSpeaker in multiple languages.

SoundHound Partners with Qualcomm

SoundHound is bringing its voice AI technology to Qualcomm's Snapdragon platforms.

BeyondWords and the Open Voice Network Partner on Voice Actor Protections

BeyondWords and the Open Voice Network have released a free legal framework for actors working in synthetic speech.

Texthelp Launches OrbitNote, Lending a Voice to PDF Files

Texthelp's new OrbitNote web app makes PDF files more accessible for educators, students, and employees.

DeepBrain AI Creates AI Human for South Korea

K-Pop Boy Group SHINee Minho's Version of AI Guide helps tourists using DeepBrain AI's AI Human technology.

Vistry Launches Automated Order Taking with NVIDIA Voice Tech

Vistry Automated Order Taking is a voicebot for taking orders at quick-service restaurant drive thru windows.

XPeng Upgrades EV Voice Assistant with Microsoft TTS

XPeng is adding Microsoft's neural text-to-speech to its automotive voice assistant.

Veritone’s MARVEL.ai Clones the Voice of Radio Star Bert Weiss

Nationally syndicated morning radio show selects Veritone's synthetic voice solution to create text-to-speech and speech-to-speech models of top talent.

QCRI Creates Real-Time Arabic TTS

The Arabic Language Technologies Team at the Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) has created a real-time Arabic text-to-speech system.

Veritone MARVEL.ai Synthetic Voice Supports NVIDIA Omniverse Audio2Face

Connection with Veritone's MARVEL.ai gives NVIDIA content creators more than 200 voices and 150 languages to enhance face and video animation projects in immersive digital worlds.

Chinese Firm Bairong Earns a Patent for Voice Interruption Tech

Bairong's patent covers its speech technology integration into a softswitch.

Law360 Adds TTS to Read News Stories

LexisNexis' Law360 now offers a text-to-speech function that turns text articles into audio stories for busy lawyers on the go.

Bamboo Learning Releases Voice-Enabled Reading App for iOS

Bamboo Learning's touch and voice-enabled app for children is now available on iPad and iPhone.

Google Looks to the Disabled to Train Speech Algorithms

Google is looking for help from those with speech disorders as part of a Project Relate initiative to improve its speech recognition.

Five9 Partners with WellSaid for Virtual Voiceover

Five9's Virtual Voiceover helps businesses create life-like conversational artificial intelligence synthesized from human voices.  

Tobii's TD Pilot Brings Eye Gaze Typing and TTS to iPad

TD Pilot lets disabled iPad users communicate with TTS voices operated through eye-gaze technology.

TikTok Adds Disney TTS Voices

TikTok users can now have Disney characters narrate their videos.

Daisys Creates Customizable TTS Voices

Dutch company Daisys' speech technology innovation uses AI that lets voices be adjusted for speed, pitch, and more in real time.

ReadSpeaker Works with PowerSchool to Bring TTS to the Classroom

ReadSpeaker has partnered with PowerSchool to support literacy and learning toolsets through the availability of text-to-speech.

NVIDIA Launches Riva Custom Voice

NVIDIA Riva Custom Voice software lets users quickly create tailored virtual assistants, call-center voices and other speech-based applications.

Hyperhuman Adds Voice Guidance with Video Creation Platform

Hyperhuman's latest release lets health and fitness professionals add voice guidance to their video content.

IVA Market to Grow Tenfold in Seven Years

Verified Market Research expects the worldwide intelligent voice assistant market to reach $50.9 billion by 2028.

Building a Voice Brand Is a Sound Policy

As more marketing moves to audio channels, companies need a unified voice.

Call Recording, Transcription, and Analytics Find Strength in Unity

With these technologies, companies are achieving deeper alignment by trading point solutions for packages from one vendor.

Captioning Sees an Impressive Pace of Progress

Technology advances are making real-time captioning possible, and progress has just begun.

Tobii Dynavox Acquires Acapela Group

Tobii Dynavox is acquiring speech synthesis provider Acapela Groupo for $11.3 million to expand its assistive technologies.

Humelo to Expand Voice Dubbing and TTS Capabilities

Kortean startup Humelo received $2.6 million in funding to expand its TTS, dubbing, and translation capabilities.

Vuzix Brings Vivoka's Speech Technology to Its Smart Glasses

Vivoka is providing voice recognition language support for Vuzix M-Series Smart Glasses.

Cambridge Quantum Releases Natural Language Processing Toolkit and Library

Converting sentences into quantum circuits, lambeq accelerates the development of practical NLP applications as quantum computing systems scale.

Speech Can Help Students Read, Experts Conclude

Voice-driven tools have had a direct impact on fluency and literacy, unlocking far more natural and nuanced ways of gauging reading fluency and comprehension than traditional quizzes and tests.

UserWay Uses Siri's Voice to Promote Web Accessibility

The voice actor behind Apple's Siri is helping UserWay promote website accessibility in a new campaign.

AMAI Is Poised to Launch Conversational AI Voice Editor in the U.S.

AMAI has raised $600,000 to launch its artificial intelligence voice technologies in the United States.

GIA Eyes Nearly 18 Percent CAGR for Speech and Voice Recognition

New reporting from Global Industry Analysts projects the voice and speech recognition technology market to reach $20.9 billion worldwide by 2026.

Speech Tech Market to Hit $34 Billion by 2026

The global market for speech technologies is poised for nearly 20 percent CAGR for the next five years, 360 Research finds.

NVIDIA Releases RAD-TTS

NVIDIA RAD-TTS lets users train voice AI models with their own voices and fine-tune voices frame by frame.

Speech Technology's Invaluable Assist

Our extraordinary assistive speech technologies were years in the making.

OrCam Releases Version 9.10

With software version 9.10, OrCam's assistive technology now operates completely hands-free with voice commands.

ReadSpeaker TTS to Power Lockheed Martin's F-35 Tactical Fighter Training Module

ReadSpeaker's text-to-speech technologies to provide digital voice capabilities to train pilots on new jet

QuickLogic and Rubidium Partner on Voice User Interface Solution at the Edge

QuickLogic and Rubidium are offering a voice-recognition solution that consumes very little power.

Pocketbook Adds ReadSpeaker TTS

ReadSpeaker's text-to-speech voices are available to Pocketbook users in the latest software update.

MSC Cruises Launches Voice-Enabled Robot Bartender

MSC Cruises' Rob bartender uses text-to-speech voices from ReadSpeaker.

The Future of Intelligent Voice Assistants

Will you have one voice assistant or many? Which model will dominate?

VUI Market to Reach $95.4 Billion by 2030

Allied Market Research foresees the voice user interface market growing at a compound annual rate of 21.5 percent through 2030.

The Top Speech Technologies and Vendors: The 2021 Speech Industry Awards

Advances in AI, machine learning, natural language processing, and more fueled speech industry progress in the past year.

2021 Speech Industry Award Winner: AppTek Takes Captioning to New Screens

AppTek has a long history of innovation in the areas of artificial intelligence, speech recognition, machine translation, natural language processing and understanding, and text-to-speech technologies, and finally it is getting the worldwide recognition it deserves.

2021 Speech Industry Award Winner: ReadSpeaker Gives a New Voice to TTS

ReadSpeaker has been leading the way in text-to-speech (TTS) for more than two decades, delivering high-quality, lifelike voices for artificial intelligence-driven conversational applications, interactive voice response systems, and embedded applications.

2021 Speech Industry Award Winner: SoundHound Feeds the Voice-Enabled Drive-Through

Speech technology has started to transform drive-through and drive-in interactions for quick-service restaurant chains, and Santa Clara, Calif.-based SoundHound is at the forefront of that innovation.

Foxit Adds a TTS Tool in Its Latest PDF SDK

Foxit PDF SDK 8.0 includes a new text-to-speech tool.

Speech Synthesis Device Market to Double in Six Years

Global Industry Analysts expects the global market for synthesized speech devices to grow from $116.4 million to $231.4 million in 2027.

ReadSpeaker Expands Neural TTS Voice Portfolio

Arab, Indian, Norwegian, and Flemish TTS voices round out ReadSpeaker's neural TTS portfolio.

LiveChat Adds TTS Support to Chat Widget

LiveChat's Chat Widget now supports keyboard input and text-to-speech screen readers. (Featured on DestinationCRM.com.)

BLEND Acquires GM Voices

BLEND acquires GM Voices to expand its end-to-end platform for localization.

AppTek Selected as a Speech Recognition  Provider for CallMiner's Open Voice Transcription Standard

AppTek's multilingual automatic speech recognition technology integrates with CallMiner to deliver recognition of voice-based customer interactions across more than 30 languages and dialects.

LOVO Launches AI Voice Marketplace

LOVO AI Voice Marketplace lets voice talent pre-record samples to increase bookings.

Voice Technology is Essential to Digital Transformation

Advances in speech technology are ensuring that voice continues to have a role in customer interactions.

W3C Drafts a Specification for Spoken Presentation in HTML

The specification seeks to provide guidance so that text-to-speech (TTS) synthesis can properly pronounce HTML content.

Voice Provides a More Immersive Gaming Experience

As natural language has crept into the gaming world, gamers today can use voice as a controller, interact with characters during game play, communicate with other players in multiplayer and role-playing games, and so much more.

Veritone Launches MARVEL.ai Voice-as-a-Service Solution

Veritone MARVEL.ai is an end-to-end voice-as-a-service solution to create and monetize synthetic voice content at commercial scale

Vivoka to Release Version 2 of Its Voice Development Kit

The Voice Development Kit, Vivoka's tool for companies to create embedded voice interfaces, is moving to its second version for spring.

Sonatic Creates Shouting TTS

Sonatic's text-to-speech voices can now shout when needed.

AppTek Expands Workbench Data Labeling and Annotation Platform

Platform enhancements automate and accelerate the production of speech, audio, text, natural language, image, and computer vision data.

SoundHound Expands Houndify Voice AI to 22 Languages

SoundHound's voice AI platform is now available in the world's most popular languages.

Talk to Me Alarm Clock Launches in the iOS App Store

Talk to Me Alarm Clock uses text-to-speech or recorded audio to create custom alarms.

IVA Market to Reach $44.2 Billion by 2027, Valuates Reports

Valuates anticipates 37.7 percent annual compounded growth for the intelligent virtual assistant market for the next six years.

Booka Launches Read-to-Me Feature

E-book subscription service provider Booka is offering a service that allows children to listen to any book.

NVIDIA Launches Jarvis Interactive Conversational AI Framework

Jarvis Interactive Conversational AI Framework's pre-trained deep learning models and software tools enable developers to adapt Jarvis to specific industries.

Speech Is Up for Any Challenge

As consumers' interactions shifted to digital channels, voice has become the interface of choice for many of those interactions.

ID R&D Awarded U.S. Patent for Text-Dependent Speech Recognition

ID R&D's patented methods improve recognition speed and accuracy and reduce hardware costs.

Sanyo Electric Railway Adopts ReadSpeaker TTS

Sanyo Electric Railway is using ReadSpeaker as the voice of its onboard train announcement system.

Market Spotlight: Nonprofits Use Speech to Their Benefit

With limited budgets and resources, many nonprofits find it difficult to adopt new technologies as quickly as for-profit entities. But that disadvantage is lessening, thanks to more affordable and accessible speech products.

2021 State of the Speech Technology Industry

The latest developments and trends in seven important sectors

The State of Speech Engines

Developments come fast in a rapidly changing environment

The State of Speech Development Platforms

New multicloud solutions are emerging

The State of Intelligent Virtual Assistants

Industry looks to tackle interoperability standards as it rings in the new year

The State of Assistive Technology

Advances bring accessibility to more platforms and devices

The State of Artificial Intelligence

AI takes many forms, but they all have increased speech's usefulness

TTS Poised for $3 Billion Growth in Five Years

MarketsandMarkets valued the text-to-speech market at $2 billion in 2020 and expects it to reach $5 billion by 2026.

Moovly Expand Speech Options

Moovly has expanded its AI-enabled text-to-speech feature to more than 100 languages.

sComm Selects ReadSpeaker for Its Speech Generating Device

ReadSpeaker's text-to-speech technologies will power sComm's UbiDuo 2 SGD device.

Chatbots to Expand Greatly In Financial Services

Next Move Strategic Consulting expects the financial services chatbot market to grow from $586 million in 2019 to $6.83 billion by 2030.

iQIYI Holds Voice Cloning Challenge

iQIYI's Voice Cloning Challenge hopes to accelerate the development of AI voice technology.

ReadSpeaker Partners with SoundHound

ReadSpeaker's text-to-speech technology is now available on Houndify's Voice AI platform.

Accenture and CereProc Introduce Non-Binary Voice Solution

Accenture and CereProc collaborated on a voice solution that is not gender specific and released it to the open-source community.

Bol.com Turns to ReadSpeaker

ReadSpeaker created a TTS voice for the online retailer's Google Assistant app.

Speech Recognition to Unlock Huge Potential in the Future

New advancements and innovative products are on the way

Envision Launches Envision Glasses

Envision Glasses can read text and describe people and objects to help the blind and visually impaired navigate the world around them.

Clarabridge CX Analytics Integrates with Oracle Cloud Marketplace

Clarabridge's text and speech analytics integrates with Oracle Cloud CX Service, connecting users to hundreds of feedback sources. (Featured on DestinationCRM.com.)

AccuSpeechMobile Achieves Zebra Technologies' Validation

AccuSpeechMobile has been certified for interoperability with Zebra's heads-up display devices.

AudioTilly Launches TTS WordPress Plugin

AudioTilly's WordPress plugin allows people to listen to blog posts while on the go.

ReadSpeaker Launches Prosody Transfer

Prosody Transfer Is ReadSpeaker VoiceLab's DNN voice capability.

Starkey and OrCam Partner on Assistive Technology

OrCam's MyEye devices are integrated with Starkey's hearing aids to bring audio descriptions to life.

ReadSpeaker Lends Its TTS to Muzzy Lane

ReadSpeaker's text-to-speech technologies will power voice-enabled interactive experiences for students using Muzzy Lane's immersive learning technologies.

ReadSpeaker's TTS Chosen for Honda Personal Assistant

Honda has selected ReadSpeaker's text-to-speech software for the Honda Personal Assistant.

NVIDIA Launches Jarvis and Merlin  in Open Beta

Jarvis eases creation of interactive conversational artificial intelligence agents, while Merlin speeds up data loading and training time to improve recommendations for online businesses.

Rakuten Partners with Nuance

Rakuten Mobile adds Nuance Intelligent Engagement AI Services to Rakuten Communications Platform.

ProtoPie Introduces Full Voice Functionality Prototyping

With ProtoPie, voice interface developers can tap into the text-to-speech and speech-to-text engines already built into their browsers or operating systems. 

[24]7.ai Unveils Engagement Cloud

[24]7.ai Engagement Cloud is an integrated conversational AI platform for businesses.

Voximplant Launches Voximplant Kit for No-Code Contact Center Development

With Voximplant Kit, companies can deploy omnichannel, speech-enabled contact centers in minutes. (Featured on DestinationCRM.com.)

What is Readability? And How to Make Documents Accessible

These tips will help make sure screen readers can clearly convey your content.

ReadSpeaker Launches Neural TTS Engine for Custom Voice Development

ReadSpeaker Neural TTS Engine is a deep neural network engine powering the company's voice enablement platform.

Onymos Adds Conversation to Onymos Fabric

Onymos' Conversation Component helps developers incorporate voice user interfaces into mobile and web interactions.

Teaching with Speech

Voice technology has infiltrated the learning environment, improving schools for students and educators alike

As Speech Translation Advances, Barriers Continue to Fall

Technology improvements have pushed speech translation out to a smaller world

IVAs: Using AI to Serve Customers and Contact Centers

True omnichannel customer service is becoming closer to reality

Speech Technology Is Not Yet Conversational Technology

The industry still lacks tools to support true conversation

How Can Speech Technology Help?

Looking at all the ways speech recognition can step up amid the pandemic

OrCam Introduces Smart Reading Feature

OrCam Smart Reading is a voice-activated, interactive assistive technology that uses natural language understanding to read specific information to the visually impaired.

LOVO Launches API for Voice-Overs

LOVO API enables companies to access LOVO's voices and TTS without leaving their own platforms.

AppTek Launches Speech Translate and Speech Transcribe

AppTek Speech Translate and AppTek Speech Transcribe feature real-time advanced speech-to-speech, speech-to-text, and text-to-speech capabilities.

ReadSpeaker Merges Licensing and Cloud Businesses

The move offers more flexible deployment and pricing options for ReadSpeaker's voice apps.

ReadSpeaker Signs Two Key Japanese Clients

ReadSpeaker's text-to-speech will provide voices for a Japanese rail service and office complex.

Acapela Releases Acapela Cloud

Acapela Cloud is an online service for building speech-enabled applications.

CereProc Partners with Hanson Robotics

CereProc's lends its AI-powered voice puppetry to Hanson's Sophia the Robot.

Advice Local Adds Voice Profile Technology to Judy's Book

Judy's Book has integrated voice search capabilities into its web profile pages.

Century Systems Incorporates ReadSpeaker TTS

ReadSpeaker TTS is being used to convert J-ALERT emergency broadcast alerts into spoken messages.

Harnessing the Power of our Next Generation Voice Solutions

Speech Technology in the Midst of the Coronavirus

This is the time for speech technology—and all online communication technologies—to leap into action

Speech Continues to Advance in the Contact Center

Companies should look to further automate customer service with voice technologies

Speech Technology's 2020 People's Choice Awards

The votes are in. You have spoken!

LOVO Rolls Out LOVO Studio Voice-Over Platform

LOVO's AI-based Studio voice-over platform clones a voice in five minutes for online learning and remote production projects.

ReadSpeaker TTS Voices Power Cosibot, a COVID-19 FAQ Voicebot from ROBO.AI

ReadSpeaker's German, English, and Portuguese text-to-speech voices are currently being used by Cosibot.

NextNest Launches WeCast.ai for Voice Broadcast Creation

Wecast.ai is a voice broadcasting platform for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant devices.

Apple Acquires Irish Speech Startup Voysis

Apple's interest reportedly comes from a desire to improve Siri's natural language capabilities.

Ivanti Adds Rapid Voice to Rapid Platform

With Rapid Voice, Ivanti's toolset enables the deployment of mobile devices with a voice interface.

Inference Solutions Launches Voice-Based FAQ On-Demand IVAs

Inference Solutions is offering businesses, healthcare providers, and government agencies a team of speech-enabled virtual agents to keep up with a surge in FAQs amid the coronavirus outbreak. (Featured on SmartCustomerService.com.)

ReadSpeaker Becomes a Certified Cisco Solution Partner

ReadSpeaker's text-to-speech technology has been certified for use with Cisco's contact center applications.

Envision Voice-Enables Google Glass for the Blind

Envision brings its assistive technology to Google's smart glasses.

OrCam Releases OrCam Read

OrCam Read is a digital assistive reading device that converts text to speech.

9Dots Media Launches AudioDots

AudioDots is an automatic text-to-speech solution that turns print publications into mobile audio 

Technology Is Making Dialogues More Life-Like, Conversational Interaction Speakers Note

Advanced speech synthesis, analytics, and dialogue design are improving customer and company interactions, conference speakers agree.

Talkdesk Launches Virtual Agent

The voice-enabled Virtual Agent is the first of Talkdesk's aggressive 20-in-20 release program to introduce more than 20 products in 2020. (Featured on SmartCustomerService.com.)

LumenVox Partners with CCT Solutions

Contact center specialist CCT expands offerings with speech and authentication suite from LumenVox. (Featured on SmartCustomerService.com.)

Xilinx Adds Speech Recognition to Pro AV and Broadcast Platforms

Speech capabilities automatically output text from speech for transcription of meeting notes and language translation in conferencing and collaboration.

The State of the Speech Technology Industry

Artificial intelligence is improving almost every aspect of the speech industry.

The State of Speech Engines

Solutions are still trying to crack the conversational code

The State of Speech Analytics

Speech analytics is at the heart of digital transformations

The State of Intelligent Virtual Assistants

IVA vendors shift from a horizontal to a vertical focus

The State of Assistive Technology

Accessibility solutions expand to new populations

Breakthroughs in Speech Are Just Beginning

Our writers consulted with industry experts across the major sectors of the speech technology landscape to determine the state of the industry

Infusing AI and Speech into the Mobile Retail Customer Experience

AI-powered apps are employing speech as part of an all-important omnichannel approach

Trinity Audio Joins Amazon Web Services Partner Network 

Trinity will use Amazon to transform static content into audio.

LiveVox Acquires SpeechIQ

The deal strengthen's LiveVox's WFO suite with additional speech analytics and quality assurance capabilities.

ReadSpeaker Launches VoiceLab

The ReadSpeaker VoiceLab is designed to help companies better engage their customers using voice technology.

Lucas Systems Certifies Bluebird Mobile Computers For Voice-Directed Picking 

Lucas and Bluebird are teaming up to combine Lucas voice picking applications featuring Lucas Move and Jennifer Voice running on Bluebird mobile computers.

A Speech Translation Evangelist on the Business Opportunities in an Interconnected World

Entrepreneur Jeffry Williams, CEO of Worldwide Tech Connections, sees big challenges, and even bigger opportunities for speech tech providers, in the need to tackle the translation requirements of today's business climate.

Replica Studios Leverages $2.5 Million Seed Round to Grow Voice-Enabled AI

Replica will use the new funding round to seed its AI-based voice technology.

How Speech Technologies Can Level the Playing Field

Speech tech is a major driver behind assistive devices—ones that incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning and benefit from faster processing speeds and internet connectivity—that are helping people with all sorts of disabilities

Radisys Launches In-Call Speech Analytics Integrating Sensory's TrulyHandsfree

Radisys' solution enables inline analytics for e-commerce, customer service, and virtual assistant services in public or private cloud.

Voice Assistant Market to Grow 30 Percent Per Year Through 2024

The global voice assistant market is projected to grow from $ 1.2 billion in 2018 to $ 5.4 billion by 2024.

ReadSpeaker Adds Flemish, Indonesian, Latvian, Romanian, and Slovak Voices

ReadSpeaker Text to Speech is now available in five new languages. The company says it is delighted to introduce eight brand new lifelike digital voice personas.

Higher Learning: AI, ML, and Speech Tech in Academia

Academics are at the forefront of the biggest AI changes in the industry. Learn more about the latest breakthroughs, the questions researchers are trying to answer, and the challenges they face.

Q&A: David Attwater on the Ins and Outs of Conversation Design

Everything you need to know about conversational design. Jim Larson talked to David Attwater, Senior Scientist, Enterprise Integration Group about his upcoming workshop, AI, and how human is too human?

Nuance Expands Open Architecture to Deliver More Flexible, Enterprise-Grade Conversational AI

New Intelligent Engagement Services will expand its open, cloud-agnostic framework, and the cloud-native approach bolster third-party integration capabilities and offer organizations more control.

Inference Solutions Enables Conversational AI for Cisco’s On-Premise Platforms

Enterprises using Cisco's UC and CC offerings can upgrade their IVRs to Intelligent Virtual Agents without "ripping and replacing" existing software and equipment.

SPi Global Launches Dubbing Solution

SPi Global announced the release of SmartDub, a solution that enhances Text-to-Speech (TTS) technology to generate synthetic voices creating a more natural and immersive experience for users.

BlueToad Selected as Launch Partner for Amazon Polly

As an Amazon Polly launch partner, BlueToad uses new Polly voice to offer publishers realistic listening experiences for publishers offering audio versions of their articles to readers.

Why Speech is Emerging as the Preferred Interface for Self-Service

Advances in conversational AI are removing those barriers to adoption. That, coupled with changing consumer behavior, is causing speech to become the preferred interface for self-service applications.

Video: The Current State of Conversational Systems

Conversational Technologies Principal Deborah Dahl discusses the state of the art for the three pillars of conversational systems in this clip from her keynote at SpeechTEK 2019.

New Version of ReadSpeaker webReader Now Available

Following a fruitful customer usability study, the company decided to rethink the solution so that it is even easier to use for anyone accessing content online.

Helping the Vocally Impaired Speak in Their Own Voice

Thanks to voice banking, digitized speech retains the essence of the original speaker

Tradeshow Speech Accessories Translate Into Winning Event Marketing

Speech translation apps are a game changer for international sales

Microsoft Announces Advancements in Speech

At its Build conference, Microsoft announced a few developments that have speech technology enthusiasts following closely.

The State of Assistive Technology

The market for assistive tech is growing, but pain points still exist

Machine Learning and Innovative Speech Applications Dominate Conversational Interaction Conference

The 2019 Conversational Interaction Conference emphasized innovative applications using the latest speech technologies, alternative architectures to ease the creation of conversational apps, and best practices for designing speech dialogs.

The 2019 State of Speech Engines

Suppliers focus on adding new languages and voice options in order to differentiate their services

ReadSpeaker is Gathering Voiceware, Neospeech, VoiceText and rSpeak Under a Unified Umbrella Brand

Five companies combined under ReadSpeaker brand to offer a complete voice solution.

Radisys Unveils New Advanced Speech Recognition Support for Enhanced In-Call Speech Services

Radisys' MediaEngine solution says it reduces costs of deploying speech-enabled services by more than 90%; allows CSPs to capitalize on mass-market acceptance of person-to-application interaction via speech.

Google Announces General Availability of Cloud Speech-to-Text, Support for New Languages, and More

Google announced the general availability of cloud speech-to-text and multi-channel recognition. Additionally, new languages are available and discounts are available.

AAC Tech Can Help Those with Speech Disabilities Navigate Public Places

Augmentative and alternative communication puts control in the hands of people with speech disabilities, and that should be good for businesses, too

Integrating TTS in Web Browsers Is Harder Than It Sounds

Text-to-speech for webpages has to tackle modern English's dizzying complexity

Speech Translation Requires an Interface Revolution

Translation software has to cover our endless modes of communication

Is App Development Moving Toward User Interface Management Systems?

App developers' jobs might be getting less complicated, again

As ADA Lawsuits Mount, Speech Tech Emerges as Key to Compliance

If you build in the right speech technology tools, you could avoid costly litigation and bad publicity

LumenVox, VoiceTrust Merge, Offer Full-Suite of Speech Tech Biometrics

LumenVox and VoiceTrust are merging their businesses in what Neil MacDonald, chief commercial officer, calls a true merger of equals to provide customers with a full suite of speech technology speech biometric solutions.

Q&A: Book Publishers Embrace Voice Technology and the Future

As voice technologies become ubiquitous, even book publishers aren't immune to the hottest trend in digital content. Speech Technology magazine recently had a chance to interview Bradley Metrock, CEO of Score Publishing, which owns and operates Digital Book World (DBW), about how voice is changing publishing. From the audiobook to Alexa, publishers are contending with the realities of a "voice-first" world.

The 2018 Speech Industry Star Performers

These cutting-edge vendors are leading the way in AI, analytics, natural language, smart speakers, and more. 

Speech Translation Helps Multilingual Conferences Express Themselves

New technology means that speech translation is quicker, more accurate, and cheaper than ever—and international conference goers will reap the benefits

Wanda Expands Patient Management Platform with Enhanced Patient Adherence Features

Wanda, Inc. announced a significant expansion of its market- Patient Management Platform with expansive new features to further improve patient care plan adherence.

Video: How Do You Build Engaging Contact Center Experiences?

AWS Head of Product, Language Tech Vikram Anzabhagan outlines 4 essential strategies for leveraging technology to make contact center interactions more personal, conversational, agile, and engaging in this clip from his SpeechTEK 2018 keynote.

The Right Standard Makes Developers’ Jobs a Lot Easier

You'll never know whether a standard's a good fit if you don't try it out

Hoya Text-to-Speech Engines Gets Top Accuracy Marks

ReadSpeaker--a HOYA Speech company--announced that the two Hoya Speech text-to-speech (TTS) engines, rSpeak and Neospeech (which uses Hoya Speech's VoiceText TTS engine), topped the 2018 Voice Information Associates Text-to-Speech Accuracy Testing charts.

Project Revoice Recreates ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Founder's Voice For Him

The ALS Association announced the launch of "Project Revoice," an international initiative to help people with ALS [also known as Motor Neurone Disease] record their voices so they still use their "voice" after they lose their ability to speak.

Google Launches Amazon Text-to-Speech Competitor

Google's new Cloud Text-to-Speech offering is now available to developers in Beta.

Haptik to Use Advanced Amazon Web Services AI portfolio to Offer Chatbot Solutions

Indian Artificial Intelligence (AI) based chatbot platform, Haptik, on Wednesday announced its collaboration with leading cloud provider, Amazon Web Services (AWS), to offer chatbot solutions to customers in India.

Q&A: Strategizing Customer Experiences for Speech

Crispin Reedy is a Voice User Experience designer and usability professional at Versay Solutions. She has over 15 years of experience on the front lines of the speech industry, in the design, usability, and tuning disciplines. She is presenting the SpeechTEK University course "Strategizing Customer Experiences for Speech" on Wednesday April 11 at SpeechTEK 2018. SpeechTEK program chair, James Larson, talked to Reedy in advance of her conference session.

SoundHound Inc. Expands Houndify Voice AI Platform’s Multi-Language Text-to-Speech Support With Acapela Group Partnership

SoundHound Inc., a provider of voice-enabled AI and conversational intelligence technologies, expanded the multi-language text-to-speech (TTS) offerings for its Houndify voice AI platform through a partnership with Acapela Group, a provider of voice and speech solutions.

Market Spotlight: Government

In all of these sectors of government, the technology gap is massive, largely because of a lack of funding, knowledge, or a desire for change.

Nuance Advances Text-to-Speech Technology through Deep Learning

Nuance Communications, Inc. announced that it has advanced its text-to-speech (TTS) technology with deep neural networks (DNN) to deliver a new standard of quality, reducing errors by 40% compared to previous speech synthesis techniques.

Assistive Technologies: Helping The Disabled Join The Technological Revolution

Text-to-speech and automatic speech recognition technologies can help those with vision or hearing loss.

WP Engine Using Amazon Web Services to Bring Voice Technology to WordPress Websites

WP Engine, a WordPress digital experience platform, announced its collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to launch the Amazon Polly plugin, which transforms text into lifelike speech. With the assistance of the Amazon Polly plugin, publishers can turn their written content into podcasts to reach consumers on the go.

Speech Engines: Improving Accuracy and Finding New Uses

Improvements in speech engines continue as suppliers use more processing power and more sophisticated software to enhance system performance.

Digital DataVoice Becomes a LumenVox Skills Certified Partner

Digital DataVoice implements LumenVox speech enabled solutions on all major IVR platforms

Sogou Launches Travel Translator

New application offers speech recognition accuracy of greater than 97 percent.

Blackboard and ReadSpeaker Partner

ReadSpeaker's text-to-speech technology is being integrated into Blackboard Ally, enhancing the accessibility of digital course content.

Sensory Partners with Plotagon to Launch Animation Solution

New software with life-like voices lets anyone become a one-person movie studio.

ClearOne Awarded Speech Patent

ClearOne's newest patent covers a way to add anyone's voice to TTS applications.

ReadSpeaker Now Supports SSML

ReadSpeaker now supports Speech Synthesis Markup Language in its speechCloud API and Production API products.

Voicebox Launches Voicebox Auto

Voicebox Auto delivers conversational interfaces to automakers

Real-Time Audio News Available from Spokata

Spokata's mobile app converts news stories to audio with Amazon's Polly text-to-speech service.

Speechmatics Builds 46 Languages in Just 6 Weeks

Speechmatics put its Automatic Linguist AI framework to the test during Phase 1 of Project Omniglot to learn as many languages as possible.

Will.I.Am's Tech Company Launches Omega Voice Assistant

The platform combines speech and artificial intelligence technology to improve customer experiences.

Speech: The Solution for ‘What’ Ails You

The benefits of speech extend through every step of the medical process, from making appointments to receiving diagnoses

Market Spotlight—Healthcare: Speech Aids in Patient Care

As speech technology gets more pervasive, expectations are high that it will go beyond dictation to contribute even further to improved health care

Speech Solutions Can Translate into Better Medical Care

Speech translation technology can help non-native-speaker and hearing-impaired patients navigate the medical experience

Speech Processing or Natural Language Understanding? You Be the Judge

Both are important, but in today's increasingly voice-first world, which one is more so?

ReadSpeaker Launches SpeakTTS

The Speak TTS app is now available for Android mobile devices on Google Play.

IVAs to Be a $17.7 Billion Business by 2023

The global market for intelligent virtual assistants will grow at a compounded annual rate of 38.8 percent over the next five years.

ReadSpeaker Launches WebReader

The company rebrands its Enterprise Highlighting application and adds new features.

AudioEye Adds Voice to Social Security Website

AudioEye's Ally Toolbar will provide enhanced accessibility and usability for the U.S. Social Security Administration's website.

Orderscape and LevelUp Enable Voice Ordering for Restaurants

The partnership between Orderscape and LevelUp will enable restaurants to offer voice-enabled chatbots to take customer orders.

Speech Company Names to Change

NeoSpeech, Voiceware, and ReadSpeaker will all get a new corporate identity.

Nuance Unveils Dragon Medical Virtual Assistant for Healthcare

Nuance's newest virtual assistant is designed to enhance interactions between clinicians and patients.

Speech-Soft Obtains LumenVox Skills Certification

Speech-Soft Solutions and LumenVox have entered a partnership as Speech-Soft Becomes LumenVox Skills Certified

Nuance Dragon Drive Incorporated into Audi A8

Audi A8 drivers can seamlessly access connected services and in-car functions using their voices

AudioEye Partners with CivicPlus to Make Government Websites Accessible

Government web designers can now add accessibility options, including voice navigation and screen reading, to sites.

Acapela Creates a Business Unit Dedicated to Accessibility

Acapela Group has launched Acapela Inclusive, a business unit dedicated exclusively to creating voice technologies for the disabled.

LumenVox Achieves Cisco Compatibility Certification

LumenVox's speech engines have been certified for compatibility with Cisco UCCE and Cisco UCCX.

Sensory Unveils In-App Virtual Bank Teller

The app offers on-device conversational AI, avatar lip-sync, embedded text-to-speech, and a fusion of face and voice biometric authentication. (Featured on SmartCustomerService.com.)

Speech Is Gaining Invisibility

But it is taking on the role of disruptor, not disruptee

The 2017 Speech Industry Star Performers: rSpeak

The 2017 Speech Industry Star Performers: IBM

The 2017 Speech Industry Star Performers: Amazon

The 2017 Speech Industry Star Performers: Acapela

The 2017 Speech Industry Star Performers

For Greater Experiences, Combine Voice with Other Interfaces

Combining voice with emerging technologies, such as emotion sensing, eye tracking, and gestures, creates more personable and personal experiences, Strategy Analytics concludes.

LumenVox Partners with M&C

M&C Associates achieves LumenVox Skills certification.

Acapela Partners with AI

Acapela Group and AI, a Japanese TTS provider, have signed a partnership for advanced multilingual speech solutions.

AudioEye Partners with Autism Organizations

AudioEye to provide digital accessibility solution to the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center and First PlaceAZ.

Voicebox Launches Linguistic Code-Switching Capability

The technology allows speech systems to draw from one language to learn another.

ReadSpeaker Is Acquired

The Memory Disk Division of The Hoya Group snatches up the Dutch TTS manufacturer.

ReadSpeaker Adds Italian TTS Voice

ReadSpeaker adds Gina to its text-to-speech voices portfolio.

Raytheon to Deploy Speech-Based Translation Tools to the U.S. Army

The deployment will involve battlefield speech-to-speech and text-to-text translation for soldiers.

Zang Adds Speech to Zang Cloud

Zang has added speech recognition and improved TTS technology to its business communications platform.

IBM's Watson Talks with Museum Visitors

The Watson-based 'Voice of Art' Project at Pinacoteca de Sao Paulo offers museum-goers an interactive, personalized experience.

Sensory Adds AI to TrulyNatural

Sensory's latest additions to TrulyNatural speech recognition bring chatbot and avatar technology to consumer devices and apps.

CereProc Launches Swedish TTS Voice

The first use of CereProc's "Ylva" voice will be to create talking books and newspapers for Swedish students.

ReadSpeaker Adds to Its TextAid App

ReadSpeaker has added Highlighter and Word Prediction tools to the latest version of its TextAid text-to-speech product.

Nuance Expands Dragon Drive to Car's Passengers

Nuance Dragon Drive expands multipassenger automotive assistant with AI and connectivity to smarthome systems.

Acapela Makes Buying Bus Tickets Easier with Voice

Quickomat self-service ticket vending machines are now accessible with Acapela voices.

NeoSpeech Releases Italian, German, French, and Spanish TTS voices

NeoSpeech has launched eight text-to-speech voices in four European languages.

Edmunds Launches Skill for Amazon Alexa

The new Alexa skill expands the reach of Edmunds' car shopping and ownership tools with voice capabilities.

StubHub Introduces a Skill for Microsoft Cortana

StubHub's Cortana Skill lets users find activities and buy tickets througfh a conversational interface.

TTS Market to Be Worth $3.03 Billion by 2022

The global market for text-to-speech technologies is expected to nearly triple in the next five years, according to a report from Markets and Markets.

Rand McNally Introduces OverDryve 8 Pro Truck Voice App

OverDryve 8 Pro brings together navigation, SiriusXM radio, voice assistance, and more.

Voice Design Tools Get a Redesign of Their Own

The technology undergoes a transformation as omnichannel takes over interactions

Speech Technology Can Make the Boardroom Accessible to All

Workplaces must be opened up to those who are hearing-, sight-, and physically impaired. The speech industry can help lead the way.

Market Spotlight: Opportunities Abound for Speech in Factories

While the trend of U.S. manufacturing in the past half-century has not been encouraging, the sector is now experiencing a bump. This signals an opportunity for vendors supplying speech technology to the manufacturing industry.

Harman and IBM Watson Introduce Voice-Enabled Cognitive Rooms

Voice-enabled in-room concierge capabilities tap IBM Watson to deliver information and services in hotel, hospital, and conference rooms.

ReadSpeaker Joins ATM Industry Association

The company has identified the banking industry as a key vertical for speech technologies.

Speech Market to Increase by 12 Percent Through 2021

A BCC Research report identifies a surge in demand for voice recognition technologies, split evenly between enterprise and consumer uses.

Appen Signs Distributor Agreement with Nuance

Appen will distribute 40 speech and language databases developed by Nuance Communications.

Acapela Gives a Voice to Airport Assistant

Acapela's text-to-speech is being used as the English voice for Kyoei Sangyo's humanoid assistance robot being tested at Japan's Narita airport.

Mobilearn Offers Swedish Government Information in Persian Using TTS

New refugees arriving in Swedfen have access to government information in their native Persian Farsi.

STC Partners with iVoice for Voice Picking Solution

The GOLAS system provides hands-free, eyes-free voice picking for warehouse workers.

Acapela Adds Italian Children's TTS Voices

Acapela Group has launched Aurora and Alessio to its portfolio of children's voices for assistive technologies.

Texas Medical School Offers Assistive Technologies

The school is adding a number of technologies, including voice-activated navigation, to its website.

ReadSpeaker Expands Learning Options at York Technical College

With text-to-speech, the school's students learn how they want

IBM Eyes Speech to Spot Mental Maladies

IBM Research predicts that in five years, patterns in speech and writing analyzed by cognitive systems will provide clinicians tell-tale signs of early-stage mental and neurological conditions

The 2017 State of the Speech Technology Industry: Assistive Technology

Lending a Helping Hand with Speech

The 2017 State of the Speech Technology Industry: Speech Developer Platforms

Finding a Voice in the IoT

The 2017 State of the Speech Technology Industry: Speech Engines

Harnessing Machine Learning

ReadSpeaker Now Supports Persian Farsi

ReadSpeaker Enterprise now supports Persian Farsi, spoken by more than 110 million people worldwide.

Microsoft Advances Speech APIs

Microsoft moves Custom Speech Service from private preview to open trials.

LumenVox Releases Version 15.1

LumenVox adds German, additional enhancements with Version 15.1 of its speech engine.

NeoSpeech Adds Brazilian Portuguese TTS Voices

Rafael and Helena join NeoSpeech's stable of text-to-speech voices, bringing the number of supported languages to 10.

ReadSpeaker Adds a Spanish Voice

ReadSpeaker now offers a Spanish text-to-speech voice from rSpeak Technologies.

Nuance Adds More Intelligence to Dragon Drive

Nuance extends Dragon Drive's capabilities to other passengers in the car and includes text messaging.

Greenwave Systems Introduces AXON Platform for Conversational IoT

Greenwave's AXON Platform for Conversational IoT is powered by voice technologies from Nuance.

Jumptoit Integrates with Microsoft Office and Azure and Google Cloud Machine Learning Platform

Jumptuit users can now edit documents and perform other tasks by voice through Microsoft and Google integrations.

Voice Recognition Market to See Double-Digit Growth

BCC Research expects the voice recognition market to hit $185 billion by 2021.

Greenwave Partners with Nuance for Conversational IoT Interface

Greenwave's AXON Platform integrates Nuance's AI-powered voice and natural language understanding technology.

IBM Develops a Voice-Enabled Eldercare Robot

IBM Research and Rice University have been exploring a Watson-powered, voice-enabled robot for the elderly and their in-home caregivers.

Chant Updates Its Developer Workbench

Chant Developer Workbench 2016 accelerates Universal Windows Platform speech technology integration.

Project Vive to Donate Text-to-Speech Devices

An Indiegogo Campaign will provide Voz Box devices to 10 Pennsylvania residents with difficulty speaking.

Alert Cascade Partners with CereProc

The partnership brings unique regional accents to mass notification apps in the United Kingdom.

Volume Adds IBM Watson-Powered Voice App to Its Website

Volume has released a commercial cognitive website capable of engaging visitors in natural language conversations.

ROOBO and Nuance to Deliver Conversational AI Robots

ROOBO will leverage the Nuance Mix platform to integrate voice and natural language capabilities into service and educational robots.

The Outlook for Deep Neural Networks and Speech Technology

Speech-enabled IVRs can create more humanlike interactions with DNNs

Multimedia Tech Support Translates to Great Experiences

Video, screen-sharing, and text and voice translation will be game-changers

Let’s Get Siri, Cortana, and Alexa to Work Together

A new W3C community group is exploring ways to make virtual assistant platforms interoperable

Interactive Text Response: A Smart Update of IVR

ITR systems let callers blend texting and talking

Readspeaker Now Preinstalled with Blackboard Learn

Readspeaker's text-to-speech is now available as part of Blackboard's Learn system to read content aloud to students.

Technavio Predicts Strong Growth for TTS in Schools

Text-to-speech in educational markets is expected to see 9 percent growth through 2020, the analyst firm projects.

Yonomi Integrates with Apple Watch

Users can control smart home devices with voice commands through their Apple Watch devices.

SoundHound Partners with SELVAS AI to Add TTS Voices

Developers can now choose from 20 text-to-speech voices in eight languages.

ReadSpeaker Adds Male TTS Voice

Mark is a U.S. English voice for text-to-speech applications.

Acapela Releases Version 9.4 of Its TTS SDK

The update includes new voices and audio boost capability.

NeoSpeech Launches Voice Alarm

VoiceAlarm is an iOS alarm app that uses text-to-speech to announce custom messages.

LumenVox Set to Launch Version 15.0

LumenVox 15.0 features grammar and security enhancements.

Aculab Adds ASR to the Aculab Cloud Platform

A new speech recognition feature adds to the text-to-speech capability that was already part of the platform.

ReadSpeaker TTS Now Available for Office 365

With the ReadSpeaker TTS add-in, users can hear the text in Microsoft Word documents.

VocalID Partners with Tobii Dynavox

The partnership between VocalID and Tobii Dynavox will allow users to use their own voices for assistive devices.

Avallain Africa Uses Acapela Voices

Acapela's Box is used to create text-to-speech voices for Avallain's educational efforts in Kenya.

Nexmo Launches Voice API with Vonage

Nexmo's next-generation Voice APIs will help developers add TTS, call control, conferencing, call recording, and more, to their communications apps.

Phonexa Launches Call Logic Platform

Phonexa Call Logic is a complete cloud-based system for managing and tracking customer communications. (Featured on SmartCustomerService.com.)

Google's DeepMind Develops an Entirely New Approach to TTS

The revolutionary WaveNet technology creates sound waves to generate audio that is more natural sounding than traditional TTS, the company says.

Holiday Coast Credit Union Turns to ReadSpeaker for TTS

Australian financial services provider incorporates ReadSpeaker text-to-speech in its online banking.

ReadSpeaker Supports the Parent to Parent Center of Miami

ReadSpeaker's TTS technology makes the Parent to Parent Center of Miami more accessible by voice-enabling its web site.

NeoSpeech Launches Cantonese TTS Voices

Kaho and Kayan join NeoSpeech's lineup of 30 text-to-speech voices.

ReadSpeaker Partners with TASKCA, WebStudy

ReadSpeaker's text-to-speech technology is helping even more disabled students with reading.

Interactions Partners with Genesys

Genesys will offer Interactions' Curo Speech technology as part of its Genesys Voice Platform.

VocaliD Launches BeSpoke Voices for Assistive Devices

Bespoke blends vocal DNA from those who can't speak with recordings from those who can to create unique voices.

The 2016 Speech Industry Star Performers

Speech solutions are reaching new heights thanks to our Star Performers

The 2016 Speech Industry Star Performers: Acapela Group

The 2016 Speech Industry Star Performers: IBM Watson

The 2016 Speech Industry Star Performers: Interactions

The 2016 Speech Industry Star Performers: VoiceBox Technologies

The 2016 Speech Industry Luminaries: Lars-Erik Larsson

NICE Acquires inContact

Market Spotlight: Voice Functionality to Grow 80 Percent in Five Years

Kia Expands Voice to More Car Models

Kia Motors America has made free Apple CarPlay and Android Auto software updates available in a growing line of vehicles.

