The V-Commerce Alliance, news
Jun. 18, 1999 (InformationWeek - CMP via COMTEX) --
The V-Commerce Alliance, a group of 25 vendors focused on increasing the use of
voice-recognition technology, last week unveiled an open-standards
software-development platform. Members of the alliance include Aspect
Telecommunications, Cap Gemini Group, General Magic, Motorola, and
Nuance
Communications.
The platform, called V-Framework, includes development tools and
languages such as Java and Visual Basic. The goal is to make it easy to
create speech applications in any spoken language that run on any major
operating system, telephony platform, or speech engine through any
speech
API. "The vendors realize that they can sell more quickly if they get
the
industry to adopt a de facto standard," says Bill Meisel, an analyst
at
TMA Associates.
The platform is based on Nuance's Foundation SpeechObjects, software
that developers can use to build speech applications quickly.
SpeechObjects includes packages of code that represent dates, times,
phone
numbers, yes/no responses, and digit strings. V-Framework is available
now; Nuance expects developers to start unveiling applications using
the
platform in the third quarter.
-0-
By: Mary E. Thyfault
Copyright 1999 CMP Media Inc.
Copyright 1999
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=DJ Small-Cap Stks -2: Durakon Ind Up 29% On $16/Shr
Durakon Industries surged 3 7/16, or 28.5%, to 15 1/2. The Lapeer,
Mich.,
maker of pick-up truck accessories and vehicle transportation and
towing
equipment agreed to be acquired by a partnership formed by Littlejohn &
Co
for $16 a share.
General Magic, a Sunnyvale, Calif., software company, leapt 1 1/16,
or
27.9%, to 4 7/8. The gain followed a report in the Wall Street Journal
that
said the company plans to team up with Excite At Home to offer free
voice
mail on the Internet. As reported in the Journal, people familiar with
the
matter said the two companies plan to announce the pact as soon as
Monday
and are expected to share advertising revenue.
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=DJ General Magic Up -2: Cos. To Provide Online Voice Mail
NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Shares of General Magic Inc. (GMGC) gained as
much
as 43% Friday morning following a Wall Street Journal article that said
the
messaging software maker plans to team up with Excite At Home Corp.
(ATHM)
to offer free voice mail on the Internet.
As reported in the Journal, people familiar with the matter said the
two
companies plan to announce the pact as soon as Monday and are expected
to
share advertising revenue.
Both companies declined to comment, the Journal said, and weren't
available this morning.
Lewis Alton, an analyst at L.H. Alton & Co., said such an
announcement
"is all it takes" to rocket the stock of a small-cap like General
Magic,
"especially among the kind of investors who have bought into this,"
whom he
described as "not serious investors."
According to the Journal, the deal would allow Excite users to
register a
phone number where voice messages would be left and later translated
into
e-mail messages.
Although financial terms weren't disclosed, the partnership could
help
General Magic, which has struggled to get customers for its Portico
messaging service, the Journal said.
Shares of General Magic, which traded as high as 5 7/16, recently
traded
at 4 25/32, up 31/32, or 25.4%, on volume of 3.8 million shares,
compared
with average daily volume of 839,700 shares.
Excite At Home Corp. recently traded at 52 /4, up 15/16, or 1.8%, on
volume of 4 million shares. Average daily volume is 4.8 million shares.
- Marcelo Prince; 201-938-5394
(END) DOW JONES NEWS 06-18-99
11:05 AM
Copyright 1999 Dow Jones & Co., Inc. All rights reserved.
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