Speech Technology eWeekly - March 01, 2005

Features

Business Icon Tom Peters Tells SpeechTEK West Delegates "It's Time for Aggressive Innovation"

SAN FRANCISCO - Management guru Tom Peters told a capacity crowd last week that only the constant pursuit of innovation can insure long term success.

Q & A

Mark Flanagan, President, Envox Worldwide

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."

Kevin Hegebarth, Director of Strategic Planning, Witness Systems

Kevin Hegebarth, directof of strategic planning for Witness Systems explains that "having speech analysis software effectively listen to all calls recorded by the enterprise, classify those interactions based on what was said in the conversation, and provide trend data over time is like having thousands of supervisors working around the clock."

Elka Popova, Research Manager, Frost & Sullivan

Elka Popova, research manager for Frost & Sullivan, explains why "mobile subscribers consider themselves entitled to enhanced applications as part of their package and are reluctant to pay additional fees."

Peter Mahoney, Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, ScanSoft

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."

Speech Technology News

Wizzard Licenses AT&T Natural Voices for Server Edition SDK to CommPower

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).

Borgess Medical Center Cuts Transcription Costs by 40 Percent with Philips SpeechMagic

Borgess Medical Center has reduced its transcription costs by 40 percent over the past 12 months as a result of implementing the Philips speech recognition technology SpeechMagic.

CR Technologies Launches Wildfire Carrier Grade Program

CR Technologies launched the Wildfire Enterprise Edition v 6.5 carrier grade program.

Nuance Appoints New Managing Director and Expands Delivery Capabilities

LONDON & MENLO PARK, Calif. - Nuance appointed Harnish Patel as managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In addition, the company is expanding its sales, marketing and solutions delivery capabilities in the European marketplace.

Cepstral TTS Voices Released for Mac OS X

PITTSBURGH - Cepstral LLC released its Swift Text-to-Speech (TTS) software on Apple's Mac OS X operating system.

Wizzard Software to Acquire Interim Health Care of Wyoming

PITTSBURGH - Wizzard Software has signed a Letter of Intent to acquire the assets of Interim Health Care of Wyoming, a home health care franchise agency, for its MedivoxRx Technologies subsidiary.

MCI and Tellme to Deliver Internet-Based Contact Center Solutions

ASHBURN, Va. - MCI, Inc. signed an agreement with Tellme Networks, Inc. to offer Internet-based contact center solutions to large enterprise customers in financial, insurance and healthcare industries and the government sector.

Robotic Consumer Service Types: Models of Efficiency, Aggravation

From the Chicago Tribune - Bill Hendrick discusses the pros and cons of virtual assistants/operators and what they hold for the future.

ZyXEL Unveils VoIP Gateway at VON

ZyXEL Communications showcased their VoIP product line at VON.

Phone Interactive Adopts Voxpilot's Open Media Platform

SAN FRANCISCO - Phone Interactive has added Voxpilot's VoiceXML platform to its IVR (Interactive Voice Response) offering.

SER Partners with Aurix

DULLES, Va. - SER Solutions, Inc. partnered with Aurix Ltd.

PMT Customers Gain Unified Messaging Capabilities Through VoxSurf Technology

LONDON, UK and NEW ORLEANS - Project Mutual Telephone (PMT) has selected VoxSurf's unified messaging platform, VxOne.

NHS Staff Helps Telephonetics Develop ACCESS STI Phone Service

Telephonetics released a new module on the ACCESS Platform for providing patients with medical test results.

Pelephone Deployed an Automated Speech Driven Account Inquiry Service Using NSC's Speech Recognition Product

RISHON LEZION, Israel - Pelephone, an Israeli mobile carrier, has deployed a service that enables its customers to inquire about their account balance details using a speech recognition engine developed by the Israeli company NSC (Natural Speech Communication Ltd.).

Tell-Eureka Launches LevelOne VoIP Agent

NEW YORK - Tell-Eureka released its LevelOne VoIP Agent, a speech-based self-service product that enables access to features over the phone and automates customer care and technical support for VoIP phone service.

Loquendo and Kirusa Partner to Deliver Multimodal Solutions

TURIN, Italy - Loquendo and Kirusa announced a strategic partnership leveraging Loquendo's multilingual speech technologies to deliver multimodal solutions to customers across the globe.

NetByTel Wins Outstanding Vendor of the Year Award from Time Customer Service

BOCA RATON, Fla. - NetByTel has won the 2005 Outstanding Vendor of the Year Award from Time Customer Service (TCS), the Tampa-based customer service, information systems, marketing services, and subscription fulfillment operation under the Time magazine company.

