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IBM, Intel, Philips and mobile device manufacturers team up to establish voice technology standards

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. -- April 13,1999

Leaders in speech recognition and mobile technologies today announced at the DemoMobile 99 conference the formation of the Voice Technology Initiative for Mobile Enterprise Solutions (VoiceTIMES). VoiceTIMES’ goal is to coordinate the technical requirements needed for companies to build and deploy solutions using voice technologies and handheld mobile devices. Inaugural VoiceTIMES alliance members include Dictaphone, e.Digital, IBM, Intel, Norcom Electronics, Olympus and Philips.

With the explosive growth of mobile devices and the increasing demand for network access, the VoiceTIMES initiative was formed to define specifications for how voice commands and information are transmitted and received by existing and future mobile devices. Currently, there are no standards in place for mobile speech-enabled devices. The VoiceTIMES alliance plans to deliver the specifications and industry cooperation to build interoperable, cost-effective mobile solutions with voice technology.

“In today’s world of pervasive computing, users want simple, fast and hassle free mobile computing devices to connect and communicate,” said W.S. “Ozzie” Osborne, general manager of IBM Speech Systems. "Through joint collaboration, the VoiceTIMES alliance aims to eliminate complexities for the consumer and solutions integrator, while providing future generations of standard compliant speech-enabled mobile products."

Today, companies wanting to use speech recognition, speaker identification and speech synthesis with mobile devices are faced with high development costs and proprietary, incomplete products. Members of the VoiceTIMES alliance plan to solve many of the technical issues in both hardware and software that arise while incorporating voice technology in mobile enterprise solutions. As additional technical specifications are created, they will be submitted to the industry standards bodies for consideration as open standards solutions.

One of the initial joint efforts of the VoiceTIMES alliance will be to conduct highly targeted research studies to identify enterprise solutions where mobile devices will significantly enhance -- and in some cases change -- the way companies do business. Since remote, just in time access to information and computer resources is viewed by professionals as a major competitive advantage, mobile Internet/intranet access will be a primary focus for the alliance.

“The human voice will become the user interface for the next generation of productivity tools. As computing technologies become increasingly embedded in a range of products, speech is the one convenient, consistent and natural way people can effectively interact with systems,” said Chris Shipley, editor of DemoLetter and executive producer of the Demo Mobile 99 conference. “A move toward standards that support speech technology as a consistent user interface and that facilitate the user’s access to information is fundamental to making this vision a reality.”

VoiceTIMES Members Represent Key Elements of Mobile Computing

By joining together leaders in microprocessor and system design, mobile devices and consumer electronics, the VoiceTIMES alliance companies offer a rich array of experience and technology. These initial members will contribute:

IBM -- expertise in speech recognition technology and mobile computing, toolkits for customization, evaluation and testing for mobile devices, transcription extensions, file formats and client/server protocols.

e.Digital -- expertise in the design and development of digital mobile devices interfacing with PCs and the Internet. e.Digital is working with Intel on advanced digital voice recorders.

Dictaphone -- expertise in the areas of digital recorder design and development and enterprise related customer environments.

Intel -- expertise in microprocessor and system design. In addition, Intel will work closely with IBM to help identify optimal user scenarios for mobile workers to use distributed speech applications.

Norcom Electronics -- expertise in creating and bringing to market professional dictation/speech recognition products and solutions.

Olympus -- expertise as an innovator in the digital recorder field. Olympus has in the past worked with other recorder providers, such as Philips, to create recording standards for digital speech.

Philips -- expertise in electronic components, speech technology and mobile productivity tools.
Organizations interested in learning more about the VoiceTIMES alliance can visit http://www.software.ibm.com/voicetimes

VoiceTIMES Alliance Complements Other Industry Efforts

VoiceTIMES will be defining the structure of voice data used in enterprise solutions including transmission over other wireless standards. The work to establish speech technology standards extends beyond mobile enterprise to all parts of the computing environment. Voice recognition, identification and verification solutions that are currently being integrated into a wide range of products and standards for integration can not be developed fast enough by one group or alliance. As a result, other standards alliances are forming to address voice requirements in the areas of accessing information from the Internet and wireless communications networks. IBM and many of its VoiceTIMES allies are also participating in these initiatives including VXML, Speech for Java and World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and will coordinate VoiceTIMES’ activities into the other alliances as standards develop.

About IBM

As a pioneer in speech recognition, the company is focused on developing and supporting open standards that help accelerate the creation of content, servers and browsers that allow speech recognition technology to be easily integrated into voice, data and applications infrastructures. IBM’s ViaVoice speech recognition technology is based on 30 years of speech recognition research and development. With a portfolio of more than 100 patents, an established R&D business worldwide, and a robust, proven speech technology available in many languages, IBM is a leader in speech recognition.

IBM has established a reputation for developing and engineering innovative mobile solutions. Through its award-winning ThinkPad notebook computers, WorkPad PC Companion and CrossPad products, the company is recognized as a leader in mobile computing. For more information about IBM, visit the World Wide Web at http://www.ibm.com.

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IBM and ViaVoice are trademarks or registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Other company, product, and service names are the trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.

MEDIA CONTACTS FOR VOICETIMES COMPANIES:

Robert Wick
Dictaphone
(212) 682-0600
rwick@dictaphone.com

Kevin Ross
Norcom
(203) 374-1500
kross@norcom-electronics.com

Robert Putnam
e.Digital Corporation
(619) 679-1504
robert@edig.com

Karen Thomas
Olympus’ PR Representative
(516) 549-7575
kthomas@thomas-pr.com

Marion Koehler
Intel
(408) 765-3547
marion.koehler@intel.com

Ralph Preclik
Philips Speech Processing
+43 1 60101 1128
rpreclik@austria.ds.philips.com

Member Comments on VoiceTIMES Initiative

“Dictaphone has been a leader in developing mobile and enterprise-wide solutions for the Healthcare, Legal, and Law Enforcement Markets. We believe VoiceTIMES will establish open standards for mobile voice and data devices to deliver "user friendly" integrated systems solutions."
-- Rob Schwager, senior vice president and general manager, Dictaphone Voice Systems Division

“e.Digital has been innovating advanced digital mobile solutions for the business dictation and medical industry for the last three years. We believe VoiceTIMES will allow e.Digital to expand development of mobile information gathering devices employing speech and leverage our product designs into many additional industry solutions."
-- Ron Whittier, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Content Group

"Norcom has been developing mobile solutions for physicians in the Medical Industry for the last few years. VoiceTIMES will enable us to develop better medical solutions and expand our voiceprinting capability to other industries."
-- Bruce Hansen, CEO of Norcom Electronics Corp.

"Olympus has been working with several customers to develop mobile solutions for Insurance Investigators. These solutions require combining the information from our Digital Cameras and Digital recorders. VoiceTIMES will help standardize the way companies capture, store and access digital information."
-- Michael Handa, assistant division manager, Digital Imaging and Systems Group, Olympus

"Philips Speech Processing is a world market leader in analogue and digital speech input devices, successfully serving professional dictation markets, such as legal and medical, for more than 40 years. We believe VoiceTIMES will allow Philips to expand its market reach of mobile dictation solutions and leverage our products into additional industry solutions."
-- Ron van den Bos, CEO and president, Philips Speech Processing