America Online, Inc. Acquires Tegic Communications
December 1, 1999 07:38 AM
DULLES, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 1, 1999--
Acquisition Advances "AOL Anywhere" Strategy for
Wireless Telephones and Other Devices
Tegic's Revolutionary Technology Makes E-Mail and
Instant Messaging Easier and Faster on Wireless Devices
Industry-Leading Text Input Software Licensed to
Wireless Phone Makers Serving More Than 90% of World Market
America Online, Inc. AOL , the world's leading interactive services company, today announced that it has acquired Tegic Communications, the global leader in text entry solutions for wireless devices, in a move that will advance the "AOL Anywhere" strategy for mobile telephones and other devices.
Tegic's leading product, T9 Text Input software, enables individuals to quickly and easily send e-mail, Short Messaging Services (SMS), and instant messages, as well as perform other text-based functions and access the Internet, using the standard telephone keypad to enter words or entire sentences with just one key press per letter. The software determines the desired word based on the user's key presses and statistical frequency of words in a given language. T9 Text Input software operates in 14 languages -- including all the major western European languages, as well as Chinese and Japanese.
Tegic is also collaborating with AOL to create an AOL Instant Messenger application optimized for wireless devices. This wireless solution exists as an embedded application bundled with T9 Text Input software, and in a form that is fully compatible with Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) or SMS. The new application will enable wireless service providers around the world to provide instant messaging to their subscribers across a variety of networks, including GSM, TDMA and CDMA.
Tegic has licensed its T9 software to more than 20 wireless phone manufacturers that serve more than 90% of the world market, and at least ten already are shipping T9-enabled phones. T9 software also operates on such other platforms as personal digital assistants (PDAs) and MP3 technology.
In addition, Tegic Communications also has a strong commitment to developing technologies for individuals with communication disabilities. For example, Tegic's advanced text input technologies can be applied to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems to provide a highly effective means of communications for individuals whose disabilities make it difficult for them to use a standard keyboard.
Barry Schuler, President of AOL Interactive Services, said: "We are delighted that the Tegic team will be joining the America Online family and making such a key contribution to our 'AOL Anywhere' strategy. Tegic's revolutionary T9 software makes it possible for consumers to easily and quickly take advantage of e-mail and instant messaging on their wireless telephones. We are especially excited about the great potential to extend this capability, as well as other text-based functions, to other wireless devices. With their impressive expertise and valuable relationships within the industry, Tegic's people will help us make this medium even more central to the everyday lives of consumers."
Robert Hart, Tegic's President and Chief Executive Officer, said: "We are excited about joining forces with America Online to help take the online experience to its next stage of development. We share the 'AOL Anywhere' vision of extending convenient and easy-to-use interactive services to wherever consumers want it. By combining our industry-leading software with the world's largest online community, we will be able to deliver even more value to both consumers and our partners."
Tegic Communications, which was acquired by America Online for an undisclosed sum, will continue to operate as a separate business unit out of Seattle. As part of America Online, Tegic will continue to aggressively enhance T9 Text Input, adding support for new languages, features and input modalities.
More About T9 Text Input Software
T9 Text Input software solves the fundamental problem of how to quickly and easily type messages on mobile phones and other limited keypad devices. T9 Text Input replaces conventional "multi-tap" text entry, allowing users to compose text messages with only one key press per letter. This is significant, since some studies have shown that for every key press required to perform a particular function, the likelihood of using that application is cut in half.
Each key on a telephone keypad has more than one letter -- a single press on the "5" key could be "J," "K," or "L." T9 software automatically compares users' key presses to an internal linguistic database to determine the correct word. For example, entering the word "call" into a wireless phone takes just four key presses with T9 Text Input, compared to ten key presses using conventional multi-tap text entry.
T9 Text Input software is available in a variety of languages, including Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean (Hangul), Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish. Work is also underway toward the completion of versions of T9 Text Input software for Eastern European and Middle Eastern languages.
Licensees of T9 software include Nokia, Ericsson, Motorola, Panasonic, NEC, Memory Corporation, Mitsubishi, Sony, Qualcomm, Samsung, Philips, Siemens, Bosch, Sagem, Maxon, Fujitsu, Benefon, LG Information and Communications, Optimay and NeoPoint.
About America Online
Founded in 1985, America Online, Inc., based in Dulles, Virginia, is the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies and e-commerce services. America Online, Inc. operates: two worldwide Internet services, America Online, with more than 19 million members, and CompuServe, with more than 2.2 million members; several leading Internet brands including ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger and Digital City, Inc.; the Netscape Netcenter and AOL.COM portals; the Netscape Navigator and Communicator browsers; AOL MovieFone, the nation's # 1 movie listing guide and ticketing service; and Spinner Networks and NullSoft, Inc., leaders in Internet music. Through its strategic alliance with Sun Microsystems, America Online develops and offers easy-to-deploy, end-to-end e-commerce and enterprise solutions for companies operating in the Net Economy.
CONTACT: America Online, Inc. Tricia Primrose 703-265-1746 OR Tegic Communications Jaymelina Esmele 206-268-7554
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