Flarion and Kirusa Demonstrate Integrated Broadband Wireless Multimodal Solution

NEW ORLEANS, LA - Kirusa and Flarion announced a series of joint alliance agreements and demonstrated an end-to-end multimodal solution. Kirusa's multimodal platform, offering SMS, sequential, and simultaneous multimodality, enables wireless phone and PDA users to request or add information by speaking a command, or by using visual inputs such as typing or tapping with a stylus. Application results can be delivered visually on the device screen, by voice, or through combinations of both voice and visual modes. SMS multimodality addresses the huge deployed base of SMS-capable handsets to deliver multimodal experiences, while sequential multimodality allows users to alternate between voice and visual (WAP) interactions on mass market, off-the-shelf mobile handsets. Simultaneous multimodality allows users to use both voice and visual interactions at the same time on advanced handsets, including those based on platforms such as Microsoft's SmartPhoneT, SymbianT (e.g. Nokia's Series 60 and Symbian OS Version 7 as used by Sony/Ericsson,) Qualcomm's BREWT, and Microsoft's PocketPC. Flarion's flash-OFDM-based devices provide users mobile Internet access with broadband. With roundtrip packet delay as low as 35 milliseconds, flash-OFDM is 'IP friendly' wireless access technology that transparently supports highly interactive applications with no modifications to the applications or host environment. With the Flarion system, users will experience full mobility for video, live streaming, packet voice calls and wireless on-line gaming with a LAN-like performance. The Kirusa-Flarion joint solution empowers high-performance mobile applications with a seamless integration of visual and voice interfaces, enhancing usability and return on investment for mobile applications. The integration brings together the mobile multimedia performance enabled by the Flarion flash-OFDM mobile broadband network, with the ease of information access, management, and utilization made possible by using voice as well as visual stimuli to interact with applications.