Car Speech Systems Market to Grow 4.31 Percent Through 2020

Research and Markets has predicted robust growth for the automotive speech recognition systems market.

Vuzix Partners with Sensory to Bring Speech to Smart Glasses

Partnership improves voice recognition, navigation, and control of the Vuzix M300 Smart Glasses.

Dragon Drive Powers Chinese Car

Nuance's Dragon Drive powers the voice interface of SAIC's connected car Roewe RX5

Acapela's My-Own-Voice Available in Italian

my-own-voice, Acapela's voice replacement solution, is now available in Italian.

Interactive Northwest's AudioMenus Rated Avaya-Compliant

INI AudioMenus, an application that creates full-featured IVR menus and announcement,s is compatible with key Avaya customer engagement solutions. (Featured on SmartCustomerService.com.)

Zebra Launches Total Wearable Solutions

Zebra's Total Wearable Solutions Suite is built on the Android platform for voice-based warehouse application

Acapela Adds Norwegian Children's TTS Voices

Emilie and Elias join Acapela's stable of children's voices, which now includes 18 options.

Interactions Launches Curo Speech

Curo Speech is a platform for automatic speech recognition and text-to-speech building on AT&T's Watson technology.

NuEyes Launches Text-to-Speech Headsets for the Blind

NuEyes and Mac-Fusion pair up to bring NuEyes to people with vsion loss in Southern California.

IBM and Hilton Field-Test a Robot Concierge

IVRs Get Set for the Omnichannel Challenge

Enterprises are making progress toward getting different channels to fit together, but a lot more work remains

Nuance Launches Velocity Clinical Documentation Software

Nuance Velocity is a clinical documentation solution based on Dragon Medical technology for ambulatory care practices.

Acapela Adds French Children's Voices

Elise and Valentin are French voices designed for children with autism and specific needs, created by Acapela Group.

Readspeaker Partners with Amazon's IVONA

ReadSpeaker signs a distribution agreement with IVONA TTS

Blueworx Certified for LumenVox Partner Platform Compatibility and Skills

LumenVox has certified the Blueworx Platform for functional compatibility with the LumenVox speech automation suite.

Nuance Extends Dragon TV with Nuance Mix

TV manufacturers and cable providers can now leverage Nuance's natural language developer platform to extend conversational experiences to other smart home systems and devices.

LumenVox Adds Voices in Version 14.2

New Polish voices and an American child's voice round out some of the upgrades in LumenVox TTS 14.2.

LumenVox Names InfinityCTI a Certified Skills Partner

InfinityCTI uses LumenVox's speech recognition and text-to-speech technology in its IVR platform.

Mobvoi Launches Wenwen In-Car Infotainment App

The WenWen app includes speech recognition, text-to-speech, and artificial intelligence technology.

Japan's Narita Airport Previews Speech-to-Speech Translation App

NariTra is a smartphone app that can translate spoken words between Japanese and English, Chinese, Korean, and Indonesian.

NeoSpeech’s TTS iOS-Embedded SDK Now Supports Bitcode

NeoSpeech integrated Bitcode support into its package to benefit developers and end users of text-to-speech applications.

DAISY Consortium Wins Google Grant

The Google.org grant will help the DAISY Consortium expand assistive technologies for people with blindness or vision impairments.

DeVry University Offers ReadSpeaker TTS

ReadSpeaker text-to-speech technology is available to help DeVry's disabled students.

Google Adds Accessibility with Voice Upgrades

Google has made efforts to use voice technologies to make its products more accessible to people with disabilities.

Christus Health to Deploy Nuance Dictation Technology

Christus Health will deploy a suite of Nuance Communications' clinical documentation and speech recognition products.

NeoSpeech Launches Leo, a Male French Canadian TTS Voice

Leo joins Chloe to give consumers male and female Canadian French voices for synthesized speech.

Voxware Partners with Buton

The reseller agreement with Buton eBusiness Solutions expands Voxware's reach into EMEA.

ReadSpeaker Partners with Blackboard

The partnership brings ReadSpeaker's text-to-speech solution to the classroom.

Api.ai Partners with Slack to Add Natural Language Understanding to Chatbots

Api.ai for Slack lets developers create conversational chat bots that can understand user intent.

Forty 7 Ronin Earns LumenVox Partner Skills Certification

Forty 7 Ronin delivers speech solutions based on the LumenVox speech automation suite.

IBM and Hilton Field Test a Robot Concierge

Connie is Hilton's robot concierge that incorporates IBM's Watson cognitive computing and speech APIs to help hotel guests.

Acapela Lends Children's Voices to Crick Software

Acapela Group's children's text-to-speech voices will power Crick's Clicker 7, Clicker Communicator, and Clicker Apps.

IBM Makes Watson TTS More Expressive

IBM makes its Watson Text to Speech API more human-sounding by drawing on more than 40 hours of speech to tag utterances.

Acapela Creates a Custom Voice for Norway's Transit System

Norwegian Jernbaneverket informs its passengers with its own exclusive voice, created by Acapela Transport.

IBM and SoftBank Introduce Japanese Watson APIs

Watson's capabilities can now be used to develop cognitive computing and speech services in Japan.

Swiss Government Agency Deploys Acapela Voices

The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) has recently deployed a new IVR with Acapela voices.

The 2016 State of the Speech Technology Industry: Assistive Technology

The 2016 State of the Speech Technology Industry: Speech Engine

AssistiveWare Adds Swedish to Its Children's TTS Voices

AssistiveWare has teamed with Acapela Group to create two children's text-to-speech voices in Swedish.

Omnitracs Launches Intelligent Vehicle Gateway

Omnitracs' newest telematics delivery system includes voice command functionality.

Intelligent Virtual Assistant Market to Reach $3.6 Billion by 2020

Allied Market Research foresees better than 35 percent growth per year for intelligent virtual assistants.

AISpeech Eyes International Expansion

The Chinese speech startup plans to use new financing to enter international markets.

NeoSpeech Teams with Skully for TTS in a Motorcycle Helmet

NeoSpeech Text-to-Speech enables the helmet to communicate with the rider in real time.

Nuance Dragon Drive Deployed in BMW 7-Series Cars

BMW has integrated Nuance's hybrid voice and natural language technologies to allow drivers to access in-car infotainment.

Ford Exploring SYNC Integration with Amazon Echo and Wink

Ford is developing ways to pair millions of SYNC-equipped vehicles globally with home automation devices or smart home products.

BBC Pilots Automatic Translation Tool

Technology automatically converts news scripts to other languages and speaks them aloud with text-to-speech synthesis.

Nuance Launches Nuance Mix Developer Platform for Consumer Electronics and IoT

Nuance Mix enables developers to create customized speech experiences for wearables, gaming, virtual reality, robotics, fitness, and more.

MessageLoud Launches to Help End Distracted Driving

The messageLoud mobile app can read text messages and email messages aloud.

Next IT Launches Engagement APIs

Engagement APIs extend Next IT's Alme digital assistant to any device or endpoint.

Sestek Releases Arabic TTS Voice

Tarik is the latest voice in Sestek's text-to-speech portfolio.

The Art and Science of Error Handling

A conversation with an IVR is still a conversation, and the same rules have to be applied. A Q&A with Google's Nandini Stocker.

Speech Technology in the IoT Era

As companies strive to build a connected world, obstacles persist—and so do opportunities

Automated Speech Translation: Think Global, Speak Local

Automatic translation, speech recognition, and text-to-speech make doing business abroad a lot less daunting

Why the Need for Speech Technology Is Greater Than Ever

In an increasingly multitasked, smaller-screen world, your fingers can't always do the walking (or swiping, or tapping)

Nuance Brings its Voice Developer Tools to Twitter Fabric

Nuance's SpeechKit SDK will be available to developers on the Twitter Fabric developer platform later this fall.

Voxella to Partner with Saltillo for Hospital Speech App

The two companies will work together on a speech-generation device for hospitalized patients who cannot speak.

Acapela Sees Partial Management Buyout

Acapela has undergone a change in its ownership structure.

Glove Translates Sign Language into Text and Speech

A London grad student's glove can translate sign language from hand gestures to visual text on a screen and audible dialogue.

Zappware Launches Voice Recognition for Smart TVs

Zappware voice control supports multiscreen content discovery.

Serious Factory Uses Acapela TTS in Its Virtual Training Suite

The serious gaming provider will use Acapela Group's cloud-based speech synthesis technology in its training solution.

LumenVox to Release ASR Version 14.0

The latest release of LumenVox's speech recognition includes support for Brazilian Portuguese, error reporting, and multiword processing.

Intelligent Virtual Assistant Market to See 32% CAGR Through 2022

Transparency Market Research expects the global intelligent virtual assistant market to reach $5.1 billion by 2022.

Harris Poll Shows Low Use and Low Appeal of in-Car Voice Apps

Safety features shine and those competing with consumer electronics falter in latest automotive Harris Poll.

Dunkin Donuts to Bring Gronk to Waze Voice App

Football star Rob Gronkowski lends his voice to Waze crowd-sourced traffic and navigation app.

Library of Congress to Use TTS

The Library of Congress allows visitors to its Web site to hear an audio summary of bills in Congress.

FreeMotion Launches News App for Multi-Language, TTS Readout

The app reads news content from around the world via text-to-speech technology.

Interactions Launches New Technology Labs

The new facilities will be dedicated to advancing speech and natural language understanding solutions.

The 2015 Speech Industry Star Performers: Acapela

The 2015 Speech Industry Star Performers: Google

The 2015 Speech Industry Star Performers: IBM

The 2015 Speech Industry Star Performers: Microsoft

National Federation of the Blind and Verifone Add Voice to Cabs

The National Federation of the Blind and Verifone collaborate to make taxicab terminals accessible with greater use of voice.

ReadSpeaker Updates Its TextAid Solution

New interfaces and the ability to read scanned documents round out the improvements.

New Waze Navigation App Features Children's Voices

The Safe Mode Kids voice pack for Waze features children's voices to promote safer driving.

NeoSpeech Partners with Military Freedom Fest, Providing TTS to Soldiers and Vets

NeoSpeech has joined forces with Military Freedom Fest to produce documentaries using text-to-speech software to honor the lives of U.S. soldiers and veterans.

Texthelp Launches Bilingual Read&Write for Google for French and English

Texthelp's GAFE tool is a voice-enabled reading and writing solution for students.

NeoSpeech Launches Voice Cloud Service for Text-to-Speech

NeoSpeech's Voice Cloud Service enables people to use text-to-speech technology online anywhere, anytime.

KFC's Col. Sanders Is Now a TTS Voice

Kentucky Fried Chicken has released a GPS app that uses the iconic founder's voice.

Diotek Releases Three New TTS Voices

UK English, Brazilian Portuguese, and Canadian French round out Diotek's new text-to-speech portfolio.

Acapela Releases Claudia, a German TTS Voice

Claudia joins Acapela's family of text-to-speech voices

Acapela Releases North Sami TTS Voices

Working with the Norwegian Sami Parliament, Acapela introduces new voices for the North Sami language.

Sensory Releases TrulyNatural Deep Neural Net Speech Recognition

Jibo has signed on as the first TrulyNatural customer.

Technical Support, Speech Technologies, and the Internet of Things

The emerging SIO category offers a balance of assistance for agents and users

IBM Opens Speech and Cognitive Computing APIs to Watson

Domain-Squatting Scheme Exploits TTS

Overheard, Underheard: TalkRocket Pro Lets a User's Location Do the Talking

Speech Industry Sets a Precedent for the Deaf-Blind Community

Technology is working to replace what the human ear and eye have lost

Orion Adds IVR to Its WFM Software

Orion Communications has added IVR functionality to its Web-based AgencyWeb workforce management solution.

Nuance PowerMic and Samsung Smartwatch App Connects Physicians to Speech Recognition

By using smartphones as microphones, and watches as dictation devices, healthcare is more connected than ever.

Infobip Adds Voice to Its Services Cloud

Infobip now empowers businesses and developers to add voice capabilities using flexible APIs.

Digital Alert Systems Offers Translation for Emergency Alerts

DASDEC OmniLingual Alert Module simplifies the delivery of emergency alert text and voice messages in multiple languages.

Microsoft Adds More Speech Capabilities to Skype Translator

New languages, vocal warnings, and control options round out Phase 2 of Skype Translate.

Acapela Releases Virtual Speaker 2.8

Virtual Speaker 2.8 features 19 additional voices, a new graphical interface, and an exclusive set of features.

Ai Squared Releases Window-Eyes 9.1 Screen Reader

Product updates make the Web more accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired.

Presence Enhances IVR, Adds Natural Language and Voice Biometrics

The IVR also supports the implementation of voice applications based on the standards VXML 2.1 and MRCP 2.0.

New Version of Acapela-Box Released

New version of Acapela-Box simplifies creation of voice files.

Acapela Adds Sharon, a New U.S. English TTS Voice

Sharon is available for long and short text, but is best suited for long audio files.

GM Voices Partners with AVDS

The two companies will work together on key communications systems projects.

ABC-CLIO Adds TTS, Translation Services

Video learning modules, text-to-speech and translation capabilities provide educators new approaches to teaching historical concepts and critical thinking.

The 2015 State of the Speech Technology Industry: Speech Engine

The 2015 State of the Speech Technology Industry: Assistive Technology

Space...The Final Frontier for Speech?

Acapela Releases TTS Voices for NVDA

Acapela's newest offering supports screen readers from Non Visual Desktop Access for Microsoft Windows.

New Project to Bring Speech to Gaming

D-Box could make multilingual sharing during game play possible.

TherapyBox Lets ALS Patients Record Their Own TTS Voice

App allows people with limited vocal ability to use own voices.

Oracle Releases Oracle Voice for Sales Cloud

Oracle Voice is a mobile, speech-enabled virtual assistant for salespeople on the go.

Nuance Adds Voice Biometrics to Dragon Drive, Debuts Virtual Assistant Service for Cars

Expanded connected car platform lets automakers personalize driving experiences.

eBay Implements Voice in Its Warehouse

eBay Enterprises has deployed Vocollect technology in its Louisville, Ky., order fulfillment center.

iSpeak4U Releases Android Version of HandySpeech

The app converts handwritten text into spoken words for people with disabilities.

Acapela Lets ALS Patients Create TTS with Their Own Voices

Acapela's My-Own-Voice app lets users record their own voices to use as the basis of text-to-speech software to be used later.

TCN Launches Platform 3 VocalVision

VocalVision is optimized for the JAWS screen reader to enable visually impaired call center agents.

Carnegie Mellon Brings 3D Virtual Assistant to Epson Moverio BT-200 Smart Glasses

CMU Entertainment Technology Center graduate students create a voice-enabled augmented reality travel assistant app.

ReadSpeaker Rolls Out New Version of ReadSpeaker TextAid

The speech service's online personal reader includes new text and document library capabilities.

Comcast Unveils Voice-Guided TV Interface for Visually Impaired Customers

Future versions will include personalization features such as rate of speech.

Acapela and AssistiveWare Deliver Children’s Voices for Macs OS X

Technology lets children listen to voices in their age group in educational apps.

ConvenienceWare Rolls Out GhostReader 2.0 TTS Solution for Mac

GhostReader 2.0 updatestext-to-speech authoring solution by adding speech tags and automatic language.

Smart Voice Alliance Launches

Are Obvious Patent Requests Simple Omissions—or Crimes?

Why the patent application process needs narrower boundaries.

HTML5 Is Live

The programming language will become the platform of choice for designing and deploying multimodal applications.

Interactions Snaps Up AT&T’s Watson

The deal enables both companies to expand speech solutions to broader markets.

INI IDReset Optimized for LumenVox Automated Speech Recognizer

IDReset uses speech recognition, text-to-speech and interactive voice response technology to help with password resets.

MotionSavvy’s UNI Converts Sign Language to Audio

Empowering the deaf and hearing-impaired, the new device also translates spoken words to text.

MemeSpeak Launches Voice Blogging Tool

MemeSpeak lets users create talking animations that can be shared through social networks.

NeoSpeech Releases NewsSpeak App

NeoSpeech NewsSpeeak relies on TTS technology to let users listen to preferred news stories.

ABC-CLIO Solutions Adds ReadSpeaker's TTS to its Online Curriculum and Reference Resources

Learners can now listen to and highlight all ABC-CLIO Solutions online text resources.

Acapela Forms a Division Specifically for Public Transit Solutions

Acapela Transport will offer solutions to deliver real-time passenger information.

Virtual Assistants Poised for Intense Growth

CAGR of 32.2 percent is expected through 2019.

GIA Predicts Robust Growth for Speech

Speech tech market projected to top $30 billion by 2010, according to Global Industry Analysts.

ING Rolls Out Nuance's Voice-Controlled Mobile Banking App

Nuance Nina offers hands-free banking.

Nuance Launches Dragon NaturallySpeaking 13 Professional

Organizations can customize and Deploy speech recognition software across their corporate desktops.

SpeaktoIt Releases api.ai, a Natural Language Development Platform

Speaktoit's newest product gives developers simple way to make their products listen, understand, and talk to users.

DynaVox Compass Arrives on iPad

DynaVox Compass is available as a single-purchase download or on a monthly subscription basis.

Cavena Chooses Acapela TTS for Subtitling

Cavena Audio Description package provides subtitling in 30 languages with Acapela voices.

Paragon Updates Slovoed Talking Dictionaries

New dictionaries provide a free trial, audio pronunciations, flash cards and other learning tools, and detailed grammar information.

VideoDubber to Use Acapela TTS

Acapela voices will help dub video content in more than 30 languages.

Dialogic PowerMedia XMS Receives LumenVox Platform Compatibility Certification

Dialogic's platform is compatible with LumenVox's text-to-speech and speech recognition products.

Sensory Updates TrulyHandsfree Voice Control for NLP-5x Chip

Improvements include 50 percent gain in accuracy and a 65 percent reduction in power consumption.

EmotionML Advances as a Standard

Intelligent Virtual Assistant Market Poised to Hit $2.1 Billion in 2019

IVR Continues to Spark Interest in Utilities

Overheard/Underheard: MIT Media Lab FingerReader Converts Text to Audio Signals for Vision-Impaired

Star Perfomers: Amazon's on Fire

Translate Your World Launches Medical Translation App

The hospital app can translate speech in up to 78 languages.

Acapela TTS Powers iWordQ Talking App for Struggling Writers

iWordQ is a writing and reading application to assist struggling writers and readers of all ages, designed by Quillsoft, that uses Acapela Voices.

Acapela Provides TTS for Open LORE Read

New assistive reading app features three Acapela voices for audio playback of text.

TomTom Adds Four More Languages to Voice Maps

TomTom Voice Maps now covers 76 countries with 46 unique languages.

NeoSpeech Releases U.K. English Male TTS Voice

Hugh is the latest voice in NeoSpeech's text-to-speech portfolio.

Cram.com Adds TTS to Its Flashcard App

New TTS on Cram.com provides audio support in 18 languages for flashcards.

ReadSpeaker Adds Document-Reading and Viewing Solution to Moodle

E-learning software provider adds ReadSpeaker's docReader service to its Moodle platform.

SageLINQ Launches to Read the Internet

New SageLINQ app converts content into audio files and streams it to listeners' mobile devices.

Thames Water Selects Unify for Contact Center Voice Techs

The U.K. utility will implement OpenScape Contact Center, OpenScape Voice, and Unify Managed Services in its contact centers.

Smiffy’s Implements Voxware’s Cloud Voice Solution in Its Warehouse

Voxware's cloud solution enables Smiffy's to scale and address seasonal spikes while delivering 2 million products globally each month.

Domino’s Adds Voice Ordering to Mobile Apps

Domino's new virtual assistant is based on Nuance's Nina Mobile technology.

Aculab Adds Ivona TTS to Its Aculab Cloud

Adding Ivona text-to-speech to the Aculab Cloud gives developers more language choices.

Battle of the IVR Designs: Conversational Versus Phone Trees

When it comes to IVR design, are you seeing the forest for the trees?

Microsoft Introduces Cortana, Its Answer to Siri

Fujitsu Brings Emotion to Text-to-Speech

Overheard/Underheard: CVS Prescription Service Aids Visually Impaired

Speech Is Set to Dominate the Wearables Market

A voice interface opens a world of possibilities for wearable devices.

Vangard Voice Partners with Stay-Linked for Mobile Voice Productivity Solutions

Partnership yields a mobile solution built on the AccuSpeech platform.

NeoSpeech Releases New US English Female TTS Voice

Ashley is added to NeoSpeech's text-to-speech portfolio.

SpeechTrans Updates SpeechTrans Ultimate for Windows 8.1

SpeechTrans Ultimate for Windows 8.1 offers real-time speech-to-speech translation, dictation, and instant messaging on Facebook, Google Talk, Yahoo!, and AIM.

NeoSpeech Releases New Text-to-Speech App

Apps offers 14 professional male and female voices in seven languages.

Acapela Releases Bilingual English/Spanish Voice Rodrigo

Rod/Rodrigo speaks both Spanish and English, and even a little "Spanglish."

Honeywell Releases New Version of VoiceCatalyst

Vocollect VoiceCatalyst 2.1 makes it easier to implement voice picking in the warehouse.

Google Adds to Its TTS Engine

New languages and high-quality voices go into Google Text-to-Speech Version 3.

Voki Launches Voki Presenter

Voki Presenter is a speech-enabled virtual teaching assistant.

Nu Echo Releases Rivr, a VoiceXML Dialogue Engine

Rivr is an application framework that enables Java developers to easily create enterprise-grade VoiceXML applications.

Cadence Adds Rubidium Voice Solutions to Its HiFi Audio/Voice Processing Suite

Rubidium extends its voice trigger, text-to-speech, speech recognition, and biometric speaker verification software to Cadence's DSP products.

CSIR's New TTS Offers South African Voices

CSIR is looking for a commercial partner to take its TTS products to market.

NSC Director Speaks Out Against Voice-Enabled In-Car Systems

National Safety Council Senior Director of Transportation Initiatives David Teater said voice systems in the car create unnecessary driver distraction.

LumenVox Releases Version 12.1 of Its ASR, TTS and Speech Tuner

Version 12.1 of LumenVox applications makes it easier to install, configure, operate, and build upon.

AppTek Releases Omnifluent Mobile Speech Translation Apps

Bidirectional apps provide real-time speech and text translation on iOS devices.

AT&T's Watson Answers the Call

Spanning decades, AT&T's Watson engine continues to evolve and entice developers.

Nuance Offers Virtual Assistance in the Cloud

NeoSpeech Adds Mexican Spanish TTS Voice

Mexican male voice "Francisco" joins NeoSpeech's growing text-to-speech portfolio.

Ivona Enters Wearables Market with OrCam Partnership

The wearable computer connects to a user's glasses and can read aloud anything the user specifies.

New Jawbone ERA Headsets Promise Better Voice Recognition

Jawbone ERA offers a voice-based interface that lets users control Siri and Google Now without touching their phones.

Make Way for Mobile: Wearables Will Rely on Speech

In an exclusive Q&A, Yankee Group analyst Raul Castañón explains why voice-controlled mobile apps will be all the rage in 2014.

Millennial Media Launches Interactive Voice Ads for Toyota

The new ads blend speech technologies from Nuance with content related to Toyota's Entune system.

Martian Watches Adds New Features and Functions to its Voice Command Line

Martian adds features, languages, and integrations to its Voice Command line of Martian Passport, Victory, and G2G series smartwatches.

SpeechTrans Partners with Intel

The partnership between SpeechTrans and Intel will increase access to translation technology on Intel-based devices.

iSpeak4U Releases HandySpeech 3.0

The latest version of the HandySpeech handwriting-to-speech app has a new interface and improved speech and handwriting recognition.

Ivona Adds TTS Voices in Four New Languages

New Ivona TTS offerings include Swedish, Turkish, Portuguese, and Indian English.

Elderis Adds Ivona Voice to Connected TV Set-Top Box

TTS makes channel guides and program information available to the elderly and disabled.

Honda to Offer Siri Eyes Free Integration

Siri Eyes Free is now available as a dealer-installed accessory on some Honda and Acura car models.

Acapela Adds North Sami to Its Portfolio of TTS Languages

The language spoken in northern Scandinavia will be preserved and promoted with text-to-speech.

LumenVox Upgrades Speech Tuner and Recognizer

Version 12.0 also adds four new languages.

Can VUI and GUI Survive an Interface Marriage?

Even though voice user and graphical user interface designs differ greatly, some practitioners are committed to making their union work.

Overheard Underheard

Omnichannel Contact Centers Embrace Speech

Suddenly, the technology is everywhere.

Mobile Device Translations Get in the Game

An interview with a sports industry speech evangelist.

NeoSpeech Partners with BorG

BorG sends text-to-speech for iPhones and iPads.

Nuance Launches Next-Generation Dragon Drive

Dragon Drive Speech SDK is also launched for developers.

Nuance Updates Its Swype Keyboard

New features of Swype include continuous dictation, bilingual support, improved personalization settings, accessibility features, and more languages.

Hi-Spec Lenses Deploys Voxware's Voice Management Suite

The eyeglasses supplier improves warehouse picking accuracy and reduces training time with Voxware.

Nuance Adds Speech to Aldebaran's NAO Robots

The NAO robot delivers natural and conversational interactions with Nuance's voice recognition and text-to-speech.

Nuance Launches Early Access Program for Samsung Developers

New NDEV features include custom vocabularies and expanded TV app support.

ReadSpeaker Releases ReaderSpeaker speechCloud and ReadSpeaker TTS Producer

Text-to-speech solutions include an API to create apps for developing talking household appliances.

ReadSpeaker and Instructure Partner to Integrate TTS on the Canvas Learning Management System

Instructors and students can now benefit from speech-enabled educational content to facilitate the learning experience.

Nuance Dragon Drive Gives Mercedes-Benz Owners News on the Road

Dragon Drive's COMAND Online text-to-speech reads online news articles aloud.

Translate Your World Teams Up with ReadSpeaker

Companies to combine voice-to-subtitles system with subtitles-to-voice capabilities.

Nuances Dragon Drive Adds Voice to Kenwood In-Car Infotainment System

New Kenwood system delivers enhanced navigation, hands-free control of social media, message dictation and read-back, voice control for weather, calendar, music, RSS feed reader, and more.

Genesys Releases Actionable Analytics Offering

The solution combines text and speech analytics data to provide deeper interaction insights.

NeoSpeech Releases Revamped VoiceText

Text-to-speech solution integrates voices into multimedia apps.

World of Fully Human Robots Still Pretty Far Off: Thoughts from SpeechTEK's Final Day

Not everything needs to—or should—sound like a human.

Nuance and Widespace Partner to Expand Nuance Voice Ads to Europe

Nuance Voice Ads supports more than 40 languages, bringing conversational mobile ads to European brands and consumers.

Incendonet to Release SpeechBridge 5

Enhancements include more advanced configurations.

The 2013 Star Performers

NeoSpeech Boosts Phonetic Language Support for English, Chinese, and Japanese

VoiceText Markup Language lets developers convert phonetic symbols.

LinguaSys to License and Distribute OPI Translate Application

Solution provides mobile device translation of text and speech.

Voice2Phone Announces Group Calling Online Service

Multi-platform Group Calling Online Service is a mass calling system to send personalized recorded voice messages to phone lists.

Ivona Adds a New Russian TTS Voice

The new addition brings Ivona's portfolio to 45 voices and 18 languages.

Jabra Releases Stone3 Featuring Rubidium Inside

New headset offers speech recognition technology for answering and rejecting calls by voice commands.

Google Buys Speech Recognition, Search Patents

The technology buys bolster Google's "conversational search" aspirations.

OP3Nvoice and Digital Reasoning Team Up on Analytics for Multichannel Electronic Communications

Integrated solution will enhance global compliance infrastructure for financial services firms.

Wavelink SpeakEasy Passes Motorola's Test

The voice-based warehouse app is certified for compatibility with select Motorola handheld devices.

Voxeo Spins Off Voxeo Labs

Voxeo Labs announces new corporate identity under Tropo brand.

NeoSpeech Updates Spanish Female TTS Voice

The new Violeta now supports users on a 64-bit platform.

Nuance Releases Dragon Cloud App for Windows

Note-taking app for Windows 8 supports more than 25 languages.

Translate Your World Launches Web Translator

Translate Your World releases an app that relies on human and automated translations for Web events.

Nuance’s NDEV Program Gives Voice to TV Apps

The mobile app developer program expands with beta access to speech for TV apps.

Rubidium Releases Dutch ASR and TTS Package

Dutch language release is available now as part of Rubidium's European language pack.

Dragon Mobile Assistant Expands with Intelligent Driver Mode

Automatically switches to driver mode in a moving car; adds customizable wake-up word and voice notifications for Facebook, texts, calls, and appointments.

NeoSpeech TTS Powers New Japanese Learning App

Japanese voices added to Rakudasoft's Hands-Free Sensei mobile app.

AAA Urges Drivers to Stop Using Speech

New research finds hands-free does not mean distraction-free.

Nuance Acquires Tweddle

The deal adds to Nuance's automotive business.

NeoSpeech Enhances TTS for ADA Compliance

Support for Microsoft SAPI opens access to screenreader.

Acapela Adds New Children's TTS Voices

Four new voices round out the company's portfolio for Google Android apps.

Voyager Learning Teams with iSpeech to Launch VmathLive

The new online math program features a text-to-speech program interface.

Rubidium Releases Mandarin Chinese ASR and TTS

The technology allows for hands-free phone use in China.

Voxware Forges a Partnership in Poland

HIT-Kody Kreskowe will offer Voxware's Voice Management Suite in Poland.

Panopreter Offers TTS Freeware

The text-to-speech application lets Windows users convert text to .wav or .mp3 audio files.

NeoSpeech Updates Embedded Text-to-Speech Products

Solutions include support for several platforms, including IOS and Android.

AudioEye Delivers Mobile Audio Web Site for Cancer News Publisher

Onco'Zine launches avoice-driven Audio Internet site.

The Evolution of Virtual Assistants

Siri may be at the forefront, but she's far from on her own.

Genesys Acquires Angel.com

Avaya Expands the DevConnect Select Product Program

New partners include LumenVox.

Oddcast Releases Online Speech API Vocalware

The pay-as-you-go model charges per audio stream.

Consumers Want More, Better Voice Capabilities

Voice Translation Hits Its Stride

Cross-language communication is globalizing business and affecting the world.

Nuance Adds TTS to Document Scanning Program

OmniPage Ultimate now lets users convert documents to audio files.

Infovox Enhances Its Talking Companion App

Infovox4 features Acapela Group's technology to convert written text to speech.

NeoSpeech Turns TTS Over to Amazon Hosting

Developers can now access more reliable TTS Web Services.

Nuance and AutoNavi Collaborate in China

Companies offer voice-enabled navigation services.

ManageEngine Releases Voice-Enabled Help Desk App

The new iPhone ServiceDesk Plus MSP app features Nuance voice technologies.

Credo Adds TTS through Partnership with ReadSpeaker

TTS expands the capabilities of the library learning software to help more people.

VoltDelta Powers Nevada's New 511 System

Complete 511 motorist information system will include IVR, Web, condition reporting, data fusion, and smartphone applications with survey feedback.

Walsh Media and CereProc Team Up

TTS company CereProc has partnered with professional voice solutions company Walsh Media to provide corporate voice branding solutions.

Indosoft Enhances Its Visual IVR Builder for Q-Suite

The contact center solution for Asterisk includes significant enhancement to the Visual IVR Dialplan Builder.

Nuance Updates Dragon NaturallySpeaking 12

The latest version offers support for Microsoft Windows 8, Office 2013, and Internet Explorer 10.

Consumers Desire More Voice and Video

Smartphones are increasing awareness of text-to-speech, speech-to-text, and voice control technologies.

Nuance Expands Dragon Mobile Features

It now provides location-aware, proactive assistant, and text messaging features.

TextAloud Now Available for Apple iOS Devices

The text-to-speech software is now available from NextUp.com as an app for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

Nuance Expands Nina to the Web and Beyond

Nuance's virtual assistant now provides greater cross-platform customer service.

iSpeech Launches Publishing Platform

Converts books and articles into audiobooks and podcasts.

Voice Dream Reader with NeoSpeech TTS Voices Now Available

Mobile app lets users import and convert any form of text to voice files.

Jabra Headsets Feature Embedded Rubidium Speech Technology

Rubidium adds voice control to Jabra's latest Microsoft- and Skype-compatible unified communications headsets.

CereProc Adds Dutch to Its TTS Portfolio

The Anne female Dutch voice expands the company's reach in Europe.

ScootPad Teams Up with ReadSpeaker

Partnership integrates text-to-speech technology into learning platform.

Acapela Adds TTS Voices to Scene Partner

Sixteen new voices debut in the mobile app to help actors memorize their lines.

NeoSpeech Powers Web2go Web Site Reader

Software gives voice to blogs and Web sites.

Speech Developer Programs Have Hit Prime Time

From the novice to the experienced, it's boom time for developers.

Speech Finds a Home

Talking to the walls might not mean you're crazy.

Speech Pioneer Ray Kurzweil Joins Google

Overheard Underheard

When Bad IVRs Are Good Enough

Users accustomed to substandard systems can't imagine any better.

Singing the Praise of Speech Recognition

Applications are out there—if you know where to look.

Nuance Updates Its Nina Virtual Assistant

The mobile phone app now speaks and understands 38 languages.

Honda and Acura to Integrate Siri

Siri Eyes Free technology will appear on select 2013 car models.

Amazon Buys TTS Provider Ivona

The company was already providing the TTS for Amazon's Kindle tablets.

Voxware and LogFire Collaborate on Voice Solutions in the Cloud

Cloud-based partnership will bring voice capabilities to more retail and distribution operations.

Nuance's Dragon Drive Voice-Enables Hyundai's Next-Generation Connected Car

Hyundai's connected car prototype brings intelligent, conversational in-car connectivity to the mass consumer market.

Nuance Dragon Drive Added to Select Chrysler Models

Automaker launches Uconnect Access services.

Nuance, ZTE Team Up on Portfolio of Voice-Enabled Devices

Companies collaborate on advanced voice applications.

DENSO Adopts NeoSpeech Software for Vehicle Navigation System

TTS technology will be used in Toyota vehicles.

Chevy to Incorporate Siri in Two Models

The Spark and Sonic will integrate with Apple's iPhone personal assistant app.

NeoSpeech Debuts New TTS Canadian French Voice

App uses natural language processing.

CereProc Expands Its TTS Accent Portfolio

More than 15 new regional accents highlight the enhancements available for mobile apps.

Voice Guide to Come to Kindle Products Next Year

Uses IVONA text-to-speech technology.

Intel Adds Nuance Voice Recognition to SDK

Allows developers to add voice commands.

ISpeak4U Debuts HandySpeech

Handwriting-to-speech app helps those with severe language difficulties.

CereProc Brings TTS to the Global CreST Network Tour

CereProc is collaborating in a research project and touring exhibition that explores the principles for conversational emotion and challenges involved in artificial voices.

Buddy Bird Tells You What to Do

Task lists can be read aloud with NeoSpeech TTS voices.

NeoSpeech Voices Speech-Enable Rooster Alarm iPhone App

Rooster Alarm can announce the date and time, custom greeting messages, music tracks, birthday reminders and any RSS feed from the Internet.

Siri-ous Influence: Enterprise Virtual Assistants Have Arrived

First came Apple's Siri for the iPhone. Now there's Nina, Lexee, and Sophia for business use.

Desire2Learn Implements Technology from Cisco WebEx, ReadSpeaker, Ellucian, and Automatic Sync

Platform to include cloud-based text-to-speech technology

ReadSpeaker Launches New Vesion of Enterprising Highlighting Solution

Features include automatic scrolling and text selection.

Nuance Introduces Dragon NaturallySpeaking 12 Legal Edition

Latest version of Dragon Legal delivers increased accuracy.

Neospeech Unveils Text to Speech for SIP VoIP Services

Server connects TTS to any telephony platform.

Nimblevox Taps VoiceVault for Voice Verification Services

Company's IVR systems are integrated with VoiceVault's voice biometrics solutions.

SpeechTrans Collaborates with HP

Translation software featured on HP MyRoom on Microsoft Windows 8.

CEVA, Rubidium Partner to Develop Speech Processing Solutions

Solutions address growing demand for voice-powered user interfaces.

NeoSpeech Text-to-Speech On-Demand Adds New Voices

Service now available on Amazon Web.

Audi A3 Integrates Dragon Features

Voice recognition and text-to-speech service lets drivers dictate and hear text messages.

Voxware Announces General Availability of its Cloud-Based Voice Solution

A feed company has already started seeing the benefits of the voice-enabled warehouse system.

Voice Reader Text-to-Speech 2.5 Supports 32 Voices, 21 Languages

Updates include direct search feature.

Vestec Secures up to $6.4 Million Funding

The company aims to leverage artificial intelligence research to provide sophisticated speech recognition.

Nuance's NDEV Mobile Developer Program Expands Across Middle East, Europe, and Asia

Developers can now access 34 dictation and search languages.

Chrysler Adds Voice to Select Models

Uconnect Access includes voice-activated texting and search functions.

TextSpeak Unveils Human-Sounding Speech Synthesis Appliance

Text-to-speech peripheral advances hospital announcement and medical dispatch systems.

Acapela TTS Lets Users Personalize Android Phones

The Acapela TTS Voices app offers 50 voices in 26 languages for Google Play apps.

TTS Provider CereProc Updates Its Core Product

The latest version offers greater compatibility and system performance.

GM Voices Teams Up With LumenVox

The two companies will jointly develop voice prompt e-commerce portal.

Android Concierge Solution Gets Its Voice from NeoSpeech

VoiceText is the basis of the Shabette Concier application in Japan.

Nuance Announces Dragon Assistant Beta, a Voice App for Intel-Inspired Ultrabooks

Dragon Assistant lets people speak to their PCs to search the Web, find content, play music, check and reply to email, update social network statuses, and more.

HighJump Software Extends Warehouse Voice Options

A new partnership with Speech Interface Design brings Vocollect Voice to warehouse operations.

Nuance Powers Voice Search in Grainger's Mobile App

Enables consumer access to more than 900,000 MRO products.

Enabling the Disabled

Developments in assistive technologies are removing barriers for many.

Siri, Meet Nina

Nuance Unleashes a New Dragon

New App Lets Users Listent to Twitter Feeds

The Social Radio app converts social streams into audio.

NeoSpeech TTS Featured in AAC Speech Application

iPad solution improves communication for people with speech disabilities.

Wizzard's Wavefile Factory Voice Enables Internal e-learning Projects

Technology incorporates AT&T Natural Voices.

SpeechTrans Launches Video Conference Translation Software

The solution features speech technologies from Nuance Communications.

NeoSpeech TTS Featured in Out Fit 7’s Talking Friends Mobile App

The Tom Loves Angela app allows users to chat with Tom's girlfriend Angela by entering in text that is then converted to speech.

Hollywood Feed Implements Voxware's Cloud-Based Voice Solution

Retailer aims to elevate operations, better serve its customers, and increase employee satisfaction.

PCS Wireless and Voice Assist Announce Nationwide Market Trial

10,000 handsets will get the hands-free safe driving assistant.

Clarion Launches TTS for Social Media Apps

The new apps provide an in-vehicle user interface.

NeoSpeech Teams Up With ReminderXchange

Text-to-speech based offering provides voice reminder services.

Verizon Wireless Launches Mobile Accessibility App Suite for Visually Impaired Customers

Apps include use of speech recognition.

LumenVox Unveils New Version Of Speech Engine

Features include an upgrade to the Text-to-Speech server.

Voice Assist Files Patent for Handsfree Radio and Safe Driving with Audio Awareness

The application lets users hear incoming messages and respond with voice.

Nuance Introduces Nina, Its Own Virtual Assistant

Nina provides an open SDK for the enterprise.

MyVoice Announces Wheelchair-Friendly TalkRocket Go App

Verbal communication using an iPad is now physically and financially accessible to people with complex disabilities.

Nuance Unveils Dragon NaturallySpeaking 12

The company adds more than 100 enhancements to its voice recognition solution.

A Voice Comes to Facebook

Android app lets users broadcast their Facebook news feed and talk back, all by voice.

iSpeech Launches Voice Recognition Platform for the Home

Technology controls smart TVs, electronics, and appliances by voice.

M*Modal Selected by United Hospital System

The medical clinical documentation solutions provider offers M*Modal Fluency solutions to facilities in Wisconsin and Illinois.

The 2012 Speech Luminaries

The 2012 Market Leaders

Job Descriptions for Personal Assistants

Radar O'Reilly is a tough act to follow.

Kurzweil Launches Firefly App for iPad

Provides access to literacy tools

Voxeo Partners with Deutsche Telekom

Deutsche Telekom adopts the Tropo Voice and SMS API from Voxeo.

Voxware Introduces Cloud-Based Voice Solution

Robust voice solution helps organizations significantly elevate their operations and enhance the customer experience with minimal IT resources.

iSpeech Updates Its APIs and SDKs

iSpeech voice recognition and text-to-speech platform expands capabilities with increased accuracy, speed, and custom speech recognition.

Uniphore Software System Teams with Nuance Communications

Partnership expands speech recognition and voice biometrics for banks in India

CereProc Makes Its Youthful Voices Commercially Available

The two voices, originally created for the education market, feature regional English accents.

ReadSpeaker Speech-Enables AARP Foundation's W.I.N. Web Site

AARP Foundation's W.I.N. Web site now has ReadSpeaker's online text-to-speech service to help adult and older workers get better access to its written content.

NeoSpeech TTS Is Now Available through the Aculab Cloud

Cloud provisioning makes the application more cost-effective for developers.

New Siri-Like Service for Android Launches

Robin, a new voice-enabled personal assistant from Magnifis, is available in beta across the U.S.

Kurzweil Releases Update for Kurzweill 1000

Version 13 of the screen reading technology features support for Microsoft Speech Platform, giving greater choice of TTS voices.

Siri Expected to Arrive on the iPad 3 Later This Year

iPad3-release.com reports the iPhone's voice-activated personal assistant is set to debut on the new iPad 3 following the launch of Apple's new operating system, iOS 6.

CereProc Opens its CereVoice Cloud

The TTS specialist offers its TTS software as a cloud-based product now in beta testing.

Dolbey and Alpha Systems Team Up

Companies join forces to help hospitals prepare for new standards

Nuance's Mobile Developer Program Tops 10,000 App Developers Worldwide

Dragon voice recognition powers apps on iOS, Android, and Windows Phone 7 platforms

CereProc Signs on for New UK Education Initiative Using Speech

The U.K. government-sponsored program launches two TTS voices for use in England's education system.

Nuance Dragon Gives Voice to PlaySay App

Educational gaming app connects English and Spanish learners

Nuance Dragon Apps Now Available in the Czech Republic and Romania

Dragon Apps expand availability and language support in eastern Europe

The Yellow Pages App Offers Free Voice Navigation

Avantar's Yellow Pages is the first business directory app to offer free turn-by-turn voice GPS navigation on the iPhone.

Creating Fluidity Between Channels

From single-channel to cross-channel interactions, customers must be able to move seamlessly among them without data loss.

Microsoft Demos a Translator That Re-Creates the User's Own Voice

British Government Makes Investment in Literacy

Blasts Heard Round the Globe

Smart marketers are getting personal.

Harman Adds More Voice to Toyota Telematics System

The Toyota Touch & Go features advanced voice recognition and TTS capabilities.

Cepstral Launches 6.0 Release of Voices for Open Source Telephony

Adds new features and low-cost integration for VARS and integrators

RealityCorp Debuts ClinTest Voice v4.0

Creates test scripts, automates test execution from a single platform

eBible Launches a Voice-Navigated Bible

Navigate the Bible by speaking to it instead of tapping on a mobile app screen.

CereProc Partners with FTW and Voice Business to Give the Austrian Postal Service a Voice

New Austrian TTS voices are included in the project.

Inphonite Rolls Out InphoniteVoice 2012

IVR and messaging solution offered for Saas and on-premises

Ortsbo Initiates U.S. Patent Process for New E-Reader Language Translator App

Company prepares to enter new market

The Talking Alarm Clock Now Says More

Mother Tucker's new device reads the date, weather, calendar, email, stock prices, horoscopes, and custom text.

CereProc Introduces Irish TTS Voice

CereProc's mobile text-to-speech (TTS) voice offering with an Irish accent comes out just in time for St. Patrick's Day.

Vangard Voice Partners with BellHawk Systems

The pairing brings productivity enhancements to cloud-based, voice-directed logistics applications.

Don Johnston Announces Snap&Read Screen Reader

The floating toolbar reads text on screen in any application and format.

Voice Assist and Tap Factory Release Contact on the Apple App Store

Voice-activated communication assistant is now available for iPhone and can be used without a data connection.

Ford Sync Resonates with Drivers

New owners identified Sync's voice recognition capability as a key part of their decision to buy a Ford; 77 percent say they use voice commands regularly.

Noble Systems Tapped By Invacare HCS

The company will provide messaging and speech technology for prescription refill notifications.

Global Speech Rec Market to Approach $70 Billion by 2015

Nuance’s NDEV Mobile Developer Program Now Includes 8,000 Global Developers

Dragon Mobile SDK voice-enables iOS, Android, and Windows Phone 7 apps across Europe.

Sensory and Tensilica Partner to Offer Complete Speech Recognition Subsystem

Sensory's TrulyHandsfree will be ported to Tensilica's HiFi audio DSPs.

New Voxware Voice Management Suite 5.0 Extends Real-Time Benefits to Logistics Operations

New VoxPilot provides instant visibility and push-button control.

LumenVox Now Hosts Applications

The company began offering a hosting service for its speech and telephony applications.

GM Voices Introduces New Business Conference Video and Event Promotion Services

The new offering includes promotional video and animation and on-site media

Manhattan Associates Strengthens Relationship with Voxware

Voxware becomes a Manhattan Value Partner, making its voice solutions available to Manhattan's WMS customers.

CereProc and Telisma Team Up

Companies integrate voice input and output carrier-grade systems.

Vocollect Adds Voice Support for PCs

New packing station application could help companies achieve significant additional productivity gains and increase business capacities by eliminating unnecessary process steps.

Ask Ziggy Gives Siri a Run for Its Money

Voice assistant now available for Windows 7 phones.

Mod43 and Lucas Will Jointly Deliver Jennifer VoicePlus Solutions

The two firms pair up to deliver voice picking and other voice-directed warehouse functionality to Oracle WMS customers.

A Matter of Convenience

A c-store distributor realizes double-digit gains with a voice-driven warehouse application.

Are Speech Vendors About to Do the Mash?

This new technique promises significantly faster application development.

Speaking to Web Pages

New speech integration ideas show promise for 2012.

BMW Drivers Can Hear Yelp

New TTS feature enables drivers to listen to information and reviews about area businesses.

Nuance Acquires Bitter Rival Vlingo

The two companies have a storied past that involves many court battles.

Nuance’s NDEV Mobile Developer Program Now Available in Brazil

Dragon Mobile SDK makes its South American debut, empowering developers to voice-enable iOS, Android, Windows Phone 7, and Web apps with support for Brazilian Portuguese.

Pictello Adds Support For 23 Languages

New story-telling tool features recorded sound and text-to-speech.

CereProc Receives Patent for Emotional Speech Synthesis System

Custom voices are full of character.

Speech You Can Count On

New app uses speech technologies to teach counting and currencies in foreign languages.

Nuance's NDEV Mobile Developer Program Expands to Russia

Dragon Mobile SDK gives global developers access to Russian voice-to-text and text-to-speech.

Nuance Forecasts a Rosy 2012

The company expects top growth from mobile and consumer units and healthcare and enterprise segments.

Tronton Launches Talking Mobile Virtual Assistant

The new "Cluzee" virtual personal assistant app employs voice recognition and synthesis, a conversational interface, and machine learning.

Acapela Kiosk Lets Publishers Voice-Enable Huge Amounts of Text

The new online service offers a smart collaborative text-to-speech production solution.

Acapela Adds Two Swedish Voices

The new voices speak in Swedish dialects Skånska and Göteborgska.

SoftChalk Integrates ReadSpeaker's Online TTS in its Educational Software

New partnership lets students have online class materials read to them with TTS technology.

Nuance Expands Its Mobile Developer Program to Denmark, Poland, and Portugal

Dragon Mobile SDK now supports 20 voice-to-text languages globally.

LumenVox Now Offers TTS

New Speech Engine now features text-to-speech, a completely new functionality for LumenVox

CereProc Launches CereVoice 3.0

New version of the TTS software features iPhone compatibility, improved performance, and support for more languages.

IVR Relinquishes the Gatekeeper Role

One company blends human interaction with speech self-service.

Are There 31 Outsourcing Flavors?

IVR system decision makers weigh factors across customer entry points.

Pronexus Launches VBVoice 7.1

New IVR offers 64-bit support and adds new Early Media Feature and Easy Installer.

Dragon Dictation and Dragon Search Now Available in Denmark and Poland

Danish and Polish consumers can now speak text for email, text messages, Web content, and more.

Voxware Now Supports Android Phones

Voxware's warehouse voice application becomes the first to support Google's Android operating system.

Nuance Gives Voice to Waze App for iPhone and Android

Nuance's connected text-to-speech reads aloud turn-by-turn directions and traffic alerts for social mapping and navigation app.

Nuance Gives SayHi Translate App a Voice

Dragon Mobile SDK powers SayHi's translation app in seven languages via the Nuance Mobile Developer Program.

Vangard Simplifies WMS Integration with Voice

Mobile Voice Utility eliminates costly server integration, business process changes, interfaces, and middleware.

Nuance Launches Its First Mobile Advantage Apps

The first two apps in the suite are designed to steer customers to mobile smartphone applications.

ReadSpeaker Launches Web-Based Math Audio Reader

Program lets publishers make their educational content more accessible.

Nuance Expands Ford SYNC to Europe with 19 New Languages

Ford's popular voice-enabled in-car infotainment system powered by Nuance to launch in Europe in 2012.

eBooks for the Visually Impaired

Kindle and other readers come up short; Justice Dept. pushes textbooks

Aetna Members Get Answers

The insurer's virtual assistant engages more than 2 million chats, helping ferret out information on benefits, costs, and more

Nuance Agrees to Acquire Loquendo

Deal is valued at $75.5 million

Nuance, Ford Collaborate on Speech Understanding and Intent

Pair aims to make voice recognition more intuitive in SYNC in-car telematics system

Automated Translation Saves Thousands

But proper implementation requires meticulous preparation

Nuance Powers New Bon’App for iPhone

Harvard Fellow's Start-up Taps Dragon Mobile SDK to Power Bon'App Voice Search for Faster, Easier Access to Healthy Food Options

Nuance to Acquire Loquendo

The deal is worth $75.5 million and brings together two speech technology leaders.

SpeechTrans Translation App Available on Android Devices

The app features unlimited multilanguage translations and integration with Facebook chat.

IVONA Software Releases Truly Youth Text-to-Speech Voices

New youth TTS voices enable a variety of applications for young people.

iSpeech Brings Speech Rec and TTS to iOs, Android, and BlackBerry

The company releases its SDK to developers of mobile apps.

LumenVox Releases Speech Engine 10.2

The latest version features a new dashboard application and manager service.

Nuance Names the Winners of Its I Speak Dragon Contest

Hundreds of people shared their stories of how speech technologies help in their personal and professional lives.

Loquendo TTS Powers Online Language Learning Tool

Loquendo teams with Quizlet.com to offer text-to-speech on flashcard sets in 12 languages.

eXtrapola and Loquendo Create a Talking Newsletter for Italian Newspaper

With AudioFlash24, breaking news from IlSole24Ore.com is also available by voice, thanks to eXtrapola and Loquendo speech technologies.

Nuance Releases Dragon Dictate for Mac 2.5

Speech recognition application for Mac adds full support for Microsoft Word 2011, social media sharing, and formatting and editing features.

iSpeech Develops Audio Reader for Elsevier's SciVerse Applications

- Text-to-speech application enables researchers to listen to scientific articles on SciVerse ScienceDirect

Nuance Powers Hands-Free Genius Button on New T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide

T-Mobile's Genius Button gets even smarter with new voice-enabled wake up commands.

Nuance Powers Voice Capabilities in OnStar FMV Retail Mirror

OnStar FMV lets drivers speak to get directions and make hands-free phone calls in the car.

Txtlocal Gives a Voice to the Disabled

The company's JayBee product transforms predictive text phrases into voices

Speech-Enhanced Customer Service Gets a New Look

Multichannel solutions meld proactive outbound alerts and notifications with inbound capabilities

The 2011 Star Performers

The 2011 Market Leaders

Speech Drives Safety Solutions for Cars

Distractions like texting and navigation systems call for safer user interfaces, and the industry is responding

Ford and Nuance Collaborate to Advance Speech Understanding and Intent

Ford is teaming up with Nuance to research new voice recognition capabilities that will help drivers converse more easily with Ford SYNC by accurately interpreting command intent.

Acapela Adds 18 Voices to Its Virtual Speaker Product Line

New voices bring the total number available to 57.

Nuance Acquires SVOX

Combined technology portfolios to drive more natural interactions with cars, mobile phones, and consumer electronics.

Acapela Adds 10 New TTS Voices

New voices cover Asian and European languages.

Nuance Releases New Dragon Version and New Dragon Remote Mic App

Version 11.5 adds new social media sharing capabilities, correction and editing features, and more.

Loquendo TTS Powers Universal Translator App with Voice and Image Processing for BlackBerry and iPhone

RantNetwork announces the integration of Loquendo TTS in Communilator, a voice and photo translation application for smartphones.

Wizzard Releases New AT&T Natural Voices TTS SDKs for Desktop and Server

SDKs for desktop and server support 32- and 64-bit apps, Windows SAPI 5x with .NET, C, ASP, and Flash/PHP samples.

Ectaco Selects SVOX TTS for eBook Readers and Language Learning Software

SVOX solution enhances Ectaco devices for the educational and consumer markets.

Nuance Launches Complete Care Multichannel Solutions

Nuance Complete Care engages consumers over the customer contact life cycle with integrated inbound and outbound customer care

SpeechTrans Offers Mobile Translation App for Hearing Impaired

Custom-designed speech recognition app gives the hearing impaired freedom to engage in personal multi-language conversations.

SpeechTEK Europe Multimodal Challenge Winner Named

Textpilot from Norwegian company Include won the Expert's Prize in the event's new Multimodal Challenge competition.

Loquendo Releases Indian English TTS

Veena is the new female English-speaking voice with an Indian accent.

Consumers Embrace Speech to Improve Smartphone Functionality

SVOX reveals popularity of text-to-speech voices with over 340,000 downloads since engine launch; discovers consumers prefer female text-to-speech voices to male

Voxware Releases New Version of Voxware 3 Software

Version 4.1 features "bucket brigade" picking capabilities and batch and split assigning.

Lucas Adds Speedometer Feature to Jennifer Voice-Picking Solution

New features extend the labor management and productivity reporting capabilities of the Jennifer solution from Lucas Systems.

Nuance Extends Mobile Developer Program to China

Dragon Mobile SDK now supports Mandarin Chinese, allowing Chinese developers to voice-enable apps.

Loquendo Provides the Voice of Telefonica

The Telefonica brand speaks to customer care and other services with a custom synthetic voice.

Emergency Preparedness Is a Job for All

Court ruling in Los Angeles disabilities case teaches a broader lesson; speech-generating devices are one of several tools that could be employed

Global Presentations Using TTS And Automated Translation

It's the future of sales materials, worldwide customer support, and corporate media

Making Modalities Play Nicely Together

The Multimodal Architecture and Interfaces specification opens door to collaborative multimodal apps

VoKnow Launches New Mobile Web Audio Experience via TTS

Listeners can create personalized news programs from millions of sources and listen anytime, anywhere via the Web, iPhone, iPad, or Android devices.

Loquendo TTS Powers Museum QR Codes

At Italian museums, visitors can now use their mobile phones as audio guides.

Guile 3D Studio Introduces Denise, the Virtual Assistant

This system combines computer graphics, artificial intelligence, voice recognition and other advanced technologies to perform a variety of tasks.

W3C Advances EmotionML

The Multimodal Interaction Working Group has published a last call working draft and preliminary vocabularies standard.

Global Alert Network Launches Hands-Free Service for Drivers

The new app uses GPS and TTS to deliver relevant information when and where the driver needs it.

Nattiq Adds Acapela's Arabic Voices to Dolphin Pen's New Generation

Assistive technology allows blind users to hear the written word in several Arabic voices.

Acapela Group Provides Voices for E-Doceo Online E-Learning Service

Acapela's speech synthesis will be used by the company for its online media store.

Dial2Do Powering SuperTooth HandsFree Assistant

New voice-activated email, SMS, Facebook, and Twitter service from SuperTooth launches.

RedPrairie Adds Vocollect VoiceArtisan Support to its 2011.1 Warehouse Management Release

Enhancement expands voice-enabled selection, put-away, replenishment, loading, and cycle-counting functionality.

RedPrairie and Lucas Systems Team Up for Voice Directed Warehouse Management

RedPrairie will resell Jennifer VoicePlus to new and existing RedPrairie customers, leveraging open, industry-standard mobile computers that support flexible, efficient voice-plus workflows.

Babylon 9 Will Speak Acapela

The company chooses Acapela's TTS to voice-enable its translation tool.

VBVoice Integrates with Microsoft Speech Server through MCRP

The combination allows developers to access Speech Server and TTS products in Microsoft's Office Communications Server.

iSpeech Releases DriveSafe.ly on iPhone

The app can speak text messages, email, and Tweets aloud and allow for text responses by voice

Year of Speech Coming? It’s Already Here

Technical hurdles remain, but the technology has become ubiquitous

Free Voice-to-Twitter Services Kept Egyptians Connected

Speech Industry to Gain Momentum, GIA Predicts

Making Mobile Business-Appropriate

How speech is finding its way onto smartphones and saving you big bucks

Unify Communications Across Channels

Semantic parsing can mine a treasure trove of data

C Technologies Selects SVOX to Give Voice to the C-Pen Scanner

SVOX text-to-speech technology vocalizes output from handheld optical character recognition device to capture and decode text.

Ford Adds Languages to Its Sync System

The company works with Nuance to expand the system's vocabulary to 19 languages.

Altitude Software Offers Advanced Natural Language Self-Service for Contact Centers

Altitude Software, Loquendo, and SpeechVillage have partnered to expand advanced speech self-service offering.

Nuance Debuts FlexT9 Multimodal Input for Android

Four-in-one keypad app lets users speak, trace, write, or tap with expanded language support for U.S. and U.K. English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish.

IVONA Text to Speech Launches "IVONA for Developers"

The program creates a one-stop portal for integrating voice into mobile applications.

Loquendo Releases TTS 7.20 with Key New Features and Languages

The latest version features a one-click installation tool, Romanian language TTS, and new Italian and Turkish voices.

IVONA Unveils New Voices and Languages

The company adds Spanish, French, and German to its text-to-speech technology.

Nuance Brings Voice to New Jawbone ERA Headsets

Jawbone's new caller ID features Nuance's Vocalizer Connected TTS, developed and integrated via the Nuance Mobile Developer Program.

Pronexus Releases VBVoice 7 for Free

Developers can download the interactive voice response development software from the company's Web site.

Convenience Drives the Speech Technology Market

New SVOX research in the United Kingdom finds that text-to-speech and speech recognition offer convenience and safety benefits.

Nuance Unveils VoCon Navigation for Personal Navigation Devices and Mobile Navigation Apps

New pre-packaged application module enables quick and easy integration of Nuance's embedded one-shot voice capabilities and text-to-speech.

Windows Automotive 7 Integrates Loquendo ASR and TTS

Loquendo ASR and TTS is now available on the latest Microsoft automotive operating system.

Free Voice-to-Twitter Services Keep Egyptians Connected

Google has created a way for Egyptians to call in their Twitter feeds and have them posted online.

SVOX and Voice on the Go Pair Up to Improve Driver Safety

Text-to-speech and speech recognition allow users to text and email while driving.

Vocollect Announces Newest Voice Solutions for Psion Handheld Devices

New app allows warehouses to manage orders with Psion devices using voice commands.

Loquendo TTS Powers PredictAble, a Communication Aid for the iPad

Tbox creates an assistive solution for anyone with speech difficulties.

Valor Multimedia Selects Gogo Navigation Software with Loquendo TTS for In-Dash Navigation Product

Loquendo TTS gives a voice to the multimedia on-board multilingual navigation system.

Nuance Launches Self-Service Mobile Developer Program

Dragon Mobile SDK gives developers the ability to voice-enable iOS and Android apps.

Intermec Acquires Vocollect

The workforce-driven voice solutions provider will become part of Intermec's new Voice Solutions Business.

Industry Report Paints a Rosy Picture for Speech

Global Industry Analysts projects that the speech technology industry will grow to $20.9 billion by 2015.

HARMAN and Nuance Collaborate to Develop Voice Solutions for Connected In-Car Infotainment

The two companies are increasing speech-activated command and control functions for in-car navigation, music, and information systems.

A New Year

As the economy rebounds, voice solutions continue to build use cases.

Nuance Voice-Enables Ford SYNC AppLink Apps

Nuance and Ford extend SYNC and Voice Services Platform to the global application developer ecosystem.

Nuance Dragon Dictation at the Heart of LG Voice-to-Text App for Windows Phone 7

Nuance's voice dictation technology enables users to speak text for email, SMS text messages, status updates, and more.

Hands-On: An Interactive Display

Lab sessions gave companies the opportunity to showcase their latest products.

New App Brings Social Media to Standard Voicemail

On Speech We Can Agree

Passage of legislation heralds new opportunities for the disabled.

Speech Synthesis With Emotion

W3C Launches HTML Speech Incubator Group

Ultimate goal is to develop tools to better integrate speech with the Web.

AT&T Natural Voices to Be Used in Weather Warning Services

AT&T's text-to-speech solution from Wizzard will be the new voice of the National Weather Service beginning next fall.

Loquendo TTS Integrated into Gogo Navigator for North America

TTS provides spoken turn-by-turn directions in U.S. English, Latin American Spanish, and Canadian French.

SVOX’s TTS to Power Google Translate and Google Dictionary

Text-to-speech will provide natural sounding voices to facilitate online language learning.

Loquendo TTS to Power HP Navigator

Spime, Navteq, and Loquendo partner to power hybrid alternative to Web-based mapping services with HP Navigator.

TTS Option Enabled for All Elsevier ePub Book Titles

The scientific book publisher enables text-to-speech on all its titles, increasing access for people with print disabilities.

SVOX’s TTS Technology Selected by Hyundai for the New ix20

SVOX TTS is integrated into the Hyundai ix20 infotainment and navigation system for media player control, navigation and voice assisted dialing.

Loquendo and UniMRCP Enable Creation of Multilingual Speech Applications for Asterisk

Interoperability of Loquendo MRCP Server with UniMRCP Connector Bridge is certified.

Loquendo Powers New Speech Enabled Translation App

GanganJH creates innovative language learning tool for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

Safe at Home with Speech

Ksenia Security will use Loquendo TTS for security and home automation market

Cheetah Software Integrates CoPilot Live GPS Navigation Software

New plug-in maximizes map guidance with spoken turn-by-turn directions.

Loquendo TTS Integrated into Beyo Translating App for iPhone

SnapTranslate gives iPhone users rapid translations leveraging Loquendo TTS.

A Touch of Genius

Nuance will power the Genius button's Hands-Free Messaging on T-Mobile MyTouch 4G.

Loquendo Talks to Commuters

Following a deal with Mentor Engineering, TTS announces bus and train stops and route information.

Avatars Meet the Challenge

A SpeechTEK Europe session showed the appeal of the technology.

The Gift of Speech

Just in time for the holidays, consumer devices and applications are finding business uses.

Standards Hit Speech on the Web and Voice Biometrics

ANSI and W3C capped a busy summer with the release of new recommendations that provide more global reach.

Nuance Has a Dragon for Every Need

New releases of Dragon NaturallySpeaking software cover the legal, medical, and Mac user communities.

In Their Own Voices

Hope Technology School gives autistic students a new way to be heard.

Speech in My Pocket

With the smartphone's growing popularity comes a slew of new speech apps.

Market Spotlight: Assistive Technologies for the Disabled

Speech as an enabler has room to grow.

TTS Lets Users Wake Up to the News

A new iPhone alarm clock app reads the news, calendar events, birthdays, and more.

Anana App Brings Social Media to Standard Voicemail

TTS and speech recognition combine with traditional voicemail platforms to make for a more interactive messaging experience.

GM Voices Partners with IVONA Text-To-Speech

Natural voice recording combines with TTS for an improved caller experience; U.S. English voices are the first of many languages to come.

Despite Ban, Phone Use by Drivers Continues

Results of a new survey in the U.K. renews calls for drivers to embrace speech technologies behind the wheel.

Loquendo Presents Laila, Its First Female Arabic Voice

Female voice accompanies a male voice that Loquendo released in June.

iSpeech Announces DriveSafe.ly 2.0 Distracted Driving App and Opening of Speech APIs

Distracted driving app creator opens its text to speech and voice recognition APIs to mobile developers.

NextUp Releases New Version of TextAloud

The text-to-speech software allows users the ability to listen to texts from various sources.

K-NFB Launches Free E-Reader

New Blio application features Nuance Vocalizer technologies.

Vocollect Introduces Vehicle Mount Talkman

The technology is the warehousing industry's first voice-centric solution for vehicle-based workflows.

New Bluetooth Headset Features Voice-Activated Messaging Powered by Dial2Do

Plantronics Vocalyst service lets users send email and listen to text messages and reminders with simple voice commands.

Looney Tunes Characters Lend Their Voices to TomTom!

The classic voices of Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam, Daffy Duck, Sylvester and Pepé Le Pew star on TomTom devices.

SSML 1.1 Becomes a W3C Recommendation

Speech Synthesis Markup Language (SSML) offers developers a way to control synthetic speech.

PocketBook Showcases Five New Devices with SVOX TTS Technology

New e-Readers' speech technology brings increased productivity, convenience and accessibility to e-books

Why Tap When You Can Talk

How vlingo designed an effective multimodal interface for mobile devices.

Speech in the Path of the Storm

Mass-messaging systems help communities prepare for hurricane season.

Voice-Enabled Bluetooth in-Car Speakerphones

The $10,000 Briefcase

Most devices from a few years ago are already obsolete.

Speech Can Help Integrate the Disabled

The technology exists to allow the disabled to live independently.

Market Spotlight: Education

TTS hits the broader student market.

Sharpening a Cloudy Vision

Clarifying definitions depends on users' perspectives.

EBSCO Publishing Extends TTS to School and Public Library Databases

New feature includes Texthelp Systems' SpeechStream toolbar to support reading and comprehension.

A New eReader Reads to You

Blio will have text-to-speech capabilities powered by Nuance

Alelo Has a Busy Summer

The interactive language-learning programs manufacturer wins some prime contracts and launches new programs.

PlantCML Integrates Loquendo TTS into The Communicator! NXT and GeoCast Web Notification Solutions

System combines TTS with mapping technologies to hit precisely targeted locations.

Voxware Releases Version 4.0 of Voxware 3 Software Product

Enterprise Voice Manager strengthens centralized management of voice applications across multiple warehouses.

Nuance and ZTE Expand Strategic Relationship with T9 Portfolio

Nuance T9, XT9, T9 Write and T9 Trace Input Technology to be Integrated Across ZTE's Global Mobile Handset Portfolio

Wireless Bluetooth Headset Comes with New Speech Technologies

Voice control and text-to-speech will be among the capabilities on BlueAnt's new Q2 headset.

SVOX Enters Technology Licensing Agreement with Vianix

This agreement gives SVOX and its customers immediate access to audio coding technologies for speech quality in automotive, mobile and consumer electronics applications.

Loquendo TTS Running on iGO My Way Navigation App for iPhone

iGO My Way app can read out route directions in seven languages.

U.S. Rep. Giffords Adds Speech Technology to Her Web Site

Audio Eye makes congresswoman's official Web site accessible to the disabled via TTS and video captioning.

Loquendo Releases TTS in Portuguese

Loquendo TTS now supports Portuguese Language Orthographic Agreement.

Don Johnston Releases Read:OutLoud University Edition

Post-secondary students and veterans with disabilities can read the latest e-books and textbooks, access the Internet, and use helpful study tools.

Loquendo TTS and ASR Integrated into Skysam’s Language-Learning App

Loquendo speech technologies power LoL, a new language-learning application in seven languages.

New BuzzVoice Version Makes It Easier to Hear Web News

The all-new BuzzVoice 3.0 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch includes six unique features to make it faster, easier, and safer to consume news on the go.

Vocollect Enhances Industrial Wearable Solution

New solution additions bring support for more languages and platforms.

Adobe Captivate 5 Goes Multilingual with Loquendo Text-to-Speech

Loquendo TTS in English, French, and German is now available with Adobe eLearning authoring tool.

Future Apps Provides an Update for iSpeak Translator App

The update will allow users to translate three new languages.

Speech Luminaries: Answering the Call

Torsten Brand, 1963-2010

Star Performer: Google

Expansion mania hits

Star Performer: Oddcast

Better with baby talk

Market Leaders: Speech Engine

On the Scene: Speech TEK Europe 2010 — Speech Technologies Will Change the Web of the Future

Many new technologies will be available in two to five years, keynoter predicts.

Want to Be Multilingual? There's an App for That

Cellictica releases a speech-to-speech translation application for the iPhone.

Incoming Caller's Name Now Read Aloud with Caller ID Reader App

No more looking at mobile phones while driving to see who's calling.

Loquendo Reaches 30 Languages with the Launch of Arabic TTS

Loquendo releases TTS in Modern Standard Arabic and new TTS Director is now also a complete text editor for the Arabic language.

Plum Voice Releases QuickFuse, a Cloud-Based Platform to Create Voice Applications

QuickFuse eliminates the need for coding, creating a truly accessible voice application solution.

KidsHealth Teams Up With VoiceCorp to Improve Usability of Online Health Information

New audio feature enables Web site to reach more people.

Tom Tom Adds Dora the Explorer and Sponge Bob Voices to Its GPS

Newest additions to TomTom's voice library from Nickelodeon make family adventures more enjoyable.

New Firmware Available for Plextalk Devices

Shinano Kenshi releases new Pocket firmware upgrade, version 4.

Nuance Joins Global ng Connect Program

The organization hopes to collaborate, improving connected car voice technology.

E-Book Reader Is Available on iPad from Acapela Voices

The new application provides hands-free reading of 30,000 titles.

SpeechTEK Europe Keynoter Sees Changes Ahead

Many new technologies will be available in two to five years, he predicts.

SVOX and Cyberon Form Partnership for Taiwan and Greater China

Partnership is expected to expand embedded speech capabilities in the mobile device market.

Voxeo Launches Free International Developer Program

New services include SMS and voice phone numbers in 40 countries plus speech recognition and synthesis in more than 20 languages.

Loquendo's VoxNauta Platform and Speech Engines Awarded VoiceXML 2.1 Certification

The company also released a new version of its VoxNauta platform.

Want to Be Multilingual? There's an App for That

Cellictica releases a speech-to-speech translation application for the iPhone.

Nuance and IBM Team to Advance Next-Generation Natural Language Speech Technology

Research collaboration aims to break barriers with conversational and intelligent speech products.

VÓCALI Adopts Loquendo TTS and ASR for Home Automation Systems

New INVOX unit allows users to control any home installation with voice commands.

Interactive Intelligence Enhances Communications-as-a-Service Offering

Company adds Web portal, workforce management, and agentless dialing applications to more effectively address rapidly growing hosted business.

The BlueAnt S4 Listens and Responds

The first truly hands-free speakerphone allows users to communicate completely through voice commands.

Italian Hospitals Broadcast Over the Web Using Loquendo TTS

New service provides music and important announcements throughout hospitals in Italy's Tuscany region.

Loquendo Speech Technologies Certified Interoperable with Huawei Voice Platform

Loquendo's MRCP Server is interoperable with the UAP 8100 platform from telecommunications provider Huawei.

Nuance Advanced Speech Capabilities Debut on New T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide

New Genius Button enables one-touch voice control of favorite apps, Dragon Dictation for messaging, and text-to-speech for hands-free message readback.

Loquendo Opens U.K. Office in Central London

Company cites growing demand for a its technologies and services across Northern Europe.

Nuance Introduces Speak & See Suite With Dragon NaturallySpeaking

The solution makes reading, writing, language learning, and interaction with the PC easier.

On the Move

Speech sets its sights on emerging Eastern European markets.

When in Rome...

To successfully launch a speech system in Italy—or any other part of Europe—translations should be done at the local level.

Overheard/Underheard

Under-the-radar speech news.

It's a Multimodal, Multilingual World

Shame On You, Authors Guild

The facts don't match the claims in the Kindle TTS debate.

Talking Dictionaries

TTS Finds Global Media

With new markets come new uses for the technology.

SVOX Releases New Russian Voice

The addition of this voice brings the total in the SVOX TTS portfolio to 37.

DriveSafe.ly Gets Down to Business

iSpeech brings its distracted driving solution to enterprise customers looking to stop employees' texting while driving.

Loquendo TTS Powers iPhone Translating App in 16 Languages

Loquendo offers the voices for Sonico Mobile's iTtranslate application.

IQ Technology Becomes Loquendo's Exclusive Taiwan Reseller

TTS and ASR technologies will be available for burgeoning mobile device and e-book reader market.

Voice on the Go Takes Voice on the Road

New application lets drivers listen to and respond to messages without ever looking at their phone.

Loquendo TTS Powers a New Tool for Language Learning

Tandem integrates Loquendo TTS into its applications for language students of all ages and abilities.

Royal 4 Systems and Vangard Voice Systems Partner

The deal promises to deliver an affordable warehouse voice productivity solution to price-sensitive warehouse markets.

TopVOX Certifies Motorola’s WT4090 VOW for Use with Pick by Voice

Motorola's WT4090 VOW added to TopVOX hardware portfolio.

Loquendo Reaches 70 Voices

The company releases two new voices in American Spanish and Norwegian.

One Call Now Is First Message Notification Service To Release iPhone App

New mobile application allows users to send and manage group notification on the go.

Nuance Announces TALKS 5.0 for Touchscreen Phones

Assistive mobile phone screen reader now supports Series 60 5th Edition phones and features new exploration mode for navigation of apps.

Voxeo Launches Cloud Communications API with Worldwide Presence and Twitter Support

Tropo now supports Twitter, SMS, IM, and voice interactions from anywhere to any application.

PLEXTALK Pockets are now Audible-Ready

New device enables PLEXTALK Pocket users to access the Audible.com library of books, newspapers and magazines, and more.

Caja Madrid Deploys Loquendo TTS in Its ATMs

Loquendo technologies power Caja Madrid ATMs in eight languages.

Competition Heats Up

But delivering functional voice search services will take time and effort.

Mobility Ubiquity

Can speech make it on mobile devices?

Is Google's New Phone Sparking a Mobile War?

With its Nexus One 'superphone,' Google looks to take on Apple.

The Driving Need for More Speech

Two initiatives expand Nuance Communications' reach in the automotive sector.

Nuance and ZTE Establish Strategic Relationship

ZTE will ship Nuance VSuite and Nuance Vocalizer across its global mobile phone portfolio.

CallFire Releases Hosted IVR

Offering includes TTS, call recording, call routing, and a virtual receptionist.

Loquendo Speech Technologies Certified Interoperable with Genesys Voice Platform 8

The speech vendor also has joined Microsoft's Windows Embedded Partners Program.

Newfound Communications Launches New VXML Dialer 3.0

Solution is capable of supporting millions of outbound calls per day.

IPhone Translation App Features Loquendo TTS

With new app, users can brush up on their language skills.

AIM-Virginia Renews Statewide License of Read:OutLoud 6 E-Book Software

Reading initiative provides accommodations for students with IEPS and access to electronic textbooks.

Loquendo Technology Available for Asterisk Development

I6NET makes Loquendo technology available for Asterisk platforms through VXI* VoiceXML browser connector.

Loquendo ASR Language Portfolio Extended to American Spanish and Norwegian

The latest additions bring the number of languages supported to 28.

Loquendo Embedded TTS and ASR Now Available for Android, Maemo and Moblin Mobile Platforms

Speech technology vendor makes its applications available to open-source developers in all languages.

Shinano Kenshi Releases Plextalk Firware Upgrade

Version 3.0 features new e-book navigation options for the visually impaired.

Netcom Becomes the First Mobile Operator to Offer Visual Voicemail on Sony Ericsson Handsets

Making Visual Voicemail available for mass-market use in Norway paves the way for significant global growth.

Umanify Takes Loquendo Speech to the iPhone

Interactive digital assistant features Loquendo's Embedded TTS.

Consumer Electronics to Get a Natural Language Interface

A new chip from Sensory provides a truly hands-free voice interface for many typical household products.

Nuance Voice Control Automotive Brings the Power of Dragon to the Car

Auto industry's first integrated speech interface for on- and off-board services powers the connected car.

Loquendo Brings Speech to TI’s eBook Development Platform

Texas Instruments leverages Loquendo's text-to-speech and automatic speech recognition technologies.

W3C Tackles Emotion and Multimodality

New working drafts of standards are released by the Multimodal Interaction Working Group.

Overheard/Underheard

Under-the-radar speech news

Shame on You, Amazon

The Kindle maker should never have backed down on TTS.

Speech-Enabled GPS Navigation Devices

Start the Revolution Without Us

Speech is absent from the latest social networking innovations.

With Hard Work Comes Prosperity

In 2009, speech made the best of a bad economy.

SpeechTEK Hands-On: The Latest and Greatest

Lab sessions give companies the chance to showcase their newest products and services.

Sakhr's Arabic Language Buddy

This is an iPhone application that gets it right.

Fully Speech-Powered TXT and Email Messaging Offered in iSpeech’s DriveSafe.ly 2.0

iSpeech announces two-way texting and emailing via voice on next-generation DriveSafe.ly 2.0 mobile app for smartphones.

Alpine Electronics Integrates Loquendo TTS

The INA-W900 all-in-one audio/video/navigation unit puts digital source controls at drivers' fingertips.

Find Your Voice, Find Your Destination with Garmin Voice Studio

New application lets users record their own voices for use on their GPS navigation units.

Google Showcases New Voice-Enabled Smartphone

The company calls its new NexusOne mobile device a "superphone."

SVOX Adds Arabic to Its TTS Line

The company continues to expand its portfolio with new voices and languages.

LUNA Project Comes to a Successful End

Loquendo claims great advancements in spoken language understanding.

Cbeyond Launches Cloud-Based Virtual Receptionist

The service offers call answering, call routing, voicemail integration, company directory, and more.

RoboBraille and Loquendo Support the Visually Impaired

The companies combine to provide audio content to those for whom reading is a challenge.

W3C Tackles Emotion and Multimodality

New working drafts of standards are released by the Multimodal Interaction Working Group.

Loquendo ASR Released in Australian English

The company again adds to its already extensive portfolio of languages.

Loquendo TTS Featured on New Xpress Speech Communication Solution

Deal with DynaVox Mayer-Johnson places TTS on a new communications device for the disabled.

Alpine Chooses Loquendo for Navigation Products

Loquendo becomes the automotive electronics company's preferred speech partner.

Nuance Renews Vocalizer Deal with Mio

Mio Technology to further integrate Nuance's text-to-speech as part of its global personal navigation device portfolio.

The Blind in Britain Get New TTS

IVO Software adds a voice to products from the Royal National Institute of Blind People.

Intel Reader Transforms Printed Text to Spoken Word

Intel launches a mobile, speech-enabled handheld device for people with reading or vision problems.

In the Future Everything Will Be Modular—Or at Least VoiceXML

VoiceXML 3.0 looks to solve everything you didn't like about VoiceXML 2.0.

The Tipping Point of Speech Proliferation, Part II

Speech gains in UC and mobile applications.

KLAS-TV Turns to Pronexus to Create Time and Weather IVR Solution

IVR toolkit VBVoice used to quickly develop self-service application.

Interactive Virtual Agents and Avatars

Navigating TTS's Pitfalls

Data difficulties don't have to destroy TTS output.

MyVocal Serves Up Mobile Audio Content

Startup unveils personalized mobile audio content service for commuters.

Arabic Voice Translator Debuts for iPhone

A new English-to-Arabic speech translator for iPhone is available at Apple's App Store.

Buzzvoice Service Lets Consumers Listen to the Web's Top News

BuzzVoice converts breaking stories to audio in real time, letting consumers listen and multitask everywhere.

SpeechTEK Europe Conference and Exhibition will be April 28-29, 2010 in London

SpeechTEK's first ever European event

The Tipping Point of Speech Proliferation

A rudimentary history traces speech since the 1990s

The 2009 Speech Luminaries

The 2009 Star performers

The 2009 Market Leaders

One System, Many Languages

Make sure complexity and costs don't stop projects.

Market Spotlight: Education

TTS to Start the School Year

CT ADE 11 Coming to an IVR Near You, Says Syntellect

Syntellect announces the 11th version of CT ADE with simultaneous price reductions on its current offering.

Fonix iSpeak 1.4 Now Available for iPhone 3.0

Voice recognition application supports iPhone 2G, 3G, and 3GS devices.

SVOX Looks to Brazil for Ripe, Untapped Revenue Streams

Amid the worst global recession in years, the Zurich-based embedded speech provider offers Brazilian Portuguese speakers speech output across its products.

Nuance and IBM to Develop Speech Solutions for Ten Industries

IBM names Nuance its preferred business partner for speech technologies and related professional services.

Artematica Partners with Loquendo

The companies team up to launch The Woice.

Loquendo Brings Its Voice Technologies to the Asterisk Community

Loquendo and Digium partner to allow creation of multilingual speech applications based on the Asterisk developer platform.

Thinking Backward and Thinking Ahead

Sci-fi paves the way for further TTS exploration

Mobile Speech Set to Grow During the Next Five Years

Datamonitor predicts a positive outlook for speech in the mobile space.

Speech Takes Airline to New Heights

By providing a voice-powered virtual assistant on its Web site, Alaska Airlines improves customer self-service.

Speech in Need of a Bailout?

Problems persist with speech automation, but banks are looking at expanding its use anyway.

Standards Make the World Smaller

As standards advance, things just work together better.

Bookshare Teams Up with Code Factory to Help Visually Impaired

Code Factory agrees to help Bookshare get its library on mobile devices.

TALKS&ZOOMS 4.0 Now Available From Nuance Mobile

The offering features SIM-based licensing, significant audio enhancements, DAISY2Go and support for Quickword.

TDI Selects Nuance as New Speech Technology Partner

TDI's Liberation platform features Nuance's RealSpeak TTS engine.

Apptix Launches Microsoft Outlook Voice Access for Exchange Server 2007

The release expands capabilities for remote employees to communicate and collaborate.

Sheridan Institute Deploys Emergency Notification System Based on Cisco UAE

The system is the first of its kind in North America and serves the school's more than 15,000 students and faculty members on three campuses.

Loquendo Releases New Danish Voice

Magnus joins a huge family of languages and voices.

Nuance Is the Talk of the Town for New York’s Subway System

Nuance will be teaming up with New York City's MTA to launch a speech-enabled version of Trip Planner Voice.

Tellme Upgrades Are in the Clouds and Beyond

The Microsoft subsidiary updates its voice platform as it nears the two-year anniversary of its acquisition.

AT&T Launches Multitenant Hosting on Call Center Technologies

The company offers business customers a virtual call center.

Overheard/Underheard

Under-the-radar speech industry news

Speech Shows Its Worth in a Down Economy

Spending is sometimes needed to save money or generate revenue.

A View from the Voice Search Conference

Opportunities abounded to try something new.

On-Demand Services and Mashups

Both allow for greater use of voice on mobile devices

SVOX to Support TTS and ASR on Latest Version of MS Auto

Microsoft Auto 4.0 will be compatible with SVOX's Speech Output and Automated Speech Recognition solutions.

SVOX Brings Speech Solutions to Andriod

The company joins forces with the Open Handset Alliance to enrich the mobile experience.

Mobile Speech Set to Grow Over The Next Five Years, Says Datamonitor

Datamonitor reports on the future of speech in the mobile space.

Vlingo Users Gain More Control

Vlingo 3.0 adds enhanced hands-free features and supports more devices.

What’s that in the Clouds? Microsoft! And TellMe, Too!

Microsoft and TellMe make a bid for hosted speech with new innovations.

Talk Quickly Without Talking Faster

A new platform could cut the time spent needlessly on the phone

A Hosted IVR Solution

A Thing of Beauty

Spas and salons benefit from an Angel.com IVR to confirm appointments.

For the Best Hires, Retailers Hire Speech

Voice technologies help retailers prescreen an overflowing pool of job applicants.

Romancing the Caller [and the Customer]

Eliciting the best response in a directed dialogue

IVO Launches New Version of TTS System

The addition of "Jan" and "Maja" round out the company's stable of voices.

Lyrix Chooses Loquendo for Its Flagship Solution

The company's Mobiso will feature Loquendo TTS and ASR.

SVOX Adds New Languages to TTS

Finnish and Greek are the latest as SVOX expands its European presence.

Loquendo ASR Now in Colombian Spanish

The new offering reinforces the company's position in the Latin American market.

Aculab Teams with Cepstral

The company integrates Cepstral's TTS into its technology.

Speech Gives the Orders

A medical supplies distributor improves order accuracy with a voice-directed logistics system.

Kindle 2's TTS Flare-Up Quickly Extinguished

Amazon will let authors and publishers decide whether text-to-speech will be available for their specific titles.

Overheard/Underheard

Under-the-radar speech news

Embedded Text-to-Speech

Market Spotlight: Insurance

Voice 'Insures' Greater Efficiency: Speech solutions move to help the industry overcome its dependence on paper.

Loquendo and ConverTec Partner on Speech Apps

Virtual Attendant and Virtual Assistant will rely on Loquendo speech engines.

Textic Announces Real-Time Vocalized Translation for Websites

The Web-delivered accessibility service enables users to hear the original English text of a Website translated and spoken in a foreign language.

BBN Technologies Awarded $2.8M to Advance Translingual Spoken Communications

BNN will enhance the current system to better serve a variety of users.

ESRI Picks Loquendo for Embedded TTS

Loquendo's TTS will be used for ESRI's navigation solution for fleets.

Loquendo Partners with MythosTech to Speech Enable Vitrociset’s Air Traffic Control Solution

The solution frees up instructors by making use of Loquendo ASR and TTS.

Verizon Wireless Launches TALKS for Customers with Visual Impairments

The new offering uses TTS to read messages, assist with menu navigation, and much more.

Hold the Phone: It’s Google Voice and It’s Free

Google Voice's voicemail-to-text offering may prove a challenge to just about every phone company.

Message Technologies Launches MTI Natural Chat

The company says the offering eliminates entry barriers for natural language IVR applications because developers no longer have to build complex grammars and create back-end artificial intelligence.

AT&T Gets a New Voice in Windows for 2009

Wizzard releases version 4.2 of AT&T Natural Voices Text to Speech.

Voxeo Puts API in the Clouds

New Tropo platform expands the developer community's programming language choices.

Loquendo Releases New Versions of Speech Engine, SDK, TTS

The new releases offer additional features and aim to give designers more control.

Loquendo Releases VoxNauta 7.1.0

The company makes available the new version of its VoiceXML/CCXML platform.

Loquendo and Telecom Italia Deliver Uebbi

The new touchscreen multimedia home device from Telecom Italia features TTS from Loquendo.

Eric Joins the Ivona TTS Family

The new American English voice extends the range of Expressivo text-to-speech products.

Ditech to Deliver Voice-Based Web Interaction during Mobile Calls

The new network-based platform will allow users to utilize voice commands to access the Web during mobile phone calls.

Trio of Tech Firms Go Natural with a More Human Interface

Three tech firms team up to build a lifelike, natural language-based digital assistant.

Voice Elements Integrates Cepstral TTS

.NET telephony tool is now available with affordable text-to-speech software.

Web Talk on the Fly

VoiceCorp's new webReader server-site solution speech-enables Web sites and blogs.

Loquendo Presents a New Male Finnish Voice

Mikko joins Milla, the Finnish female voice released in October.

SVOX Acquires Siemens' Speech Unit

The deal allows the company to expand into speech recognition and speech dialogue solutions.

Speech Cards Now Available As a Beta Test

Resorb Networks releases public beta of BlindSpeak, which lets users send synthesized messages to anyone, anywhere.

AT&T Extends Reseller Agreement with Wizzard Software

AT&T Intellectual Property's agreement with Wizzard includes AT&T Natural Voices text-To-speech software.

SVOX Powers Clarion Mobile Device

ClarionMIND features SVOX TTS to power Internet-based navigation and entertainment.

Voice Control Available for Windows Media Center

Loquendo and Mediavoice team to deliver the voice-enabled Speaky Media Center 2009.

With TTS, Tim Speaks to the Blind

Telecom Italia provides TIM Mobile Speak and TIM Mobile Magnifier, accessible solutions based on Code Factory and Loquendo technologies, free to all its clients.

AVST Enhances CallXpress with STT

Leveraging GotVoice's technologies, voicemail messages become viewable as text on mobile devices or computers.

deCarta Takes Loquendo TTS On Board

Leading supplier of software and services for the location-based services industry enhances its real time, two-way connected navigation service with Loquendo's Text-to-Speech voices.

Loquendo Releases New Version of VoxNauta Platform

Latest version of the company's VoiceXML/CCXML platform supports up to 180 channels per server.

With TTS, Santa Can Call Your Kid

Children's Christmas wishes can be confirmed by a phone call from St. Nick, all with a goal of raising money for charity.

IVO Software Opens Online Recording Studio

Polish speech technology vendor takes its popular Ivona text-to-speech engine to the Web.

With iLane I Hear My Email in My Car

IMS chooses Loquendo ASR and TTS to power its iLane in-vehicle email- and text-reading solution.

Loquendo Offers New Danish Voice

Frida is the latest of Loquendo's voices for TTS applications.

SVOX Releases Pico, a Small Footprint TTS

Company touts its newest engine as the highest-quality sub-1 MB Text-to-Speech system available.

SVOX Introduces Polyglot TTS

With new text-to-speech system, foreign words or phrases can be spoken like a native.

Waiting by the Phone

Why the U.S. watches and waits as Europe and Asia roll out interactive voice and video response technology.

Communications Unified

The pieces of the puzzle are coming together as companies start taking UC seriously.

Golden Words

While Michael Phelps was making history in the pool, TTS was making sure people heard about it.

Making DTV for All with TTS

Technology could help the blind get vital information.

Speech Around the World

Cutting the Cost of Translation

Plan for translation early in the design process.

Expressivo Lends its Voice to Microsoft Word

Latest version of IVO's text-to-speech software integrates with word processing and other applications.

Wavelink Expands Voice Capabilities for Mobile Applications

Wavelink Speakeasy SDK adds voice to existing wireless applications to improve productivity, accuracy, and safety.

Nuance’s VSuite 3 Ships on Latest Katana Series Handsets by SANYO

Nuance's Innovative Speech Recognition Software Simplifies User Experience

SVOX Adds Turkish TTS

Latest addition brings SVOX's TTS portfolio to 21 languages.

AVIOS Launches Speech Application Development Contest

The Applied Voice Input/Output Society (AVIOS) today officially kicked off its third-annual student application development contest.

W3C Standard Simplifies Creation of Speech-Enabled Applications

Pronunciation Lexicon Specification lowers costs and effort through reuse of dictionary components.

Nuance Acquires Philips Speech Recognition Systems

Nuance Communications acquired Philips Speech Recognition Systems for $96.1 million to expand its healthcare-related business in Europe.

