Voice Interaction with computers - Independent benchmarking gives boost to IBM technologies.

London, February 14, 2000

London, February 14, 2000 -- Business computing looks set for a productivity boost following an independent study into the use of IBM voice technology as a viable natural alternative to the traditional keyboard and mouse.

The study, conducted by NSTL on behalf of IBM, found that in direct comparisons, the users of IBM ViaVoice technology produced final, corrected documents up to 50% faster than office professionals and students typing the same work on a keyboard. The results for students should be of particular concern in that they indicate keyboard skills are unlikely to improve with the next generation. Despite increases in the use of computers in schools and colleges, the so called 'PC proficient' student candidates did not perform any better with the keyboard than the professional group.

Natural interfaces have been a holy grail of the computer industry for decades, and voice technologies have only recently made the leap from the Research Laboratory to the general office environment. The results of this research present a solid business case for this technology to be deployed across a wide range of office workers - with savings of up to 40% of the time spent at the keyboard using IBM speech recognition software, the savings in British industry could be millions of pounds.

Duncan Ross, IBM speech business manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa says, "The research clearly indicates that using IBM ViaVoice Millennium could increase personal productivity of people like professionals, mobile and office based workers, saving hundreds of work hours per person per year."

Small business owner Stuart Whytock adds, "I'd be the first to admit that, like the vast majority of business people, my keyboard skills are weak. Using ViaVoice enables me to spend less time sitting at my PC doing day-to-day administration such as writing letters and e-mails. Speech recognition software is a valuable business tool that makes my working life significantly more productive and profitable".

Voice also looks set to become a natural aid to many other areas of business, for example, IBM has piloted a Natural Language Telephony application which is now being implemented as a replacement to traditional switchboards - saying the name of the person you wish to speak to gets you automatically connected. Soon to follow is the use of IBM voice technology with all manner of mobile computing devices.

The latest additions to the award-winning IBM ViaVoice product family - as used in the NSTL benchmarks - include three offerings for different user needs and skill sets. ViaVoice Standard, ViaVoice Web and ViaVoice Pro - all deliver record levels of usability and accuracy. UK RRP prices range from £39.99 to £119.00 for the top of the range product which is suitable for business use. ViaVoice products are available from retail stores and specialist speech business partners throughout the UK.

About IBM Speech Systems

IBM speech recognition technology is based on thirty years of speech recognition research and development. With a portfolio of more than one hundred patents, an established R&D business that includes researchers worldwide and a robust, proven speech technology available in many languages, IBM is a leader in speech recognition. For more information about IBM Speech Systems, visit the World Wide Web at http://www.software.ibm.com/speech.

About NSTL

NSTL is the world's leading independent hardware and software testing organisation for the computer industry. For further information about NSTL, visit the World Wide Web at http://www.nstl.com

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NSTL makes no recommendation or endorsement of any product. This report was prepared under contract for IBM. NSTL does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of the services provided in connection with client's product. NSTL MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY ANY PERSON OR ENTITY FROM USE OF THE SERVICES OR THE RESULTS THEREOF, OR ANY INFORMATION OR DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. The figures quoted are based on a complete NSTL report held by IBM. This report may be available on request, at the discretion of IBM.

ViaVoice is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation