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 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
Kevin Ross
Robert Putnam
Karen Thomas
Marion Koehler
Ralph Preclik
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."
“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."
"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."
"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."
"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."
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