Civil Air Patrol of Nebraska to Install Contact Center Software from Interactive Intelligence

INDIANAPOLIS and ASHLAND, Neb. - The Nebraska Wing of the Civil Air Patrol will install contact center software from Interactive Intelligence Inc. to provide customer service to CAP members and the general public.

Pep Boys' Warehouses Talk with Vocollect

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

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."

Fonix DECtalk Adds New Platforms and Languages

SALT LAKE CITY - Fonix Speech released version 4.6.3 of its Fonix DECtalk™ text-to-speech (TTS) technology.

ScanSoft Extends Worldwide Leadership in Speech Recognition Software According to Analyst Firm Preliminary Report

PEABODY, Mass. - Gartner, Inc. has named ScanSoft the worldwide speech software sales leader, based on port shipments in 2004

Loquendo TTS Awarded Best Innovation in Multi-lingual Speech Synthesis

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.

Carat Interactive Helps Introduce the New Face of ScanSoft

SAN FRANCISCO - Carat Interactive assisted ScanSoft with the redesign of their corporate Web site.

ScanSoft and Diebold to Provide Talking ATMs

From Computer Business Review Online - ScanSoft and automated teller machines manufacturer Diebold will work together to provide speech-enabled cash machines across the US.

Carrius and LignUp Deliver Solution for Hosted VoIP Services

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. and RICHARDSON, Texas - Carrius Technologies, Inc. and LignUp Corporation partnered to provide a VoIP communications platform targeting business and residential customers.

Enterprise Integration Group Introduces LumenVox's LV Speech Tuner in Training Classes

SAN RAMON, Calif. and SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Enterprise Integration Group, Inc. (EIG) introduced LumenVox's LV Speech Tuner into EIG's Speech Application: Planning, Voice User Interface Design, and Tuning courses.

Speech Technology Associates Releases Express CTI

WESTFORD, Mass. - Speech Technology Associates, Inc. (STA) will include Concentric Solutions Computer Telephony Integration software with each STA deployment of Nuance Voice Platform™.

CARQUEST, Hobie Cat, and Husqvarna Select Angel.com for Store Locator Application

MCLEAN, Va. - CARQUEST, Hobie Cat Co., and Husqvarna deployed Angel.com's Voice Site, which provides callers with automated store location and product information based on zip code and/or product preference.

GM Voices Launches Voice Brand Audit Program

GM Voices launched its Voice Brand Audit Program.

Brooktrout and BRESSNER Team to Develop the European Voice and Speech Market

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - Brooktrout Technology, Inc. teamed with BRESSNER Technology to provide developers of speech-enabled applications access to Brooktrout's range of voice and speech products and support in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland (DACH region).

Microsoft Developing Telematics Solution for Fiat Cars

From DMeurope.com - Microsoft's Automotive Business Unit is collaborating with technology firms Samsung, ScanSoft, Siemens, SiRF and Xilinx, and Italian car component maker Magneti Marelli to develop a telematics system that is to be integrated into every new Fiat car.

MetroPCS Selects BeVocal's Voice-automated Customer Care Application

SAN FRANCISCO - MetroPCS selected and deployed BeVocal's voice-automated Personal Identification Number (PIN) Reset application.

Frost & Sullivan Recognizes Nortel Leadership in the IVR Market

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.

Voxeo Launches VoIP Platform

SAN FRANCISCO - Voxeo Corporation launched its new line of communication servers at SpeechTEK West.

Jack Nicklaus Tees Up the Virtual Agents

LONDON - Viewers calling Polaris for a brochure will talk to a virtual agent allowing multiple customer calls to be taken with no queuing or engaged tones.

Monaco Telecom Selects Voxpilot to Deliver VideoMail Service

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. - Monaco Telecom launched Voxpilot's VideoMail, a mobile video messaging solution.

Gartner Reports That Loquendo Has Highest Worldwide Speech Market Growth Rate

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)."

iVoice Partners with Phonextra for Sales and Marketing of Speech Telephony Applications

MATAWAN, N.J. - Phonextra, Inc. will market and sell iVoice's suite of speech telephony applications.

Eicon Networks Enters into Agreement with Captaris

Eicon Networks has entered into an agreement with Captaris

Audiopoint Launches Intelligent Alert System to Customers Including EarthLink

ROCKVILLE, Md. - Audiopoint launched 'Intelligent Alert' system, an upgraded version of its Voice Terminal 4.0 platform with its patent pending Notifier™ technology.

VoiceObjects Announces Next Generation of its Voice Application Management System - VoiceObjects X5

COLOGNE, Germany and BOSTON - VoiceObjects released VoiceObjects X5, a VAMS that features a scalable server architecture.

