ScanSoft Speech and Language Solutions Included in
Microsoft's Windows CE for Automotive 3.5
Companies Continue Long-Standing Relationship for Speech and Language Technologies
PEABODY, Mass., March 4, 2002 - ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT), a leading supplier of imaging, speech and language solutions, today announced that Microsoft's telematic software platform, Windows CE for Automotive 3.5, has shipped with ScanSoft's speech and language technologies.
Recently, Microsoft upgraded the voice component of its automotive software platform to include ScanSoft's high-performance, phonetic-based speech recognition engine as the reference implementation. Microsoft and ScanSoft will demonstrate the new speech engine at the Digital Car Show in Detroit, Michigan, this week.
To provide Microsoft and the automotive industry with innovative speech technology, ScanSoft has developed a SAPI5-compliant version of the ScanSoft® RealSpeak™ Compact text-to-speech (TTS) engine. This technology is now available to major automotive vendors and will allow them to more easily incorporate the most human-sounding male and female voices available on the market today.
"Windows CE for Automotive provides software developers the opportunity to create safe and reliable applications for in-car computing solutions," said Gonzalo Bustillos, director of business development and marketing for the Automotive Business Unit at Microsoft. "Microsoft is pleased to work with ScanSoft to provide innovative speech and language engines for a variety of in-vehicle information, communication, and entertainment products and services."
Windows CE for Automotive is an open platform that provides developers with the building blocks to quickly and reliably create powerful in-car computing solutions. It offers flexibility and choice of computing platforms, hardware peripherals and software components as well as a large community of developers familiar with Windows CE.
"ScanSoft is pleased to be working with Microsoft at the forefront of this exciting technology," said Wayne Crandall, senior vice president of business development and worldwide sales at ScanSoft, Inc. "Through the integration of Microsoft's powerful automotive software platform and ScanSoft speech technology, a new class of voice-enhanced devices can emerge to give drivers and passengers the ability to communicate hands-free, access personalized information on the Internet, summon emergency services and roadside assistance and enjoy an array of convenience and entertainment applications."
About ScanSoft® RealSpeak™ Text-to-Speech
ScanSoft RealSpeak is the company's advanced text-to-speech technology that can generate human sounding synthesized speech. Used in a wide variety of advanced applications, from the creation of voice portals to speech-enabled virtual newscasters, RealSpeak technology supports a range of operating systems and is currently available in 19 languages: US and UK English, German, French, Dutch & Belgian Dutch, Castilian and Mexican Spanish, Italian, European and Brazilian Portuguese, Norwegian, Polish, Swedish, Danish and Cantonese & Mandarin Chinese, Korean and Japanese.
About Windows CE for Automotive
The Automotive Business Unit at Microsoft has invested half a decade to provide the automotive industry with great software that delivers information, entertainment, communication and services in vehicles. The company works very closely with automakers, automotive electronics manufacturers and consumers to develop its telematic software platform. Microsoft Windows CE for Automotive is a platform built on Windows CE, a robust, real-time embedded operating system, which enables new categories of in-car computers designed to safely provide drivers and passengers with hands-free communication, access to personalized information on the Internet, and an array of convenience and entertainment applications. Windows CE for Automotive is an open platform that allows developers to quickly create powerful in-car computing solutions. It offers flexibility and choice of computing platforms, hardware peripherals and software components, as well as a large community of experienced developers for Windows CE.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software - any time, any place and on any device.
About ScanSoft, Inc.
ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT) is the leading supplier of imaging, speech and language solutions that are used to automate a wide range of manual processes - saving time, increasing worker productivity and improving customer service.
ScanSoft, through its acquisition of Lernout & Hauspie, offers the most complete, integrated suite of technologies and services that provide speech capabilities for the automotive industry. Broad language support, speech recognition, noise management and synthesized speech are the core of the mobility technology from ScanSoft's automotive initiatives.
For more information regarding ScanSoft products and technologies, please visit www.scansoft.com.
ScanSoft and RealSpeak are registered trademarks or trademarks of ScanSoft, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other company or product names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
The statements in this press release that relate to future plans, events or performances are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with market trends, competitive factors, and other risks identified in the Company's SEC filings. Actual results, event and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date hereof.
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