News re: Spyg: Lucent Technologies and Netscape to Launch Internet Portal for People on the Move
Lucent Licenses Netscape Custom Netcenter to Build First Portal Showcasing Voice Interactive Internet Services for Wireless Phones and Hand-Held Computer
MURRAY HILL, N.J., May 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU) today announced that it has licensed Custom Netcenter from Netscape, a subsidiary of America Online (NYSE: AOL), to develop a custom portal designed to serve as the Internet start page for professionals on the move. Lucent's new custom portal, named Zingo, will serve as a virtual laboratory for service providers to test Lucent and third-party developed wireless applications accessible by a range of consumer devices, such as wireless phones and hand-held personal digital assistants (PDAs).
Lucent's Zingo portal is built with Netscape's pioneering Custom Netcenter, custom portal service. Custom Netcenter is the industry's first end-to-end hosted software solution that enables businesses like Lucent to create customized portals that combine Internet content with custom business applications. For example, a typical "road warrior" arriving in a strange city could have driving tips on avoiding downtown traffic jams instantly available from the Web, displayed on either a PDA or in text-to-speech format on a mobile phone.
"Netscape is the first to offer a complete solution that makes these new advances in Internet services a reality," said Scott Davison, senior vice president of programming for Netcenter. "Netscape's Custom Netcenter empowers leading telecommunications network operators to create enhanced new services that can attract and retain customers by delivering personalized business information and services to their best customers."
"Many in the industry are projecting growth for potential wireless data services, but Lucent is taking a lead in proving these concepts in the real world," said Dick Snyder, wireless data strategy director for Lucent's Wireless Networks Group. Lucent's wireless Internet information service will be implemented by participating network operators in collaboration with Spyglass, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPYG) and Wyrex Communications, Inc. of Toronto, Canada and will be enabled by the industry-leading Wireless Applications Protocol (WAP).
A critical requirement of a portal designed for frequent business is the ability to support a wide selection of devices such as cellular phones and PDAs. Lucent's Zingo portal will use Spyglass Prism technology to transform HTML content into VXML (Voice eXtensible Markup Language) for Interactive Voice Response (IVR) applications or WML format for WAP-enabled phones. Through Prism, a single version of content published in standard HTML format can be automatically reformatted for virtually any device with a built-in browser.
Zingo's IVR capability is made possible by Bell Labs developed PhoneBrowser technology, which was demonstrated in partnership with Spyglass at PCS '98 and Wireless IT '98. The prototype provides a voice-controlled interface to Internet services using Bell Labs speech recognition and text-to-speech synthesis. In this manner, mobile customers can have messages and information read to them on virtually any phone. Additionally, they can use a phone to customize Zingo features, and browse the Internet by reciting link titles from the portal or other Web sites.
Zingo is an extension of Lucent's Cooperative Innovations (sm) Program, established in 1997 to supplement Lucent-developed and branded wireless solutions with those developed by third-party program affiliates. In addition to Spyglass, which is a member of that program, Wyrex, another program affiliate, will act as systems integrator by incorporating the capabilities of its Wireless Application Server to deliver information to users, initially with Short Message Service (SMS) notification. Zingo will offer services based on a user's location in future releases. A beta version of the portal will be on display at the Lucent booth at Supercomm '99, June 7-10 at the Georgia World Congress, Atlanta, Ga.
Lucent Technologies supplies mobile and fixed wireless communications systems that offer global service providers standards-based solutions for serving the information needs of consumers and enterprises. Headquartered in Murray Hill, N.J., Lucent designs, builds and delivers a wide range of public and private networks, communications systems and software, data networking systems, business telephone systems and microelectronic components. Bell Labs is the research and development arm for the company. For more information on Lucent Technologies, visit the company's web site at lucent.com.
Netscape is a leading provider of software and services for businesses that want to transform the way they create and keep customers in the emerging Net Economy. Recently acquired by America Online, Inc., Netscape is based in Mountain View, Calif.
Additional information on Netscape is available on the Internet at home.netscape.com, by sending email to info@netscape.com, or by calling corporate sales at 650/937-2555.
Netscape, Netscape Navigator and the Netscape N and Ship's Wheel logos are registered trademarks of Netscape in the United States and other countries. Other Netscape logos, product names, and service names are also trademarks of Netscape Communications, which may be registered in other countries. Cooperative Innovations is a service mark of Lucent Technologies, Inc. Other product and brand names are trademarks of their respective owners.
SOURCE Lucent Technologies
CO: Lucent Technologies; Netscape; American Online
ST: New Jersey, California, Georgia
IN: CPR MLM
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