An Education in E-Learning

A small PowerPoint add-in helps Indian IT services giant Wipro take training to the Web

An Emotional Mess

Speech systems can say "I'm sorry," but can they ever truly sound like they mean it?

Opening the World of Multimodality

Standards can help bring more applications to bear.

Make Your Life Easier

Do your part to develop, certify, and support industry standards.

Nuance Mobile Ships VSuite on Four New Motorola CDMA Handsets

Latest VSuite framework supports connected services and advanced developer tools.

Pronexus Releases VBVoice 5.6

Pronexus, a provider of standards-based, IVR development toolkits in a Visual studio .Net environment, released VBVoice 5.6, a rapid application development environment for creating scalable and flexible telephony applications such as speech-enabled IVRs and VoIP applications.

Alltel Wireless Lets Users Send Animated Talking Messages

New Alltel Avatars, powered by Vidiator's Xend platform, offer a new way to create and send multimedia messaging.

Varolii Automated Patient Notifications Help Mom Take Her Meds

On-demand patient notification service helps pharmacies reach more patients, improve refill efficiency, and optimize pharmacist's time.

The 2008 Market Leaders

Recognizing the leading speech engine, speech self-service suite, speech security, speech analytics, professional services, and mobile application vendors.

Industry Dashboard

Spotlight on Outbound IVR

Speech in a Digital World

The transition to digital television presents new opportunities for TTS.

Market Spotlight: Retail

Talking to Customers Goes High Tech

Text2Go Makes the Commute More Productive

The latest version has a pronunciation editor with an automatic update service that shares corrections with other Text2Go users.

Digium Offers Cepstral “Allison Voice” TTS for Asterisk Telephony Systems

Interactive voice response application integrates custom dynamic messaging with prerecorded prompts.

Skype Gets a New Voice

Skype Communicator starts to speak thanks to IVO Software's Expressivo software.

UC for the SMB

SimpleSignal solution joins a host of other unified communications products offering enhanced features for small and medium businesses.

Marketers Can Create Personalized Voice Messages

A text-to-speech solution from Callbright aims to improve efficiency and personalization of marketing broadcasts.

Five9 Releases New Call Center Suite

Five9 Virtual Call Center Suite 7 makes its debut with enhanced features for inbound and outbound calls.

OKI Brings a Unique Voice to TTS

Japanese software developer builds a text-to-speech product that lets users communicate with their own voices.

On the Road to Success

Phone self-service puts Volkswagen Financial customers in control of their money 24/7.

Finally, I Speak to iPhone

New applications bring speech to Apple's iPhone, but mobile search captures the most attention.

Market Spotlight: Education

Speech as a Reading Aid: Voice solutions that combine speech recognition, speech -to-text, and text-to-speech technologies with properly timed interventions are solving problems for those learning to read and write.

Verizon Launches Hosted Speech Platform

OHSS offers customers the benefits of hosted service with the security and control that were previously only available in premises-based solutions.

Loquendo and H-Care Extend Avatar Presence

Retailer TIM Brazil and Italian gambling Web site Lottomatica are now using talking Human Digital Assistants from H-Care to improve customer service and help customers navigate their sites.

Microsoft Further Expands Car Systems

SVOX is latest firm to partner with the software giant on in-car infotainment system development.

DEMO Solution Offers the Voice of 'Uncle Sam'

Acapela Group and MakeBeliever unveil new TTS-enabled viral tool for online marketers

BlueAnt Takes TTS to Bluetooth

Bluetooth supplier BlueAnt Wireless announced today the general availability of Supertooth 3 Bluetooth Handsfree, a portable speakerphone device incorporating text-to-speech technology.

Loquendo Releases New Male Swedish Voice

Loquendo this week added Sven to its growing list of voices.

Buy Speech, Get Books

IVO Software's latest TTS version includes free eBook downloads.

Group Messaging Works Both Ways

Group2Call adds a feature that allows group messaging recipients to send text or audio replies.

Is Machine Translation Ready for You?

Software is good for some tasks, but the results can be fun for others.

A Look at AVIOS' Speech and Multimodality Contest

Students introduce voice to apps covering everything from airplanes to arithmetic

Speech for the Future

Visitors to Lacoste's Web site can voice their thoughts on tennis in 2083.

A Kitchen First: A Fully Voice-Controlled Oven

Working with appliance manufacturer Indesit, Loquendo and Amuser take the voice interface into the home.

Nuance Showcases New Version of Mobile Speech Platform

Nuance Communications is set to showcase the newest version of its Nuance Mobile Speech Platform, incorporating a variety of applications and features, including speech recognition, open-ended dictation, and text-to-speech, to improve the usability of BREW applications on mobile devices.

Microsoft Add-On Lets Anyone Create Talking Documents (Almost)

Users of Microsoft Word can now produce content in popular assistive technology format.

Rubidium Offers Bluetooth with TTS and ASR

Rubidium Dialog Engine is now supported on CSR's BlueCore platform.

French Banks Install Voice Service on ATMs

Text-to-speech capabilities make ATMs accessible to the blind and visually impaired.

Envox Launches CT ADE 10

Major upgrade enables .NET and Windows developers to accelerate the creation of voice and video communications solutions

Speech Solutions in China, Part II: Network Solutions

China is fertile ground for speech, but it needs proper cultivation.

How Do You Say That?

New W3C standard promises to improve pronunciation.

Nuance Speechifies Avaya's Unified Messaging

Nuance Communications announced today that its speech technology has been selected by Avaya to supplement the latter's unified messaging offering.

Tellme Expands Blackberry Portal

Microsoft subsidiary Tellme Networks announced today the initial availability of a free local on-the-go information application to its voice portal on BlackBerry phones

Loquendo TTS Embedded in Geosat 6 from AvMap

Audiopoint ‘Links’ Internet and Phone with Voice

Personalized Voice Portal allows customized access to EarthLink's news and information using voice commands.

Making Sure Agents Stick to the Script

KomBea's ProtoCall solution uses predefined call flows and prerecorded audio files to regulate the contact center call flow.

Loquendo-HCare Partnership Brings Voice to an Auto Avatar

Virtual assistant creates a new level of customer care in online auto dealership.

TTS to Bring Stories and Screenplays to Life

Screaming Bee this week released ScriptVOX Studio, a text-to-speech software application to help writers prototype their stories.

TTS, STT Go Virtual in New Prototype

SR Virtual, a Los Angeles-based provider of voice recognition-based technologies for mobile handsets and the Internet, announced today the prototype for SendChat, a downloadable text messaging and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call application that uses proprietary speech-to-text and text-to-speech technology.

How to Select an Outsourcer

Knowing what and when to outsource is just as important as the outsourcer selected.

NLP on Fertile Ground

But despite its promise, going natural will take work.

Acapela Enters eLearning Arena

One2OneMate will incorporate text-to-speech technologies from Acapela Group into its StudentMate eLearning hardware and software to improve literacy among schoolchildren.

Secret Agents

The hidden value of someone behind the scenes.

Innovations: Apple's New TTS

Synthesized speech might seem like a misnomer

The Next Small Thing

Many baby steps versus one giant leap

Embedded Speech in China

The Chinese market for embedded speech is no longer wishful thinking

A Talking Head Lends a Helping Hand

Two professors at the University of California-Santa Cruz received a $100,000 grant from Microsoft to fund their work on a virtual speech therapy tutoring system to help stroke victims regain their powers of speech.

Making the Internet Talk

Text-to-speech (TTS) provider Cepstral is giving a voice to the Web avatars used on the 3D instant messenger site IMVU Virtual World.

The Xs and Os of the Speech Game

Sticking to the game plan is the winning formula for a champion speech app.

Warehouse Workers Speak to Oracle

Wavelink, a provider of mobile applications and network management software, is partnering with Oracle to deliver a supply chain execution suite of products that include voice technologies.

When it Comes to Health, TTS Isn’t Always the Answer

Despite speech technology's increasingly prominent role in the health care industry, some instances remain in which a human voice gets the job done just as well, if not better.

Speech Technologies Get Air Traffic Controllers Chattering

The U.S. Air Force last week signed an agreement with transportation communications firm ARINC Engineering Services to deploy an automated broadcasting system featuring advanced text-to-speech technologies at three of its installations.

Language Weaver Expands Automated Translation Roster

Traditional machine translation software uses English as a bridge between other languages, but Language Weaver is breaking the mold by offering direct translation pairs that remove English as the middle step.

Text-to-Speech, Personalized for the Holidays

Internet startup MakeBeliever.com incorporates text-to-speech technology on its V-Greetings, electronic video greeting cards that speak directly to recipients.

Speech Used to Pimp News

Tech startup PimpMyNews.com announced its wide launch today. Dubbed the world's first "talking social news site," PimpMyNews speechifies newsfeeds and blog entries from around the Internet using text-to-speech technology from a variety of vendors, including NeoSpeech.

Is Jennifer the Best Voice Ever?

Elocution is crisp, but more performance-oriented readings could require work.

HP, Mouscan Team Up for Mobile Text-to-Speech Solution

Korean start-up company Mouscan, a company with scanning and mouse expertise, today announced a licensing agreement with HP that will offer people a way to listen to printed text.

Chant Keeps the World Talking with Technology with Latest Toolset

New speech utility suite empowers speech-enabled application developers with essential tools.

SpeechCycle Web Portal to Improve Caller Experience Management

Application enables contact center managers to immediately customize messages to callers accessing natural language applications.

Presenting the Bible, in MP3 or .Wav

While conducting missionary work in South Africa, Pieter Schutte encountered a problem common among English-speakers wishing to communicate with those whose primary language is not English: how to effectively get a message across in English, without confusion.

TTS Is Finding Its Way

TTS technology marches forward, despite its current flaws and limitations.

With One Voice Technologies, India's Residents Enter Dialtone 2.0

One Voice Technologies will provide its MobileVoice email reader, which allows users to read and send email from either a landline or mobile device, to Mahangar Telephone Nigman in India.

New Car Kits To Use Voice

To ease a driver's responsibilities in the hands-busy, eyes-busy environment behind the wheel, Parrot introduced today two voice-powered products for cars and motorcycles, to be released during the second quarter of 2008.

TTS Solution Fully Integrated with iPod and iPhone

The push for including speech applications in the iPhone and iPod won a small victory today.

Hexia Releases Iceland's First Mobile Text-to-Speech Application

Though its population tops slightly more than 300,000, Iceland's tech-saavy citizens have made for a country willing to adopt cutting-edge technologies at rates similar to the rest of Europe. And this month, Icelandic speech company Hexia launched the country's first text-to-speech (TTS) application for mobile phones. Called Ragga, the self-service application delivers synthesized speech to a user's mobile device.

Using Speech to Save Lives and Money

Locution today released a new version of its CADVoice 911 Automated Dispatching Software, a software solution that uses speech technology to enable a swifter response time from fire fighters and paramedics.

Bridging the Gap

Companies are unifying their self-service strategies to tightly integrate all self-service channels, including speech

Speech Helps Students Return to School Safely

Working in New York during 9/11, Michael Sher lost all ability to communicate with his family and coworkers. Access to phone lines, email, Web sites, and mobile providers evaporated, and he had no way of confirming his safety to others. He thought there had to be a better way to keep people in touch during emergencies.

Is Speech Still in the Cards for iPhone?

Speech tech industry insiders greeted the release of Apple's iPhone with a cry of anguish because the much-hyped device lacked a voice interface. The dream might not be not over, though.

Nuance Powers Turkish Airline Applications

As further indication of how speech technologies in general, and interactive voice response (IVR) systems in particular, are becoming ubiquitous, Pegasus this week became the first Turkish airline to adopt a speech application for handling flight information calls.

speech@microsoft Activates Blog

To better consolidate information related to speech capabilities within the Microsoft Vista operating system, the developers responsible for incorporating speech into Windows Vista have launched a blog.

GPS System with TTS Capabilities Enters Chinese Market

GPS provider Magellan announced yesterday that it would market three of its leading speech-enabled products in China, a country where entering text can be difficult because of the large number of unique characters in its alphabet.

With EVA, the Office Is Just a Call Away

Excendia, a developer of speech-enabled unified communications and speech mobility solutions, recently signed a deal with IBM to include its Excendia Virtual Assistant (EVA) on IBM WebSphere Voice Server.

The 2007 Star Performers

Over the last 12 months there have been several standout speech technology vendors that have contributed to the industry's growth. Theircontributions can come in many forms—a promising product or service launch, a heightened company-wide focus on speech technology through alliances or mergers and acquisitions, or exceptional execution of an existing product or service.

The 2007 Market Leaders

The speech technology industry has matured to a point where prominent leaders have emerged from the pack. To recognize these companies for their trailblazing efforts, we've assembled our first annual installment of the Speech Market Leader Awards. These awards feature four vendors in five speech technology categories (speech engine, self-service suite, analytics, professional services, and speech security).

The 2007 Implementation Awards

In our first installment of the Speech Industry Implementation Awards, we recognize companies that have garnered impressive results from their recent speech technology deployments. In addition to financial returns, this year's winners also recognized soft returns—such as productivity gains, improved efficiencies, and better customer satisfaction scores—from their speech technology deployments.

Machine Translation

Whether embedded in a piece of hardware or as software that can be installed on a laptop computer or PDA,applications that rely on speech recognition and speech synthesis technologies and language databases canprovide instantaneous translation of key words and phrases.

Speech Technology with Impact

With CallWave, I can see what you're saying.

A New Read on Digital Talking Books

Speech technologies and new XML standards enhance access to educational texts.

SVOX Adds Languages to Its TTS Technology

SVOX yesterday enhanced its text-to-speech offerings to include Japanese, bringing to 18 the number of languages its speech technologies support.

Cepstral Adds Open Source MRCP Library to Telephony Industry

Cepstral, a text-to-speech voice provider, is taking steps in propelling the developer community to produce more effective, meaningful speech technology applications.

Mike Cohen Discusses Speech Technology's Impact Upon Mobile Industry at SpeechTEK 2007

NEW YORK -- Using Google's mission statement, "Organize all the world's information," Mike Cohen, the company's speech technology group manager, maintained that speech technology will make an impact in the mobile market, and companies should take steps to adapt to the change.

NEC Launches Messaging Platform for Enhanced Unified Communications

NEC Unified Solutions launched UNIVERGE UM8500, an IP-based unified messaging platform that significantly enhances the NEC Unified Communications portfolio for large enterprises.

Ontario Systems Selects Loquendo TTS for Voice Messaging Solution

MUNCIE, Ind. - Debt collection software provider Ontario Systems will power its voice messaging solution, Verified Contacts, with Loquendo's multilingual text-to-speech technology.

iQor Implements Contact Center Solution From Aspect Software

LONDON -- Debt collection agency iQor has implemented Aspect Unified IP, from Aspect Software, in its U.K. collections center of excellence in nearby Preston.

Animated Voices Can Be Added to PowerPoint Presentations

With the release of Version 2.3 of its Speech-Over technology, Tuval Software Industries is making it easy to add perfectly timed voices to animated PowerPoint presentations.

Defense Agency Concludes Field Tests for Auto-Translators

GAITHERSBURG, Md. -- Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Friday wrapped up field-testing of prototype, real-time, two-way translation systems for the Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

CSR Adds Rubidium’s Talking Caller ID to BlueCore5 Platform

CSR recently announced that its BlueCore5-Multimedia Bluetooth platform is now available with Rubidium's Talking Caller ID text-to-speech (TTS) application.

Speech Synthesis and Emotion

The Cell Phone Does More Than Just Make Calls

Speech user interfaces will expand options for cell phone users.

Envox Development Platform Powers 'EVA’

WESTBOROUGH, Mass. - Quentris has chosen the Envox Communications Development Platform to develop and deploy a sophisticated automated speech attendant persona known as EVA.

Serotek Chooses Fonix Text-to-Speech for SA To Go

Fonix Speech announces Fonix text-to-speech software on a new Web application called SA To Go (System Access To Go), the first product to make Web 2.0 accessible to the blind.

Army Hospital Turns to Speech Technologies to Improve Patient Care

FORT STEWART, Ga. -- Winn Army Community Hospital here is now using new voice-enabled communications solutions from Avaya, Interactive Northwest Inc., Verint Systems, and Nuance Communications to help more than 75,000 soldiers, military retirees, and their families.

Aspect to Release Aspect Unified IP 6.5

Aspect Software's new Aspect Unified IP 6.5 Voice over Internet Protocol contact center solution will be available June 28.

Broadview Networks Deploys IP Messaging Technology

RYE BROOK, N.Y. -- Broadview Networks has launched services using a state-of-the-art NowMessage Unified Messaging platform from Common Voices.

Web Tool Lets Users Hear News, Blog Text

Pushing a button presents Web text as audio files.

Implementing a Bright IVR Idea

A Florida triple-play provider doubles self-service and splits transfers between agents in half with a speech application.

Classifying Classifications

Biological and language factors should be considered to improve the performance of speech processing systems.

VoiceSignal Releases Next Generation of VSpeak

WOBURN, Mass. - The latest version of VoiceSignal's VSpeak embedded text-to-speech solution is now available in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.

Nuance Names Winners of Achievement Awards for Speech Best Practices

The Australian Taxation Office, AUSTAR, Certegy, Standard Bank, Telia Sonera, and Vodafone honored for deploying automated care solutions that are preferred by the consumer, increase customer satisfaction, and support overall brand development.

VoiceSignal Releases Next Generation of VSpeak

WOBURN, Mass. - The latest version of VoiceSignal's VSpeak embedded text-to-speech solution is now available in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.

Fonix Announces FonixTalk TTS

SALT LAKE CITY-- Fonix Speech released FonixTalk 6.0, an updated version of its text-to-speech (TTS) technology.

Data-Tel Info Solutions Releases Newest Versions of xSELLerator

Data-Tel released xSELLerator Standard and xSELLerator Hosted Version 7.0.

Chant Expands Speech Options

Chant released SpeechKit 5, a new version of its component software that enables software programs and web pages to speak and respond to voice.

AT&T Unified Messaging Now Available to Mid-Sized Businesses

AT&T released its AT&T Unified Messaging product suite for medium businesses with up to 100 access lines.

Mercedes-Benz Selects Nuance to Power Voice-Activated Features

The 2007 Mercedes-Benz C-Class leverages Nuance speech solutions to provide drivers with new levels of safety and convenience when using the car's audio, navigation, and communication systems.

Swisscom's Telephone Directory Uses Nuance Voice Search

Swisscom selected Nuance Voice Search speech solutions to automate its national directory service.

Maptuit Selects NAVTEQ TRANSPORT for Use in NaviGo

Maptuit chose NAVTEQ to supply NAVTEQ TRANSPORT truck attributes for its latest fleet navigation product, NaviGo.

New Emergency Notification Systems for College and University Campuses Available from Telcom Data

Telcom Data released two new emergency notification systems for college and university campuses.

HR Alloy Adds Video to its Advanced Online Job Simulations

HR Alloy released Virtual Simulation Authoring Plus (VSA+), an enhanced version of its simulation authoring tool.

LignUp Releases Version 4.0 Suite of Communications Web Services

LignUp released version 4.0 of the LignUp Communications Application Server, a suite of telephony Web services.

Improving Workflow and Patient Care with Voice

A Pennsylvania nursing home saves more than $150,000 in staff overtime with Vocollect’s AccuNurse system

Speech Is an Outright Success

After deploying an IBM/Fluency speech system, an insurance broker saw a 20 percent drop in misdirected calls

SAP to Partner with VoiceObjects

Under a new partnering deal inked March 13, SAP is integrating VoiceObjects’ phone application server technology into its own NetWeaver platform. The technology will enable easy input and access to SAP applications via the telephone.

Apple's Ironic Product Positioning

Saying Hello to the new iPhone will go unanswered

Bringing Video to the Voice Arena

The latest speech application development tools allow programmers to incorporate video applications as well.

The Call Heard 'Round the World'

Don't let cultural and language differences stymie your IVR

Magellan Launches Maestro 3000 Series

Magellan introduced the Maestro 3100 and Maestro 3140 portable vehicle navigation devices.

NextUp Text-to-Speech Helps Firefighter Study for Law Enforcement Test

Fire Marshal John Holohan, 43, chose TextAloud, a text-to-speech software from NextUp, to help maximize his long commutes for study.

CoolSoft Releases CoolInfo 1.10 Voice Recognition Software

CoolSoft released CoolInfo 1.10 Voice Recognition, a free download that now makes speech recognition available to everyone using Windows 2000 or Windows XP.

Avaya Delivers Customer Interaction Express

Avaya released Avaya Customer Interaction Express, a contact center software suite built for midsize businesses.

DTN Introduces ProphetX 3.3

DTN introduced DTN ProphetX 3.3, the newest version of its trading platform.

VoiceSignal Releases Next Generation of VSpeak

WOBURN, Mass. - VoiceSignal released VSpeak 1.1, an update to its embedded text-to speech-solution.

Epson Selects Fonix Text-to-Speech Technology for New Semiconductor Chip

Seiko Epson selected Fonix Speech to put Fonix text-to-speech (TTS) technology on a new semiconductor chip that Epson manufactured and sold.

Fifth Third Bank Enhances ATM Functionality with Software from Phoenix Interactive Design

CINCINNATI - Fifth Third Bank selected Phoenix Interactive Design's VISTAatm as its ATM software solution.

DTN Introduces ProphetX 3.3

OMAHA, Neb. - DTN introduced DTN ProphetX 3.3, the newest version of its trading platform.

VoiceSignal Releases VSuite 3.1

WOBURN, Mass. - VoiceSignal released VSuite 3.1, an upgrade to the company's VSuite speech platform for mobile phones.

Wizzard Software's WizzTones Product Selected for the Skype Extras Gallery

Wizzard Software's WizzTones, a software application for Skype, will be highlighted in the latest version of the Skype software

VoiceSignal Releases VSuite 3.1

WOBURN, Mass. - VoiceSignal released VSuite 3.1, an upgrade to the company's VSuite speech platform for mobile phones.

Nuance Communications and CTG Partner

BURLINGTON, Mass. & BUFFALO, N.Y. - CTG has selected Nuance speech technology to power Vulcan Voice, its new speech-enabled solution for the warehousing and logistics industry.

Coolsoft AB Releases Coolexon Dictionary

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Coolsoft AB released Coolexon Dictionary as a free download and trial.  >

Nuance Unveils New Embedded Speech Solution

ORLANDO, Fla. - Nuance Communications launched Nuance Vocalizer for Mobile.

Nuance Prevails in Warehouse Test

CTG chooses VoCon speech recognition engine for warehouse speech-enabled solution.

Voicemail Moves to Text

Companies offer voicemail-to-text services, making it possible to read voice messages

MagneticTime Releases iAudioize for the Mac

LIMERICK, Ireland & NEW YORK - MagneticTime released iAudioize for the Mac worldwide.

Audi and Fraunhofer IIS Select SVOX to Power In-Car Digital Radio News Service

ZURICH, Switzerland - SVOX teamed with Audi and the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS to develop a transmission chain of live in-car reception of NewsService Journaline service over Digital Radio DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting).

 

DynaVox Chooses Wizzard Software to Provide TTS for Assistive Products

DynaVox Technologies selected Wizzard Software to provide the desktop version of the AT&T Natural Voices text-to-speech (TTS) software to enhance the speech capabilities of its DynaVox V and Vmax speech-generating devices.

Cistera Releases Version 1.7 for Land Mobile Radio Interoperability

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Cistera Networks released Version 1.7 of LMRConnect, Cistera's Land Mobile Radio (LMR) to IP Telephony integration engine.

The Art and Science of War

U.S. forces in Iraq are stepping up field testing of speech translation devices.

.NET Tools

A number of tools are available to more smoothly and easily program and coordinate speech-based applications on the .NET platform.

SER Launches Latest Version of CPS Enterprise Edition

SER Solutions released CPS Enterprise Edition 3.0 (CPS E2), the latest version of its next-generation outbound call management solution.

RES-Q Healthcare Systems Set to Release New Staffing Control Module

CALABASAS, Calif. - RES-Q Healthcare Systems will release Dynamic Staffing Control (DSC) on April 6, 2007.

Nuance Brings Yellow Pages to Phones

Callers use speech to request and receive business listings by category

Noah Education Technology Embedded Fonix Speech Technology in New Electronic Dictionaries

SALT LAKE CITY - Noah Educational Technology, a provider of educational electronic devices and software in China, deployed Fonix Speech's Fonix text-to-speech (TTS) technology on a new electronic dictionary.

Ontario Systems Uses NMS Communications' Vision VoiceXML Server

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Ontario Systems is using NMS Communications' Vision VoiceXML server to provide features in its Verified Contacts right-party contact system.

NAVIGON Launches Its Own Consumer Brand Navigation Products

CHICAGO - NAVIGON launched its first NAVIGON brand consumer devices.

GotVoice Debuts Voice Messaging Service

KIRKLAND, Wash. - GotVoice, a voice messaging company, launched its free voice messaging service, enabling consumers to manage their mobile, home, and work voice messages from a single location online.

Wayfinder Partners with Code Factory

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Wayfinder partnered with Code Factory, an international company specializing in accessibility products.

CTG Selects Syclo's Agentry Platform to Deliver Speech-Enabled Multimodal Logistics Systems

BUFFALO, N.Y. - CTG and Syclo entered a strategic partnership to deliver speech-enabled multimodal business applications to the logistics industry.

Cistera Introduces New Version of the Cistera Application Platform

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Cistera Networks released version 1.7 of the Cistera Application Platform.

Continental Develops New Telematics Systems

The Automotive Systems Division of international automotive supplier Continental is developing telematics solutions for the wireless connection of portable devices, like MP3 players and PDAs.

Magellan Introduces Maestro Car Navigation Line

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Magellan, creators of the Hertz NeverLost and a global provider of outdoor and vehicle navigation solutions, introduced the Maestro series of three new portable vehicle navigation devices.

Rex-The Talking Prescription Bottle Selected for Inventables Innovation Center

PITTSBURGH - Rex-The Talking Prescription Bottle has been selected to be included in this quarter's edition of the Innovation Center.

AVIOS Names Winners of Annual Awards

AVIOS, a not-for-profit professional membership organization, named the winners of its annual awards.

Calabrio Software Launches Channel Partner Reseller Program

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. and ORLANDO, Fla. - Calabrio Software launched its channel partner reseller program.

Seiko Instruments Implements Fonix Speech Interface on New Electronic Dictionary

SALT LAKE CITY - Fonix Speech's Fonix DECtalk text-to-speech (TTS) has been placed on a new electronic dictionary manufactured and sold by Seiko Instruments, a producer of consumer electronics.

Opus CAT Scan Gives Good Prognosis for Self-Service

In the latest version of its Conversational Access Technologies (CAT) report, Opus Research notes that speech-enabled self-service is growing faster than other IT spending.

Speech Comes Standard in Microsoft Vista

Microsoft released its Windows Vista operating system on Jan. 30, calling it the most significant product launch in the company's 32-year history. At the same time, it also released its Office 2007 product suite—one of the key components of Microsoft's unified communications offering that is expected to ship this summer (see story on page 14).

Nuance Launches Mobile Navigation Package

BARCELONA, Spain - Nuance Communications launched the Nuance Mobile Navigation Service Package for the Nuance Mobile Speech Platform.

Loquendo, SpeechVillage, and Voxpilot Launch Silver Bullet Solution

Loquendo, SpeechVillage and Voxpilot launch the Silver Bullet solution.>

The Jerusalem Post Launches iPost Powered By Odiogo

BARCELONA, Spain - The Jerusalem Post and Odiogo launched a new podcast service which allows end users to listen to the various information streams of The Jerusalem Post's online edition directly on their iPods, MP3 players, PDAs, phones, or laptop computers.>

Pika's Telephony Boards Cerified Interoperable with Loquendo's Technologies

Loquendo and PIKA Technologies certified interoperability of Loquendo Speech Technologies and PIKA 's Digital T1/E1 PrimeNet MM boards, via Paraxip PSTN-to-SIP Gateway software.

IBM Puts Speech on Display

Company execs cite vision to break down barriers with speech-enabled services.

Active Voice Releases Kinesis Unified Communications System Version 2.9

SEATTLE, Wash. - Active Voice released its new Kinesis Version 2.9, unified communications system.

Telefonica Moviles Espana Selects Telenity and Datatronics

BARCELONA, Spain - Telefonica Moviles Espana selected Telenity and Datatronics for commercial deployment of next generation convergent services platform and services to a subscriber base of over 21 million in Spain.

Homeland Security Capital Corp. Subsidiary Launches New Automated Security Control Program

ARLINGTON, Va. - SecurityInc, a subsidiary of Homeland Security Capital, launched a new automated security monitoring and control system with applications for public building security.

SoundBite and Latitude Collect on Debt

SoundBite and Latitude develop joint solution for debt collection industry

VClarity Completes Engine Integration with LumenVox Speech Technology

TUSTIN & SAN DIEGO, Calif. - VClarity's integrated the LumenVox Speech Engine into the VClarity Voice Platform.

RightNow Delivers New Voice Solutions

SaaS provider offers integrated voice with customer service, marketing, and sales solutions.

Winter Deaflympics Names Sorenson Communications Official Provider of VRS and IP Relay Services

SALT LAKE CITY - Sorenson Communications will be the official VRS and IP Relay provider for the 16th Winter Deaflympics, to be held in Salt Lake City, Feb. 1 - 10.>

Innovative Research in the Labs, Part VI: AT&T

Research labs are available on every vendors' site, but AT&T stands out as a research lab in and for itself

IBM Drafts the Standard in Text-to-Speech

IBM in mid-December released a new application programming interface, or middleware, that expands the ability of screenreading programs like Freedom Scientific's JAWS and GW Micro's Window-Eyes, to convert on-screen text and graphics to audio for the blind or visually impaired.

Ringing in the New Year

Outbound marketers have got the customer's number--but can they use it properly?

Serotek Chooses Fonix DECtalk Text-to-Speech for New Microsoft Windows Vista-based Assistive Devices

SALT LAKE CITY - Fonix DECtalk text-to-speech software added to new Windows Vista-based applications from Serotek Corporation.

JVC Introduces Portable GPS Navigation Systems with SVOX Text-to-Speech Technology

ZURICH, Switzerland - JVC's new Plug & Ride GPS Navigation System KV-PX70 is a portable and fully-equipped navigation and mobile communication device.

Thinkronize and PBS TeacherSource Offer 3,000 New Multimedia Resources Through netTrekker d.i.

CINCINNATI - Thinkronize and PBS TeacherSource have collaborated to add 3,000 new multimedia resources to netTrekker d.i.

Envox CT ADE 9.2 Embraces .NET and CTI

Envox upgrades its CT ADE tool with enhanced support for .NET and CTI capabilities.

Lectronix Includes Parrot's Bluetooth Handsfree Kit in Driver Information System for Trucking Industry

LAS VEGAS - Lectronix, Inc. entered a new relationship with Bluetooth specialist Parrot to bring wireless solutions to the commercial trucking industry.

Call Genie Releases EVD 5.1 in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia

CALGARY and ALBERTA - Call Genie Inc. released the latest version of it's Enhanced Voice Directory (EVD) software, which provides voice-enabled access to Yellow Pages listings by category and location.

Magellan Releases CrossoverGPS Outdoor Upgrade for RoadMate 2200T

LAS VEGAS - Magellan released a multi-application upgrade that enables a vehicle navigation device to deliver outdoor navigation capabilities.>

AT&T Yellow Pages Offer a Speech-enabled Alternative

Nuance and VoltDelta partnered to create a custom, speech-enabled user interface for AT&T.

VoltDelta Supplies Integrated Advertising Platform for AT&T 1-800-YellowPages Service

NEW YORK - AT&T selected VoltDelta to supply the integrated platform for a new advertiser supported US nationwide Directory Assistance (DA) offering.

NextiraOne, Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, and Acapela Group Partner

NextiraOne, Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, and Acapela Group are teaming up to speech-enable their clients and have just deployed their first joint projects.

Group2call Offers Message Broadcasting Solution

Group2call released a new mass messaging software service.

Gostai and Acapela Partner

Gostai, a company dedicated to Artificial Intelligence applied to Robotics, chose Acapela text-to-speech to voice animate its platform.

CSR Adds Text-to-Speech to Its BlueCore5-Multimedia Platform

CAMBRIDGE, England - CSR plc expanded the capabilities of its BlueCore5-Multimedia platform with the addition of NowSpeak Technologies to CSR's eXtension Partner Programme.

Brilliant System and Fonix Release Language Learning Speech Solution for Electronic Dictionary

SALT LAKE CITY - Fonix Speech released the Fonix Language Learning Speech Solution on a portable electronic dictionary manufactured and sold by Brilliant System.>

MEDION Selects Elektrobit Automotive and SVOX

ZURICH and ERLANGEN - MEDION deployed Elektrobit navigation software and SVOX text-to-speech solutions in its navigation device that is shipped through stores in Europe.

Angel.com Delivers in a Crisis

Emergency situations by nature are difficult to plan for, but text-to-speech makes communicating with family and friends quicker and easier.

I6NET and Cepstral Enter Text-To-Speech Partnership for Interactive Voice Response Telephony

MADRID SPAIN - I6NET entered a partnership agreement with Cepstral LLC.

Barric and Toby Churchill Partner

UK contract electronics manufacturer, Barric, is working with Cambridge company Toby Churchill in the future development of the text-to-speech LightWriter technology.

NextUp.com and Acapela Group Partner

MONS, Belgium and CLEMMONS, N.C. - NextUp.com, the developer of TextAloud Text to Speech (TTS) software, chose Acapela speech synthesis to integrate into its latest software packages.

Silent Communication Releases TalkinSilent

Silent Communication Ltd released TalkinSilent, an application that enables you to answer the phone and respond to the caller by selecting and playing preset responses one at a time.

Vangard Voice Systems and Nuance Communications Partner

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif. - Vangard Voice Systems, Inc, and Nuance Communications entered an OEM agreement that offers enterprises an integrated approach to speech-enabling business and mobile applications.

Brainshark Releases Brainshark Communications Platform

WALTHAM, Mass. - Brainshark, Inc. released the Brainshark Communications Platform.

Pioneer Selects IBM Embedded Speech Technology

ARMONK, N.Y. and BONN, Germany - Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. and Pioneer Europe, Inc. chose IBM Embedded ViaVoice software to speech-enable the companies' AVIC-Z1 and AVIC-HD1BT aftermarket navigation systems that delivers information and entertainment to drivers.

KPN Connects Technology and Customers

A Netherlands telecom turns to Comsys to help manage text-to-speech service demands.

Hold the Pickle

Over the years, I'd heard about planned deployments of automatic speech recognition (ASR) and/or text-to-speech (TTS) in drive-through facilities of fast-food restaurants.

VUIs in Vehicles: Meeting Customer Expectations

How well do automotive speech-enabled interfaces meet customer expectations? One could say that it depends on the application, but beyond voice dialing, the room for improvement seems endless. In fact, it has only been recently that the usability of in-vehicle voice technology has begun to meet customer expectations.

Coopervision Selects Altitude Voice Portal and Loquendo

MADRID, Spain, and TURIN, Italy - The Coopervision Spain Contact Center implemented a self service solution from Altitude Software, an independent contact center solutions vendor, and Loquendo, provider of speech technology.

Nuance Communications Launches Nuance Mobile Speech Platform

ORLANDO, Fla. - Nuance Communications, Inc. launched the Nuance Mobile Speech Platform.

InfoSpace Selects VoiceBox Technologies

BELLEVUE, Wash. - InfoSpace implemented eyes-free navigation in its newly upgraded version of Find It! using speech technologies from VoiceBox Technologies Inc.

Wizzard Software's WizzTones Product Receives Skype Certification

PITTSBURGH — Wizzard Software's WizzTones, a software application for Skype, has been Skype Certified through a worldwide co-marketing and licensing agreement.

CSR Releases RoadRunner

CAMBRIDGE, England - CSR plc  launched the CSR RoadRunner Plug-n-Talk.

AOnePro Selects Fonix Speech for New Electronic Dictionaries in Korea

SALT LAKE CITY - AOnePro entered a licensing agreement with Fonix Speech, Inc. to receive Fonix DECtalk text-to-speech (TTS) for two new electronic dictionaries manufactured and sold by AOnePro.

WIN Selects HTK

WIN entered a partnership with HTK that will enable WIN to deliver convergent mobile data and voice solutions to its international client base.>

Loquendo Presents Krzysztof, a New Male Polish Voice

TURIN, Italy - Loquendo released Krzysztof, the new male Polish voice, as part of Loquendo's text-to-speech technology.

Loquendo's TTS Integrated into Ontira's IVR

TURIN, Italy - Loquendo and Ontira, a provider of Automated Traveler Information Systems (ATIS) technology, integrated Loquendo's text-to-speech into Ontira's Interactive Voice Response solutions.

ScanDis Chooses Acapela's Danish Voice, 'Mette', For Its Software Suite

Acapela's Danish voice, 'Mette', will voice enable ScanDis' software Suite, designed to support people with learning disabilities including dyslexia.>

Loquendo and Università di Trento Collaborate to Support Education and Research on Speech Technologies

TURIN, Italy - Department of Information and Communication Technology (DIT), University of Trento, Italy entered a long term collaboration with Loquendo aiming at supporting the Speech and Language Research laboratories for master and doctoral students.

The Next "Great Leap Forward"

Voice has long been an integral part of education and societal growth. About 40,000 years ago, Homo species underwent what Jared Diamond characterized as the "Great Leap Forward," when human culture changed at an accelerated rate. Diamond, a professor of geography at UCLA and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, maintains this "leap" coincided with the spread of human language.

Nuance Ships ScanSoft OmniPage Capture SDK 15

Nuance Communications, Inc. released ScanSoft OmniPage Capture SDK 15. The new release includes RealSpeak Text-to-Speech for converting documents into audio files; and support for PDF.

Chester Anderson Joins @International Services

Chester Anderson is name as president of @International Services Software

Lucent Unveils New Speech Software from Bell Labs

MURRAY HILL, N.J. - Lucent introduced a speech software package based on Bell Labs research called the Lucent Speech Application Platform that will enable professionals to develop Windows-based applications for speech-enabled products.

Pactolus Integrates Speech Technologies for IMS and SIP Enhanced Services Applications

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. and NEW YORK - Pactolus Communications Software Corporation integrates Nuance Communications' speech technology into its SIPware Services, RapidFLEX Service Creation Environment, and RapidFLEX Service Delivery Platform.

SpeechStudio Launches DonationLine and Reseller Initiative

LEICESTER, England - SpeechStudio launched DonationLine, an automated process for collecting telephone donations. SpeechStudio also launched a reseller initiative aimed at companies within the telecoms market.

Novauris and Pentax-NeoSpeech Partner

CHELTENHAM, England and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - Novauris Technologies and Pentax-NeoSpeech entered a strategic partnership in North America to promote each other's products and offer joint solutions that include Novauris's NovaSearch™ ASR and Pentax-NeoSpeech's VoiceText™ TTS.>

Inference Partners with DemandVoice

Inference Communications will partner with US hosting provider, DemandVoice to offer their tools to the US and global markets.>

Amit Desai, Chief Technology Officer and Founder, Voxify

Speech Technology Magazine sat down with Amit Desai to discuss the benefits of hosted services and how that fits into Voxify's offerings.

Loquendo Releases Loquendo TTS Multimedia Package and Voice Creator

TURIN, Italy - Loquendo released Loquendo TTS in four packages: Loquendo TTS Multimedia, Loquendo TTS Multimedia Compact, Loquendo TTS Telephony and Loquendo TTS Embedded.>

Build What They Want - Success Stories in the Automotive Market

Attendees are invited to meet SVOX CEO Volker Jantzen after his talk "Success Stories in the Automotive Market" at SpeechTEK 2006 Conference Session - Consumer Electronics & MM: In-Car Computing in New York City on August 8, 2006 at 2:00 p.m.>

DemandVoice Hosts RSS Speech for Visually Impaired Users

NEW YORK - DemandVoice is hosting a free pilot of SpeakFeed.

EMT - the Madrid Bus Company Integrates Solutions From Etra and Loquendo

TURIN, Italy and VALENCIA, Spain - EMT - The Madrid Municipal Transport Company selected Loquendo and Etra, a provider of traffic and transport systems, to provide information to its passengers.>

Cistera Networks Partners with Cepstral

Cistera Networks partnered with Cepstral for the integration of its TTS engine.

pulse Releases Support for Media Resource Control Protocol (MRCP)

MARKHAM, ON - Pulse Voice Inc. released support for the Media Resource Control Protocol (MRCP) for vendor independent integration to text-to-speech (TTS) and speech recognition (ASR) products.

H-care's Human Digital Assistant and Loquendo Technology Revolutionize Web-Based Customer Care

H-Care will present its Human Digital Assistant platform, together with Loquendo at SpeechTEK 2006, the technology conference held in New York from August 7-10.

AudioEye and Wizzard Software to Provide AT&T Natural Voices for Web Accessibility Software

AudioEye partnered with Wizzard Software to include AT&T Natural Voices Text-to-Speech engine.

Pioneer Electronics Integrates IBM Embedded ViaVoice in Navigation System

ARMONK, NY - Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. has chosen IBM Embedded ViaVoice software to speech-enable its AVIC-Z1 aftermarket navigation system that delivers information and entertainment to drivers.

CRM Meets Speech Technology

Innovations - Speech Technology With Impact

The 511 Revolution: All Travel Information, All the Time

Speech Enables Wake Forest University Students to Go Mobile

HomeSeer Technologies Releases New HS2 v2.1 Software

BEDFORD, N.H. - HomeSeer Technologies released HomeSeer Home Automation Software.

Ifbyphone Releases Version 1.0 of the ifbyphone Interactive Voice Service

SKOKIE, Ill. - ifbyphone, a voice infrastructure and application development company, released version 1.0 of the ifbyphone service.

Multimodal Applications' Architectures

National Federation of the Blind Unveils Handheld Electronic Reader

BALTIMORE - The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) unveiled a new device, the Kurzweil-National Federation of the Blind Reader.

Andinatel Selects Loquendo TTS

TURIN, Italy, and QUITO, Ecuador - Andinatel integrated Loquendo's Text to Speech solution into its directory assistance service.>

Digium Releases Asterisk Business Edition B.1

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. & CHICAGO - Digium® Inc. released an upgrade of its Asterisk Business Edition^TM.

Loquendo and Nekotec Partner

20 Jun 2006

TURIN, Italy and MEXICO CITY, Mexico- Loquendo and Nekotec Telecom integrated Loquendo's multilingual solutions within Nekotec's NK90 service delivery platform.

Wizzard, MedivoxRx Add Canadian Distributor for Rex-The Talking Prescription Bottle

20 Jun 2006

MAVC Health and Wellness will distribute Rex-The Talking Prescription Bottle in Canada

Signate Adds Text-to-Speech Option to Telephone Service Provider Solutions

20 Jun 2006

Signate integrated Cepstral's Text-to-Speech (TTS) engine and voices into its SigProvider and SigCarrier solutions for telephone service providers.

OSU Medical Center Deploys Automated Patient Transportation Call System

20 Jun 2006

The Ohio State University Medical Center (OSUMC) deployed Cantata Technology's Brooktrout TR1000 for Microsoft Speech Server to automate its call-in patient transportation system.

Fonix Signs Collaboration Agreement with MediaZen

20 Jun 2006

SALT LAKE CITY - Fonix Speech Inc. signed a collaboration agreement with MediaZen Inc.

The University of Kansas Selects Wizzard Software & AT&T Natural Voices Server Edition

22 May 2006

PITTSBURGH — The University of Kansas (KU) has chosen AT&T Natural Voices Server Edition for use in the Telephone Reader Dial-up Information Service.

Genesys Introduces Customer Interaction Portal; Aligns with SAP

09 May 2006

Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, an Alcatel company, and VoicInt Telecommunications released the Genesys Customer Interaction Portal for Self-Service. Genesys also achieved "Powered by SAP NetWeaver" qualification for the certified integration of Genesys Voice Platform 7.0 with the SAP NetWeaver Portal component and for porting the application onto SAP NetWeaver Application Server.

Computer & Lernen Institute's Learning Program Selects Wizzard Software to Provide AT&T Natural Voices

09 May 2006

PITTSBURGH — Computer & Lernen Institute selected AT&T Natural Voices Desktop Edition to add text-to-speech capabilities to GUT 1 Vocabulary Editor.

Innovations - Speech Technology with Impact: Innovative Research in the Labs Part II - IBM Research

Nancy Jamison // 08 May 2006

IBM is certainly at the forefront of what this column is about - innovation. Whether research results are near term or in development for decades, they innovate in new areas and push the envelope in existing ones.

Why the Funny Packaging?

John Kelly // 08 May 2006

VUI Review Testing - Is It Part of Your Speech Best Practices?

Lizanne Kaiser // 08 May 2006

VRT [VUI Review Testing] leverages the VUI designer's heuristic knowledge of what has or hasn't worked in the past, based on prior usability feedback.  If VRT is skipped, there may be known issues still lurking that could have been caught through VRT.

TTS and Personalities: Expressing True Attitude

Judith MarkowitzCaroline Henton // 08 May 2006

In order for expressive TTS to be effective, the voice, script, and affective tone all must support the intent and match the customer.

Encouraging Good VUI Design

John Oberteuffer // 08 May 2006

China: Can You Really Scale?

Ted Bray // 02 May 2006

According to Ted Bray, practice leader of speech & IVR at Avaya Technology & Consulting, "The need within China for effective voice self-service solutions will also grow at a frenetic pace, and the solutions that are delivered into this market had better be prepared to scale."

Envox Worldwide Launches Envox 6.2 VoiceXML Studio

02 May 2006

WESTBOROUGH, Mass. - Envox Worldwide released Envox 6.2 VoiceXML Studio.

