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L&H INTRODUCES FIRST PRODUCT TO COMBINE CONTINUOUS SPEECH RECOGNITION, TRANSLATION AND VOICE-POWERED ACCESSORIESAnnounces Partnership with Staples to Distribute New L&H Voice Xpress™ "Ultimate Suite," Product Simplifies Common Desktop Tasks, Translates E-mail, Documents & Web SitesBURLINGTON, MA. – Feb. 8, 1999 – Combining the industry’s leading speech and language technologies, Lernout & Hauspie (NASDAQ: LHSPF, EASDAQ: LHSP) (L&H™), a worldwide market leader in speech and linguistic technologies, products and services, today introduced the L&H Voice Xpress Ultimate Suite. The L&H Voice Xpress Ultimate suite combines the award-winning L&H Voice Xpress continuous speech dictation software with L&H’s translation technology and its suite of voice-powered accessories that enable users to quickly obtain information from their PC and the Internet by voice. The combined dictation, translation and voice-enabled utility software is aimed at dramatically simplifying common desktop tasks and reducing barriers to PC-based computing and communication by providing the "ultimate" combination of advanced speech and translation software. Staples Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS), the largest operator of office superstores in the world, will exclusively introduce the L&H Voice Xpress Ultimate Suite, which is expected to be generally available at all Staples office locations starting in April 1999. The L&H Voice Xpress Ultimate Suite will be targeted at business professionals and consumers who want to create, share and obtain multilingual information using natural speech. The L&H Voice Xpress Ultimate Suite will enable users to:
"We are very pleased to bring the industry’s most comprehensive combination of speech and language technologies to the market through our partnership with Staples," said Paul McNulty, vice president of the Speech and Language Applications Division at L&H. "L&H has always been a leader in developing compelling speech and language solutions, such as the L&H Voice Xpress Ultimate Suite, and our agreement with Staples ensures that they get in front of today’s business and consumer users." "L&H’s Voice Xpress Ultimate Suite offers a boost in productivity for all Staples customers, from the business ‘power’ user to general consumer," said David Figler, product manager for software, Staples Inc. "Speech technology was a hot category among our small business customers throughout 1998 and we anticipate that our partnership with L&H to bring the most complete dictation and translation solution to market will only increase this level of interest and excitement." L&H Voice Xpress Ultimate Suite: Key Features Speech Recognition from L&H Voice Xpress:
Translation from L&H Power Translator Pro:
TalkingTools™ – Voice-powered Accessories :
Integrated Installation, Set up and Support
L&H Voice Xpress Ultimate Suite: System Requirement, Pricing and Availability Minimum system requirements for the L&H Voice Xpress Ultimate Suite include: PentiumÒ 166 MHz with MMX™ (Pentium II recommended). Windows 98/95, Windows NT 4.0 with service pack 3 or later. 48 MB RAM (Win 98/95), 64 MB RAM (Win NT). 250 MB hard disk space. VGA or better monitor. 16-bit sound board from CreativeÒ Labs or other Windows-compatible, 16-bit sound boards. Deluxe quality noise-canceling microphone (included). The estimated street price of L&H Voice Xpress Ultimate Suite, which includes software on a CD-ROM, documentation, and a noise-canceling microphone, is $199.99. L&H Voice Xpress Ultimate Suite is expected to generally be available in all Staples office locations in North America, starting April 1, 1999. Interested parties can get additional information by visiting the L&H Web site at www.lhs.com or by calling 800-380-1234. About Lernout & Hauspie Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products (L&H) is a global leader in advanced speech and language solutions for computers, automobiles, telecommunications, embedded products, consumer goods and the Internet. The company is making the speech user interface (SUI) the keystone of simple, convenient interaction between humans and technology, and is using advanced translation technology to break down cultural barriers. L&H’s products and services originate in four basic areas: automatic speech recognition (ASR), text-to-speech (TTS), digital speech and music compression (SMC) and text-to-text (translation). For more information, please visit Lernout & Hauspie on the World Wide Web at www.lhs.com. This press release contains forward-looking information. Such statements include, without limitation but not limited to statements involving L&H’s plans, objectives, expectations and intentions regarding the introduction of the L&H Voice Xpress Ultimate Suite. There can be no assurance that actual results will not be materially different than those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that such forward- looking statements involve risk and uncertainties, including, with limitation, the risk that the company or one or more of the companies licensees will not successfully complete the development of these products on a timely basis, if at all, that the technologies will not perform as anticipated, and the general risks associated with the intense competition and rapid technological change characteristic of the speech technology market. The forward-looking statements are also subject to risks set forth in L&H’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this Report. L&H expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statement to reflect any change in L&H’s expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. All product names and trademarks mentioned herein are trademarks of L&H or their respective owners. |
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