General Magic Ships magicTalk Voice Gateway 1.5
Support for Philips's and SpeechWorks' Speech Technologies Alongside a Host of New Features
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Sep 24, 2001 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- General Magic, Inc. (Nasdaq: GMGC chart, msgs), a pioneer in voice infrastructure software and services, today announced the availability of a new release of its voice application development and deployment platform. The magicTalk(R) Voice Gateway, version 1.5, includes expanded speech recognition (ASR) and text-to-speech (TTS) software support, advanced VoiceXML development support, and a new Virtual Telephony Client that enables developers to execute, test, and debug voice applications in a desktop environment using a Plantronics LS1, lightweight stereo PC headset.
The magicTalk Voice Gateway is at the core of General Magic's suite of voice infrastructure products and integrates VoiceXML, speech recognition and telephony technologies to enable developers to quickly and efficiently develop and deploy enterprise voice solutions that give voice access to information and services from any telephone or mobile device.
The new version of the magicTalk Voice Gateway now supports Philips's SpeechPearl(R) 2000 speech recognition software and the latest version of the Speechify(TM) TTS engine from SpeechWorks International, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPWX chart, msgs), a global leader in speech recognition and text-to-speech (TTS) technologies and services. Version 1.5 also includes a framework to facilitate integration of additional speech recognition and text-to-speech engines.
"With our new support for Philips's and SpeechWorks' speech technologies, alongside the existing support for Nuance and Fonix speech software, the new version of the magicTalk Voice Gateway offers developers the most open platform for voice application development," said Paula E. Skokowski, vice president of marketing at General Magic. "In addition, the new magicTalk Virtual Telephony Client offers unparalleled levels of test and debug control to developers of VoiceXML applications."
"We are very excited about our partnership with General Magic. We believe voice will continue to play an increasing role in computing productivity," said Neil Snyder, president of Plantronics Computer Audio System Division. "General Magic's decision to use Plantronics headsets will provide their customers with highly accurate microphone performance."
The magicTalk Voice Gateway 1.5 includes:
Virtual Telephony Client
The magicTalk Voice Gateway 1.5 includes a Virtual Telephony client that allows development and debugging of voice applications without the need for specialized telephony hardware. The Virtual Telephony client utilizes a desktop workstation audio system comprising speakers and a microphone.
Additional Text-to-Speech (TTS) Support
The magicTalk Voice Gateway now supports the latest version of SpeechWorks' Speechify software in addition to Fonix AcuVoice 3.2.
Additional Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) Support
The magicTalk Voice Gateway now supports Philips SpeechPearl 2000, in addition to the previously supported Nuance 7.0.4.
ASR and TTS Framework (Upon Request/For Advanced Users)
The magicTalk Voice Gateway provides an ASR and TTS Integration Framework to enable advanced integrators to build support for additional ASR and TTS engines.
VoiceXML Extension API (Upon Request/For Advanced Users)
The magicTalk Voice Gateway 1.5 includes a VoiceXML extension API that can be used to implement custom and extended features over and above those provided in the VoiceXML 1.0 and 2.0 specifications. This API is made available upon request. Note: The magicTalk Voice Gateway 1.5 ships with custom VoiceXML extensions designed by General Magic using the VoiceXML extension API.
VoiceXML Debugger
The magicTalk Voice Gateway 1.5 includes a powerful, interactive VoiceXML debugger, offering developers line-by-line debugging of VoiceXML dialogs. Unique to the magicTalk VoiceXML debugger is the ability to set pre-determined breakpoints within a VoiceXML script so that execution can be paused at any pre-determined location.
Remote Monitoring Tool
The magicTalk Voice Gateway 1.5 includes a set of services for remotely monitoring the state, health, and activity of VoiceXML processes and media, telephony and speech services executing on multiple magicTalk Voice Gateway servers.
Evaluation copies of the magicTalk Voice Gateway can be requested at genmagic.com.
About General Magic
General Magic is a leading voice infrastructure software company that provides enterprise-grade software and supporting voice dialog design and hosting services that enable companies to quickly and efficiently provide anytime, anywhere access to information and services over the telephone. General Magic's VoiceXML & J2EE(TM)-based solutions enable enterprises to easily integrate voice access into enterprise applications using a broad selection of speech recognition technologies and telephony interfaces. These solutions make voice a strategic tool in helping businesses improve the customer experience, reduce transaction costs, and provide high quality, voice branded access to content and services. General Magic is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif. For additional information, visit www.generalmagic.com.
Contact:
General Magic, Sunnyvale
Leili Eghbal, 408/774-4305
leili_eghbal@genmagic.com
or
TSI Communications
Andrea Gordon, 650/635-0200 ext. 203
agordon@tsicomm.com |
