Headline: Philips (AMS:PHG), IBM (NYSE:IBM) in R&D technology pact
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AMSTERDAM, May 6 (Reuters) - Dutch Philips Electronics NV
said on Thursday it had reached agreement with U.S. computer
giant IBM to collaborate on speech recognition technology.
"This research and development cooperative development will
enable IBM and Philips to bring the power of speech to new users
quickly and efficiently as the demand for speech recognition
products grows worldwide," Philips said in statement.
Under the initial agreement, Philips will license IBM's
text-to-speech technology for use in future products.
Both companies will be able to review and license
technology, cooperate on language development and encourage
standardisation.
The deal will accelerate market growth by making it easier
to launch international products, the statement said.
"By working with Philips we can bring solutions to market
faster, while collaborating on standards for the next generation
of speech enabled technologies," W.S. "Ozzie" Osborne, general
manager for IBM's Speech Systems, said in the statement.
Speech recognition software will not only be used in the
personal computer industry, but Philips sees it as key to
developments in mobile computing, telecommunications and
consumer electronics, Ron van den Bos, president and CEO of
Philips Speech Processing, said.
Philips is a pioneer in speech recognition, natural dialogue
and language understanding technologies, the statement said.
It developed the first commercial PC-based natural,
continuous speech recognition engine for speech-to-text
applications in 1993.
Philips' line of end user software -- which includes
FreeSpeech 2000 for consumer markets and SpeechPro for
professional dictation -- is available in 16 languages.
IBM developed its ViaVoice speech recognition technology
after more than 30 years of research and development and is sold
in more countries than any other software product in the sector.
The company has more than 100 patents in the field.
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