Botanic and Waag Labs Select Acapela Group

02 May 2006

Botanic chose Acapela's speech synthesis to provide voice-overs for its e-learning programs and Waag Society selected Acapela multilingual tones to voice enable BoardMessenger.>

Accoona and Acapela Group Launch "Talking Search Bar"

25 Apr 2006

>Accoona Corp., an artificial intelligence-based online search engine, and Acapela Group launched text-to-speech technology that will enable online users to highlight English-language text on the Internet to be read aloud in English. >

Jingle Networks Selects Nuance Communications to Automate FREE411

25 Apr 2006

Jingle Networks, developer of a nationwide free telephone directory assistance service (1-800-FREE411), selected automated directory assistance (DA) solutions from Nuance to help provide a consumer 411 service to consumers.>

Eicon Networks and Esna Technologies Expand Strategic Partnership

10 Apr 2006

TORONTO, Canada - Esna Technologies, Inc has entered into an agreement to purchase Eicon's Diva Server Boards and will be releasing Eicon's full suite of Diva® Server telephony hardware with their Telephony Office-LinX platform.

Presence Technology Releases Its Contact Center Software for the Open Source Asterisk PBX

10 Apr 2006

Presence Technology plans to join the open source community after developing solutions integrated with Asterisk IP telephony platform. The company also announced that Presence Optimizer Voice is now available for the Asterisk PBX.

Parliant PhoneHerald Broadcast Dialer Uses Acapela Speech

10 Apr 2006

Parliant Corp chose Acapela text-to-speech to give a voice to its new Mac-based PhoneHerald Broadcast Dialer.

Nuance Releases Nuance Dragon Mobile Dictation and Nuance Mobile

04 Apr 2006

Nuance Communications released Dragon Mobile Dictation, a new technology for mobile device users to dictate SMS messages using continuous speech.

Fiat Auto Selects Nuance Speech Technologies for Blue&Me

04 Apr 2006

Fiat Auto will use Nuance speech technology to produce Blue&Me, a voice-activated in-vehicle communications and entertainment system jointly developed by Fiat Auto and Microsoft.

e-Spindle Learning Wins Parents' Choice Award for Online Spelling Tutor

04 Apr 2006

eSpindle Learning, a Wizzard customer, received a Parents' Choice Award for its customized spelling and vocabulary tutoring Web site, www.eSpindle.org

Nuance Communications and Gracenote Expand Partnership

04 Apr 2006

LAS VEGAS - Nuance Communications, Inc. and Gracenote entered a joint partnership to develop and market speech-enabled solutions for digital music collections on mobile devices.

Standardization, Open Platforms to Boost Enterprise Deployments of Speech Technologies

03 Apr 2006

Frost & Sullivan released a virtual brochure, which provides manufacturers, end users and other industry participants with an overview of the latest analysis of the EMEA telephony-based speech technologies and solutions markets.>

Standardization, Open Platforms to Boost Enterprise Deployments of Speech

28 Mar 2006

Frost & Sullivan released a virtual brochure, which provides manufacturers, end users and other industry participants with an overview of the latest analysis of the EMEA telephony-based speech technologies and solutions markets.

Eicon Networks Releases Diva Server SIPcontrol Product Support for Vocalocity Voice Browser

28 Mar 2006

Eicon Networks is delivering Telephony Interface SIP Control drivers for the Vocalocity Voice Browser

Acapela Partners With Parliant, App-line, AssistiveWare, and Cephalo Campus

28 Mar 2006

Parliant chose Acapela text to speech to give a voice to its new Mac-based PhoneHerald Broadcast Dialer; App-line chose Acapela to speech-enable its Sibilo range; AssistiveWare chose Acapela golden tones for VisioVoice for Mac OS X; and Cephalo; Campus chose Acapela's golden tones to give a voice to its unified messaging service range.

Wizzard Software Provides GAI-Tronics with AT&T Natural Voices for Call Management System

28 Mar 2006

PITTSBURGH — GAI-Tronics® has licensed AT&T Natural Voices® Text to Speech (TTS) SDK to add TTS capabilities to their GAI-Tronics CMA (Call Management Application).

Open Solutions Enhances Maxxar Voice Response with LumenVox Speech Recognition Technology

28 Mar 2006

GLASTONBURY, Conn., and SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Open Solutions Inc. selected LumenVox to enhance its Maxxar interactive voice response telephony solution.

Nuance and Bury Jointly Develop Speech-Enabled Telematics Solutions

13 Mar 2006

LOHNE, Germany & GHENT, Belgium - Nuance Communications, Inc. and Bury GmbH & Co KG partnered to jointly develop speech-enabled telematics solutions for the automotive market allowing hands-free voice dialing and SMS reading.

Roche Integrates Loquendo's Text-to-speech Technology

13 Mar 2006

TURIN, Italy and SAO PAULO, Brazil - Roche integrated Loquendo's Text to Speech into its automated call centre.

TomTom Integrates Loquendo Text-to-Speech in Its Navigation Products

13 Mar 2006

>TURIN, Italy, and AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands - TomTom, a provider of solutions for personal and in-car navigation, integrated Loquendo's multi-lingual Automotive Text-to-Speech Solution with TomTom's new product, the TomTom GO 910.>

Aculab Integrates Prosody Media Processing With the Envox 6.2 Communications Development Platform

09 Mar 2006

MILTON KEYNES, U.K. — Aculab integrated its range of Prosody media processing resources with Envox 6.2, the latest version of Envox Worldwide's communications development platform.

TextAloud Incorporates Nuance RealSpeak into Software

09 Mar 2006

CLEMMONS, N.C. — Nuance^® RealSpeak^® Solo text-to-speech (TTS), a series of computer-generated voices, is now offered as part of NextUp.com's TextAloud.

Becker Traffic Pro Uses SVOX Text-to-speech

06 Mar 2006

Innovations: Speech Technology with Impact - What Is Going on in the Labs?

Nancy Jamison // 01 Mar 2006

What Is Going on in the Labs? The focus of the next few issues of this column will be less on innovative new products, but rather what is going on behind closed (or open) doors in research and development (R&D) in the labs. Speech technologies in particular have had a long academic research history, highlighted by the exceedingly long time it took for initial research - perhaps 30-40 years prior - to bear fruit as viable

BT Selects Nuance to Deliver Text-to-Speech Voice for New Voice Text Service

28 Feb 2006

Innovations: Speech Technology with Impact - New Company, New Breakthrough

Nancy Jamison // 01 Jan 2006

At the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas this week, Sensory, Inc., (http://www.sensoryinc.com /) debuted their new subsidiary, 3Dmsg, which is developing technology and applications for the cell phone and wireless handset markets. Ho hum, you say, but it's not so. 3Dmsg - yes - that is 3D messaging - is about to do for the improvement of personalization and avatars, what advances in intonation, accents, and accuracy did for text-to-speech. …

Blurring the Lines: Merging Speech and VoIP

Phillip Britt // 01 Jan 2006

Late-at-night homeseekers in the Fredricksburg area of Virginia pass a home with a Coldwell Banker Elite "for sale" sign. They don't have to wait until the next day to get more details. If they call the real estate agency's phone number and enter the code listed on the sign, they will hear information about the particular listing spoken using text-to-speech synthesis. …

Show Some Emotion

Judith Markowitz // 01 Jan 2006

Humans are emotional beings. We are highly skilled at crafting voice output - on the fly - that expresses a broad spectrum of emotions and intensities that range from minor irritation and mild amusement to tumultuous outbursts. Managing the expression of emotion in the speech applications that our customers build is also part of our work as speech-technology professionals. Today, we rely on trained actors (voice talent) to craft emotion-laden speech, but some of our…

Speech Technology: Finally, a Competitive Necessity

Bill Meisel // 01 Jan 2006

Innovative technologies that are eventually successful follow a typical timeline. The capabilities and markets are over-stated in early stages as struggling start-ups try to make a case to investors and the press, leading to over-hype and disappointment. The core technology improves, and several early applications are identified where the use of the technology is particularly needed and is cost-effective, providing a base for growing businesses. Core technology continues to improve, making possible more marketable applications, but moving out…

Wizzard Software Unveils New WizzTone Product for Skype's VoIP Service

01 Jan 2006

PITTSBURGH - Wizzard Software plans to launch WizzTones, a software product that is enabled for Skype, a provider of free VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) solutions.

Detecting Emotion

Judith Markowitz // 01 Jan 2006

Proside Partners with Loquendo

01 Dec 2005

TURIN, Italy, and LISBON, Portugal - Proside incorporated Loquendo's speech technologies into its flagship solutions.

Nabaztag Rabbiting on with Acapela

01 Dec 2005

MONS, Belgium and TOULOUSE, France - Violet chose Acapela Group to voice-enable Nabaztag, the first of a series of communicating objects.

adnota releases ADnota speaker with SVOX Text-to-speech

01 Dec 2005

ZURICH - Berlin-based personal information retrieval company, adnota, launched its ADnota speaker. ADnota is a cell phone software designed for blind and visually impaired people.

BNP Paribas Group Selects Diebold's Opteva

01 Dec 2005

PARIS - Diebold has supplied BNP Paribas Group, a French financial institution, with 265 Opteva automated teller machines (ATMs) that are accessible to all of its customers, including those who are visually impaired.

Eleven Companies Select Acapela Text-to-speech

01 Dec 2005

MAAF, eight Norwegian daily newspapers (VG-Nett, Adresseavisa, Aftenbladet, Nordlys, Fedrelandsvennen, Aftenposten, and Aften och Bergens Tidende), Crick Software and Trafiken.nu selected Acapela's text-to-speech solutions.

What Is Speech Usability Anyway?

Melanie Polkosky // 07 Nov 2005

Perhaps one of the great ironies in the field known alternatively as human factors, human-computer interaction, or user-centered design, is that some of its central concepts are exceedingly difficult to define. Take usability, for instance. Walk into any enterprise that claims to know something about technology (or uses it for business operations) and take an informal poll about what this term really means. In all likelihood, you’ll get as many answers as people you ask.…

Speech Lends Its Voice to Help Hurricane Victims

Stephanie Staton // 07 Nov 2005

Hurricane Katrina made landfall on August 29 with 140 mph winds, followed shortly thereafter by Hurricane Rita's 120 mph winds on September 24. With flood waters seeping over levees and homes in shambles, victims of the first hurricane scrambled to prepare for Rita's insurgence. Having realized the devastation of Katrina, Texas evacuated over 2.5 million people from multiple coastal cities - preparing for the worst1. Miles of traffic with delays of 15 to 20 hours…

Speech Recognition: Detracting the Distractions

Robin Springer // 07 Nov 2005

When I recently went shopping for a new car, I was particularly looking forward to seeing how speech recognition was being marketed and sold. While I wasn't surprised to find that, at times, the accuracy exceeded my expectations, I was quite surprised by the ways in which speech technology was addressed by the salespeople. I encountered three typical scenarios: the salespeople who possessed great pride in their ability to use speech recognition, those who preferred…

Voxpilot Incorporates Loquendo's Speech Technology

01 Nov 2005

TURIN, Italy, and DUBLIN, Ireland - Loquendo's multilingual synthetic speech and automatic speech recognition engines are now integrated with the Voxpilot Open Media Platform v2.5.

Premier Assistive Technology Uses Cepstral's Voices in Universal Learning Device

01 Nov 2005

JOLIET, Ill. & PITTSBURGH - Premier Assistive Technology released a universal learning device based on MP3 hardware.

Aculab Releases Media Resource Control Protocol (MRCP) Client

01 Nov 2005

MILTON KEYNES, U.K. - Aculab launched a media resource control protocol (MRCP) client for use with its Prosody media processing resource product range and IP telephony PCI card.

Convergys Receives Frost & Sullivan Award for Innovation in Voice Recognition

01 Nov 2005

Frost & Sullivan named Convergys the recipient of its 2005 Award for Technology Innovation in the field of voice recognition technologies.

Nuance Names Winners of Its Sixth Annual Best Practices Competition

01 Nov 2005

BURLINGTON, Mass. - Nuance Communications, Inc., formerly ScanSoft, Inc., named the winners of its annual Best Practices Competition, awarded at its annual conference, Conversations 2005.

Nabaztag, WordQ, MagneticTime.com and Mobile Speak Pocket Select Acapela

01 Nov 2005

Nabaztag, WordQ, MagneticTime.com and Mobile Speak Pocket selected Acapela's speech solutions.

linguatec Personal Translator Uses the Voice of SVOX

01 Nov 2005

MUNICH and ZURICH - linguatec GmbH entered a strategic partnership with Swiss text-to-speech specialist SVOX AG.

Showcase Technologies Partners With Loquendo

01 Nov 2005

TURIN, Italy and GIRARDEAU, USA - Showcase Technologies, a developer of real estate marketing products, has selected Loquendo text-to-speech (TTS) technology to enhance the company's online real estate viewing experience.

Wizzard Software Supplies AumTech with AT&T Natural Voices for Server to Incorporate into Speech Applications

01 Nov 2005

PITTSBURGH - AumTech, Inc. incorporated AT&T Natural Voices Server from Wizzard Software into their Carrier Grade Advanced Telephony Environment (CGATE) VoiceXML Platform.

Voxeo Acquires Vocomo Customer Base and VoiceXML IVR Platform Technology

01 Oct 2005

ORLANDO, FL - Voxeo Corporation acquired the customers, support contracts, and VoiceXML platform products of Vocomo Software Corporation.

Voxware Releases New VoiceXML Browser

01 Oct 2005

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. - Voxware, Inc. released its VoiceXML Browser, VoxBrowserT, technology that voice enables Windows CE based devices for the logistics market.

LXE Selects Voxware's VoxBrowser to Voice-Enable Wireless Computers

01 Oct 2005

LXE has selected Voxware's VoiceXML browser, VoxBrowser, to voice-enable its entire line of Windows CE-based wireless computers.

Loquendo and Comlet Sign Partnership Agreement

01 Oct 2005

TURIN, Italy, and MUNICH, Germany - Loquendo and ComLet, a German systems integrator, have entered into an agreement which enables ComLet to integrate Loquendo's multilingual text-to-speech (TTS) and automatic speech recognition (ASR) engines into its CallPro Voice Portal solution.

Acapela Group Enriches Its Linux Offer

01 Oct 2005

MONS, Belgium and TOULOUSE, France - Acapela Group released its Linux-made applications for voice synthesis technology in the telecom, mobility and automotive industries.

SFR Deploys Mobile Speak to Visually Impaired Mobile Subscribers

01 Oct 2005

SFR, a French mobile operator, offers subscribers equipped with a multimedia device free software that makes key features of the handset accessible by speech.

NextUp Technologies Extends Relationship with Wizzard Software

01 Oct 2005

PITTSBURGH - NextUp has extended their relationship with Wizzard Software and has selected AT&T Natural Voices Desktop edition for use in one of their assistive software applications, NextUp Talker™.

Genesys and IBM Expand Speech Solution Offering

01 Oct 2005

SAN FRANCISCO - Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc. and IBM entered a new technology and reseller agreement in which the Genesys Voice Platform (GVP) technology offering has expanded to include the addition of IBM WebSphere Voice Server (WVS) speech solutions.

VoiceGenie and Brooktrout Partner

01 Sep 2005

BOSTON - VoiceGenie Technologies Inc. and Brooktrout Technology have partnered to deliver enabling technologies for carrier enhanced services within the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) framework.

Mobile Speak Pocket From Code Factory Features Fonix Text-to-Speech Technology

01 Sep 2005

SALT LAKE CITY - The Fonix Speech Group released Fonix DECtalk text-to-speech (TTS) on screen reading software by Code Factory, a producer of software for handheld devices in the European and Asian assistive markets.

AssistiveWare Selects Acapela to Voice Enable Proloquo

01 Sep 2005

AssistiveWare has chosen Acapela text-to-speech to voice enable its new software Proloquo, a solution for multilingual pronunciation for Mac OS X.

I Am OK System Comes Online to Help Potential Victims of Hurricane Rita and Other Disasters

01 Sep 2005

LONG ISLAND, N.Y. - National Next of Kin Registry selects text-to-speech solution from Rovenet and Invores to connect hurricane victims to their families.

Dolphin Computer Access Limited Partners With Wizzard Software

01 Sep 2005

PITTSBURGH - Dolphin Computer Access Limited has again chosen Wizzard Software's IBM ViaVoice Text-To-Speech Engine offering for use in a variety of their assistive products.

Hurricane Relief Teams Use MIR3's Notification

01 Sep 2005

Five Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT) and ImpactWeather, a Houston-based provider of weather forecasting services, used MIR3's text-to-speech system in order to alert customers about the severity of Hurricane Katrina, or in DMAT's case, to gather, assemble and give deployment orders to DMAT members.

Intelligent Voice Limited Launches VoiceXML Hosting Service

01 Sep 2005

COVENTRY, England - Intelligent Voice Limited launched its VoiceXML Hosting Service. The service is built on a VoiceXML 2.0 compliant platform from Plum Voice Portals and features text-to-speech and speech recognition software.

Acapela Releases New Arabic Speech Solutions

01 Sep 2005

MONS, Belgium and TOULOUSE, France - Acapela Group has created Youssef, a male Arabic voice; released its Arabic speech synthesis for Linux; and made its virtual recording studio, Virtual Speaker, available to the Arabic speaking market.

Voxware Releases VoxBrowser and VoxManager 1.0

01 Sep 2005

Voxware released its VoiceXML browser technology, VoxBrowser as well as VoxManager 1.0, a Web-based program that configures user access and administers the voice-enabled units powered by Voxware.

FunkTrans Fleet Management System Selects Acapela

01 Sep 2005

FunkTrans Termintransport GmbH has chosen the digital disposition and fleet management system from UniDiCom, which is speech-enabled by Acapela.

Motorola Licenses Fonix Speech Interface for Mobile Phones

01 Sep 2005

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - Motorola has entered a licensing agreement with The Fonix Speech Group to use Fonix DECtalk® text-to-speech (TTS) technology on upcoming mobile phones.

New Operations in Speech

30 Aug 2005

Miami Children's Hospital, a world leader in pediatric health care, has a medical staff of more than 650 physicians and over 2,000 employees. The hospital specializes in all aspects of pediatric medical care from birth through adolescence. Although the hospital draws children with very specific needs from all over the world, it is also the only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children in South Florida. …

2005 Speech Solutions Winners

James Mastan // 30 Aug 2005

For four years Speech Technology Magazine has recognized the individuals and companies whose efforts have propelled the speech industry forward. Upon being nominated and then approved as a candidate in the topic area; winners were then selected by online voting of the readers of Speech Technology Magazine. The categories and winners are: …

Milestones in Speech Technology – Past and Future!

Janet Baker // 30 Aug 2005

The Past:Speech and language, and the mysteries and magic surrounding them, have a long and venerable history, reaching back into mythological time. Only in this past half century have serious inroads been made into understanding them well enough to be able to emulate them with computer technology. Many top-notch researchers and engineers worldwide have contributed critical pieces to these puzzles. The examples discussed here illustrate just a few of the key milestones, both technical and…

Eicon Networks and Vocalocity Enter Voice Browser Alliance

01 Aug 2005

NEW YORK - Eicon Networks Corporation and Vocalocity have entered into a strategic OEM alliance.

Emblaze Mobile Phones to Use Silent Communication Software

01 Aug 2005

Silent Communications' solution makes it possible to complete wireless calls when a party is unavailable using TTS.

Message Technologies Announces Strategic Partnership with ifbyphone

01 Aug 2005

As a result of this agreement, MTI will provide speech IVR hosting services to ifbyphone, a new media company focused on the distribution of recorded and text-based information and family friendly entertainment via voice.

Auckland District Health Board Selects VeCommerce

01 Aug 2005

Auckland District Health Board (ADHB) has signed a contract with VeCommerce Limited to provide a voice self-service solution with the goal of automating 45 percent of general calls currently answered within their contact center.

VoiceGenie Launches the VoiceGenie 7.0 VoiceXML Media Platform

01 Aug 2005

NEW YORK - VoiceGenie Technologies Inc. released the VoiceGenie 7.0 Media Platform.

The Speech-Enabled Maps of Teleatlas- PhonoMultiNet Are Now Compliant With Loquendo Speech Technologies

01 Aug 2005

TURIN, Italy - The speech-enabled maps of TeleAtlas are now compliant with Loquendo's speech technologies.

CITEC Integrates Loquendo Speech Technologies With Aspect's Customer Self-Service Application

01 Aug 2005

Loquendo and CITEC integrated Loquendo's multilingual text-to-speech and automatic speech recognition engines with the Aspect* Customer Self-Service (CSS) interactive voice response (IVR) application.

Diebold Gives a Voice to Its ATMs

01 Aug 2005

From Bobsguide.com - LONDON - Leveraging ScanSoft's RealSpeak text-to-speech (TTS) technology, Diebold provides accessibility at the ATM. The technology guides visually impaired users through transactions with voice.

Phonologies Releases Voice Blaster

01 Aug 2005

MUMBAI, India - Phonologies released Voice Blaster Solution, which has the option to capture customer feedback via speech recognition.

Wizzard Software Releases New Addition to AT&T Offerings

01 Aug 2005

NEW YORK - Wizzard Software Corp. released the newest addition to their AT&T offerings, AT&T Natural Voices for Apple Mac OS v.10.3 Panther and v.10.4 Tiger.

Wizzard Software Releases AT&T Natural Voices for Apple Mac OS v.10.3 Panther and v.10.4 Tiger

01 Jul 2005

PITTSBURGH - Wizzard Software released AT&T Natural Voices for Apple Mac OS v.10.3 Panther and v.10.4 Tiger in English, French, German and Spanish.

Wizzard Software and IBM Extend IBM ViaVoice Toolkit Agreement

01 Jul 2005

Wizzard Software to sell and support IBM ViaVoice speech recognition and text-to-speech toolkits and IBM ViaVoice runtime distribution licenses.

Fordham University Selects Nuance and Speech Technology Associates Team to Develop Advanced Voice Automation System for Students, Parents and Faculty

01 Jul 2005

MENLO PARK, Calif. - The Fordham University Enrollment Group selected Nuance and its partner Speech Technology Associates, Inc. (STA) to develop the speech recognition and CTI-enabled auto-attendant solution, Automated Operator™.

Voxeo Introduces VoiceCenter 6

01 Jul 2005

NEW YORK - Voxeo Corporation released the sixth generation of its VoiceCenter IVR platform.

CyberExtruder Selects Acapela Text-to-speech

01 Jul 2005

NEW YORK - CyberExtruder has selected Acapela's text-to-speech engine to voice enable its new technology whereby an image of a person's face is turned into a rendered 3D-model. This service will be demonstrated during SpeechTEK show in NYC, from August 1-3.

Vodafone Portugal Offers New Information Services Using ScanSoft Speech Solutions

01 Jul 2005

BURLINGTON, Mass. & LISBON, Portugal - Vodafone Portugal has implemented ScanSoft's voice-driven suite of information services that subscribers can access through their mobile devices.

Germany's 11810 Directory Assistance Service Speaks with a New Voice

01 Jul 2005

MUNICH, Germany & GHENT, Belgium - Germany's voice-automated white and yellow pages directory service, 11810, launched a new and improved customized voice by varetis AG and ScanSoft, Inc.

Speech in Education

Phillip Britt // 20 Jun 2005

Speech-enabled applications and hardware are increasingly finding their way into the classroom and into the offices of educators at all levels of education, but educational applications still represent a small, though growing, segment of the speech technology market, according to industry analysts. According to Peter Ryan, analyst for London-based Datamonitor, speech technologies derived from education were 3.8 percent in 2004, a figure that is expected to grow to 9.7 percent by 2007. The main areas in…

Sensory Joins Symbian Platinum Program

20 Jun 2005

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Sensory, Inc. has joined the Symbian Platinum Program to support smartphones based on Symbian OS™.

Building Speech-Enabled Self-Service Automation for Seasonal Retail Contact Centers

Jeanne M. Gokcen // 20 Jun 2005

The benefits of telephone-based, speech-enabled automation are being increasingly recognized by contact centers and other companies, and there are many companies that have taken advantage of this technology. Speech-enabled telephone automation is known to reduce the cost of calls by as much as 90 percent compared with agent-assisted calls; speech also reduces the length of calls compared to touchtone applications by as much as 35 percent; and speech is preferred over touchtone systems by consumers

Pacific Gas & Electric Powers Calls Naturally With Speech

20 Jun 2005

Gas and electric utility companies around the world help power almost every facet of our lives. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), from 1949 to 2003, energy production has increased from 31.722 quadrillion Btu to 70.474 quadrillion Btu¹. As far as electricity itself is concerned, U.S. production reached 3,883,185 kilowatt hours and U.S. electric utility production had a net generation of 2,462,281 kilowatt hours for 2003¹. With a total of 134,449,825¹ U.S. customers, utility

Grange Insurance Pumps Premiums With Speech

20 Jun 2005

The Georgia Insurance Information Group1 reports that annual U.S. insurance premiums reached over one trillion dollars in 2003. Breaking the total 2003 premiums into two categories, the property/casualty sector totaled $574.6 billion and the life/health sector totaled $480.9 billion2. While the average insurance expenditures for 2003 were estimated to be a 7.3 percent increase over 2002 and 2004 totals were 3.8 percent over 2003, the Insurance Information Institute estimates a rise of 2.5 percent for…

Is There a "Speech Industry"?

Bill Meisel // 20 Jun 2005

The Applied Voice Input/Output Society (AVIOS) has been promoting the practical application of speech technology for over two decades. In the early days, the immaturity of the technology and the cost of implementing it offered few opportunities to build a "speech industry." Today, the improved technology and the lower cost of deploying it support many practical applications. Many people find that speech technology forms an important part of their work, implicitly creating participants in a...

Wizzard Software Offering AT&T Natural Voices for Apple Mac OS X

01 Jun 2005

PITTSBURGH - AT&T Natural Voices will soon be available for Apple Mac OS 10.3 in English, French, German and Spanish.

LDHC Launches Product Powered by IBM ViaVoice Technology

01 Jun 2005

Learning Differences Help Center (LDHC) has launched its Simply Speaking product, which was developed with assistance from Wizzard's services team.

Hanson Robotics Selects Acapela to Speak for Philip K. Dick Robot

01 Jun 2005

Hanson Robotics Inc has chosen Acapela text-to-speech to voice enable its robots.

Why Can't You Listen to Your Information on Your Way to Work?

01 Jun 2005

Gary Tjaden, founder and CEO of the Cocomo ID Company, explains that "there is a much more cost-effective approach to speech-audio publishing than the current digitized speech approach, which is to use a text-to-speech (TTS) engine embedded in a PDA or cell phone to speak general information downloaded as small text files.

VoiceObjects Integrates Loquendo Technology

01 Jun 2005

TURIN, Italy - VoiceObjects integrates Loquendo's multilingual VoiceXML platform VoxNauta™ into VoiceObjects X5™.

IP Unity Launches Three-Phase Roadmap, Enhances Mereon Unified Messaging and Conferencing Applications, and Launches Mereon 3000 Media Server

01 Jun 2005

CHICAGO, Ill. - IP Unity launched a multiphase roadmap for IMS compliance; Mereon 3.0 - a host of upgrades and enhancements to the messaging, applications server and conferencing applications software on its Mereon 6000 Media Server; and its IP Unity Mereon 3000 Media Server.

Sensory Software Integrates Acapela's Text-to-speech

01 Jun 2005

Sensory Software has selected Acapela text-to-speech for its software - The Grid.

Active Voice and ScanSoft to Deliver New Speech-Enabled Automated Attendant System

01 Jun 2005

SEATTLE & PEABODY, Mass. - Active Voice, LLC and ScanSoft, Inc. have agreed to provide a speech-enabled automated attendant application for organizations worldwide.

Don Johnston Selects Acapela Text-to-Speech for SOLO

01 Jun 2005

Don Johnston, a learning intervention resources provider that has dedicated the last 25 years to helping struggling students around the world, has chosen Acapela's text-to-speech to voice enable its solution.

Genesys Integrates Loquendo Technology

01 Jun 2005

TURIN, Italy - Loquendo and Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc. unveiled the interoperability between Loquendo's multilingual text-to-speech (TTS) technology and the Genesys Voice Platform.

Eicon Networks Supports Microsoft Speech Server 2004 R2

01 Jun 2005

ORLANDO - Eicon's Diva Server product line will be providing support for Microsoft Speech Server (MSS) 2004 R2.

Nuance Releases Nuance Voice Creation Tools

01 Jun 2005

MENLO PARK, Calif. - Nuance's custom voice creation toolset, used in tandem with Nuance's Vocalizer 4.0 text-to-speech engine, is designed to make custom text-to-speech (TTS) voice development manageable for customers needing multiple custom voices.

Loquendo Opens Office in France

01 Jun 2005

TURIN, Italy - Loquendo opened its new office in Paris, France. Also, Philippe Poux has joined the company's international team to distribute Loquendo technology throughout the country.

Kirusa and Acapela Group Expand Partnership to Speech-enable Multimodal Solutions

01 Jun 2005

Kirusa and Acapela Group have signed a strategic reseller agreement reinforcing the partnership set up between the two companies in 2003.

Acapela Releases Acapela Multimedia for Mac OS X SDK

01 Jun 2005

Acapela brings its text-to-speech to Macs.

Nokia Integrates Imagetalk Symbol Writer for Nokia 7710 with Acapela Text-to-speech

01 Jun 2005

Imagetalk Symbol Writer for the Nokia 7710 multimedia smartphone is a symbols-based mobile communication solution with Acapela built-in text-to-speech.

Digium and Cepstral Enter Text-To-Speech Partnership for Linux Telephony

01 Jun 2005

PITTSBURGH and HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Digium and Cepstral partnered to provide Cepstral Swift Text-To-Speech (TTS) languages and voices for Digium's Linux telephony platforms and applications.

Wizzard Software and MedivoxRx Technologies the Successful Bidder in EBay Auction for Olympian Sponsorship

01 May 2005

PITTSBURGH - MedivoxRx Technologies, Inc. emerged the winner of a month-long advertising/sponsorship package offered by Olympic Silver Medalist Adam Nelson.

Amcat Signs OEM Agreement with ScanSoft

01 May 2005

EDMOND, Okla. - Amcat has integrated ScanSoft, Inc.'s RealSpeak® text-to-speech technology into Amcat's Contact Center Suite™, an inbound, outbound & blended contact center software solution.

Brooktrout Technology Delivers All-in-One Telephony Platform for Microsoft Speech Server 2004 R2

01 May 2005

NEEDHAM, Mass. - Brooktrout Technology, Inc. released its TR1000™ for Microsoft Speech Server (MSS) 2004 R2.

Envox Worldwide Expands Professional Services Initiative

01 May 2005

WESTBOROUGH, Mass. - Envox Worldwide has expanded its Professional Services initiative to better assist companies in their move to open, standards-based voice solutions.

Metaphor Launches International Distribution of Its Packaged Speech Applications

01 May 2005

WELLESLEY, Mass. - Metaphor Solutions develops new partnerships to expand its distribution to international markets.

Loquendo Releases Loquendo ASR 6.6

01 May 2005

TURIN, Italy - Loquendo released Loquendo ASR 6.6.

Cisco and IBM to Deliver New Speech-Enabled Self-Service Solutions

01 May 2005

SOMERS, N.Y. - IBM and Cisco jointly plan to deliver speech-enabled self-service solutions that combine IBM's WebSphere Voice Server product and Cisco's Customer Voice Portal to contact centers.

Ai Squared Selects Wizzard Software for ZoomText Software

01 May 2005

PITTSBURGH - Ai Squared has again chosen Wizzard's offering of IBM's ViaVoice for their ZoomText Magnifier/ScreenReader software, a screen access product for the visually-impaired.

Microsoft Launches Microsoft Speech Server 2004 R2 with Expanded Language Support and New Deployment Options

01 May 2005

REDMOND, Wash. - Microsoft Corp. released Microsoft® Speech Server (MSS) 2004 R2. With MSS 2004 R2, enterprise customers can offer language support for U.S. Spanish and Canadian French.

Pronexus Announces Interoperability Study Between VBVoice and Asterisk PBX

01 May 2005

Pronexus has completed an interoperability study between its development environment, VBVoice, and Asterisk, the open source Private Branch Exchange (PBX).

Allconnect Selects Gold Systems to Develop Voice-Recognition Application

01 May 2005

BOULDER, Colo. - Allconnect Inc. launched Voice-XML self-service speech recognition applications by Gold Systems.

Ai Squared Selects Wizzard Software for ZoomText Software

01 May 2005

PITTSBURGH - Ai Squared has again chosen Wizzard's offering of IBM's ViaVoice for their ZoomText Magnifier/ScreenReader software, a screen access product for the visually-impaired.

Cepstral Announces Swift MRCP Text-To-Speech

01 May 2005

PITTSBURGH - Cepstral LLC released a Media Resource Control Protocol (MRCP) support for the Cepstral Swift Text-to-Speech System.

Innovations: Speech Technology with Impact

Nancy Jamison // 26 Apr 2005

From the editor: Welcome to Innovations - Speech Technology with Impact. Normally in each issue we have a section for notable press releases, but over time this has grown redundant with our Speech Technology Magazine NewsBlasts. So starting this month we are replacing press releases with a new column on innovations or speech technology with impact.

Speech Technology May Be the Key

Robin Springer // 26 Apr 2005

According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 2.6 million U.S. children ages 6 to 11 had learning disabilities or attention or hyperactivity disorders in 1997-1998, and the numbers continue to increase.

History Calls: Delivering Automated Audio Tours to Mobile Phones

Matthew Nickerson // 26 Apr 2005

Automated audio tours are a popular resource at many cultural heritage sites around the world. This application was first introduced more than two decades ago using personal audio cassette players. These "personal" tours allowed museum visitors to enjoy exhibits more privately, without a human guide or docent, and let them move along at their own pace. Typically a patron would rent a player for a fee and then follow a prescribed route through the museum…

Speaking of the Internet – Speech Equals Access for All

Caroline Henton // 26 Apr 2005

When the U.S. Congress re-wrote the Americans with Disabilities Act to ensure equal accessibility to technology by those who are visually or physically impaired, the legislation (known as Section 508 - see sidebar) potentially benefited many more people than those with disabilities. Boiled down, Section 508 states that it's illegal for a service provider to discriminate against a disabled person by refusing to provide any service which it provides to members of the public. Personal…

Virtual Assistants & Mobile Phones: How Speech Makes the Merger

George M. White // 26 Apr 2005

Within the next decade, true interactive speech is expected to be pervasive and in everything. Digital cameras, air conditioners, watches, televisions, PCs, printers, mobile phones, cash registers, kiosks, automobiles, and vending machines will all have voices to announce their status and function. Not only will they accept spoken commands, they will hold conversations with us. Your TIVO will discuss its programming, your car will tell you where to turn, and your mobile phone will remind…

Speech in the Warehouse

Judith Markowitz // 26 Apr 2005

ASR solutions for the warehouse have been available since the 1980s. Yet, when I attended ProMat, the premier warehousing conference, I found that only two of the 700-plus ProMat exhibitors specialize in automatic speech recognition (ASR) solutions: Vocollect and Voxware.

James L. Flanagan, Recipient of the 2005 IEEE Medal of Honor

Judith Markowitz // 01 Apr 2005

James Flanagan's idea of the important research frontier is the challenge of creating a multi-modal interface that will enable people in remote locations to collaborate and communicate as naturally as possible. It would be an interface where you can not only exchange information by voice, but where the spoken word is supplemented by gesture, eye movement, facial expression, etc."

Voxpilot and UbiCall Partner to Deliver VoiceXML-based Speech Recognition Solutions

01 Apr 2005

CHATILLION, France, and MONS, Belgium - Voxpilot and UbiCall have joined forces to offer a solution to automate companies or government agencies' office-receptions and call centers.

Cyberitas Enterprises Selects Wizzard Software's AT&T Natural Voices Server Edition

01 Apr 2005

PITTSBURGH - Cyberitas Enterprises, LLC selected AT&T Natural Voices Server Edition to add text-to-speech capabilities to their client's consumer Web site, a national real estate company.

Envox Worldwide Launches Envox 6.1 Communications Development Platform

01 Apr 2005

WESTBOROUGH, Mass. - Envox Worldwide released Envox 6.1, the latest version of its communications development platform.

Prairie Systems Releases Upgraded Critical Communications Offering

01 Apr 2005

Prairie Systems released the 2005 upgrade of its Critical Communications product.

SpeechWorkers S.A.E. and Communications Solutions Company (CSC) Launch Value-added Services for Saudi ISP's

01 Apr 2005

CAIRO, Egypt and RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - SpeechWorkers will release new value-added speech technologies services for Saudi Internet service providers during Gitex 2005 Saudi Arabia, April 24-28 in Riyadh.

Cisco and IBM to Deliver New Speech-Enabled Self-Service Solutions

01 Apr 2005

SOMERS, N.Y. - IBM and Cisco jointly plan to deliver speech-enabled self-service solutions that combine IBM's WebSphere Voice Server product and Cisco's Customer Voice Portal to contact centers.

AT&T and Wizzard Extend Worldwide Distribution Agreement

01 Apr 2005

The current licensing/distribution relationship between Wizzard and AT&T, allowing Wizzard worldwide distribution of AT&T's Natural Voices text-to-speech engine, has been extended for an additional five-years.

SpeechWorkers S.A.E. Launch Arabic/English Speech Self Service Solution for Couriers Companies' Call Centers in the Middle East

01 Apr 2005

CAIRO, Egypt and RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - SpeechWorkers S.A.E will release Arabic/English Speech enabled call center value-added speech solution using speech recognition on a VoiceXML platform and text-to-speech (TTS) during Gitex Saudi Arabia 2005, April 24 -28 in Riyadh.

Loquendo Expands DACH Region Operations

01 Apr 2005

TURIN, Italy - Loquendo opened a new office in Munich to meet increasing demand in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland).

What Does It Mean?

John Kelly // 06 Mar 2005

What impact will the recent acquisition moves of SBC and Verizon have on the mainstreaming of speech? Dan Miller of OPUS Research suggested we watch what happens to the SBC Call Center Solutions Group in competition with Verizon's Enterprise Systems Group.

2005: Yet Another Year of Intelligent Migration

06 Mar 2005

OPUS Research is a long-standing and unrepentant booster of speech-enablement. We stand for judicious use of advanced speech recognition (ASR), text-to-speech conversion (TTS) and all the attendant hardware, software, professional services and tooling (soaking up something on the order of $28 billion in 2005) directed at a single goal. That is to take existing self-service infrastructure - on a Web site, in front of a corporate directory 'auto-attendant,' baked into a contact center or hosted.

Embedding Speech into Mobile Devices

Phillip Britt // 06 Mar 2005

Anne Rosenfeld, a Boston, Mass.-based producer of neuroscience conferences for educators, found the 75-minute (one-way) commute between her home and office to be a big waste of time until a dead cell phone helped her become more productive. Needing a new portable phone to keep in touch with her office, suppliers, hotels and family and friends, Rosenfeld bought a new Samsung phone which she later learned was speech-enabled with software from VoiceSignal. …

The Role of Speech in Healthcare

06 Mar 2005

According to the American Medical Association (AMA), there is a nationwide shortage of more than 168,000 nurses and other health care professionals. With 60 percent of emergency rooms working at or above capacity, it is essential that hospitals utilize their staff and time carefully, which is becoming more difficult to accomplish as more and more people are turning to the emergency room for care. CDC reports from 2002 estimate that approximately 110.2 million visits were…

Wizzard Licenses AT&T Natural Voices for Server Edition SDK to CommPower

01 Mar 2005

CommPower has chosen Wizzard's AT&T Natural Voices for Server Edition Software Development Kit offering for use in its CommPower Text-to-Speech Broadcasting System (CTBS).

Cepstral TTS Voices Released for Mac OS X

01 Mar 2005

PITTSBURGH - Cepstral LLC released its Swift Text-to-Speech (TTS) software on Apple's Mac OS X operating system.

Peter Mahoney, Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, ScanSoft

01 Mar 2005

Peter Mahoney, vice president of worldwide marketing, SpeechWorks Division, ScanSoft, explains that "there is a proliferation of service providers, and we expect to see some consolidation over the next five years."

Mark Flanagan, President, Envox Worldwide

01 Mar 2005

Mark Flanagan, president of Envox Worldwide, explains that "a growing number of enterprise customers and service providers are replacing their legacy communications systems out of frustration with high maintenance costs, inflexible architectures and the inability to add new capabilities as they are needed."

Fonix DECtalk Adds New Platforms and Languages

01 Mar 2005

SALT LAKE CITY - Fonix Speech released version 4.6.3 of its Fonix DECtalk™ text-to-speech (TTS) technology.

Pep Boys' Warehouses Talk with Vocollect

01 Mar 2005

PITTSBURGH - The Pep Boys implemented the Vocollect Voice-Directed Distribution offering in two of its five national distribution centers and plans to roll it out shortly to the remaining three.

Alcatel's Genesys Named Top Vendor in Worldwide Voice Portal Shipments

01 Mar 2005

SAN FRANCISCO - Market research firm Gartner, Inc. has named Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc. the 2003 worldwide leader for voice portal port shipments in its report entitled "Market Share: Voice Response Systems, Worldwide, 2003."

Loquendo TTS Awarded Best Innovation in Multi-lingual Speech Synthesis

01 Mar 2005

TURIN, Italy - Loquendo TTS (text-to-speech) engine was awarded the "Best Innovation in Multi-Lingual Speech Synthesis" prize at AVIOS-SpeechTEK West 2005, in San Francisco.

Frost & Sullivan Recognizes Nortel Leadership in the IVR Market

01 Mar 2005

PALO ALTO, Calif. - Frost & Sullivan's recent analysis, U.S. IVR Systems Market, selected Nortel as the recipient of the 2004 Market Leadership Award in recognition of maintaining the lead in the U.S. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) market.

gh's MathSpeak Finds Its "Voice" With Pittsburgh Speech Synthesis Company

01 Mar 2005

Gh has chosen Cepstral to give its MathSpeak assistive software technology a synthetic voice.

ScanSoft Delivers Solutions for VoIP

01 Mar 2005

PEABODY, Mass. - ScanSoft, Inc. delivered a portfolio of solutions, services and technologies optimized for Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) that enable next-generation speech-based applications.

Gartner Reports That Loquendo Has Highest Worldwide Speech Market Growth Rate

01 Mar 2005

TURIN, Italy - Gartner reported that the volume of Loquendo's worldwide port shipments increased by approximately 26.7 percent during the year 2004 in its latest market statistics report, "Speech Recognition Telephony Software: Worldwide, 2004 (Preliminary)."

VoiceGate Adds Engine to Emergency Response Mass Message Notification System

01 Mar 2005

VoiceGate has added a French Canadian text-to-speech engine to deliver system messages and database update information in Canada's two official languages.

Phone Interactive Adopts Voxpilot's Open Media Platform

01 Mar 2005

SAN FRANCISCO - Phone Interactive Communication Corporation continues to expand with the implementation of Voxpilot's VoiceXML platform.

The University of Utah Selects TeleData's T3 Platform for its Voice Messaging Needs

01 Mar 2005

NEW YORK - The University of Utah awarded its "Next Generation Voice" telephony contract to Americom.

ScanSoft Launches SpeechPAK TALKS 2.0 for Blind and Low-Vision Customers

01 Mar 2005

PEABODY, Mass. - ScanSoft, Inc. released SpeechPAK TALKS™ 2.0, the latest edition of its application designed for eyes-free audio access to mobile phones.

Loquendo Unveils New Male UK English Voice

01 Mar 2005

Loquendo releases Simon, a male UK English text-to-speech persona.

Loquendo TTS Powers W3C Standardization Activities

01 Mar 2005

TURIN, Italy - Loquendo, as part of ongoing commitment to W3C standardization activities, has donated its speech technologies to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) for creating speech-enabled demos.

The 451 Group Releases Report on Growth of Speech Technologies in Enterprise IT

01 Feb 2005

NEW YORK - According to The 451 Group, the next 18 months will be a key period for strategic business decisions affecting the future of major speech vendors, including Genesys, IBM, Intervoice, Microsoft, Nuance and ScanSoft.

Nuance and Acapela Partner

01 Feb 2005

Nuance and Acapela Group are teaming to offer international language text-to-speech software for European customers.

IXI Mobile Teams with ScanSoft to Provide Voice Interface for Feature Phone Operating System

01 Feb 2005

ScanSoft's VoCon Mobile has been integrated into IXI-Connect OS, a phone operating system enabling device manufacturers to offer an integrated voice user interface.

Empire Medicare Services Call Center Announces Implementation of Part A and Part B Voice Self-Service System from MicroAutomation

01 Feb 2005

MANASSAS, Va. - Empire Medicare Services implemented a voice self-service system installed by MicroAutomation and ScanSoft.

MIR3 Announces the Availability of inAlertCenter

01 Feb 2005

MIR3 announced the availability of inAlertCenter, which enables companies and organizations to consolidate and manage emergency communications during disasters and network outages.

Loquendo and Oration SA Sign VAR Agreement

01 Feb 2005

TURIN, Italy and ATHENS, Greece - Loquendo announced that it has entered into an agreement with Oration SA.

Wayfinder, Tele Atlas and ScanSoft Team to Speech-Enable Personal Navigation on Mobile Devices

01 Feb 2005

CANNES, France - ScanSoft, Inc., Tele Atlas, and Wayfinder announced a three-way partnership to deliver a speech-enabled personal navigation system accessible from a mobile device in a vehicle or on foot.

Gordon Renton of Speegle

01 Feb 2005

Gordon Renton of Speegle explains how search is a fundamental tool, but at present the user needs to change focus to use it and under the pressure of time constraints, an alternative could save a lot of time, and how speech is part of this alternative solution.

Blade Kotelly, head of the Edify Design Collaborative

01 Feb 2005

Blade Kotelly of Edify explains how and why it is so easy to keep callers playing along if the designer just makes sure to treat the caller the way they would want to be treated if they had to use that system.