The P&A Group Updates IVR System to iVoice IVR Release 3.0

MATAWAN, N.J. - The P&A Group has updated its IVR system to the iVoice IVR release 3.0, provided by iVoice's subsidiary iVoice Technology, Inc.

ScanSoft Delivers Solutions for VoIP

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.

gh's MathSpeak Finds Its "Voice" With Pittsburgh Speech Synthesis Company

Gh has chosen Cepstral to give its MathSpeak assistive software technology a synthetic voice.

PEIKER acustic Offers Voice-operated Systems and Joins Mercedes-Benz to Integrate Apple iPod®

FRIEDRICHSDORF - PEIKER acustic GmbH & Co. KG has turned its attention to the new technology of in-car speech recognition with the establishment of its skills center for speech-operated systems and vehicle bus connections in the Swabian town of Böblingen. Also, PEIKER acustic GmbH & Co. integrates KG Apple iPod® in Mercedes-Benz.

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust Selects Philips SpeechMagic

VIENNA, Austria - Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust will be implementing SpeechMagic.

Speech in Space: International Space Station Blasts Off with Nuance Speech Recognition

Clarissa is the International Space Station's new speech-powered virtual assistant, and she helps astronauts check out space suits and analyze drinking water quality - all via voice.

RDA Group Signs New Contract with Message Technologies

RDA Group signed a new contract with Message Technologies

Loquendo Unveils New Male UK English Voice

Loquendo releases Simon, a male UK English text-to-speech persona.

Pronexus VeoConnectT Speech-enabled Auto Attendant Receives Microsoft ISV Certification

OTTAWA, Canada - Pronexus Inc. announced that it has received ISV (Independent Software Vendor) certification from Microsoft Corporation for VeoConnect, its speech-enabled auto attendant.

Loquendo TTS Powers W3C Standardization Activities

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.

Kurzweil Educational Systems Unveils New License-to-Go Features

LOS ANGELES and BEDFORD, Mass. - Kurzweil Educational Systems, Inc. unveiled Kurzweil 3000T for Windows Version 9 at the 2005 California State University of Northridge (CSUN) "Technology and Persons with Disabilities" Conference.

City of San Jose Selects Nortel to Provide Network for New City Hall

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The City of San Jose has selected Nortel to provide a converged communications network for the new San Jose City Hall to help city officials collaborate and serve constituents.

Save-A-Lot Selects VoiceLogistics

Save-A-Lot has selected and implemented Voxware's voice-directed logistics solution, VoiceLogistics.

eSpindle Learning Selects Wizzard Software for Online Tutoring Program

PITTSBURGH - eSpindle Learning Inc. has chosen Wizzard's AT&T Natural Voices Speech Engine offering for use in their customized online tutoring of English spelling exercises.

Envox Acquires Intel's NetMerge Call Processing Software and NetMerge CT-ADE Products

Envox Worldwide has acquired Intel NetMerge Call Processing Software and NetMerge CT Application Development Environment (CT ADE) products.

H&R Block Selects NetByTel Partners to Assist Tax Filers with Locating their Tax Office of Choice

BOCA RATON, Fla. - H&R Block® launched a telephone location service from NetByTel® that allows taxpayers to locate the nearest H&R Block location by calling 1.800.HRBlock or 1.800.472.5625.

InquireTec Partners with 4D Inc. to Provide Voice-powered Databases

SAN JOSE, and DELHI, Calif. - InquireTec Software teamed with 4D Inc. to create a developer toolset called Inquire4D.

Wizzard Software Teams with Next IT Corporation to Add Voice to Active Agent Virtual Assistant

PITTSBURGH - Next IT Corporation has chosen Wizzard's version of the AT&T Natural Voices® Speech Engine offering for use in its Active Agent Virtual Assistant Suite.

Edify and NMS Communications Announce Speech Scalability

SANTA CLARA, Calif. and FRAMINGHAM, Mass. - Edify Corporation and NMS Communications have announced a new level of scalability with 480 speech ports on a single server.

Microsoft Speech Server Experiences Accelerated Adoption

Part of the Windows Server System family of products, Microsoft Speech Server 2004 has been recognized by the industry as an enterprise-capable solution, recently winning Frost & Sullivan's 2005 Enterprise Infrastructure Product of the Year Award.

The University of Utah Selects TeleData's T3 Platform for its Voice Messaging Needs

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

PEABODY, Mass. - ScanSoft, Inc. released SpeechPAK TALKS™ 2.0, the latest edition of its application designed for eyes-free audio access to mobile phones.

LumenVox Releases ArtiSpeech Version 2.0

SAN DIEGO - LumenVox released ArtiSpeech Version 2.0, which integrates with Vertical Communication's (Artisoft) TeleVantage®.

MacSpeech Releases ScriptPak for TurboTax 2004

SALEM, N.H. - MacSpeech released a ScriptPak for TurboTax 2004.

VeriSign Selects Authentify to Automate Delivery of Digital Certificates to Businesses

CHICAGO - VeriSign, Inc. is using the Authentify voice-based authentication service as part of its validation services.

Eicon Releases Diva SDK Version 3.5, Shiva 1100 Wireless VPN Gateway and Shiva 4102 SSL VPN Gateway

Eicon Networks released the Diva Server SDK Version 3.5, the Shiva 1100 Wireless VPN Gateway, and the Shiva 4102 SSL VPN Gateway.

NAVIGON Speech-Enables Navigation Systems on PDA Devices

NAVIGON, a provider of mobile navigation solutions, selected ScanSoft's VoCon 3200 Embedded Development System 2.0 to speech-enable MobileNavigator 5.

Partner Communications Launches Song Dedication Service in Russian

Partner Communications, an Israeli mobile communications company and operator of the orange network in Israel, launched a service that enables its subscribers to send personalized songs to friends and relatives in Russian.

bridgeSpeak Releases bridgeSpeak AR 1.2

MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. - bridgeSpeak LLC released bridgeSpeak AR 1.2, the next version of bridgeSpeak's vertically integrated communication system for automotive dealerships.

Danka Adds NetByTel's Voice Self-Service to Its Call Center

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. and BOCA RATON, Fla. - Danka Business Systems PLC has deployed NetByTel's voice-activated Service Request Line in its 180-person ISO certified call center located in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Opera Software Unveils Voice-Enabled Home Media Technology with IBM ViaVoice

Opera Software unveiled an voice-enabled Electronic Program Guide (EPG) for home media.

Datria's Voice Self-Service Applications for Field Service Certified on Microsoft Speech Server

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - Datria has certified its applications on Microsoft Speech Server.

NSC Releases Key Word Spotting Engine

RISHON LEZION, Israel - NSC (Natural Speech Communication Ltd.) launched a new product based on its speech recognition engine.

OC Tanner Chooses Gold Systems to Develop Voice Rec Applications on Microsoft Speech Server

OC Tanner has selected Gold Systems to build a suite of new speech recognition applications based on the Microsoft Speech Server 2004.

Empirix Releases Solution for Testing VoIP Infrastructure and Applications

ORLANDO, Fla. - Empirix Inc. released a solution for deploying enterprise Voice over IP (VoIP) infrastructure and applications.

VoiceGate Adds Engine to Emergency Response Mass Message Notification System

VoiceGate has added a French Canadian text-to-speech engine to deliver system messages and database update information in Canada's two official languages.

MScript Makes Salesforce.com Available Via Phone

MScript has created a Web-based CRM IVR application that enables sales representatives to input real time account information via voice.

Genesys and Veraz Networks Allow Telecom Carriers to Merge IP Systems into Intelligent Networks

SAN FRANCISCO and SAN JOSE, Calif. - Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories integrates the Veraz ControlSwitch softswitch platform on its Voice Platform: Network Edition.

Phone Interactive Adopts Voxpilot's Open Media Platform

SAN FRANCISCO - Phone Interactive Communication Corporation continues to expand with the implementation of Voxpilot's VoiceXML platform.

Unveil Technologies and ScanSoft Partner to Deliver Speech-Enabled Call Center Applications

WALTHAM , Mass. - Unveil Technologies, Inc. will support and offer ScanSoft speech solutions with the Unveil Conversation Suite.

Voxpilot Launches Its VideoMail Solution

CANNES, France - Voxpilot deployed it's Turnkey Mobile Video Messaging Solution.

Edge Information Management Selects Envox 6 for Interactive Voice Response Technology

WESTBOROUGH, Mass. - Edge Information Management Inc., a provider of pre-employment and drug screening related services, has selected Envox 6, Envox's communications development platform, to power its interactive voice response (IVR) solutions.

MacJournal Selects ScriptPak from MacSpeech

SALEM, N.H. - Mariner Software selected ScriptPak for MacJournal from MacSpeech.

Trinsic Selects NeuStar's Convergent Clearinghouse Services to Enable VoIP Service Delivery

WASHINGTON - NeuStar announced that Trinsic, Inc. will utilize NeuStar's Convergent Clearinghouse to automate its business and operational processes associated with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

Blogs, IM, VOIP, IVR, and Speech Power New Voxeo ExpressCRM Platform

ORLANDO - Voxeo Corporation launched its ExpressCRM Customer Relationship Management platform.