3G Phone gets new voice interface

Samsung Electronics and Voice Signal Technologies announced a worldwide strategic partnership to provide users of new Samsung wireless phones with the most advanced and convenient voice activation technology ever. The first handset containing Voice Signal's new voice interface system is the A500, now available at retail stores throughout the U.S.

Samsung was the first wireless phone manufacturer to introduce voice-activated name dialing in 1998, starting a worldwide trend that other phone manufacturers followed. Through its partnership with Voice Signal, Samsung is again setting the standard by offering never before seen voice activation capabilities in a handset.

In the past, voice activation software in mobile phones allowed the user to dial by name after creating a voice tag for each entry. The new voice-activated features shipped in the A500 allow users not only to dial by name, but also to dial any phone number by voice. This feature is particularly helpful in voice dialing situations when the name and voice tag have not been stored in the phone.

The new A500 also allows users to instantly access other popular features of the phone by voice. By simply saying "voicemail" the phone will activate the voicemail functions, or by saying "phonebook," the screen immediately shows the contact list. Even commands such as "Play Games," "Browser" and others are supported.

Ease-of-Use and Convenience
"Consumers have come to love the convenience of their wireless phone regardless of where they are," said Peter Skarzynski, senior vice president of wireless terminals for Samsung Telecommunications America. "They are demanding that wireless phones be easier to use. After extensive research and testing, we concluded that speech recognition was the best way to enhance the usability for the consumer, and Voice Signal's speech recognition provided the best performance."

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Voice Signal's Vision "Speech is an enabling technology that will play an increasingly central role in the way humans and computers interface," said Dan Roth, CEO of Voice Signal. "Samsung was the first to employ speech recognition in the wireless phone market, and we are pleased that our partnership has led to another first with the new A500 voice activated capabilities. We are extremely pleased that Samsung shares our vision and has chosen Voice Signal as their partner to provide enhanced voice activation capabilities for their wireless phones worldwide."

Availability
The Samsung A500 phone, with Voice Signal's speech interface software is available now through Sprint Stores, and other selected retail outlets, including Circuit City and Best Buy. The A500 has a suggested retail price of $299.00.