Mobeon Teams with Sun to Drive Innovation and Open-Standards for IP Messaging Services

01 Feb 2005

SANTA CLARA, Calif. and STOCKLHOLM, Sweden - Sun Microsystems, Inc. announced an agreement with Mobeon that will utilize Sun Java™ Enterprise System software and Solaris™ Operating System.

Nuance and Angel.com Team to Deliver Voice Automation Solutions to Small to Mid-Sized Business

01 Feb 2005

MENLO PARK, Calif. & McLEAN, Va. - Nuance forms a strategic relationship with Angel.com to bring voice automation solutions to the small to mid-size business (SMB) market.

The Case for Augmented Speech

Robin Springer // 06 Jan 2005

From making airline reservations to confirming postage rates, consumers are increasing their acceptance of applications that utilize synthesized speech. While the public can be unforgiving when it comes to the naturalness of synthesized speech, demanding that speech applications sound as human as possible, could they be identifying preferences based on incomplete information?

Speech Technology: Science Fiction Gives Way to Real Value

Bill Meisel // 06 Jan 2005

Those working in developing basic speech technology have sometimes noted the fundamental nature of speaking and listening in human activity. Automating that capability should provide significant value in reducing costs and improving productivity for individuals and companies. The value for customers will automatically drive opportunities for vendors. The problem with this vision is that it leads to a science-fiction view of speech technology. How often have writers compared some speech product to HAL in the movie…

Pragmatic Creativity

Judith Markowitz // 06 Jan 2005

I have for a long time considered customers amazingly creative in their approaches to speech deployments. Maybe it's because early in my career I was a customer myself. I, therefore, know from personal experience that creativity comes from the need to tackle demanding problems whose solutions are constrained by set requirements. It's a survival technique that I like to call pragmatic creativity.

Jo Taylor, head of marketing communications, Aculab

01 Jan 2005

Jo Taylor, head of marketing communications at Aculab, explains how and why the key to making the deployment of speech easier and simpler is understanding.

Chris Spencer of Wizzard

01 Jan 2005

Chris Spencer explains why the speech industry needs more non-vertical oriented companies at this stage in order to create long-lasting, trustful relationships with vertical vendors and really start getting speech technology out to the masses.

Envox Worldwide Introduces Envox 6 VoiceXML Studio

01 Jan 2005

WESTBOROUGH, Mass. - Envox Worldwide introduced Envox 6 VoiceXML Studio, a graphical development environment that enhances the company's Envox 6 Communications Development Platform.

Aculab and Pronexus Bundle Designed to Speed up Application Development

01 Jan 2005

MILTON KEYNES, UK - Aculab and Pronexus announced the availability of their new speech bundle.

Loquendo TTS at the Service of Dortmund Firefighters

01 Jan 2005

DORTMUND, Germany - The "Share" project develops a Push-To-Share mobile service that will provide critical multimodal communication support for emergency teams, such as firefighters, during rescue operations.

Syntellect Re-Launches Vista and Interchange as Continuum

01 Jan 2005

Syntellect re-launches Vista and Interchange as a combined offering to be called Continuum

Cepstral Breaks the Two MB Voice Barrier

01 Jan 2005

PITTSBURGH - Cepstral LLC announced a new software release capable of producing general unit selection text-to-speech (TTS) voices that are less than two megabytes in size.

Invores Systems Launches VoIP/SIP Voice Web Application Hosting Service

01 Jan 2005

Invores Systems announces the availability of an interactive voice application hosting/subscription service for businesses, Total e-Call.

Local Developer Signs with ScanSoft

01 Jan 2005

From iTnews.com.au - An agreement signed with SpeechWorks enables System Solutions to incorporate ScanSoft's SpeechWorks automatic speech recognition (ASR) and text-to-speech (TTS) products into its MESSAGEmanager VoiceXML server.

iVoice Delivers IVR Application Generator 3.0 with RDVE

01 Jan 2005

MATAWAN, N.J. - iVoice, Inc. announced the release of its Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Application Generator 3.0 with an enhanced Rapid Development Visual Environment (RDVE).

Syntellect Re-Launches Vista and Interchange as Continuum

01 Jan 2005

Syntellect re-launches Vista and Interchange as a combined offering which is to be called Continuum

Animated & Speech Enabled Characters by Inovani

01 Dec 2004

Inovani has selected Acapela's TTS to voice enable its animation engine.

Second Edition of Talk to Santa Application is Back to Enchant Children

01 Dec 2004

MONTREAL, Quebec - Talk to Santa Claus application enables callers of any age to have an interactive and personalized chat with Santa over the holiday season.

Readspeaker's Voice-on-the-Web Services Spread

01 Dec 2004

Readspeaker in Europe is equipping Web sites with Acapela's text-to-speech technology.

ScanSoft Unveils RealSpeak Telecom 4.0

01 Dec 2004

ScanSoft announced the release of RealSpeak Telecom 4.0, a text-to-speech (TTS) solution for conversational call center and carrier-based applications worldwide.

Speedy and Quantifiable Returns Necessary to Take Speech-IVR Systems to the Brink of Mainstream Acceptance

01 Dec 2004

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan,reveals that revenue in the U.S. IVR industry totaled $551.6 million in 2003.

Nuance Voice Platform Named a Top Market Leader

01 Dec 2004

Nuance Voice Platform was named a "Top Market Leader" by analyst firm Forrester Research in its December 8 Forrester Wave report, Evaluating Speech Self-Service Platforms.

Is There a Future for Speech in Vehicles?

Kenneth WhiteRoberto SicconiHarvey Ruback // 23 Nov 2004

Kenneth White, Harvey Ruback and Roberto Sicconi explain how speech recognition technology is becoming an important component in how people are using and interacting with their cars.

Speech Industry Must Innovate and Continuously Improve

Bruce Pollock // 23 Nov 2004

Speech recognition technology has made strong advances in the past number of years and will likely continue to do so. Recognition error rates are decreasing and additional features and capabilities have been incorporated into the most recent versions of the software. <@SM>Progress has also been made to improve voice authentication software, text-to-speech (TTS) software, and statistical model-based natural language speech recognition. …

Give the Gift of Speech for the Holidays!

01 Nov 2004

Speech Technology Magazine has compiled a list of speech-enabled products suitable for the gift-giving season. The items were collected from NewsBlast reader submissions and categorized by gift type. Descriptions and images were provided by the speech solution providers.

ScanSoft and Microsoft Sign Expanded Global Speech Technology Licensing Agreement

01 Nov 2004

PEABODY, Mass., and REDMOND, Wash. - Microsoft selects ScanSoft text-to-speech technology for Microsoft server family of products and deepens collaboration.

Spreadtrum Selects ART to Bring Voice Recognition to SC6600 GSM/GPRS Baseband Chipsets

01 Nov 2004

Spreadtrum Communications selected the smARTspeak XG embedded speech interface from ART for its SC6600 family of GSM/GPRS baseband chipsets.

Gartner and OPUS Weigh in on the Scansoft Acquisitions

01 Nov 2004

Analysts from Gartner and OPUS speak out about ScanSoft's announcement of separate agreements to acquire Phonetic Systems, Advanced Recognition Technologies (ART) and Rhetorical Systems for a total of $63.2 million.

Vocomo Releases VocomoVoice Studio

01 Nov 2004

CUPERTINO, Calif. - Vocomo® Corporation announced the availability of VocomoVoice Studio: a desktop tool for development, testing, and debugging VoiceXML IVR applications.

ScanSoft to Extend Speech Markets through Acquisitions of Phonetic Systems, ART and Rhetorical

01 Nov 2004

PEABODY, Mass. - ScanSoft, Inc. announced a series of acquisitions that expand the company's speech capabilities and resources.

Teleperformance Interactive Selects VoiceGenie for Speech Implementation in Call Centers Worldwide

01 Nov 2004

Teleperformance Interactive announced the selection of VoiceGenie's VoiceXML 2.0 certified platform, NeXusPoint, for a speech-driven customer automation program.

Vocomo Announces VoIP-Based IVR Product Supporting VoiceXML 2.0, SIP, H.323, and RTP

01 Oct 2004

Vocomo announced its new open standards Voice-over-IP (VoIP) IVR platform: VocomoVoice Response for VoIP.

SBC Communications Announces IP-Based Service That Syncs Wireline and Wireless Voicemails, Faxes, and Emails

01 Oct 2004

SAN ANTONIO - SBC Communications Inc. announced SBC Unified Communications(SM), a new service that uses IP (Internet Protocol) to enable customers to gather all of their message services into one system.

Frost & Sullivan Honors Unified Messaging Solution by Interactive Intelligence

01 Oct 2004

PALO ALTO, Calif. - Frost & Sullivan's recent study, North American Enterprise Messaging Markets, acknowledged Interactive Intelligence Inc.'s product innovation abilities in developing Communite(TM) for the enterprise unified messaging (UM) market.

BBC Broadcasters Select HTK for Database

01 Oct 2004

Embarrassing blunders over names and places in unfamiliar languages should be a thing of the past for BBC broadcasters thanks to a solution developed by HTK.

Todd Mozer of Sensory

01 Oct 2004

Todd Mozer believes that selling both chips and software in the embedded market is a real differentiation that allows Sensory to play a more consultative role in customer designs to help them find the best solution possible.

2004 Speech Solutions Winners

Paul McNulty // 11 Sep 2004

Customer Satisfaction Across Industries to be Gauged with Survey Application from Intervoice

01 Sep 2004

Intervoice announced the increased applicability of one of its packaged voice applications to gauge customer satisfaction across several vertical markets.

CPT International Introduces Voice Harbor for Outsourced Voice Application Hosting

01 Sep 2004

ATLANTA - CPT International announced the availability of its Voice Harbor outsourced hosting solution for voice application developers, technology providers and their customers.

Lyrix Announces the Latest Version of Its Enterprise Voice Portal Service

01 Sep 2004

In this latest 4.6 release, Lyrix provides voice-controlled access to existing corporate email stores via the industry standard Internet Message Access Protocol Version 4 (IMAP4) protocol.

Avaya Announces New Communications Applications that Utilize Automated Speech

01 Sep 2004

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. - Avaya Inc. announced new releases of its unified communication and contact center solutions: Avaya Unified Communication Center, Avaya Interactive Response, and Avaya Speech Applications Builder.

Syntellect Announces Vista 5.0

01 Sep 2004

PHOENIX - Syntellect Inc. announced the release of the next version of its flagship product Vista in the fourth quarter of 2004.

CarBot Selects Acapela to Integrate In-car Aftermarket Entertainment System

01 Sep 2004

CarBot has chosen Acapela text-to-speech to voice enable its in-car computer.

New York's MTA Selects Loquendo for Newest Train Cars

01 Sep 2004

MTA Long Island Rail Road and MTA Metro-North Railroad selected Loquendo's embedded text-to-speech technology.

Avaya and IBM Collaborate To Deliver New Speech-Enabled Self-Service Solutions

01 Sep 2004

NEW YORK - Avaya and IBM announced they will jointly deliver speech-enabled self-service solutions that allow the deployment of customized speech applications throughout a business.

Targex Chooses Loquendo Technology

01 Sep 2004

Targex selected Loquendo's text-to-speech to speech-enable their vehicle-tracking product "Eagle Eye Embedded AVL Unit."

S1 Enterprise Voice Powered by Edify Enhances Speech-based Customer Interactions

01 Sep 2004

ATLANTA - The product is part of the recent release of S1 Enterprise 3.0, the integrated multi-channel solution that addresses the front-office of banks and insurers.

Lyrix Enterprise Voice Portal Service Improves Communication for the Mobile Professional

01 Sep 2004

BOSTON - Using speech and the IMAP4 protocol, Lyrix provides hands-free access to existing corporate email stores.

Envox Worldwide Announces CT ADE Upgrade Program

01 Sep 2004

NEW YORK - Envox Worldwide and ScanSoft announced the introduction of an upgrade program for current users of the Intel® NetMerge™ Computer Telephony Application Development Environment (CT ADE).

Nuance Vocalizer 4.0 Brings New Capabilities to Enterprise and Telco Voice Automation Solutions

01 Sep 2004

MENLO PARK, Calif. - Nuance announced Nuance Vocalizer 4.0, the company's newest text-to-speech (TTS) software.

Vocalocity Partners with NeoSpeech for Integrated Text-to-Speech Offering

01 Sep 2004

NEW YORK - NeoSpeech and Vocalocity announced a strategic partnership to deliver integrated solutions to system manufacturers, system integrators, and service providers.

Oddcast Selects NeoSpeech TTS; Adds US English, Japanese, Chinese and Korean

01 Sep 2004

NeoSpeech and Oddcast announced that NeoSpeech's VoiceText Text-to-Speech engine has been integrated with Oddcast's VHost technology.

SVOX and Kirusa Partner to Deliver Multimodal Solutions

01 Sep 2004

NEW YORK - Kirusa and SVOX announced a partnership to bring to market Kirusa Multimodal Solution integrated with SVOX Text-to-Speech Software.

Speech Technology Industry Recognizes 2004's Outstanding Achievements

01 Sep 2004

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The speech technology industry recognized 2004's outstanding achievements by companies and individuals at the annual SpeechTEK Conference and Exposition, held last week at the New York Marriott Marquis.

ScanSoft Expands Portfolio of Text-to-Speech Software for Embedded Applications with RealSpeak Solo 4.0

01 Sep 2004

NEW YORK - ScanSoft, Inc. announced the availability of RealSpeak™ Solo 4.0, the latest offering in its portfolio of text-to-speech solutions optimized for embedded and desktop applications.

BCE Elix Wins Two Awards for Most Innovative Web-Based Voice Technology Solution

01 Aug 2004

MONTREAL, Que. - BCE Elix received two awards for its 'Talk to Santa' project at the RMA's Flèche d'or Gala.

Igor Jablokov, Program Director, Speech & Multimodal Technologies, IBM Pervasive Computing

01 Aug 2004

Q&A with Igor Jablokov, program director, Speech and Multimodal Technologies, IBM Pervasive Computing. Igor discusses the project in which he supervised a team of IBM Extreme Blue interns who worked on a multimodal application aimed at service providers and enterprises.

Addressing the Accessibility of TTY with VoIP

Robin Springer // 08 Jul 2004

Results are back from early adopters and, according to Alex Hadden-Boyd, director of marketing for IP communications at Cisco, the ROIs are being measured in months, not years.

Top 10 Survival Strategies for Spanish Applications

Lizanne KaiserEduardo OlveraSondra Ahlén // 08 Jul 2004

The companion piece to ¿Bueno? Are You Listening to Your Spanish Speakers by Sondra Ahlén, Lizanne Kaiser and Eduardo Olvera.

Voice over IP is becoming mainstream.

Robin Springer // 01 Jul 2004

SandCherry Resells Apptera's Packaged Speech Applications To Financial Services Market

01 Jul 2004

SAN BRUNO, Calif. - The partnership will allow SandCherry to tailor solutions to customer needs and give Apptera another outlet for providing applications to a broader customer base.

AT&T Extends and Expands Wizzard Agreement for World Wide TTS Distribution Rights

01 Jul 2004

PITTSBURGH, Penn. - Wizzard Software and AT&T add distribution rights for the telephony server version of AT&T's Natural Voices text-to-speech engine to their agreement.

Frost & Sullivan Reviews North American Speech Market

01 Jul 2004

Vendors Attempt to Woo Customers with Mix of Packaged and Custom Speech Solutions.

W3C Published Style Sheet for Rendering HTML & XML Documents as Speech

01 Jul 2004

The W3C has published a new working draft of a cascading Style Sheet specification that renders (X)HTML as voice using speech synthesis.

CNIB Library of Toronto selects Loquendo

01 Jul 2004

The CNIB Library of Toronto chooses Loquendo's text-to-speech software for digital talking books.

Hear All about Kari, the New Norwegian TTS Voice

01 Jul 2004

Acapela extends its text-to-speech coverage with its new voice - Kari.

New Female Voice to Reinforce Loquendo's Presence in the French Market

01 Jul 2004

Turin, Italy - Loquendo adds another voice to it's family of French personas. Her name is Juliette.

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

01 Jun 2004

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

01 Jun 2004

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

Scansoft Releases SpeechAttendant 8.1 and OpenSpeech Attendant

01 Jun 2004

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

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

01 Jun 2004

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

InfoTalk-Recognizer 8.2 Available on Aculab's Prosody

01 Jun 2004

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

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

01 Jun 2004

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

Aculab Integrates Prosody Media Processing with Envox 6 Communications Development Platform

01 Jun 2004

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.

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

01 Jun 2004

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

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

01 Jun 2004

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.

ScanSoft Releases OpenSpeech DialogModules 2.0

01 Jun 2004

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

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

01 Jun 2004

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

NetCentrex Opens Apps Site

01 Jun 2004

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

LARTEC Home Solutions Selects Loquendo

01 Jun 2004

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.

Rhetorical's Dedicated Text-to-Speech Meeting

01 Jun 2004

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.

ScanSoft Releases OpenSpeech DialogModules 2.0

01 Jun 2004

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

What's Natural about Natural Language Processing?

Walter Rolandi // 24 May 2004

Oh No!I inwardly wince every time a client announces that he wants me to design a “natural language” voice user interface. What follows is often an awkward series of questions that is intended to find out just what the client means by “natural language.” The answers clients provide can represent a range of possibilities that span, on a scale of complexity, from a basic verbal command and control system all the way up to an unbounded conversational dialog with a machine possessing the verbal skills of William F. Buckley, Jr.

Speech in the Travel Industry

Nancy Jamison // 24 May 2004

Vertical market applications are a subject dear to the hearts of marketers in the contact center and speech technology field. Finance, healthcare and education are typical of the "low hanging fruit" vendors have long focused on, with others, such as government, getting attention as the next potential for the big sales kill. Although there are some surprisingly interesting applications associated with these verticals, as a whole they aren't the most exciting customer-facing applications out there.

Easing Speech Application Development With Tools

Bill Scholz // 24 May 2004

Novice speech application developers are often discouraged by the complexity of the development task. Their apprehension is reinforced by horror stories concerning the difficulties of grammar construction, mediocre dialog designs, the complexity of integrating business process with the voice user interface and the need for extensive tuning before an application performs well. Recently, however, the availability of speech application development tools has significantly reduced both the complexity of the development process and the time required to complete a development task.

John Shea, Vice President of Product Marketing & Management, Nuance Communications

01 May 2004

This week, NewsBlast caught up with John Shea, Nuance's vice president of product marketing and management, to discuss two recent announcements of new Nuance offerings: Nuance Flexible Application SuitesTM and Nuance Voice Platform 3.0.

ScanSoft Unveils OpenSpeech Recognizer 3.0

01 May 2004

PEABODY, Mass.- Release draws on merged company assets to deliver Increased performance and broad language portfolio

Envox 6 Now Available

01 May 2004

WESTBOROUGH, Mass. and STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - Platform optimized for rapid application development to accelerate deployment of voice solutions.

ScanSoft and Infinity Telecom Partner

01 May 2004

PEABODY, Mass. - Companies leverage expertise to offer dictionary functionality on mobile devices.

Nuance Announces Winners of Inaugural Voice Industry Partner Awards

01 May 2004

Orlando, Fla. - New Awards Program Recognizes Nuance's Partners and Their Commitment to the Expanding Voice Automation Market

Loquendo Technology Powers INOV Platform Solutions

01 May 2004

TURIN, Italy - Loquendo and INOV signed a value added reseller agreement whereby Loquendo's multilingual TTS and ASR engines will be offered within INOV's platform.

Wizzard Closes Acquisition of MedivoxRx Technologies

01 May 2004

Wizzard plans to market "Rex" to pharmacies in the United States immediately.

Envox 6 Offers VXML, Speech, Web Services and VoIP Capabilities in Single Standards-based Platform

01 May 2004

WESTBOROUGH, Ma. and STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - Platform optimized for deployment of voice solutions

LG Electronics Selects ART to Supply Advanced Cell Phone Voice Control

01 May 2004

ATLANTA, Ga. - Speech interface smARTspeak XGT will be added to new high-end CDMA phone.

Newfound Communications Launches Nuance Voice Platform Start Kit featuring the Paraxip Media Gateway

01 May 2004

Opens new channel to offer VoiceXML speech systems to developers and SME market

ScanSoft Introduces Steffi, Female German TTS Voice

01 May 2004

LONDON - Steffi is the first in a series of new TTS voices to be introduced.

County of San Mateo Chooses Syntellect

01 Apr 2004

PHOENIX - Vista Solution will provide speech-enabled self-service for human services agency telecenter.

Toshiba Accentuates the Natural with New Text-to-Speech Solution

01 Apr 2004

CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom - Toshiba Research Europe Limited has pioneered a new solution that will improve embedded TTS technology.

Kurzweil 3000 Offers New Voices

01 Apr 2004

NEW ORLEANS - Kurzweil adds NeoSpeech VoiceText TM natural sounding voices option to assistive technology reading software.

IBM in the Leader Quadrant in IVR and EVR Solutions Magic Quadrant

01 Apr 2004

SOMERS, NY - The study indicates that the most important product selection criteria are vendor vision, product features, platform scalability and ease of integration.

First European Speech Group Unveils New Name: Acapela Group

01 Apr 2004

BELGIUM, FRANCE and SWEDEN - Following the merger in January of Babel Technologies, Elan Speech and Babel Infovox, the newly formed company is called Acapela Group.

City Cabs Beat Telephone Queue Blues

01 Apr 2004

EDINBURGH, Scotland - Edinburgh taxis deploy home-grown TTS.

Ericsson Launches "Talking Intranet" for Ericsson Employees

01 Apr 2004

OLTEN, Switzerland and DUBLIN, Ireland - Ericsson employees in Germany, Austria and Switzerland are now able to access internal company information via "Outspoken" service.

Genesys and IBM to Deliver Enterprise-Wide Speech-Enabled Self-Service Solutions

01 Apr 2004

SAN FRANCISCO and SOMERS, NY - WebSphere-based solution integrates contact centers and enterprise business processes.

Building Speech Applications: Part One - The Application and its Development Infrastructure

Bill Scholz // 08 Mar 2004

The design and deployment of a high quality speech application presents a unique challenge, requiring not only traditional systems analysis and software development skills but also the specialized skills of the speech scientist, human factors expert and business process analyst. In this issue we will describe what a speech application is, what a designer’s primary considerations include, and what the infrastructure is in which a speech application is constructed. Part 2 will focus on details of the application development process from requirement gathering through design, implementation using service creation tools and deployment using alternative infrastructures.

In the Studio: Setting High Standards for Prerecorded Audio

Bill Byrne // 08 Mar 2004

Both touch-tone and speech recognition-based telephone solutions typically depend on prerecorded audio for prompt delivery, especially in customer facing call center applications. And with the growing demand for these applications, more and more consultants and professional services organizations are trying their hand at prerecorded audio production. However, many have found the prompt recording process to be deceptively complex. After all, voice acting, directing and post-production are specialized skills that require specific technical and design expertise as well as artistic talent.

NeoSpeech Announces Software Developer's Kit for Microsoft Windows Mobile and Windows CE

01 Mar 2004

SAN FRANCISCO - NeoSpeech SDK brings text-to-speech to compact devices.

Katherine Owens, Senior Director of Marketing, NMS Communications

01 Mar 2004

Katherine Owens, Senior Director of Marketing at NMS Communications, talks about the future of speech technology and the role that NMS Communications will play in it.

Sakrament Launches Sakrament Personal Voice Master 1.0

01 Mar 2004

MINSK, BELARUS - Application enables users to hear any text-based information in their own voices on the basis of Sakrament TTS Engine.

VoxSurf Teams with Nuance to Deliver Next Generation Voicemail and Advanced Messaging Solutions

01 Mar 2004

ATLANTA, Ga. and LONDON, UK - Telecom operators to benefit long-term from VoxSurf Alliance.

IBM Announces New Speech Technology and Middleware around Conversational Access

01 Mar 2004

SAN FRANCISCO - New offerings aim to help developers extend business processes by

NetByTel, Vocalocity and ScanSoft Team up on First Hosted Commercial SALT Deployments

01 Mar 2004

BOCA RATON, Fla., ATLANTA, Ga. and PEABODY, Mass. - Key Bank, Mailboxes, Etc. and Shell benefiting from market leaders' dedication to open standards for speech recognition.

Apptera Deploys Packaged Speech Application

01 Mar 2004

SAN BRUNO, Calif. - Mobile voice-enabled locator provides precise branch, ATM locations for callers nationwide.

British Airlines Automates Holiday Requests

01 Mar 2004

UNITED KINGDOM - British Airlines has created a new customer service platform using a speech solution provided by Rhetorical and Claritas.

Professor Hawking Selects NeoSpeech

01 Mar 2004

FREMONT, Calif. - NeoSpeech announced that Professor Stephen Hawking, scientist, professor and author, has selected NeoSpeech's text-to-speech product, VoiceText, as his new voice. Hawking's motor neuron illness, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, has deprived him of the ability to speak, making his computer with voice synthesizer essential for communication.

NextUp.com Announces Strategic Partnership with Cepstral

01 Feb 2004

CLEMMONS, NC - NextUp.com will offer Cepstral's synthetic voices to consumers, educators and businesses as part of its TextAloud MP3 PC software.

Loquendo Releases Portuguese Female Persona

01 Feb 2004

TURIN, ITALY - Amàlia is Loquendo's latest addition to its group of text-to-speech offerings.

US FAA Selects STR for TTS

01 Feb 2004

VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA - Transcribed weather broadcast provides pilots with a continous broadcast of weather information using STR's TTS technology.

ScanSoft and Unified Communications Announce the Launch of OneVoice

01 Feb 2004

COMCENTRE, SINGAPORE - Customers can access their personal address book, a public address book, calendar and information services using speech commands.

Speech in the Healthcare Industry

Caroline Henton // 09 Jan 2004

Because of linguistic dangers, speech solutions that are effective in some areas of healthcare can have lethal consequences in others. Applied to the right solutions, however, speech is an effective tool for medical care providers. Dr. Caroline Henton analyzes the benefits of speech in healthcare and how the dangers are being overcome.

Vincent Fontaine, Executive Committee Chairman, Babel Technologies

01 Jan 2004

Last week, Babel Technologies and Elan Speech announced the merger of their companies in an effort to dedicate themselves as a European creator of innovative dialogue solutions. Vincent Fontaine shares his expectations of the merger and how it could impact the speech industry.

Wizzard Software Attracts 21 New Customers

01 Jan 2004

PITTSBURGH, PA - Twenty-one new companies signed agreements to include one or more of Wizzard's speech products in their own product offerings in the fourth quarter of 2003.

Elix, Nu Echo and CONCEPT S2i Announce Results of Holiday Voice Application

01 Jan 2004

MONTREAL, CANADA - talktosantaclaus application encountered more than 72,000 chats with voice-automated Santa Claus.

Vocomo and GM Voices Enable Smart Prompt Option

01 Jan 2004

CUPERTINO, CA and ALPHARETTA, GA - Smart Prompt option installed on Vocomo IVR to speak date, time of day, dollar amounts and numbers.

IVoice Releases IVR Application Generator 2.0

01 Jan 2004

MATAWAN, NJ - The Speech Enabled Application Generator developed to route calls based on specified rules, monitor application performance and log calls and events.

Rhetorical Partners with Motorola on VIAMOTO Solution

01 Dec 2003

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - Speech synthesis software will be provided for use with VIAMOTO, designed to allow users access to location-specific information on wireless devices.

Microsoft Speech Technologies Announce Updates to Beta Server and Development Kit

01 Dec 2003

REDMOND, WA - New features and functionalities designed to meet customer needs for developing speech applications using the Microsoft® Speech Server and Microsoft Speech Application Software Development Kit.

NeoSpeech Selected by HomeSeer

01 Dec 2003

FREMONT, CA - VoiceText™ used for HomeSeer's PC-based home automation system to enable the home to talk to its occupants.

Rhetorical Releases rVoice 4.2

01 Dec 2003

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - Latest version of text-to-speech engine includes rVoice Studio, a graphical development tool used to create ActivePromptsTM.

VoiceGenie Announces Partnerships with Elan, VoiceTrust

01 Dec 2003

TORONTO, CANADA, MUNICH, GERMANY and TOULOUSE, FRANCE - Partnership with VoiceTrust created to deliver packaged speech applications for secure user authentication.

ScanSoft Solution Implemented into BMW Internal IT Hotline

01 Dec 2003

PEABODY, MA and GHENT, Belgium - SpeechPearl® and RealSpeak™ are being used to assist with high priority technical questions into the BMW internal IT hotline.

Rhetorical and BBN Technologies Sign Speech Technology Licensing Agreement

01 Dec 2003

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND and CAMBRIDGE, MA - Partnership gives BBN Technologies, a Verizon company, the ability to integrate current and future versions of Rhetorical's text-to-speech (TTS) technology into its speech recognition system.

LumenVox and Elan Speech Partner

01 Dec 2003

SAN DIEGO, CA and TOULOUSE, FRANCE - Marketing alliance developed to deliver speech-enabled applications to enterprises worldwide.

Babel-Infovox ASR and TTS Deployed by Lingsoft

01 Dec 2003

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - Solution provider to Finnish software companies chooses Babear in order to offer its customers other European languages.

Elix, Nu Echo and CONCEPT S2i Unveil Holiday Application

01 Dec 2003

MONTREAL, QUEBEC - Application allows children to have personalized interaction with Santa and his automated elf.

Nuance and Mundwerk Enable Voice-Driven Dating Service

01 Dec 2003

LONDON, ENGLAND and MENLO PARK, CA - German speech-based voice automation service allows callers to register, create a profile and contact potential matches using speech.

ScanSoft TTS Deployed by Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind

01 Dec 2003

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA and PEABODY, MA - Speechify® to speech-enable daily news service comprised of content from The New Zealand Herald.

Larry Heck, Vice President of R&D, Nuance Communications

01 Dec 2003

Dr. Larry Heck leads Nuance's research and engine development efforts in voice authentication, natural language processing, speech recognition and text-to-speech synthesis (TTS). The November/December issue of Speech Technology Magazine takes a look at voice biometrics and Dr. Heck believes "the last 10 years have seen tremendous breakthroughs in making voice authentication work over different telephone channels."

Babel TTS Selected By Imagetalk

01 Dec 2003

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - PocketBabil will be integrated into Imagetalk Smartphone applications.

Elan Speech Launches PocketSpeech Sayso

01 Dec 2003

TOULOUSE, FRANCE - Available in five languages, solution is designed to speech-enable for PDAs.

Rhetorical Selected by the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB)

01 Nov 2003

EDINBURGH, ENGLAND - RNIB to use rVoice to deliver current affairs and time-sensitive information in an audible format designed to be fully accessible by England's 2 million blind and partially sighted people.

Judy Davis, Director of Product & Industry Marketing, Convergys

01 Nov 2003

Two months ago Monster Government Solutions selected Convergys to provide the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) to its federal jobs Web site. The USAJOBS site averages 17,000 federal vacancy announcements per day and under this agreement Convergys is hosting automated access and query capabilities using text-to-speech output of job postings and fax-back services for associated documents. Judy Davis, director of product and industry marketing for Convergys discusses the significance of such a deployment.

Sakrament TTS Selected by Russian Television Network

01 Nov 2003

MINSK, BELARUS - TNT TV Network to use Sakrament TTS Engine for a reality television show.

Fonix Speech Interfaces Implemented on Renesas Platform

01 Nov 2003

Speech interfaces have been implemented and are shipping on Renesas Technology's Biscayne development platform for vehicle telematics systems.

NeoSpeech TTS Selected By Cima Systems

01 Nov 2003

FREMONT, CA - Using VoiceText™, Cima combines data mining with voice and e-mail messaging to automate communication with customers via phone and the Web.

Fonix/Epson Speech Solution Selected by TopGrade

01 Nov 2003

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - Speech interface solution now available on educational electronic dictionary for Chinese speakers.

ScanSoft Releases Japanese Voice Kyoko

01 Nov 2003

PEABODY, MA - Japanese voice introduced for embedded and network-based text-to-speech applications.

Nuance Adds Canadian French to TTS Offering

01 Nov 2003

MENLO PARK, CA - New voice and other product enhancements made to Nuance Vocalizer 3.0 text-to-speech software are now available.

NMS Communications Hardware Chosen by Computer Talk Technology (CCT)

01 Nov 2003

FRAMINGHAM, MA - CCT will base its iceCube solution on NMS' platform.

MultiVision Communications Releases Contact Center Solution

01 Nov 2003

MARKHAM, CANADA - Speechezy is designed to assist contact center operators deliver desired information proactively to customers over any communications channel.

BTSLogic Announces Speech-Enabled Directory Assistance Service

01 Nov 2003

COLLEGE PARK, MD - SEDA, updated by LSSi directory data, to provide automated directory assistance.

NCR and ScanSoft Enter into Global Agreement

01 Nov 2003

DAYTON, OH - NCR to embed ScanSoft's text-to-speech (TTS) engine within NCR's self-service software in order to provide visually impaired access to automated teller machines (ATMs).

Babel Releases Arabic Language Version of BrightSpeech

01 Oct 2003

MONS, BELGIUM - "Salma" brings BrightSpeech into the international Arabic world marketplace.

ScanSoft Releases Speechify 3.0

01 Oct 2003

PEABODY, MA - New product features "Speechify Jill," increasing the number of voices offered by ScanSoft to 36.

Novauris Announces Evaluation Program

01 Oct 2003

NEW YORK, NY and CHELTENHAM, ENGLAND - Demonstration system opens up wider evaluation of technology for spoken access to extremely large databases.

Loquendo Announces Integration with Oracle

01 Oct 2003

TURIN, ITALY - Voice Gateway certified for use with the Oracle9i Application Server Wireless and Collaboration Suite offering.

Maxxar Forms Strategic Partnership with XP Systems

01 Oct 2003

Alliance provides users of new XP2 system with voice recognition solutions.

Loquendo Technology Selected by LogicJunction

01 Oct 2003

Artificial Intelligence software company added to Loquendo's customer portfolio.

LumenVox Selected by ATA Retail Services

01 Oct 2003

SAN DIEGO, CA and FREMONT, CA - Wholesale distributor to use automated merchandise ordering and shipment system to service more than 800 field merchandising personnel.

ScanSoft Establishes Dedicated Professional Services Team for DA Solutions

01 Oct 2003

SAN DIEGO, CA - Company introduces SpeechPAK 1.0 for Directory Assistance and introduces new suite of speech optimization services.

Fonix Announces Next Generation DECtalk

01 Oct 2003

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - Version 5.0 of Fonix DECtalk text-to-speech (TTS) technology released for embedded applications.

Babel's Text-to-Speech Integrated into ALVA Mobile Phone Organizer

01 Oct 2003

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - Wireless device is used by visually impaired individuals to make phone calls, send SMS messages, look up information and take notes using Braille with speech.

Babel TTS Deployed at Belgian Supermarket

01 Oct 2003

MONS, BELGIUM - BrightSpeech Text-to-Speech engine used in PC DIGISPOT for public announcement systems.

Peter Monaco, Vice President of Application Engineering, Nuance Communications

01 Oct 2003

Peter Monaco has been involved in Nuance's shifting focus toward the Nuance Voice Platform. He believes packaged applications can help broaden the speech market, cutting deployment time in half and significantly reduce development complexity and risk. Monaco visits with the readers of NewsBlast to discuss these and other pertinent issues.

Speech Technology Industry Names Top Performers for 2003

01 Oct 2003

Speech Solutions Awards were presented last night at the SpeechTEK Gala and Awards Ceremony sponsored by ScanSoft and Partners.

Adi Sideman, CEO, Oddcast

01 Sep 2003

Adi Sideman is CEO and founder of Oddcast, a company that provides a platform for businesses to create conversational characters for marketing and sales applications, learning and training applications, customer support and online advertising. Sideman will participate in the session "Speech and User Satisfaction" during Wednesday of SpeechTEK.

ScanSoft and Comfort Launch Taxi Booking Service in Asia

01 Sep 2003

PEABODY, MA and SINGAPORE - SpeedCall Taxi Booking Process Utilizes Speechify Text-to-Speech Software to confirm pick-Up locations.

IVoice and Wizzard Software Collaborate on Voice Enabled E-mail Reader

01 Sep 2003

MATAWAN, NJ - Unified Text-to-Speech E-mail Reader is a standalone solution that provides voice access to e-mail by telephone.

Brooktrout Integrates Platform with Babel TTS

01 Sep 2003

NEW YORK, NY - Also announces integrated solution with VoiceGenie and a new comprehensive development program during SpeechTEK.

Loquendo Teams Up with VoiceGenie

01 Sep 2003

NEW YORK, NY - Announce alliance to deliver sophisticated voice-enabled services to enterprises and carriers worldwide.

VoiceGenie Appoints Gold Europe Value-Added Reseller in UK

01 Sep 2003

TORONTO, CANADA and CARDIFF, ENGLAND - Gold Europe appointed to support demand for VoiceXML-based applications.

Edify Announces New Version of Edify 8.5

01 Sep 2003

SANTA CLARA, CA - Updated version of platform provides full integration support for ScanSoft's SpeechPearl XML 1.0 and BBN's HARK Speech Recognition Engine.

Babel Technologies TTS Deployed in Owasys Mobile Phone

01 Sep 2003

MONS, BELGIUM - PocketBabil will provide text-to-speech for the blind and visually impared using a mobile phone.

Fonix Joins Symbian Platinum Program

01 Sep 2003

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - Fonix extends its text-to-speech and automatic speech recognition solutions to the Symbian OS ecosystem.

Convergys Selected to Provide IVR for Monster Government Solutions

01 Sep 2003

CINCINNATI, OH - Under the outsourcing agreement, Convergys will provide the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system for Monster Government Solutions' new project with the United States government.

Nickelodeon Network Chooses NeoSpeech

01 Sep 2003

FREMONT, CA - The N, a nighttime network for teens owned by Nickelodeon, chose NeoSpeech's Text-to-Speech (TTS) product VoiceText™.

Epson and Fonix Announce New Speech Platform

01 Sep 2003

SALT LAKE CITY, UT and TOKYO, JAPAN - Speech platform features speech recognition and text-to-speech capabilities that will allow interaction with embedded systems using natural interfaces.

Elan Speech Releases Speechissimo

01 Sep 2003

TOULOUSE, FRANCE - Speechissimo provides Text-to-Speech option for MAC OS X users in a variety of languages.

LocusDialog and VoiceGenie Partner on Auto-Attendant and Call-Routing Solutions

01 Sep 2003

MONTREAL and TORONTO, CANADA - VoiceGenie's platform and LocusDialog's open standards-based solution combine to develop voice-enabled capabilities targeted toward the enterprise market.

Rhetorical and Telisma form Partnership

01 Sep 2003

PARIS, FRANCE and EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - European companies team in a technical and commercial alliance with plans to deploy voice services across the region.

Loquendo Integrates TTS Engine Within Oddcast's [V]Host Technology

01 Sep 2003

NEW YORK, NY - Oddcast's [V]Host conversational characters will now have the ability to speak in 15 different languages.

Babel-Infovox Successfully Tested by BrightSpeech TTS

01 Sep 2003

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - TOPCALL server product is ready for BrightSpeech, allowing companies to integrate, manage and archive communications from a single server.

LumenVox Partners With NeoSpeech in Order to Provide Text-to-Speech Engine

01 Sep 2003

SAN DIEGO, CA and FREMONT, CA - Strategic partnership will allow LumenVox to work with NeoSpeech's VoiceTEXT technology as a value add for its Speech Driven Information System.

NeoSpeech Selected for Flagship Golf Application

01 Sep 2003

FREMONT, CA - Speech-based interactive tool will be utilized to research links at golf destinations provided by media agency 2112.

Vocomo Releases Enhanced Vocomo Voice Response 1.1

01 Sep 2003

NEW YORK, NY - Unified Dispatch Inc. uses Vocomo Voice Response for multiple deployments of UniBook, a voice-enabled taxi booking system.

Audium and Holly Australia Partner

01 Sep 2003

NEW YORK, NY - Audium's VoiceXML application software Audium 3 has been embedded in the Holly Voice Gateway.

SDC Announces Version 4 of IntelliSPEECH

01 Sep 2003

Call handling solution is powered by speech application technologies from Newfound Communications and Vocalocity.

Babel Announces Availability of BrightSpeech Studio

01 Sep 2003

MONS, BELGIUM and STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - BrightSpeech Studio solution offers opportunities for software development companies looking to create audio prompts with synthetic speech for their products or services.

Sakrament Releases Sacrament TTS Engine for PDAs

01 Sep 2003

MINSK, BELARUS - Sakrament TTS Engine PDA Edition adds speech to applications while offering mobility features to PDA users.

ART Advanced Recognition Technologies Inc. Announces Embedded Solution

01 Sep 2003

ATLANTA, GA - smARTspeak XGT provides text-to-speech functions in order to enable access to messaging, dialing and browsing applications.

BrightSpeech Deployed in Visibridge VoiceXML Gateway Server

01 Sep 2003

MONS, BELGIUM - Visibridge successfully integrates Babel Technologies' Text-to-Speech (TTS) engine BrightSpeech onto Visibridge VoiceXML Gateway Server.

Loquendo Selected by Sonant

01 Sep 2003

Loquendo TTS to be integrated with Sonant's eCenter systems and marketed to systems at small-to-medium businesses and government agencies in the United States.

Comverse and Angel.com Form Partnership

01 Sep 2003

WOODBURY, NY and McLEAN, VA - Solutions target small and medium enterprises to build, launch and manage their own VoiceXML applications.

Nortel Networks Announces Multimedia Services Product

01 Sep 2003

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC - Media Application Server designed to allow service providers to take advantage of IP infrastructure and integrate multiple media into one service.

Bell Canada Launches Voice Select

01 Sep 2003

TORONTO, CANADA - Voice Select, a hosted contact center service for enterprise customers, deployed to assist businesses improve call center customer service.

Elan Speech Unveils New Elan Sayso Voice

01 Sep 2003

NEW YORK, NY and TOULOUSE, FRANCE - Aaron brings Elan Sayso's offer to six voices for U.S. English; Italian added to multilingual offer.

ScanSoft selected by CARS-511 Consortium

01 Sep 2003

PEABODY, MA - Speech-Enabled traffic information service migrating a porting of its hosted, speech-enabled traveler information service to a promise-based solution using ScanSoft software.

A Whole New World

Bruce Pollock // 25 Aug 2003

The exponential growth of processing power has helped increase the quality and usability of speech technologies. Gene Cox explores the new market opportunities that are opening up as speech becomes a vital interface.

The Name Game

Caroline Henton // 25 Aug 2003

The growth in applications for Text-to-Speech (TTS) in voice automated directory assistance and information and spoken directions in vehicles is challenging developers to produce solutions that deliver accurate and unambiguous responses. Dr. Caroline Henton breaks down the “pronunciation puzzles” in TTS and offers five steps for achieving working solutions.

Speech Technology: Finally, a Competitive Necessity

Bill Meisel // 25 Aug 2003

Innovative technologies that are eventually successful follow a typical timeline. The capabilities and markets are over-stated in early stages as struggling start-ups try to make a case to investors and the press, leading to over-hype and disappointment. The core technology improves, and several early applications are identified where the use of the technology is particularly needed and is cost-effective, providing a base for growing businesses. Core technology continues to improve, making possible more marketable applications, but moving out…

Nuance Voice Platform Utilized by Datria for Field Productivity Voice Application

01 Aug 2003

MENLO PARK, CA, and ENGLEWOOD, CO - Ticket Management 2.0, a packaged VoiceXML standards-free field service application, will be available in September.

ATA Retail Services Selects NeoSpeech Text-to-Speech

01 Aug 2003

FREMONT, CA - VoiceText implemented in order to allow ATA's field labor force to work more efficiently and gain access to shipping information.

Phonetic Systems, Rhetorical Systems Partner to Deploy TTS in Voice Search Engine Applications

01 Aug 2003

BILLERICA, MA, and EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - rVoice text-to-speech engine to integrate natural sounding voice into Phonetic Systems' applications.

Kirusa Teams With Nuance to Deliver a Suite of Multimodal Solutions

01 Aug 2003

EDISON, NJ - Multimotal solutions will enable wireless carriers and service providers to offer applications with integrated voice and visual interfaces.

Kirusa and Elan Speech Partner to Deliver Multimodal Solutions

01 Aug 2003

EDISON, NJ, and TOULOUSE, FRANCE - Partnership will make it possible to deploy Kirusa's multimodal solutions in several European language.

NeoSpeech's Text-to-Speech Product Selected by VoiceShot for Notification Services

01 Aug 2003

FREMONT, CA - VoiceText will power VoiceShots interactive voice alert and notification services for Web sites.

Rhetorical Organizes 'Text-to-Speech World' to Highlight the Power of Text-to-Speech Software

01 Aug 2003

EDINBUGH, SCOTLAND - Event is slated to take place September 4 and 5 in Edinburgh.

Voice Signal's Voice-Activated Phonebook Ships With New Samsung Wireless Camera Phone

01 Aug 2003

WOBURN, MA - The Samsung SPH-a600 began shipping August 4 to Sprint retail stores across the U.S.

Loquendo's Gabriela Becomes Voice of Check Express

01 Jul 2003

Loquendo multilingual text-to speech and automatic speech recognition engines will be offered within CTI Dealer's IVR Platform solutions.

Loquendo Language Guesser Presented by Loquendo

01 Jul 2003

TURIN, ITALY - Loquendo Language Guesser identifies different languages within a document for accurate interpretations to automated text-to-speech systems.

Babel's BrightSpeech to be Incorporated in Voxpilot VoiceXML Gateway Products

01 Jul 2003

MONS, BELGIUM - Partnership allows Babel to offer Voxpilot's VoiceXML outsourced solutions.

