Fonix(R)
Corp. announced it will become the first speech
technology provider to offer Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) and
Text-To-
Speech (TTS) capabilities on commercially available products that use
Texas
Instruments' OMAP(TM) framework. Fonix Speech Solutions, currently deployed
in several PDA devices, including Hewlett-Packard's Jornada 928 Wireless
Digital Assistant (WDA) slated for release in Europe in the summer of
2002,
demonstrate the ability of the OMAP platform to support natural language
interface, and opens the door to a wide variety of voice-enabled products
and
services within the OMAP application environment.
Texas
Instruments' OMAP platform for wireless processing delivers voice
and multimedia enhanced applications for 2.5G and 3G wireless phones,
PDAs,
and advanced mobile Internet appliances. Fonix Speech Solutions that
run on
the TI OMAP platform enable users to use their voice to navigate through
their
devices, to launch and close applications, and to access and dial contacts,
all with no voice training required. OMAP developers benefit from TI's
fully
open OMAP platform, which has been selected by Hewlett-Packard, Nokia,
Ericsson, Sony, Palm, NEC, Fujitsu, Sendo, HTC, and others for the companies'
2.5 and 3G wireless devices.
"Fonix
is a natural fit for the OMAP platform and our developer network.
Their highly accurate and speaker-independent speech solutions add a
new
dimension of power and convenience to applications created within TI's
OMAP
Developer Network," said Paul Werp, worldwide marketing director
for TI's OMAP
platform. "Clearly, end users will benefit from voice-enabled applications
in
the next generation of wireless devices. As wireless device manufacturers
continue to develop 2.5G and 3G products powered by TI's high-performance
and
low power OMAP application processors, Fonix will help developers provide
the
natural-speech capabilities that will make those products safer and
easier to
use."
"Voice
interface is the wave of the future in wireless products. With
handheld device manufacturers' deployment of Fonix natural-speech technology
using the OMAP platform, voice-enabled mobile applications are taking
a huge
step forward," said Kurt W. Flygare, Fonix vice president of sales.
"Fonix
ASR and TTS technologies provide the critically small memory footprint
necessary for wireless Web devices. Additionally, our speech solutions
provide developers and wireless device manufacturers with the essential
elements to introduce interactive voice solutions faster and at significantly
reduced cost."
