Voice Recognition Technology Brought to Hands-Free System
23 February 2000
Lernout & Hauspie and Cellport Bring Voice Recognition Technology to Hands-Free Communications System for the Automobile
BURLINGTON, Mass. and BOULDER, Colo.--Feb. 23, 2000--Cellport Uses L&H Customer Support Center to Help Bring Product to
Market in Just 6 Months; Solution Demonstrated at CTIA Trade Show
Lernout & Hauspie (L&H(TM)), world-wide leader in speech and linguistic technologies, products and services, and Cellport Systems today announced they are demonstrating a new hands free system for the automobile which employs voice activated dialing. Cellport developed the system in just 6 Months with support from engineers in L&H's Burlington-based Customer Center, which, along with an Ieper Belgium center, opened in October 1999 and was followed in January by a center in Singapore. The short lead-time from the project's start to product availability, underscores the importance of L&H Customer Center expertise and support in assisting customers to quickly bring products to market. Cellports' speech recognition-equipped hands-free system has been installed in a BMW X5 and will be demonstrated throughout the CTIA trade show at Cellport's booth (booth #2168) in the Wireless Data Village.
Cellport is using the Lucent Digital Signal Processor (DSP) processor equipped with L&H's Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology to give users hands free phone use. The voice activated dialing capability, enabled by L&H technology, is safer, more convenient and more intuitive for drivers.
"Products such as Cellport's hands free system are key to expanding the widespread acceptance of speech and language technologies," stated Gerald Calabrese, senior vice president of worldwide sales for L&H. "The speed with which L&H's speech technology was integrated into Cellport's product demonstrates L&H's commitment to supporting its customer's development efforts as well as its dedication to bringing the benefits of speech to the mainstream user. L&H is further supporting our customers with 4 additional customer center openings around the world in the first half of this year."
"Lernout & Hauspie's industry-leading multilingual voice recognition engine gives Cellport 'Best of Breed' speech technology with global reach," said Doug Daniels, vice president of marketing and business development for Cellport Systems. "Being able to quickly integrate L&H's voice recognition technology into our universal hands-free system, Cellport will be able to rapidly add multiple languages to meet the growing need for hands-free mobile phone systems worldwide."
About L&H
Lernout & Hauspie (L&H) is a global leader in advanced speech and language solutions for vertical markets, 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 language barriers. The company provides a wide range of offerings, including: customized solutions for corporations; core speech technologies marketed to OEMs; end user and retail applications for continuous speech products in horizontal and vertical markets; and document creation, human and machine translation services, Internet translation offerings, and linguistic tools.
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.lhsl.com.
About Cellport Systems, Inc.
Cellport Systems, Inc., is a Boulder, Colorado-based, privately held company and a world leader developing and marketing IN-vehicle wireless communications systems. The company's products include a universal hands-free system for wireless phones, Internet Telematics, and Intelligent Transportation Systems. For vehicle-based data network and wireless connectivity, the company's CP2100 represents the industry's first off-the-shelf product to provide an open technical architecture that combines server, router and wireless gateway functionality. Investors include AT&T Wireless Services, Flanders Language Valley Fund, and Lernout & Hauspie. Cellport is a member of the IDB Forum and Telematics Supplier Consortium. For more information, please visit the Cellport web site at www.cellport.com.
This press release contains forward-looking information, including statements regarding L&H's plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. Such statements include, without limitation, discussions relating to the expected completion of development and commercial introduction of certain products and the fitness of such products for the purposes of the customer. Readers are cautioned that such forward looking statements involve risk and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the risk that L&H's technology will not perform as anticipated, and the general risks associated with the intense competition and rapid technological change characteristic of the speech technology markets. 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.
Lernout & Hauspie can be found on the World Wide Web at www.lhsl.com. All product names and trademarks mentioned herein are trademarks of L&H or their respective owners.