SpeechWorks Achieves Leading U.S. Market Share Position

01 Jul 2003

Frost & Sullivan recognizes SpeechWorks as a leader in the North American speech market.

SpeechWorks Provides Support to Microsoft Speech Partner Program Participants

01 Jul 2003

Microsoft Speech Partners will have access to a bevy of speech software and services made available by SpeechWorks.

IBM Releases Multimodal Toolkit for WebSphere Studio

01 Jul 2003

SOMERS, NY - Toolkit is designed for creating multimodal user interfaces based on the XHTML+Voice specification.

CEC Systems Releases PanaVox to Broadcast Internet Text-to-Speech to Narrowband from a Web Site

01 Jul 2003

Service assists those with impaired vision and reading difficulties gain access to the Web.

Elix and Nu Echo Form Partnership

01 Jul 2003

Contact center and speech expertise venture formed to improve speech-driven initiatives for clients and prospects.

Web Pages Read Aloud Using ReadBar for Internet Explorer

01 Jul 2003

ReadPlease releases text-to-speech software ReadingBar for Internet Explorer.

Barry Zipp, Director of Enhanced Voice Services, MCI

01 Jul 2003

Find out what 15-year MCI veteran Barry Zipp thinks about automated speech technology, call centers, consultative sales practices and much more.

Volker Jantzen, CEO, SVOX

01 Jul 2003

Volker Jantzen is Chief Executive Officer of SVOX and the visionary driving the company from academia to the commercial marketplace. Here Jantzen shares his opinions on text-to-speech technology.

XyberKids: Helping Kids Assimilate

Robin Springer // 30 Jun 2003

How does a company that provides wearable computer solutions for the military and corporate heavyweights, such as Federal Express, Bell Canada and Lockheed Martin, transition into helping kids with disabilities improve their communication and social skills? If you are Xybernaut, you modify your trademarked durable, droppable diminutive box into XyberKids, a product that not only helps kids interact, it helps them assimilate.

Most Innovative Solutions Awards 2003

Robin Springer // 30 Jun 2003

Speech Technology Magazine (STM) is recognizing companies using creative speech-service applications. Organizations worldwide are increasingly using speech to improve customer service, increase revenues, empower workers and introduce other creative solutions. We have recognized solutions that have impacted organizations in ways that are innovative and unique. These solutions are changing the way companies do business and proving that speech will play a major role in a company's customer service, marketing and sales strategy.

Controlled Languages and Speech Prompts

James A. Larson // 30 Jun 2003

"Welcome to the Ajax speech application. It is possible to perform any of several actions at any time during this application, including the common actions of asking for help, transferring the call to an operator, stopping the application and returning to the main menu." This sample prompt is too long and confusing for most users. However, by using a controlled language, you can improve the prompt for your customers.

Voice-enabled Applications on the Rise; Entering IT Mainstream

01 Jun 2003

The market for enterprise and telco-grade voice processing infrastructure will grow from $250 million in 2002 to $600 million in 2007, according to a newly issued report from Zelos Group.

Beyond Voice Quality

Robert Rieger // 01 Jun 2003

Text-to-speech (TTS) technology leaves many application designers at a crossroad. Although TTS technology is deployable - and it frequently sounds great - it still makes mistakes. What's more, it makes some mistakes that seem painfully obvious to us.

Listen Up! Big Brother is Talking to You

Nancy Jamison // 01 Jun 2003

Listen up! The government is talking to you and being helpful in the process. This might sound strange to anyone who has sat on hold waiting for a government agency representative.

The Medical Learning Co. Chooses NeoSpeech TTS

01 Jun 2003

The Medical Learning Co. has selected NeoSpeech's Text-to-Speech product, VoiceText, for its SynPatient patient simulator.

Roger D. Dudley and Thomas A. Murdock of Fonix

01 Jun 2003

Founded in 1993, Fonix provides natural communication solutions that enable intuitive access to technology. Roger D. Dudley and Thomas A. Murdock discuss Fonix's current economic impact, its latest product releases and outlook for the future.

Anthony McKay and Bill Burgar, Co-Founders of Telephonetics

01 Jun 2003

Anthony McKay and Bill Burgar are co-founders of Telephonetics, a provider of digital computer telephony and speech recognition business solutions. In a Q&A with the editors of NewsBlast, McKay and Burgar explain some of the company's product offerings, as well as two of the company's deployments in the United Kingdom.

Babel Delivers 'Plug & Play' Speech Solution for Rapid Deployment

01 Jun 2003

MONS, BELGIUM - Babel Technologies S.A. introduced a combined speech technology hardware and software solution, the VoxBox.

NMS Communications Introduces Solution Developer's Program

01 Jun 2003

FRAMINGHAM, MA - NMS Communications is rolling out an enhanced program for telecommunications application developers to deploy advanced voice and data solutions.

Project Sponsored by NASA Langley to use Neospeech's Speech Engine

01 Jun 2003

FREMONT, CA - NeoSpeech announced that ODU Center for Advanced Engineering Environments at NASA Langley has selected its Text-to-Speech product, VoiceText, as a key component for a learning environment under development.

Sakrament Announced the Beta Release of TTS for U.K. English

01 Jun 2003

MINSK, BELARUS - Sakrament company has announced the beta release of UK English version of its TTS products.

Convedia Announced the Addition of ASR and TTS Features

01 Jun 2003

ATLANTA, GA - Convedia Corporation announced the addition of advanced speech recognition (ASR) and text-to-speech (TTS) features to its family of IP Media Servers.

Elix Automates Information Services

01 Jun 2003

MONTREAL, CANADA - Elix announced its new information services solution offering.

OSSI to Incorporate NeoSpeech's Text-to-Speech Product

01 Jun 2003

FREMONT, CA - NeoSpeech announced that Open Software Solutions Inc. (OSSI) has selected NeoSpeech's flagship Text-to-Speech product, VoiceText for incorporation into its Mobile Computing application (MCT).

Loquendo Technology Powers JoeKnowsIt Online Training Offering

01 Jun 2003

TURIN, ITALY - JoeKnowsIt will utilize Loquendo's text-to-Speech software.

SandCherry Announces VoiceXML Browser

01 Jun 2003

AppRun VXML offers enterprises and service providers an inexpensive component for realizing the benefits of VXML-based solutions without compromising performance or reliability.

VOXit Mailer Approved for HP Software Choice Program

01 Jun 2003

READING, UK - Domain Dynamics has announced theapproval and availability of its VOXit Mailer software product on the HP SoftwareChoice Program.

Vodafone Selects SpeechWorks and Brand & Grober Communications

01 Jun 2003

BOSTON, MA - SpeechWorks International Inc. announced that Vodafone UK is now offering a new application for its visually impaired customers using SpeechWorks technology.

SandCherry Announces VoiceXML Browser

01 Jun 2003

BOULDER, CO - SandCherry Inc. announced the availability of AppRun VXML.

HTK and BBC Develop New TTS Capability

01 Jun 2003

IPSWICH, UNITED KINGDOM - HTK Limited, UK, has developed a speech synthesis capability to deliver the BBC preferred pronunciation of foreign words and names.

Babel's Text-to-Speech Technology PocketBabil Now Available for Symbian

01 Jun 2003

MONS, BELGIUM - Operating system will allow application designers to move from customized platforms towasd a standard and open platform featuring synthetic speech.

Microvocal selects BrightSpeech

01 Jun 2003

MONS, BELGIUM - Babel Technologies S.A. technology has announced that Microvocal has integrated Babel's BrightSpeech Text-to-Speech (TTS) solution in its automated reading kiosk.

Avis Chooses Interactive Agent Using Elan Sayso

01 Jun 2003

TOULOUSE, FRANCE - Lola, an interactive agent designed by Cantoche, to play a key speaking part on Avis' on-line car rental Microsite.

Neospeech Announces Reseller Agreement with Babel Technologies

01 Jun 2003

FREMONT, CA - NeoSpeech has announced that it has entered into a reseller agreement with Babel Technologies S.A.

Microvocal Selects Bright Speech for Europe's First Reading Kiosks

01 Jun 2003

MONS, BELGIUM - Babel Technologies S.A. announced Microvocal has integrated Babel's revolutionary BrightSpeech Text-to-Speech (TTS) solution in its automated reading kiosk.

New Dell Line of IVR Appliances from Vocomo

01 Jun 2003

CUPERTINO, CA - Vocomo presents an all new Dell line of IVR appliances based on the Vocomo Voice Response platform.

Vocomo to Release Ultra-Compact IVR Platform

01 Jun 2003

CUPERTINO, CA - VVR/4 CUBE is based on VoiceXML 2.0 and contains advanced speech capabilities.

Listen Up! Big Brother is Talking to You

Nancy Jamison // 05 May 2003

Listen up! The government is talking to you and being helpful in the process. This might sound strange to anyone who has sat on hold waiting for a government agency representative. Ever called the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) or Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)? You know what I mean.

Beyond Voice Quality

Robert RiegerDan Faulkner // 05 May 2003

Text-to-speech (TTS) technology leaves many application designers at a crossroad. Although TTS technology is deployable – and it frequently sounds great – it still makes mistakes. What’s more, it makes some mistakes that seem painfully obvious to us.

Rhetorical Develops English/Spanish Voice

01 May 2003

EDINGURGH, SCOTLAND - Rhetorical has created a new voice capable of switching between Spanish and U.S. English.

VoiceGenie Launches New SpeechGenie VoiceXML Platform

01 May 2003

TORONTO, CANADA - VoiceGenie Technologies Inc. announced the availability of a feature-extended release of SpeechGenie.

QSAccess and Vocomo Announce Patient Reminder

01 May 2003

ST. LOUIS, MO and CUPERTINO, CA - QSAccess LLC and Vocomo Software Corporation have introduced the Opti-Schedule AutoReminder Option, an automated reminder solution for the optical industry.

Avaya Selects Babel's BrightSpeech

01 May 2003

MONS, BELGIUM - Babel Technologies S.A. announced that Avaya has deployed Babel's BrightSpeech text-to-speech engine on its R1 Avaya Interactive Voice Response system.

VoiceGenie Announces GenieBuilder Graphical Application Development Environment

01 May 2003

TORONTO, CANADA - VoiceGenie Technologies Inc. announced the availability of GenieBuilder, an open-standards voice application software package for use on VoiceGenie's Next-Gen IVR platform.

Phonologies Announces InterpreXer SME Edition

01 May 2003

MUMBAI, INDIA - InterpreXerSME Edition is a Linux based pre-packaged VoiceXML2.0 Browser with in-built DTMF and Synthesized Speech functionality and SIPsupport.

Franklin Electronic Publishers Selects Babel's TTS Engine

01 May 2003

MONS, BELGIUM - Babel Technologies S.A has announced that Franklin Electronic Publishers Inc. is embedding PocketBabil in its electronic books.

SNT Nederland Selects ScanSoft and VoltDelta

01 May 2003

PEABODY, MA and SUNBURY-ON-THAMES, UK - SNT Nederland has selected ScanSoft and VoltDelta for its automated directory assistance service.

VoltDelta Forms Strategic Partnership with Envox Worldwide

01 May 2003

NEW YORK, NY and WESTBOROUGH, MA - VoltDelta announced that their strategic partnership with Envox Worldwide continues to generate sales of automated Operator Services solutions.

Babel Increases Language Options for BrightSpeech TTS Engine

01 May 2003

MONS, BELGIUM - Babel Technologies S.A. announced version 1.2 of BrightSpeech, its text-to-speech technology.

Jet Multimedia Chooses Elan Sayso

01 May 2003

TOULOUSE, FRANCE - Jet Multimédia has integrated Elan Sayso into two of the company's hosting offers: Contact SVI and Contact Access.

20/20 Speech's Two-way Speech Interface Tool Available Online

01 Apr 2003

LONDON, UK - 20/20 Speech announces that its two-way speech interface tool, Aurix(r)activator, is available on Handango's Web site.

NeoSpeech Announces VoiceText 2.0

01 Apr 2003

FREMONT, CA - NeoSpeech announced the availability of VoiceText 2.0, advanced Text-to-Speech (TTS) software that generates voices from text input.

ScanSoft and IBM to Expand Server, Embedded and Desktop Speech Offerings

01 Apr 2003

PEABODY, MA - ScanSoft Inc. announced a set of agreements with IBM through which the companies will extend speech technology and applications across enterprise, desktop and multimodal environments.

Wizzard Software Announces Plans To Streamline Government Business Relationships

01 Apr 2003

PITTSBURGH, PA - Wizzard Software announced that it plans to file for a GSA IT Schedule contract with the General Services Administration due to a recent increase in Government and Military interest in the Company's products and services.

Speech Recognition Market To Exceed $5 Billion by 2008

01 Apr 2003

Allied Business Intelligence (ABI) projects this market to increase to $897.8 million in 2003, up from $677 million in 2002.

Aculab's Prosody to Support Nuance Voice Platform

01 Apr 2003

MILTON KEYNES, UK - At V-World this month, Aculab will demonstrate its Prosody digital signal processor (DSP) resource card, which is integrated with the Nuance Voice Platform (NVP).

Rhetorical looks to bright future with Orange

01 Apr 2003

EDINBURGH, U K - Rhetorical has been revealed as one of the core technology providers behind innovative voice services from Orange, the UK's most popular mobile phone service provider. In a move which highlights the growing importance of text-to-speech technology and the ability to support a major brand, Orange will use the technology to keep customers up-to-date with news, sport and regional weather across the UK.

Brooktrout Technology Offers Access Program for Voice and Fax Products

01 Apr 2003

NEEDHAM, MA - Brooktrout Technology Inc. announced its Early Access program, providing developers a jump start on development on Brooktrout's products.

Syntellect Launches New Version of Flagship Product

01 Apr 2003

PHOENIX, AZ - Syntellect Inc. announced the release of version 4.1 of its flagship product Vista IMR (Interactive Media Response).

Elan Sayso Available on Mac OS X

01 Apr 2003

TOULOUSE, FRANCE - Elan Speech announced the availability of its Sayso TTS technology on Mac OS X in several languages.

Loquendo and VRTVStudios Partner

01 Apr 2003

PARIS, FRANCE and TURIN, ITALY - VRTVStudios and Loquendo announced a joint marketing agreement to deliver enhanced multimedia messaging and communication solutions to carriers.

CSC Selects ScanSoft RealSpeak

01 Apr 2003

PEABODY, MA - ScanSoft Inc. announced that Computer Sciences Corporation is using ScanSoft RealSpeak as the synthesized voice for the Maryland State Highway Administration's traffic information system.

Rhetorical Signs Agreement with Nortel Networks

01 Apr 2003

EDINBURGH, UK - Rhetorical has signed a reseller agreement with Nortel Networks Periphonics, which will see Rhetorical's rVoice product sold alongside the Nortel Networks IVR platform as a total solution package.

iVoice Unveils iVoice LITE 3.2

01 Apr 2003

MATAWAN, NJ - iVoice Inc. announces iVoice LITE 3.2, the Virtual Communications Associate.

SpeechWorks Releases ETI-Eloquence SF

01 Apr 2003

BOSTON, MA - SpeechWorks International Inc. introduced a new embedded TTS engine that offers voice output in 13 languages ith a reduced memory footprint of less than 90KB for one language.

Voice Components and Vocomo Release Voice Email Solution

01 Apr 2003

Voice Components and Vocomo Software announce general availability of the Voice Email Appliance.

Coral Announces the Launch of a Speech Recognition Solution

01 Apr 2003

LONDON, UK - Coral announced the launch of a telephone-based speech recognition solution from SRC to handle high call volumes and eliminate lost calls from customers wishing to bet on the Martell Cognac Grand National on April 5.

Eckoh Technologies Voices Up Text with Rhetorical

01 Apr 2003

EDINBURGH, UK - Eckoh Technologies has selected Rhetorical as a key technology provider of text-to-speech (TTS) software.

The State of Desktop Speech

Janet Baker // 01 Apr 2003

We depend on words. Despite its fleeting and ethereal nature, speech is the most common means of communication between people. Acquiring speech and language is a critical developmental activity, starting in infancy, for people everywhere. However to span time and space in a more permanent fashion, we need to turn spoken words and data into text, (handwritten, printed, typed, etc.). The creation of moveable type to mass produce printed materials has been with us for 550 years.

The State of Embedded Speech

Kathy Frostad // 01 Apr 2003

Most of what is written on speech is focused on server based speech processing. But there is a another speech technology out there that's powerful enough to sit on a stamp-sized microchip. It's called "embedded speech". Advancements in computing power gave server side speech the power boost it needed in the early 90s. Now that same rocket fuel is launching embedded speech into the limelight.

Chris Hart, CEO, SRC

01 Apr 2003

Chris Hart is the CEO of SRC, a provider of speech technology solutions. In a Q&A with the editors of NewsBlast, Chris discusses some of his company's recent deployments, as well as issues he sees as important to the further adoption of speech solutions.

Stephen Clarke, Director, Truancy Call

01 Apr 2003

In a Q&A with the editors of NewsBlast, Stephen Clarke, the director for Truancy Call, explains the recent announcement about this service. Stephen details the operations of the system that is helping lower truancy rates in schools across the United Kingdom.

Brett Azuma, Senior Vice President of Marketing, IP Unity

01 Apr 2003

Brett Azuma is senior VP of marketing at IP Unity. In a Q&A with the editors of NewsBlast, Brett explains the media server platform offered by IP Unity, as well as explains why carriers should be deploying speech technology solutions.

Faye Matthews, Strategic Marketing Manager, Aculab

01 Apr 2003

Faye Matthews is the strategic marketing manager at Aculab. In a Q&A with the editors of NewsBlast, Faye explains some of Aculab's more recent product offerings, as well as some of the obstacles faced when deploying speech applications.

The State of Embedded Speech

Kathy Frostad // 06 Mar 2003

Most of what is written on speech is focused on server based speech processing. But there is a another speech technology out there that‘s powerful enough to sit on a stamp-sized microchip. It’s called “embedded speech”. Advancements in computing power gave server side speech the power boost it needed in the early 90s. Now that same rocket fuel is launching embedded speech into the limelight.

The State of Desktop Speech

Janet Baker // 06 Mar 2003

We depend on words. Despite its fleeting and ethereal nature, speech is the most common means of communication between people. Acquiring speech and language is a critical developmental activity, starting in infancy, for people everywhere. However to span time and space in a more permanent fashion, we need to turn spoken words and data into text, (handwritten, printed, typed, etc.). The creation of moveable type to mass produce printed materials has been with us for 550 years.

Elan Sayso Available in German

01 Mar 2003

TOULOUSE, FRANCE - Elan Speech announces the availability of Elan Sayso in the German language.

Orange France Buys SMS-to-Voice Solution

01 Mar 2003

RAMSEY, NJ - Bogen Communications International Inc. announced that the French wireless operator, Orange France, has implemented an SMS-to-Voice Solution delivered by HP Consulting & Integration France jointly with Bogen's Speech Design subsidiary.

VeCommerce, SpeechWorks and Genesys Sign Strategic Alliance

01 Mar 2003

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - VeCommerce Limited has announced it hasentered into an alliance with SpeechWorks International Inc. and GenesysTelecommunications Laboratories Inc.

Rhetorical Systems, Digital Animations Groups and Emblaze Join Forces

01 Mar 2003

BOSTON, MA, SCOTLAND and FRANCE - Digital Animations Group and Rhetorical have announced an application partnership with Emblaze Systems.

Avaya Extends Contract With Gold Systems to OEM Vonetix

01 Mar 2003

BOULDER, CO - Gold Systems announced an addendum to their contract with Avaya to ship Vonetix 3.5 standard on the recently announced Avaya Interactive Response platform.

SandCherry Partners With BEA Systems

01 Mar 2003

ORLANDO, FL - SandCherry Inc. announced a partnership with BEA Systems Inc. to offer speech and multimodal capabilities to businesses that already rely on BEA WebLogic Server and BEA WebLogic Portal.

SVOX and Code Factory announce partnership

01 Mar 2003

ZÜRICH, SWITZERLAND - SVOX AG and Code Factory announced that they have teamed up in order to co-develop and co-market speech solutions for the use in next generation mobile communication devices.

Vocomo Announces Availability of Vocomo Voice Response

01 Mar 2003

CUPERTINO, CA - Vocomo Software Corporation announces general availability of Vocomo Voice Response, a turnkey IVR appliance with speech capabilities.

Chronopost International Chooses Elan Sayso

01 Mar 2003

TOULOUSE, FRANCE - Chronopost International has chosen Elan Sayso to speech-enable their new Customer Service Voice Portal.

Elan Speech Launches Elan Sayso for Embedded Platforms

01 Mar 2003

HANNOVER, GERMANY - Elan Sayso Embedded technology uses 10-16MB of memory (depending on the language) for a voice sampled at 22kHz.

Voice Web Solutions Releases SALT Development Tool

01 Mar 2003

SEATTLE, WA - Voice Web Solutions Inc. announced that they have joined the SALT Forum and released a SALT developer tool called Voice Web Studio.

Speech Design Delivers SMS-to-Voice to Wireless Operator

01 Mar 2003

RAMSEY, NJ - Bogen Communications International Inc. announced that the French wireless operator, Orange France, has implemented an SMS-to-Voice Solution delivered by HP Consulting & Integration France jointly with Bogen's Speech Design subsidiary.

Speech Technology Used To Create Brochure Request Service

01 Mar 2003

CAMBRIDGE, UNITED KINGDOM - Broca Networks and Confero formed a partnership to deliver a speech automated Travel Brochure request line for Sky Holidays.

Nuance to Resell ScanSoft RealSpeak in 14 Languages

01 Mar 2003

MENLO PARK, CA - Nuance will continue to offer Nuance Vocalizer TTS for North American, U.K. and Australian English.

Nuance Announces Latest TTS Software

01 Mar 2003

MENLO PARK, CA - Nuance announced Nuance Vocalizer 3.0, text-to-speech (TTS) software.

SpeechWorks Adds New Voices to Speechify

01 Mar 2003

BOSTON, MA - SpeechWorks International Inc. introduced three new languages for its Speechifytext-to-speech software.

Voice Signal Technologies Joins Symbian Platinum Partner Program

01 Mar 2003

Voice Signal Technologies has joined the Symbian Platinum Partner Program to support the market for Symbian OS advanced mobile phones.

Broca Networks and Active Hotels Launch Hotel Booking Service

01 Mar 2003

CAMBRIDGE, UK - Broca Networks Limited and Active Hotels have partnered to create a speech-activated hotel booking service, enabling telephone callers to book hotel accommodation throughout Europe over the Internet.

Right Seat Software Introduces Vox Proxy Version 2

01 Feb 2003

GOLDEN, CO - Right Seat Software Inc. introduced Vox Proxy Version 2, an enhanced version of its Vox Proxy, 3D talking animated character software.

20/20 Speech Announces Commercial Take-up of Aurix tts Software

01 Feb 2003

LONDON, ENGLAND - The latest product to incorporate Aurix tts software is "Wireless Logistix", a new job control, proof-of-delivery system from Wireless Delivered.

Avaya Teams With Sun Microsystems to Provide New Platform

01 Feb 2003

LAS VEGAS, NV - Avaya Inc. introduced Avaya Interactive Response, a configurable multi-media voice response system that enables companies to automate service functions.

SandCherry Offers Web Services Interfaces

01 Feb 2003

BOULDER, CO - SandCherry Inc. announced SoftServer Version 2.4 which adds Java and Web Services APIs to increase the accessibility of speech for Web applications.

Truancy Call Tackles School Truancy with TTS

01 Feb 2003

EDINBURGH, UK - C3 and Rhetorical announced that text-to-speech systems developed by the two companies are being used by Truancy Call to tackle over 3000 cases of truancy from UK schools each day.

SVOX's TTS in Fonix VoiceDial 1.2

01 Feb 2003

CANNES, FRANCE - Fonix Corporation and SVOX AG announce the availability of SVOX's embedded TTS for the Fonix VoiceDial solution for cellular handsets and wireless devices being demonstrated at the 3GSM World Congress.

Text-To-Speech, Intelligibility Testing Report

01 Feb 2003

Voice Information Associates (VIA) announces the pre-release of its"Intelligibility Testing" of the leading TTS products.

20/20 Speech Announces Aurix Activator

01 Feb 2003

LONDON, ENGLAND - A two-way speech interface for Microsoft Windows based PDAs is the latest technology development from 20/20 Speech, the equity venture between NXT and QinetiQ.

Elan Sayso Reads News Reports for AFP

01 Feb 2003

TOULOUSE, FRANCE - AFP, with its partners Atos Origin and A2PRL (Lagardere group), has recently launched a new Audiotel information service to provide access to the latest news reports.

Broad Daylight Launches Voice-Activated Self-Service Product

01 Feb 2003

SANTA CLARA, CA - Broad Daylight Inc. announced the release of VoiceFAQs, a self-service application that usesspeech recognition technology intended to provide increased cost-efficiency and improved customer service.

SpeechWorks' Speechify Selected by Boeing

01 Feb 2003

BOSTON, MA - SpeechWorks International Inc. announced that The Boeing Company has selected its Speechify TTS engine to support a portion of the on-board alert warning system in the next-generation AH-64D Apache Longbow multi-role combat helicopter.

LIPSinc Co-Founder Launches New Venture

01 Feb 2003

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC - Donovan Moxey,Ph.D, co-founder of LIPSinc, has recently founded a new company, InteractiveMultimedia Solutions Inc.

Nuance Ships Delivers Software Platform Optimized for Speech Solutions

01 Feb 2003

MENLO PARK, CA - Nuance announced the immediate availability of Nuance Voice Platform, an open, standards-based software platform optimized for speech solutions.

Loquendo Powers Anthropics 'Talking Head' Message Service

01 Feb 2003

TURIN, ITALY and LONDON, ENGLAND - Anthropics and Loquendo announced that Loquendo Speech Technology is to power Anthropics Technology's multi-lingual FaceWave text-to-speech mobile messaging service.

Avaya Teams With Sun Microsystems to Provide New Platform

01 Feb 2003

LAS VEGAS, NV - Avaya Inc. introduced Avaya Interactive Response, a configurable multi-media voice response system.

PipeBeach and SVOX Announce Alliance

01 Feb 2003

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN and ZURICH, SWITZERLAND - PipeBeach AB and SVOX AG announced an alliance with the aim toprovide mixed-lingual synthesized voices with the PipeBeach speechWebsystem for telephony services.

SRC to Provide Speech Recognition Services for Freeview

01 Feb 2003

One of Europe's highest volume speech recognition telephone services has been implemented to support Britain's new free-to-view digital terrestrial television service, Freeview.

PipeBeach and SVOX offer mixed-lingual telephony services

01 Feb 2003

STOCKHOLM SWEDEN, ZÜRICH, SWITZERLAND - PipeBeach AB and SVOX AG announced an alliance with the aim to provide mixed-lingual synthesized voices with the PipeBeach speechWeb system for telephony services. The mixed-lingual text-to-speech technology enables end-users to listen to correctly pronounced content provided as text in more than one language.

NeoSpeech and Automation Intelligence Give Home Automation a Voice

01 Feb 2003

AUSTIN, TX AND FREMONT, CA - Automation Intelligence announced it has selected NeoSpeech as its exclusive provider of voice systems for high-end homes.

Chetan Patel, CEO, speechvantage

01 Feb 2003

Chetan Patel is the CEO of speechvantage. In a Q&A with the editors of NewsBlast, Chetan speaks about the company's main product suit, OLIVE, as well as discusses some of their other offerings and customers.

Gene Cox, Director of Mobile Solutions, IBM Pervasive Computing

01 Feb 2003

Gene Cox is the director of mobile solutions for IBM Pervasive Computing. In a Q&A with the editors of NewsBlast, Gene discusses WebSphere Voice Application Access (WVAA), a new middleware platform, as well as his thoughts on emerging standards and what role this new platform will play.

Lynda Smith, Vice President & Chief marketing Officer, Nuance

01 Feb 2003

Nuance recently announced the Nuance Voice Platform, a platform designed specifically for deploying speech solutions. In a Q&A with the editors of NewsBlast Lynda Smith, vice president and chief marketing officer for Nuance, explains the reasons behind this development, as well as what this means to the Company's partners.

Financial Services: A Model For Enterprise-wide Speech Technology Deployments

Christy Clark // 14 Jan 2003

Reflecting on five years of growth in the speech recognition market reveals some interesting trends from the financial services industry and user adoption perspectives. Many financial services institutions (includes banks, brokerages, credit unions and insurers) have shed their conservative images through aggressively developing company-wide "speech strategies" to improve customer service, accommodate the highly mobile user, and drive costs out of the business.

Taking a Look at TTS

Caroline Henton // 14 Jan 2003

What are the current trends in TTS? Some indications appeared during a novel session at SpeechTEK 2002. The author moderated a Show and Tell: TTS Solutions panel in which ten international TTS vendors accepted an invitation to participate.

Bin Laden Speaking

Judith Markowitz // 14 Jan 2003

In November, an international stir followed Al-Jazeera’s release of a tape purported to be of Osama bin Laden. Al-Jazeera is the satellite television news network based in the Persian Gulf nation of Qatar.

Jeanne Gokcen, President, FutureCom Technologies

01 Jan 2003

According to Jeanne Gokcen, president of FutureCom Technologies Inc., "There is a clear ROI justification for incorporating speech technology..." In a Q&A with the editors of NewsBlast, Dr. Gokcen further explains her thoughts on the role of speech technology in the marketplace, as well as gives us a look into what is happening at FuturCom.

Babel to Offer TTS on Texas Instruments' OMAP Processing Platform

01 Jan 2003

MONS, BELGIUM - Babel has made PocketBabil - its Text-to-speech technology - commercially available for Texas Instrument's OMAP wireless processing platform.

SpeechWorks' Technologies Support Multimodal Interface for Model U Concept SUV

01 Jan 2003

BOSTON, MA - SpeechWorks International Inc. announced that it has collaborated with Ford Research for the design and implementation of a multimodal interface for the Model U concept SUV.

Sakrament Launched Sakrament TTS Engine v2.5

01 Jan 2003

MINSK, BELARUS - Sakrament company announced the new release of its Sakrament TTS Engine, that introduces new female voices called Vika and Oksana.

TTS Modern Language Learning with Softease

01 Jan 2003

TOULOUSE, FRANCE - Softease has chosen Elan text to speech to enable students of different ages to hear and learn foreign languages, using Textease Language Packs.

Nuance Delivers Text-to-Speech Software Down Under

01 Jan 2003

MENLO PARK, CA and SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - Nuance unveiled the Australian English version of its Nuance Vocalizer 2.0 TTS software.

Rhetorical Enters German Market with Text-to-Speech Solutions

01 Dec 2002

BOSTON, MA and SCOTLAND - Rhetorical is expanding its operation into Germany following last month's launch of rVoice4 with its German voice module.

Pronexus and Mitel Networks Announce Distribution Agreement

01 Dec 2002

Mitel Networks will distribute Pronexus VBVoice, a development environment for business-critical computer telephony applications.

Babel Releases BrightSpeech

01 Dec 2002

Babel Technologies has announced BrightSpeech, its next-generation Text-to-Speech solution.

Wizzard Announces 15 New Customers in 4th Quarter

01 Dec 2002

PITTSBURGH, PA - Wizzard Software announced that is has signed up more than 15 new customers in the 4th quarter including the Rochester Institute of Technology, the University of Missouri, the California State University and GE Medical Systems.

Loquendo TTS Powers Gradiente's Mediz service

01 Dec 2002

TURINO, ITALY - Loquendo's text-to-speech engine has been chosen by Gradiente in Brazil to power Mediz, Brazil's mobile voice portal, which Gradiente is providing to its users throughout the country.

Nortel Networks and ScanSoft Expand Relationship

01 Dec 2002

PEABODY, MA - ScanSoft Inc. announced an agreement with Nortel Networks to offer ScanSoft RealSpeak TTS software for Nortel Networks customer deployments.

Voice-Insight Selects ScanSoft to Provide Solutions for Accessing Data

01 Dec 2002

PEABODY, MA & GENT, BELGIUM - ScanSoft Inc. announced that Voice-Insight SA NV has selected ScanSoft solutions to deliver speech-enabled database products.

NMS Communications to Offer RealSpeak with NMS HearSay

01 Dec 2002

FRAMINGHAM & PEABODY, MA - NMS Communications and ScanSoft Inc. have integrated ScanSoft's RealSpeak text-to-speech (TTS) engine with NMS HearSay, furthering a commitment to offer a variety of applications and technologies on one complete multimodal voice and data services system.

Rhetorical Breaks into German Market

01 Dec 2002

EDINBURGH, UNITED KINGDOM - Rhetorical is expanding its operation into Germany following last month's launch of rVoice4 with its German voice module.

Rhetorical's rVoice To Be Used on New Zealand's MetPhone Service.

01 Dec 2002

EDINBURGH, UNITED KINGDOM - Rhetorical has won a contract which will see its technology deployed on New Zealand's dial up weather forecast service, MetPhone.

Rhetorical Opens Boston Office and Names New Sales Manager

01 Dec 2002

BOSTON, MA - The expansion comes on the heels of increasing sales by Rhetorical's U.S. arm, Rhetorical Inc., and adds to its existing U.S. offices in Florida and Texas.

Nik Philpot, Chief Operating Officer, Eckoh Technologies; and Andy Hill, Head of V-Commerce, British Telecom

01 Dec 2002

Recently Eckoh Technologies announced the formation of an exclusive alliance to provide BT's customers with advanced speech recognition technology. In a Q&A with the editors of NewsBlast, Nik Philpot, COO, Eckoh Technologies and Andy Hill, Head of V-Commerce, British Telecom, allow us to take a closer look at this alliance and tell us what this brings to BT customers.

Dan Roth, CEO, Voice Signal Technologies

01 Dec 2002

Dan Roth is the CEO of Voice Signal Technologies, a developer of embedded speech technology products. On the topic of the future, Roth states, "I guarantee that next year will bring even more progress on several fronts." In a Q&A with the editors of NewsBlast, Roth discusses his view of the future for Voice Signal, as well as the speech technology industry in general.

Best Practices: Achieving Success with Speech

Carol Lawrie // 21 Nov 2002

When deploying speech services, what best practices do successful companies follow to engage and delight callers? What separates the good speech services from the great ones? Using real company examples, based on SpeechWorks Best Practices competition, this article will describe four deployments and look at how several companies followed best practices to maximize results from speech.

Multimodality: The Next Wave of Mobile Interaction

James Colby // 21 Nov 2002

Multimodality is new technology that hopes to enhance the mobile user experience by enabling network operators to combine speech, touch and onscreen displays for intuitive and powerful mobile applications.

Speech Goes Mobile

Alan Schwartz // 21 Nov 2002

What is the value of speech technologies in mobile devices? On its face the answer is obvious: Speech is the most natural of all user interfaces. Humans are genetically engineered to talk and listen, so unless human genetics changes sometime soon, Speech is and always will be the most natural interface between humans and machines.

Speech Recognition in Orion "Phone Home" Device Control System

01 Nov 2002

A South Australian speech recognition software center, i2Net, has developed a voice controlled home system.

Voice Signal Develops Speech Solution for Nokia Smartphone

01 Nov 2002

Voice Signal Technologies and Nokia demonstrated Voice Signal's multilingual speech solution for Nokia's Series 60 smartphone platform.

Brooktrout Technology, Loquendo and Netcom Team up to Deliver Speech-Enabled Applications; Brooktrout Technology and Philips Speech Processing Partner

01 Nov 2002

NEW YORK, NY - Loquendo TTS text-to-speech software and Loquendo ASR automatic speechrecognition software has been integrated by Netcom on Brooktrout's TR1000media resource platform.

Rhetorical Selected to Provide Voice Synthesis For Air Traffic Control Program

01 Nov 2002

BOSTON, MA and MONTREAL, CANADA - Rhetorical announced that Adacel Inc. has licensed its rVoice text-to-speech technology for several air traffic control training programs.

ART and SVOX Introduce Speech Interface for the Symbian Platform

01 Nov 2002

ATLANTA, GA and ZURICH, SWITZERLAND - ART Advanced Recognition Technologies Inc. and SVOX AG announced the expansion of their existing cooperation with the launch of a new unified speech interface solution for use on the Symbian based platforms.

Nuance Unveils Complete Speech Solutions Approach

01 Nov 2002

Nuance unveiled new products and services aimed at increasing the business value of voice for customers worldwide.

Broca Networks, Synavant Ally to Deploy Speech-Driven Call Reporting

01 Nov 2002

Broca Networks and SYNAVANT have developed an alliance to launch a speech-driven voice call reporting service, branded SynVocall.

Loquendo TTS Powers Frequentis' ATIS System

01 Nov 2002

TURIN, ITALY - Loquendo's text-to-speech engine has been chosen by Frequentis to power the ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service) systems they are creating for Deutsche Flugsicherung, the German Air Traffic Service Provider.

Computer Talk Technology and SpeechWorks Support The Canadian National Institute for the Blind

01 Nov 2002

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Computer Talk Technology Inc. has partnered with Boston-based SpeechWorks International Inc. to deliver a text-to-speech conversion program for The Canadian National Institute for the Blind Library, based in Toronto.

Loquendo TTS Integrated By InfoSpeech Into Services For Blind Users

01 Nov 2002

TURINO, ITALY - Loquendo TTS will power services provided by ONCE - Spain's National Organization for the Blind - in the organization's educational centers for blind and visually impaired users located throughout the country.

TEMIC Announces Opening of US Office in Farmington Hills, MI

01 Nov 2002

FARMINGTON HILLS, MI - Temic SDS announces the opening of its US office in the Detroit area in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

Interactive Intelligence, Loquendo Sign OEM Agreement

01 Nov 2002

An original equipment manufacturer agreement was signed this week that enables Interactive Intelligence to integrate Loquendo's multi-lingual text-to-speech engine into its customer interaction management software for contact centers and enterprises.

Verizon Wireless to License HeyAnita Voice Technology

01 Nov 2002

BEDMINSTER, NJ and LOS ANGELES, CA - Verizon Wireless has licensed technology from HeyAnita to support Voice Gear, Verizon Wireless' suite of voice-enabled services that include voice-activated dialing, voice browsing and corporate e-mail browsing.

IBM Licenses ScanSoft RealSpeak Text-to-Speech

01 Nov 2002

PEABODY, MA - ScanSoft Inc. announced that IBM has selected ScanSoft RealSpeak text-to-speech to extend the language capabilities of the IBM WebSphere Voice Server.

Prologix Software Solutions Launches Indian Language TTS

01 Nov 2002

LUCKNOW, INDIA - Prologix Software Solutions Pvt. Ltd.has developed a Pan-Indian Text-to-Speech Software.

Fonix DECtalk Drives New Type-to-Talk Product from ZYGO

01 Nov 2002

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - Fonix Corporation announced its leading DECtalk text-to-speech technology has been integrated into the latest type-to-talk product from ZYGO a leader in providing such augmentative communication systems to physically disabled people.

Kurzweil Educational to Offer Customizable Test-Taking Technology

01 Nov 2002

BEDFORD, MA - Kurzweil Educational Systems, developer of reading technology products for individuals with learning and visual disabilities, announced the new Kurzweil 3000 Version 7.

Aculab to Unveil Latest Text-to-Speech Software

01 Oct 2002

Aculab, a provider of enabling technology for the communications market, will unveil and demonstrate at SpeechTek 2002, the latest version of its host based text to speech (TTS) software.

ScanSoft to Acquire Philips Speech Processing Business Units

01 Oct 2002

PEABODY, MA and AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS - ScanSoft Inc. and Royal Philips Electronics announced that the companies have signed a definitive agreement whereby ScanSoft will acquire the Philips Speech Processing Telephony and Voice Control business units, and related intellectual property.

NeoSpeech Tool Helps ESL Students with English

01 Oct 2002

Magic English Plus is an English as a Second Language learning application that runs on personal computers.

Chelston Using PIKA Cards With Their New VoiceXML-enabled Telephony Platform

01 Oct 2002

OTTAWA, CANADA - Chelston Call Systems Ltd., a UK-based telephony developer, is one of the first of PIKA Technologies' customers to use PIKA hardware and software with a VoiceXML-enabled computer telephony platform.

SpeechWorks Congratulates Winners of 3rd Annual Best Practices Competition

01 Oct 2002

BOCA RATON, FL - At its annual international user conference, SpeechWorks International Inc. announced Amtrak, National Weather Service (NWS) and Singapore Post (SingPost) as the winners of its annual SpeechWorks Here Best Practices Competition.

SpeechWorks Selects LocusDialogSTS Platform for SpeechSite 3.0 Auto-Attendant Solution

01 Oct 2002

BOSTON, MA - SpeechWorks International Inc. announced the availability of SpeechSite 3.0 auto-attendant as a complete, packaged solution powered by LocusDialog.

Glenayre Announces General Availability of Versera Voice Services

01 Oct 2002

ATLANTA - Glenayre Technologies, Inc. announced general availability of its Versera Voice Services suite.

VoiceXML Solution from NewVoiceMedia and Aculab

01 Oct 2002

MILTON KEYNES, UK - Members of the Friends Reunited website service can now listen to voice profile messages from old school mates thanks to a VoiceXML solution created by NewVoiceMedia (NVM) using technology from Aculab.

Teleco Releases Perfect Voice Office Pro 4.5

01 Oct 2002

GREENVILLE, SC - Teleco Inc. announces the 4.5 release of Perfect Voice Office Pro (PVO Pro) Unified Communications system offering companies multilingual Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) from Nuance and RealSpeak TTS from ScanSoft.

VoiceGenie & Fluency to Drive Voice-Enabled Applications and Services in Europe

01 Oct 2002

TORONTO, CANADA and CAMBRIDGE, UK - VoiceGenie Technologies Inc. and Fluency Voice Technology Ltd. announced their co-marketing and technology partnership agreement.

Sakrament Launches Sakrament Speech Recognition Engine

01 Oct 2002

MINSK, BELARUS - Sakrament company announced the availability of its Sakrament Speech Recognition Engine software , that enables voice processing platforms to understand male and female's speech through the spoken word.

VoiceXML Solution from NewVoiceMedia and Aculab Gets Friends Reunited

01 Oct 2002

MILTON, KEYNES - Members of the Friends Reunited website service can now listen to voice profile messages from old school mates thanks to a VoiceXML solution created by NewVoiceMedia (NVM) using technology from Aculab.

SpeechWorks Introduces OpenSpeech MediaServer; SpeechWorks Expands Voice Offerings for Speechify

01 Oct 2002

BOCA RATON, FL - SpeechWorks International Inc. announced the availability of its OpenSpeech MediaServer, expanding the range of deployment options for its OpenSpeech Recognizer speech recognition engine.

LumenVox Announces Version 3.0 at SpeechTek 2002

01 Oct 2002

SAN DIEGO, CA - LumenVox will be announcing Version 3.0 of their Speech Driven Information System (SDIS) and Speech Recognition Engine (SRE) at SpeechTek 2002, in New York City from October 29th through October 31st.

Aculab Launches its First Speaker Verification Software

01 Oct 2002

MILTON KEYNES, UK - Speechprocessing specialist Aculab is entering the biometrics arena with thelaunch of its own speaker verification and identification (SVI) software atSpeechTEK 2002.

Siemens Mobile Acceleration Invests in SVOX AG

01 Oct 2002

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND - Siemens Mobile Acceleration announced its investment in SVOX AG. In SVOX's current round of financing, Siemens Mobile Acceleration acted as the sole investor and will support SVOX's way to market entry and a product portfolio.

VBVoice 5.0 Brings CT & VoIP to .NET Platform

01 Oct 2002

OTTAWA, CANADA - Pronexus Inc. announced the release of VBVoice 5.0,the telephony development environment to leverage Microsoft Visual Studio.Net.

TTS From SVOX Available on Voxpilot's Outsourced VoiceXML Channel

01 Oct 2002

ZURICH - SVOX and Voxpilot have partnered to consolidate and strengthen both companies' presence on the European market by delivering the benefits of SVOX's TTS engine to Voxpilot's partners and clients.

Ster-Kinekor Theater Chain Speech-Enables its Contact Center

01 Oct 2002

TORONTO, CANADA and JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - VoiceGenie Technologies Inc. and Intelleca Voice & Mobile announced their latest technology implementation: Ster-Kinekor, a South African movie theater chain, has deployed their advanced speech recognition solution as part of their 360° CRM strategy.

NeoSpeech, Phontree Partner for a Full Range of Voice Messaging Services

01 Oct 2002

NeoSpeech has partnered with Personal Communication Systems

SandCherry Software Eases Mass Deployment of Next-Generation Services for Service Providers and Enterprises

01 Oct 2002

BOULDER, CO - SandCherry Inc. announced version 2.3 of its SoftServer platform that allows affordable mass deployment of next-generation services such as voice dialing, voice-enabled customer service applications and multimodality.

NeoSpeech And Conversay Announce Strategic Partnership

01 Oct 2002

FREMONT, CA - NeoSpeech has announced a partnership with Conversay, a provider in enabling mobile speech technologies and pioneer of Distributed Speech Recognition.

Aculab Releases Latest Text-to-speech Software at SpeechTEK 2002

01 Oct 2002

MILTON KEYNES, UK - Aculab will unveil and demonstrate at SpeechTek 2002, the latest version of its much acclaimed host based text to speech (TTS) software.

VBVoice 5.0 Brings Computer Telephony & VoIP to .NET Environment

01 Oct 2002

OTTAWA, CANADA - Pronexus Inc. announced the release of VBVoice 5.0,the telephony development environment to leverage the power ofMicrosoft Visual Studio.Net.

Conversay Announces Commercial Deployment of Distributed Speech Recognition Solution

01 Oct 2002

REDMOND, WA - Conversay announced that it is in the last phase of a commercial application of a Distributed Speech Recognition (DSR) pilot with a handset manufacturer and wireless service provider.

Kurzweil Educational Systems Introduces Kurzweil 1000 Version 7

01 Oct 2002

BEDFORD, MA - Kurzweil Educational Systems Inc., developer of reading technology solutions for individuals with learning or visual disabilities, announced Kurzweil 1000 Version 7, the latest version of the reading software for people who are blind or severely visually impaired.

IBM Announces WebSphere Voice Server 3.1

01 Oct 2002

BOCA RATON, FL - IBM WebSphere Voice Server for Windows 2000 and AIX, V3.1 allows companies to leverage their existing Web infrastructures to enable voice access to existing Web applications by wireline and wireless phones.

Elan Speech Extends its Language Coverage

01 Oct 2002

TOULOUSE, FRANCE - Elan speech opens up a new market opportunity by launching an Arabic version of its high density, small footprint, text-to-speech technology, Elan Tempo.

HeyAnita Announces FreeSpeech Gateway Server 3.0

01 Oct 2002

LOS ANGELES - HeyAnita Inc. announced the general availability of its FreeSpeech Gateway Server, Version 3.0.

Elan Speech Launches the American Version of Elan Sayso

01 Oct 2002

TOULOUSE, FRANCE - Elan Sayso, the new technology developed by TTS supplier Elan Speech, will be showcased in its American English version during SpeechTEK.

Elan Speech and Telisma Bet on Unifying ASR and TTS

01 Oct 2002

PARIS, FRANCE - Elan Speech and Telisma have decided to associate their respective technologies in order to develop deployment of Voice services.

XVoice Technology Brings New Dimension, Personality to Speech Applications

01 Oct 2002

Available through NeoSpeech, XVoice is a flexible, language-independent voice animation technology that changes how voices sound in real time.

IBM Announces Growing Developer Support for Multimodal Applications

01 Oct 2002

NEW YORK - IBM announced developer support for the XHTML + Voice (X+V) specification as speech industry players, including Motorola and Scansoft, expressed support for multimodal applications using X+V.

NeoSpeech Enters US Voice Technology Market

01 Oct 2002

FREMONT, CA - With four fully developed core technologies and several specialized applications, NeoSpeech Inc. has entered the US market as a new provider of speech-enabled technologies.

Babel-Infovox Releases Latest TTS Multilingual Software

01 Oct 2002

Babel-Infovox announced the release and availability of its latest Text-to-Speech(TTS) multi-lingual software, Infovox Desktop, a replacement for the Infovox 330.

Vianto Releases E2Go

01 Oct 2002

ANAHEIM, CA - Vialto Corporation announced E2Go 3.0 for Microsoft Exchange, a second-generation voice-driven application optimized for mobile business users.

Navigation Technologies Launches Voice Enabled Map Data for United States

01 Oct 2002

CHICAGO, IL - Navigation Technologies announced that voice transcriptions of its United States NAVTECH(R) map database are now available.

NetByTel Adds VoiceXML 2.0, SMS Messaging and Outbound Calling

01 Oct 2002

BOCA RATON, FL - NetByTel announced OpenVoice 3.0 that gives enterprise and government clients new ways to reduce operational costs, drive incremental revenue and improve customer satisfaction.

SVOX Introduces Concatenative Text-to-Speech for Symbian OS

01 Oct 2002

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND - With SVOX Mobile, the embedded product line for mobile phones, SVOX launches the concatenative text-to-speech for the Symbian OS.

Texte et Relief's Ugo Reads Out Loud with Elan Sayso; Idylic Has Chosen Elan Sayso

01 Oct 2002

FRANCE - Texte et Relief, a provider of reading aid solutions for the visually impaired, has added Elan's high quality text-to-speech, Elan Sayso, to Ugo, its latest reading solution.

Fonix Delivers Speech Solution To Eintech

01 Oct 2002

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - Fonix Corporation announced that the Fonix DECtalk formant-based speech synthesizer has been selected by Eintech Co. Ltd. to drive Eintech's Magic Talker's Personal Bilingual Assistant.

CIBC Introduces Audio Access ABMs

01 Oct 2002

TORONTO, CANADA - CIBC announced the introduction of Audio Access ABM (automated banking machine) service as part of plans for improving access to and upgrading of its network of ABMs across the country.

D-Link and SVOX Launch Speech Server

01 Oct 2002

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND - D-Link is launching its Speech Server together with SVOX.

Piyush Modi, Vice President of Media Processing Technologies, IP Unity

01 Oct 2002

Piyush Modi is the vice president of Media Processing Technologies for IP Unity. For this week's Q&A of NewsBlast, Piyush discusses IP Unity's efforts in the carrier space, as well as gets a little more in depth about what is going on with IP Unity currently.

Stuart Patterson, CEO, SpeechWorks

01 Oct 2002

Stuart Patterson, CEO of SpeechWorks, was a member of the Speech Summit: Sound Off in Times Square keynote session held on Wednesday of SpeechTEK 2002. In a Q&A with NewsBlast, Stuart answers some questions posed by our readers, as well as shares with us some of his forward-looking insight.

Conversational Marketing:
Speech technology makes the telephone a new medium

Bill Meisel // 10 Sep 2002

The Voice User Interface (VUI)—speech recognition supported by text-to-speech and speaker verification—is changing the way the telephone is used in two ways. First, by helping us connect with one another. The VUI enhances standard telecommunications functions, such as dialing and voice mail, making them easier to use. It makes the addition of enhanced communication services, such as telephone access to email, feasible and usable. It makes directory assistance more economical, benefiting the service provider, but ultimately the consumer as well. In the long run, the network may use "voice tone" (speech recognition) rather than dial tone (the keypad), as its primary means of interaction with the caller.

Do You Have a Speech Strategy?

Steve Chambers // 10 Sep 2002

A Speech Strategy is a company-wide “blueprint” for achieving significant business results from the deployment of speech technologies throughout an organization. The successful Speech Strategy identifies how technologies like speech recognition, text-to-speech (TTS) and speaker verification will:

• Increase customer-caller satisfaction
<@SM>
• Drive significant return on investment, and
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• Deliver a consistent customer-caller experience that is branded and memorable.

<@SM>

Eric Doggett, CEO, Glenayre

01 Sep 2002

Eric Doggett is the CEO of Glenayre. In a Q&A with the editors of NewsBlast, Eric gives us his thoughts on speech technology and its place in the service provider arena.

Sakrament Company Introduces Sakrament SpeechBOX for its TTS Engine

01 Sep 2002

MINSK, BELARUS - Sakrament company introduced Sakrament SpeechBOX for Sakrament TTS Engine, an evaluation board that designed for demonstration purposes of an embedded TTS engine.

SyberNet Launches Speech Driven Telephony Solution

01 Sep 2002

GALWAY, IRELAND - SyberNet Ltd. has announced the launch of SyberVOX, a next-generation speech recognition solution.

VoiceGenie and Vesta Announce Progressive Call Management Voice Solution

01 Sep 2002

TORONTO, CANADA and PORTLAND, OR - VoiceGenie Technologies Inc. and Vesta Corporation are working together to provide progressive CRM services in the prepaid wireless industry.

Babel's Embedded Technology Helps the Disabled to Read; Babel and Ezos Sign Agreement

01 Sep 2002

Babel Technologies announced that PocketBabil, its Text-To-Speech (TTS) synthesizer technology, has been implemented in the new Dutch-language version of WizCom Technologies' Reading Pen II.

PIKA Technologies and SpeechWorks Deliver Speech Technology to Telephony Developers

01 Sep 2002

OTTAWA, CANADA - PIKA Technologies Inc. announced a marketing agreement with SpeechWorks to help telephony developers bring speech-driven solutions to market.

E*TRADE Uses InfoTalk's Technologies to Build Voice Platform

01 Sep 2002

HONG KONG - InfoTalk Corporation announced that E*TRADE has deployed InfoTalk's VoiceXML and speech technologies as the foundation of the newly launched Stock Information and Trading Platform.

Nuance Unveils Vocalizer 2.0 for U.K. English

01 Sep 2002

MENLO PARK, CA - Nuance introduced Nuance Vocalizer 2.0 text-to-speech (TTS) software for U.K. English, designed to simplify the development of voice-enabled applications.

SpeechWorks and Lucent Deliver Voice-Driven Messaging to Service Providers

01 Sep 2002

BOSTON, MA - SpeechWorks International Inc. announced that Lucent Technologies has selected SpeechWorks' TTS software for the company's unified communications platform, Lucent's AnyPath Messaging System.

IBM Brings Translation to Handhelds

01 Sep 2002

LA JOLLA, CA - IBM announced the new ViaVoice Translator - machine translation software that enables translation on handheld computers.

SpeechWorks Taps Steve Chambers to Lead Worldwide Sales and Marketing

01 Aug 2002

BOSTON, MA - SpeechWorks International Inc. announced that SpeechWorks' chief marketing officer, Steve Chambers, will assume the position of senior vice president of worldwide sales and chief marketing officer, effective immediately.

Speech-Integrated IVR Platform Available from FutureCom

01 Aug 2002

FutureCom Technologies announced the release of CommUnify - a next-generation IVR platform with full speech technology integration.

SVOX Introduces Concatenative TTS for Symbian OS

01 Aug 2002

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND - SVOX AG announced a new development in its TTS software. With SVOX Mobile, the embedded product line for mobile phones, SVOX launches a concatenative text-to-speech for the Symbian OS.

Sierra Pacific Power Chooses Syntellect

01 Aug 2002

PHOENIX, AZ - Syntellect Inc. announced that Sierra Pacific Power has contracted with Syntellect to designand implement a customer-facing outage management, outage notification andself-service solution using its Vista IMR (Interactive Media Response)software platform.

RealSpeak Now Available for Mobile and Automotive Apps

01 Aug 2002

PEABODY, MA - ScanSoft Inc. announced the ScanSoft RealSpeak Compact SDK, the text-to-speech (TTS) solution for automotive and mobile applications.

InfoTalk-Speaker Integrates with Edify's IVR System

01 Aug 2002

BEIJING and HONG KONG - InfoTalk Corporation announced that InfoTalk-Speaker, InfoTalk's text-to-speech (TTS) engine, has been successfully integrated with the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system from Edify.

Aculab supports Nuance 8 and Linux

01 Aug 2002

MILTON KEYNES, UK - To ensure the continued development ofapplications utilising the latest technology, Aculab's Audio Provider now supports Nuance 8 and Linuxoperating system.

PIKA Technologies and Voice Robots Partner to Deliver Speech Automation Applications

01 Aug 2002

OTTAWA, CANADA - voice robots selected PIKA Technologies' quad span digital interface voice cards to enable speech automation applications.

Sakrament Company Embeds its TTS Engine in a Platform of 32 -bit Microprocessor Toshiba TMPR3912

01 Aug 2002

MINSK, BELARUS - Sakrament company announced that it has embedded its TTS Engine in a platform of 32 -bit microprocessor Toshiba TMPR3912.

Edify Delivers CRM for Cole National

01 Aug 2002

SANTA CLARA, CA - Edify Corporation announced that Cole Managed Vision has selected Edify and Digital DataVoice to implement a next-generation platform for managing text-to-speech, voice recognition, and interactive voice response (IVR) solutions.

Ectaco Development Center Releases New English Speech Synthesis System

01 Aug 2002

NEW YORK, NY - Ectaco Development Center has created an English-language text-to-speech (TTS) speech synthesis system.

Audium 3 Now Available in Australia and New Zealand

01 Aug 2002

NEW YORK, NY and SYDNEY, NSW - Audium announced the availability of Audium 3 for customers in Australia and New Zealand through a software distribution agreement with VRT Communications Ltd.

Telephonetics Launches an Automatic Appointment Reminder

01 Aug 2002

A new appointment reminder system has been unveiled by speech technology specialists Telephonetics.

FutureCom Technologies and Anexsys Form Partnership; FutureCom's CommUnify Platform now Supports Intel Dialogic Telephony Boards

01 Aug 2002

COLUMBUS, OH - FutureCom Technologies Inc. announces its newest partnership with Chicago-based Anexsys LLC, a provider of technology and e-government solutions.

Gold Systems Partners with Rhetorical

01 Aug 2002

BOULDER, CO and HUDSON, MA - Gold Systems Inc. and Rhetorical Inc. announced the signing of an agreement that names Gold Systems as the exclusive North American reseller of Rhetorical's rVoice text-to-speech software licenses for the Avaya Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system.

Wizzard Software Expands Relationship with IBM

01 Aug 2002

PITTSBURGH, PA - Wizzard Software has signed a new agreement with IBM that expands their current relationship and positions Wizzard as the Sole OEM Distributor in North and South America for IBM's ViaVoice desktop speech recognition and text-to-speech runtime engines, as well as OEM Versions of the US English General Medical and General Legal Vocabularies.

David Gleaves, Business Development Manager, 20/20 Speech

01 Aug 2002

David Gleaves is the business development manager for 20/20 Speech. In a Q&A with the editors of NewsBlast, David gives insight into his company as well as other thoughts about speech technology in the United Kingdom and the industry overall.

Kathie Layton, CEO, General Magic

01 Aug 2002

General Magic recently released an enhanced magicTalk Enterprise Platform. For this week's edition of NewsBlast, Kathie Layton, CEO of General Magic, discusses this enhancement as well as other topics related to the industry.

Making TTS Real

Caroline Henton // 11 Jul 2002

Text-to-speech (TTS) technology is a computer system's ability to translate text into synthesized speech. Today's deployment of TTS can be divided into three segments: enterprise and telecommunications; automotive and mobile; and consumer applications. These segments in turn demand differing sizes of TTS footprint: large footprint is host or server-based, accessed by multiple remote clients, and small footprint is embedded. Large footprint TTS is ideal for high-volume enterprise and telecommunications speech services, while small footprint suits applications such as automotive, PDAs, cell phones and other devices. These deployments are reviewed here in order of both market and footprint size. Some compelling current integrated TTS systems are also described.

Steve Parsons, Director of Partnership Marketing, NMS Communications

01 Jul 2002

Steve Parsons is the director of partnership marketing, Network Solutions, at NMS Communications. For this week's issue of NewsBlast, Steve discusses his thoughts on speech technology in the carrier space, as well as other topics related to the speech technology industry.

Kurzweil Educational Systems Introduces Kurzweil 1000 Version 7

01 Jul 2002

BEDFORD, MA - Kurzweil Educational Systems Inc. announced Kurzweil 1000 Version 7, thelatest version of the reading software for people who are blind or severely visually impaired.

SpeechWorks S.T.E.P. Program Delivers Results for Over 150 Companies Worldwide; SpeechWorks Introduces T-S.T.E.P.

01 Jul 2002

BOSTON, MA - SpeechWorks International Inc. unveiled new milestones in its SpeechWorksS.T.E.P. program, designed to help organizations achieve the highest levels of success and payback from speechservices.

AT&T Adds French and UK English to Natural Voices TTS

01 Jul 2002

AT&T announced French and U.K English language support for the AT&T Natural Voices Text-to-Speech (TTS) Engine.

SpeechWorks Restructures Operations

01 Jul 2002

BOSTON, MA - SpeechWorks International Inc. announced that it is taking steps to achieve an approximate 20% reduction of its current expense base over the next four quarters, including a reduction of its workforce by about 17% primarily in the current quarter.

Study Reveals SpeechWorks' Surveyed Customers Save Over $1 Million Annually; New NOAA Weather Radio Voices Debut in Nation's Capital

01 Jul 2002

BOSTON, MA - SpeechWorks International Inc. announced findings from a comprehensivereturn on investment (ROI) study of nine SpeechWorks' enterprise andcarrier customers who have deployed advanced speech recognition (ASR)solutions.

HAL Has New Voices; Control Your Music by Voice

01 Jul 2002

LAUREL, MD - Home Automated Living (HAL) announces the release of two new HALvoices designed to make HAL's natural speech home control software more human sounding as it confirms user commands and reads Internet information like stock quotes, Email and more.

Unisys Launches Global Voice Portal Solutions

01 Jul 2002

ATLANTA, GA - Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) unveiled Unisys Voice Portal Solutions.

Fonix To Deploy Speech Solutions to a 2.5G Device

01 Jul 2002

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - Fonix Corporation announced it will offer Automatic Speech Recognition and Text-To-Speech capabilities on commercially available products that use Texas Instruments' OMAP framework.

PipeBeach and Marand Deliver Carrier-grade VoiceXML Platform to Mobitel

01 Jul 2002

STOCKHOLM SWEDEN - PipeBeach, together with Marand, announced the deployment of thePipeBeach carrier-grade speechWeb VoiceXML platform by Slovenian mobiletelephony operator Mobitel.

SVOX Opens Representative Office in Austria

01 Jul 2002

Zurich, SWITZERLAND - SVOX AG announced the opening of their new representative office in Vienna, Austria.

SpeechWorks and America First Credit Union Offer Speech-Enabled Credit Union Application; Centrelink Selects SpeechWorks and iTa to Deliver Natural Language Speech Recognition Solutions; SpeechWorks Introduces T-S.T.E.P.

01 Jul 2002

BOSTON, MA - SpeechWorks International Inc. deployed a speech-enabled application forAmerica First Credit Union (AFCU).

Nuance and ScanSoft Collaborate to Bring RealSpeak Text-to-Speech to Nuance Customers

01 Jul 2002

PEABODY, MA and MENLO PARK, CA - Nuance and ScanSoft, Inc. announced the companies have joined forces to extend their reach in the worldwide telephony market by bringing together the best in Nuance's speech software and ScanSoft's text-to-speech offerings.

Telera Announces New Customer Win: Equant

01 Jul 2002

CAMPBELL, CA - Telera announced that Equant has selected Telera's software to deliver voice services to multinational corporations.

iVoice Announces Digital Telephony Solutions for Nortel Platforms

01 Jul 2002

MATAWAN, NJ - iVoice Inc. announced a digital communication solution that incorporates its Speech Enabled Auto Attendant, Voicemail and Unified Messaging applications for Nortel NorStar and Meridian, Private Branch Exchange (PBX) switches.

SpeechWorks Acquires SpeakEZ Verification Technology and Related Patents

01 Jul 2002

BOSTON, MA - SpeechWorks International Inc. announced that it has acquired the SpeakEZ Voice Print patented technology from T-NETIX Inc.

Elan Speech Launches its New Golden Tone TTS Technology, Elan Sayso; Elan Speech Sees The Day

01 Jul 2002

TOULOUSE, FRANCE - Elan speech, provider of text to speech technology, unveils its new TTS technology, Elan Sayso.

EarthLink Selects Audiopoint to Provide E-mail-by-Phone Service

01 Jul 2002

FAIRFAX, VA - Audiopoint and EarthLink announced a contractual agreement that will give EarthLink's 4.9 million subscribers instant telephone access to e-mail anytime, anywhere, with E-mail-by-Phone.

Audiopoint Selects Nuance for Advanced Speech Technologies

01 Jul 2002

MENLO PARK, CA - Nuance announced that Audiopoint selected Nuance's text-to-speech, voice authentication and speech recognition software to be the engines powering Audiopoint's array of voice applications and services.

IBM Technology Gives Hondas a Voice Embedded Navigation System

01 Jul 2002

SOMERS, NY - IBM announced it has provided voice recognition technology for a navigation system thatwill be a feature in select 2003 model Honda Accords.

HeyAnita Develops SALT Browser

01 Jul 2002

HeyAnitahas developed a SALT browser. HeyAnita's FreeSpeech SALT Browser will enable companies to deploy multimodal SALT applications.

ThinkEngine Networks Partners with VoiceGenie

01 Jul 2002

ThinkEngine Networks and VoiceGenieTechnologies announced the integration of VoiceGenie's VoiceXML Gateway software suite within ThinkEngine's TEN1000 Voice Services Platform.

Glenayre Technologies Adds ScanSoft RealSpeak to Versera Voice Services

01 Jun 2002

PEABODY, MA and ATLANTA, GA - ScanSoft Inc. and Glenayre Technologies Inc. announced that Glenayre now offers ScanSoft RealSpeak as one ofthesynthesized speech solutions in its Versera Voice Services Suite.

Voiceware to Provide Voice Prompts for Lycos Asia's World Cup

01 Jun 2002

Seoul, Korea - Voiceware Co. Ltd. announced that they have supplied the Text-to-Speech, VoiceText to Lycos Asia for its World Cup Live Update SMS Service.

Glenayre Technologies Adds ScanSoft RealSpeak to Versera Voice Services Suite

01 Jun 2002

PEABODY, MA and ATLANTA, GA - ScanSoft Inc. and Glenayre Technologies Inc. announced that Glenayre now offers ScanSoft RealSpeak as one ofthe synthesized speech solutions in its Versera Voice Services Suite.

Automobile Club de L'Ouest Selects ScanSoft RealSpeak

01 Jun 2002

PEABODY, MA and GENT, BELGIUM - ScanSoft Inc. announced that the AOC has selected ScanSoft's RealSpeak for its first speech-enabled race information service.

Amol Joshi, Co-Founder and Vice President of Marketing, BeVocal

01 Jun 2002

Bell South recently chose BeVocal and Nuance to be the preferred platform for BellSouth's consumer and small business segments. We discuss with Amol Joshi, co-founder and vice president of marketing for BeVocal his thoughts on providing speech technology services for carriers.

James Colby, Assistant Vice President of Marketing, Comverse Voice Solutions

01 Jun 2002

This week's feature of NewsBlast features a conversation with James Colby of Comverse and his thoughts on speech technology's impact on the network provider space.

You Say Zee, I Say Zed

Caroline Henton // 21 May 2002

George Bernard Shaw spoke about England and America as "...two countries divided by a common language". If Shaw had been speaking technologically, he would have been showing the seeds of localization. The need to ‘localize’ a software product has been understood for several decades.

Speech is NOT Dialog

Emmett Coin // 21 May 2002

Is there a difference between speech recognition and conversation management? The recognizer hears what was said and then the computer just does something and responds, right? Actually there are big differences between the problem of deciphering the words contained in an utterance and the problem of carrying on a conversation.

Rob Kassel, Product Marketing Manager of Emerging Technologies, SpeechWorks; and Albert Kooiman, Director of Business Development, Philips.

01 May 2002

This week in NewsBlast we are taking a look at the newly developed SALT Forum. Questions were posed to Rob Kassel, product marketing manager of emerging technologies for SpeechWorks and Albert Kooiman, director of business development for Philips.

Vocomo and Rhetorical Announce New Choices in TTS Technology

01 May 2002

CUPERTINO, CA and EDINBURGH, UK - Vocomo Software Corporation and Rhetorical Systems Ltd announce the availability of a new choice for voice customers.

VoicePC Selects ScanSoft Dragon NaturallySpeaking to Enable Voice-Activated Computing

01 May 2002

PEABODY, MA - ScanSoft Inc. announced that VoicePC has selected ScanSoft's recently launched Dragon NaturallySpeaking v6 to deliver a fully integrated voice-activated personal computer.

Chant Keeps the World Talking with Latest Tool Set

01 May 2002

LOS ANGELES, CA - Chant Inc. announced availability of a new tool set for developing software that speaks and listens.

Cepstral Announces Technology Partnership with SpeechWorks

01 May 2002

PITTSBURGH, PA - Cepstral LLC announced a technology agreement with SpeechWorks. Cepstral is working with SpeechWorks on the development of a small footprint, multilingual unit selection TTS system.

Cox Enterprises Announces the Sale of Cox Voice Services

01 May 2002

ATLANTA, GA - Cox Enterprises Inc. has announced the sale of Cox Voice Services, the Infoventures of Atlanta facility, to Automated Responses Interactive.

Fonix Speech Solutions Power Hitachi Semiconductor Platforms

01 May 2002

SALT LAKE CITY, UT and SAN JOSE, CA - Fonix Corporation and Hitachi Semiconductor announced the availability of a solution that combines the Hitachi hardware and Fonix voice recognition software for in-vehicle computing systems.

SpeechTime Selects ScanSoft RealSpeak for Voice-Controlled Information Systems

01 May 2002

PEABODY, MA and STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - ScanSoft Inc. announced that SpeechTime has selected ScanSoft RealSpeak to create voice-controlled information services in Sweden.

NMS Communications and enGenic Partner to Streamline Voice Application Development

01 May 2002

FRAMINGHAM, MA - NMS Communications has partnered with enGenic Corporation to enable enGenic's TeleFlow Software to work within NMS' voice processing platforms.

8hertz Launches European VoiceXML Dialog Editor with Voxpilot

01 May 2002

BERLIN, GERMANY and DUBLIN, IRELAND - 8hertz technologies GmbH launched a web-based, VoiceXML application tool: the 8hertz Voice Dialog Editor.

Verascape and Integy Software Announce Partnership

01 May 2002

CHICAGO, IL - Verascape Inc. and Integy Software announced a partnership that will deliver VoiceXML solutions to meet the needs of enterprise customers.

Phonetic Systems Selects AT&T's Natural Voices To Drive TTS for Directory Assistant

01 May 2002

FLORHAM PARK, NJ and BEDFORD, MA - AT&T and Phonetic Systems announced that they have signed an agreement to integrate AT&T's Natural Voices TTS Engine into Phonetic Systems' DirectoryAssistant product.

Fonix Speech Solutions to Be Combined with ThinkEngine Networks' Voice Services Platform

01 Apr 2002

MARLBOROUGH, MA - ThinkEngine Networks and Fonix have agreed to integrate Fonix Text-To-Speech solutions with ThinkEngine Networks' Voice Services Platform.

Rhetorical Text-to-Speech Now Available on VoiceGenie's VoiceXML Gateway

01 Apr 2002

EDINBURGH, UK and TORONTO, ONTARIO - Rhetorical Systems and VoiceGenieTechnologies have entered into a partnership to collaborate on the provision of complete spokenlanguagesolutions over the Web.

Gold Systems to Provide Software Integration for Nuance Vocalizer 2.0

01 Apr 2002

ORLANDO, FL - Gold Systems and Nuance announced an integration solution for Nuance Vocalizer 2.0.

SpeechWorks Provides Speech-Activated "Postal Code Helpline"; Genius Institute to License Speech2Go Embedded Speech Recognition Software

01 Apr 2002

SINGAPORE - Singapore Post and SpeechWorks International Inc. launched the speech-enabled "Postal Code Helpline".

Telisma Launches Its New Product Line

01 Apr 2002

PARIS, FRANCE - Telisma is launching its new product line, based on a real time distributed architecture.

Talk2U to Distribute AT&T's Natural Voices Text-To-Speech

01 Apr 2002

Talk2U has been granted a worldwide license to distribute AT&T's Natural Voices Text-To-Speech technologies.

Speechworks' Speechify Powers AVAYA Unified Communication Center; SpeechWorks and Frank Solutions to Provide Speech Solution

01 Apr 2002

BOSTON, MA - SpeechWorks International Inc. announced that the company's Speechify TTS engine is now available through the Avaya Unified Communication Center

Fonix Speech Solutions Selected by Hewlett-Packard for New Jornada

01 Apr 2002

LONDON, ENGLAND - Fonix Corporation announced that Hewlett-Packard Corporation has licensed Fonix Speech Solutions, Text-To-Speech and Automatic Speech Recognition, for use in its new HP Jornada 928 Wireless Digital Assistant.

Elan Text to Speech and Sistel Assist Visually Impaired Operators; Reverso Voice : Smart and Talkative Personal Tool Translation

01 Apr 2002

Sistel has chosen Elan text to speech to assist visually impaired operators in their daily work.

ALK Technologies Selects Fonix to Provide Speech for CoPilot Navigation Solutions

01 Apr 2002

ALK Technologies selected Fonix Text-To-Speech (TTS) for implementation in ALK's CoPilot and Pocket CoPilot GPS navigation and route guidance solutions.

Prem Uppaluru, Co-Founder & CEO, Telera

01 Apr 2002

For this week's NewsBlast we will be covering the topic of Speech Services for Carrier Grade Systems. To read more about this topic see the May/June issue of STM.

Kelsey Group Expects Speech Revenues to Reach $2B by 2006

01 Apr 2002

The Kelsey Group is releasing this week its annual "Voice Ecosystem Review and Forecast".

Embedded Speech Recognition: Is It Poised for Growth?

Todd Mozer // 29 Mar 2002

The embedded speech recognition market has been around about as long as the speech technology industry itself. Over twenty years ago, products such as telephones and toys emerged on the market with algorithms running on 8 bit micro-controllers. Most of the products used speaker dependent recognition requiring training, but some products appeared using early DSPs that implemented speaker independent algorithms. A U.S. subsidiary of Tomy Corporation was formed to market voice recognition products including a telephone that had a single button for voice dialing and speaker dependent digit dialing. Embedded implementations throughout the 1980’s tended to be either high in cost or poor in performance.

The Evolution of Global Speech Technology

Thomas Schalk // 29 Mar 2002

The voice user interface is evolving into a standard means for communication between humans and technology and is having a profound influence on the way people live. As such, the market for these speech applications is growing worldwide. Following necessary research and development, multilingual product offerings continue to expand, particularly for countries where more advanced telecommunications technology is common.

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

01 Mar 2002

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

SpeechWorks Announces The OpenSpeech Insight Tool

01 Mar 2002

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

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.

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.

SVOX Introduces New TTS Software for Embedded Solutions

01 Mar 2002

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.

Brooktrout Technology Delivers Speech Recognition Platform

01 Mar 2002

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.

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

01 Mar 2002

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

Voiceware Announces the Establishment of US Subsidiary

01 Mar 2002

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

Aculab Unveils Latest TTS Software Featuring Variants in Voice Styles

01 Mar 2002

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.

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.

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.

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.

D-Link and SVOX Launch Speech Server

01 Mar 2002

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.

The Voice Web

Bill Meisel // 30 Nov 2000

Telephones have been like turtles watching the Internet rabbit run. Although telephony infrastructure is changing rapidly, the way the telephone interacts with the user - and what the user does with the telephone - has barely changed for decades. The growth in wireless phones has made telephone service available almost anywhere, but the telephone is still used mostly for contacting specific phone numbers to talk to a person. When the telephone is used for contacting automated systems, the touch-tone interface is notoriously inconvenient and frustrating.

Speech-enabled Appliances

30 Nov 2000

Speech-enabled appliances, including handheld computers, promise to be everywhere in the near future - in the office, at home and on the road - enabling users to easily interact with people, to control consumer appliances and to access personal and public information. To be used effectively, these appliances will support speech interfaces to intelligent software agents that perform various types of searching and computational tasks on behalf of the user. The sidebar titled "A Day in Jack's Life" Page 26 illustrates how pervasive speech will become in the future. The components of the speech interface will likely be distributed among various hardware components connected via a communication network. This article outlines the types of applications that speech-enabled appliances will support, the architectural environments in which speech-enabled appliances will work and the types of speech-enabled appliances users can expect to use.

Listen Up: How Natural-sounding Speech Engines are Changing the Industry

Judith MarkowitzCaroline Henton // 30 Nov 2000

After a 15-year adolescence, text-to-speech technology is coming of age. Every TTS vendor's goal - a truly natural-sounding, voice-activated computer interface that can read text aloud like a human being - is now within reach of the development community. Industry observers all along have said TTS would have to make a quantum leap before it could achieve anything near the natural-sounding speech necessary for broad market acceptance. Today's synthesizers make that leap possible by using new processing and linguistic models to convert computer text into speech that is nearly indistinguishable from actual recorded human speech. TTS is speaking and the market is finally taking note.

The Meaning Should Be Clear When Choosing the Words

Judith Markowitz // 30 Nov 2000

When you examine the individual words that make up the phrase you are likely to decide that it refers to the ability to hear a voice and say, "That sounds like Susan!" When machines can do this it is called speaker identification or speaker recognition. These phrases focus not on the person but what is being examined and recognized is, indeed, that person's voice.

Making Text-to-Speech Work

Kate Dobroth // 30 Sep 2000

It is becoming common to see telephony applications that use speech to give mobile users access to information that they would not be able to retrieve otherwise, such as e-mail, news items or stock quotes.

From E-Commerce to V-Commerce: The Voice Portal Revolution

Gene Eagle // 30 Sep 2000

Speech-enabled Internet portals, or voice portals, are the next logical evolutionary step in the convergence of computer telephony and the Internet.

Developing with VoiceXML: Language and Platforms

Steve Ihnen // 30 Sep 2000

THE LANGUAGEAs its name suggests, VoiceXML is a variant of the Extensible Markup Language. Like XML, VoiceXML is basically a set of tags that, when embedded in a text document, describes the contents of the document. A program called an interpreter reads a VoiceXML document, deciphers the content based on the tags, and presents the information to the end user in the manner specified.

Continuous Dictation

Peter Fleming // 30 Sep 2000

Speech technology is finding a home as an input device for interfacing with the Internet, opening even more utilization doors for our segment of the electronic revolution.

Doctor, Doctor

Gary Moyers // 30 Sep 2000

Two major speech technology corporations - Lernout & Hauspie and Philips Electronics NV - recently made big waves in the industry with their purchases of medical transcription businesses.

VoiceXML: A Developer's View

Steve Ihnen // 31 Jul 2000

Sit in on a discussion of speech recognition topics these days, and chances are the conversation will soon turn to VoiceXML and its expected impact on the industry.

Continuous Dictation

Peter Fleming // 31 Jul 2000

In a changing field, speech recognition dictation continues to be altered in radical ways. The purchase of Dragon and Dictaphone by L&H made a small world even smaller. There were previously four players in the world of large vocabulary speech recognition. Now there are three.

The Third Wave: Speech in Consumer Electronics

Todd Mozer // 31 Jul 2000

The speech recognition market has been projected to be on the verge of explosion for over a quarter of a century, but in reality it is only during the past few years that substantive growth and success has occurred.

A Day in the Life of an Imaginary Firm

Paul McNulty // 31 Oct 1999

Speech technology works - literally. Technical advances are making itquicker and easier to implement speech recognition technology in the workplace, fromcustomer service centers to sales organizations, and eventually, throughout the entire<@SM>enterprise.

Writing out loud: Getting the most from speech dictation software

Paul McNulty // 31 Aug 1999

Is my computer a good listener? Until recently, this wasn't a question that ran through someone's mind when struggling with day-to-day projects on a personal computer. With the arrival of continuous speech recognition software, however, business professionals are beginning to look beyond the keyboard and mouse to a more natural input mechanism - the human voice. For them, maximizing the PC for speech recognition is key. Of course, people wrestle with many issues when deciding whether speech technology is a good fit for them. (This was the focus or our article Tell Me About It: Why Speech Recognition Might or Might Not Be Working for You, in the June/July issue). Once a user has moved beyond these initial questions, and actually purchased and installed a speech solution, however, there are a whole host of tips and pointers that can quickly boost the performance of speech technology. This article delves into the many ways of maximizing speech recognition software for users of the technology.

LEGAL DICTATION: Making the Case for Legal Speech Recognition

Craig Reinhardt // 30 Jun 1999

Attorneys will have to start using their computers. Let’s face it, lawyers are struggling to stay on the cutting edge of technology today, and it is not cheap. Lawyers, usually not technical people to begin with, are finding they need to cope with time and billing systems and calendar software. They are trying to use records and case and document management software along with internal and external email. Now speech recognition is added to this list of software on which we integrate, train, and consult in the legal technology field.

SPEECH PROFILES: Voxware Brings Speech Recognition Into the Warehouse "Battlefield"

Brian Lewis // 30 Jun 1999

The recent acquisition of Verbex Voice Systems by Voxware Inc. brought Voxware’s president and CEO, Bathsheba J. Malsheen, Ph.D., back into the speech recognition field in a very big way.

Software-Only Vs. Embedded: Which Architecture Is Best For You?

Gene Eagle // 30 Jun 1999

Speech technologies have become an essential element in successful state-of-the-art computer telephony (CT) applications. The integration of automatic speech recognition (ASR) and text-to-speech (TTS) in applications greatly increases the effectiveness of interactive voice response CT for a wide range of uses.

HUMAN FACTORS
Can Speech Improve Cell Phone Interfaces?

Lydia Volaitis // 30 Apr 1999

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems are everywhere. For the past decade, consumers have dialed regularly into computer systems to obtain automated bank, portfolio, and account information, airline schedules, movie times, and the like. We have become so accustomed to using IVRs that, like answering machines, we may no longer be aware of whether or not we like them. They are useful, relatively easy to use, but mostly so prevalent that we frequently have no choice but to use them.

APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT
Intel Previews Pentium III

Judith Markowitz // 30 Apr 1999

Intel Corp. (Santa Clara, CA) assembled more than 250 exhibitors and as many members of the media in San Jose recently to preview the release of its next-generation, Pentium III chip. The new chip, code-named Katmai, is designed specifically to support the transmission of advanced multimedia technology over the Internet. It contains 70 new instructions, new architectures for floating-point and streaming operations, a unique ID code, and an enhanced cache layout that supports faster processing of large quantities of data. All of this runs at 450 to 550MHz.

APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT
Parts of Speech: Building Dialogs

30 Apr 1999

Many speech developers spent long hours trying to eliminate the "talking robot" phenomenon that experts once thought was the major log jam for the acceptance of speech-centric applications. As a result, speech applications now "sound" right. Today's text-to-speech applications are sometimes mistaken for human beings and speech recognition applications no longer require that users speak "discretely" but instead allows users to speak "continuously" without pausing between each individual word.

SPEECH PROFILES:
Helping Developers Say Yes to Speech

Amir Mané // 28 Feb 1999

Developers have struggled with speech for years, trying to find how to effectively integrate speech into existing and projected computer and telecommunications projects. In the last year, Unisys has emerged as an important player in the speech industry, perhaps more as a company that enables speech development than as a direct provider.

Speech: A Declaration for People with Disabilities

Doug Bowes // 28 Feb 1999

One of the greatest minds of the 20th Century is trapped inside a body that doesn't work.Yet Steven Hawking has produced three books that change the way we look at our world. Without his VOCA, (Voice Output Communication Aid) Dr. Hawking's powerful ideas would be locked away forever—unspoken, unwritten, and unknown. In the same way, speech technology can change the way we view people with disabilities.

Speech at CES; Test Driving Dragon's Naturally Mobile

Judith Markowitz // 28 Feb 1999

The 1999 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was held in Las Vegas in January. For the first time in its long history CES offered a session on speech recognition and had a speech pavilion in its exhibition.

SpeechTEK 98: Leading Edge Technology Meets Mainstream Business at SpeechTEK 98

Lizanne Kaiser // 01 Jan 1999

The growing importance and acceptance of speech processing technologies was on display at the most recent SpeechTEK conference and exhibition in New York City.

Speech Profiles: A Window on Speech at L&H

Sue Hertz // 01 Jan 1999

Lernout & Hauspie has been an international leader in the development of speech technology for numerous commercial applications, and since their September, 1997 alliance with Microsoft has been one of the most closely watched companies in the industry.

Bold Beginning for A New Speech Recognition System

Peter Fleming // 30 Aug 1998

Recently two completely new continuous speech recognition dictation systems have appeared on the scene, one from Philips, and another from Lernout & Hauspie, as well as new versions of existing systems from IBM and Dragon.

Mergers, Alliances and Acquisitions: Mergers Shape Speech Industry

Brian Lewis // 30 Jun 1998

Just as the banking world has seen huge mergers, the speech industry has seen new partnerships, mergers and acquisitions which promise to shape the for years to come.

Market Analysis: Telephone Present a New Face

Brian Lewis // 30 Jun 1998

William Meisel, a well-known speech industry consultant, has just completed a comprehensive market study of telephone speech recognition entitled The Telephony Voice User Interface: Speech recognition, Text-to-speech, and speaker verification over the telephone. Brian Lewis, the editor of Speech Technology magazine, talked to Meisel about the report.

Application Development: Just The Facts

Herbert GishMarie MeteerRalph WeischedelRichard SchwartzFrancis Kubala // 30 Jun 1998

The information age is quickly becoming the age of information overload. We often just want to get the gist of a news story, document or meeting, rather than have to read or sit through the whole thing. However, while we intuitively know what the gist is, it is difficult to define what processes are needed to automatically extract the gist from a source.

Speech On The Web: Speech Combines Telephone and Internet

Chin LeeKen RehorJoe Olive // 30 Jun 1998

Lucent Technologies is driving the convergence of the Internet and telephone networks to make accessing a business' services a better experience for customers through a choice of natural interfaces. The Natural Information Interface, demonstrated at the Council on Competitiveness' National Innovation Summit at MIT in March, combines advanced speech technologies with flexible Web and phone interfaces to create a true convergence of telephone and internet applications, making it possible for users to converse naturally with an automated system.

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY: Speech on the Web

Markku Hakkinen // 01 Apr 1998

As computer based information and the devices used to access and interact with computers have proliferated world wide, the definition of a computer user has grown to encompass a broadening set of individuals. Because of the visual and motor interface foundation of most computer systems, users who are blind, have low vision, or have perceptual and learning styles that differ from traditional models, are frequently denied access to computer based systems without the support of assistive technology.

Text-To-Speech: E-Mail Readers--The Speech Connection

Etienne Lamort DeGail // 01 Apr 1998

E-mail has been used in the U.S. for several years. However, much of Europe has been late in exploiting this efficient communication method, and as such, Europe can now be considered a new member of the Internet community.

Market Analysis: Opportunities in Speech

Amy Wohl // 01 Apr 1998

During the second half of 1997, Wohl Associates spent considerable time looking at various aspects of the speech marketplace, interviewing vendors and users, and forming opinions as to the status of the market and its future directions.

The Next Level For Speech

Brian Lewis // 01 Apr 1998

Advancing speech recognition to the next level has always been the goal at IBM's researchlabs in upstate New York. Once, this meant simply getting machines to merely recognizespeech.

The Verdict is in for Continuous Speech

Peter Fleming Robert Andersen // 31 Oct 1997

For someone who has been using and testing speech recognition systems for over five years, the new continuous speech, large vocabulary dictation systems available now are like breaths of fresh air, truly marvelous, the industry's version of the Holy Grail.

Speech Meets Needs in Many Different Markets

Bill Meisel // 31 Oct 1997

Voice synthesis technology and product identification products and services are developing rapidly and being continuously applied to new markets. While speech-centered companies have focused on the technology for decades, in many industries niches there are unique needs being addressed with speech for the first time.

Learnout & Hauspie, Developers Show New Offerings at Technology Day

Caroline Henton // 31 Oct 1997

Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products opened its Technology Days showcase to industry analysts and media recently at a two-day forum addressing the future of speech technology and demonstrating cutting-edge speech-enabled applications.

Headsets: An Essential Ingredient in Speech Recognition

Lizanne Kaiser // 30 Aug 1997

One of the most practical considerations to the end user for making speech technology work is the effectiveness of the headset.

Speech Aids People With Disabilities

Phillip Britt // 30 Aug 1997

Speech technology has clearly benefited from the interest of people with disabilities. It has been through their interest that many of the most useful applications in the industry have been developed.

One Number, Follow Me

Peter Gantchev // 30 Aug 1997

Not so long ago, the venerable business card typically listed just one telephone number. Increasingly, though, today's business card is cluttered with different telephone numbers for direct line, cellular phone, pager, and sometimes even home office. All those lines - while theoretically keeping you connected - are a nuisance for customers and business associates who have to figure out which number to phone at any given time.

Typing Aloud

Ken Rehor // 30 Jun 1997

A “mini-corporation” that uses technologies to increase general workplace productivity and to enable people who are blind and visually impaired to run all significant aspects of a business will be featured at Adaptive Solutions ‘97, to be held later this month in New York City. Several prominent speech companies are participating.

Around the World with Voice Response

Kelly Lumpkin // 30 Jun 1997

The challenge of attracting, retaining and developing relationships increases as companies expand to world markets. Each country has unique sets of technical, cultural and communications issues to overcome. Customer relationship management is an ongoing continuous improvement process being used worldwide and customers are demanding premier service delivery.

Voice-Driven Technology is Focus of ASAT

Kathy Frostad // 30 Apr 1997

The latest developments and applications of speech recognition, text-to-speech, speaker voice verification and other advanced speech technologies will be the focus of the fourth annual Advanced Speech Applications & Technologies (ASAT) Conference, April 14-16 at the San Francisco Airport Marriott in Burlingame, CA.

How TTS Works: The Technology Behind Text

Sue Hertz // 30 Apr 1997

Unlimited vocabulary speech synthesis, or text-to-speech (TTS), has had an impressive history over the last two decades. During this time, it has moved out of the laboratory and onto the desktop. A variety of TTS systems are now available; such systems are becoming increasingly natural-sounding, intelligible, and even expressive. Yes, TTS technology is here today, and cost-effective applications that utilize it are starting to proliferate.

Speech’s Price War

Peter Fleming Robert Andersen // 30 Apr 1997

In some ways, the cost of current large vocabulary speech recognition systems is artificial. Decades of research and development have made speech recognition programs among the most complex and expensive computer programs ever devised. However, the cost of reproducing software is trivial. The transition from hardware-dependent to software-only products indicates that speech recognition technology has become, in some sense, totally intellectual property, only a “sequence.” But, of course, the genetic code of an entire human being is expressible as “merely a sequence of nucleotides” (...after millions of years of evolution).

Speech Turns People with Disabilities into Technological Leaders

Harry Nielsen // 30 Apr 1997

Speech input for computers is here and promises to revolutionize the way we use them. Many experts think speech input is the most important development in computers since the advent of the PC. Speech simply makes the computer easier and more intuitive to use.

Letter from the Editor

Brian Lewis // 30 Apr 1997

Speech technology continues to gain acceptance among developers and end users, and this issue of the magazine strongly reflects that trend. Speech now has implications in many different markets, including the computer telephony industry and assistive technology, which we examine in this issue.

Industry reports: are they your best information source?

Judith MarkowitzCaroline Henton // 31 Jan 1997

Staying ahead of the pack in the rapidly emerging speech recognitionindustry requires up to date, reliable information.

IBM’s New Toolkit Connects with a Family of Developers

James A. LarsonScott McGlashan // 31 Jan 1997

The goal of speaking to your computer, and having it do what you say, has been a goal of IBM’s speech recognition research team for over 25 years.