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Technology Stocks : ATCO -- Breakthrough in Sound Reproduction -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Urlman who wrote (1267)	5/7/2003 9:47:47 AM
From: Savant	Respond to of 2062

RT a good use for HSS--Wizzard Adds Another Major Financial Institution to the List of ``Talking ATM''Providers PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 7, 2003--Wizzard Software (OTCBB:WIZD) today announced the signing of another large international financial institution who will incorporate Text-To-Speech products, purchased. from and supported by Wizzard Software, for their 4,000+ ATM's. In a joint sales effort between IBM and Wizzard, the $274B asset Canadian based bank plans to roll out the integration of the new technology over the next year allowing for more robust access to their ATM's. "This is the 5th major financial institution to choose Wizzard's products and services for their entry into the speech interface market," says Alan Costilo, General Manager of Wizzard's Tools & Engines Division. "We have just begun to tap into the ATM market with less than 35,000 of the worldwide 1.2M ATM's offering "talking ATM services". Based on a report by Retail Banking Research Ltd., the worldwide market for operating ATM's will grow from 1.14M to 1.5M in 2007. Currently, North America leads with the number of operating ATM's at 381,000 followed by Asia Pacific with 329,000, Western Europe with 268,000 and Latin America with 118,000. "With Text-To-Speech technology, ATM operators can offer their disabled users a more convenient way to access their money and bank accounts," says Chris Spencer, President of Wizzard Software. "Additionally, as the core technology is rolled out, they can expand their use of the Text-To-Speech beyond "accessibility" and present ATM users with verbal product offerings." Mr. Spencer continues, "I know when I am using an ATM and waiting for my cash to be dispensed the ATM has my complete and undivided attention. I am a captured audience. If a bank verbally "pitched me" a no-fee checking account or a low interest loan, I'm going to listen. If a convenience store ATM operator programs a special in the morning offering me a free doughnut with the purchase of a cup of coffee, and then the ATM hands me cash, I'm a buyer. I can't think of another advertising medium which has the ability to capture the customer's complete attention while at the same time handing them cash for the potential purchase." With the recent addition of AT&T's Natural Voices concatenated Text-To-Speech to Wizzard's product offering of IBM's synthetic Text-To-Speech, management feels Wizzard is strongly positioned to not only be the dominant TTS core technology provider to the ATM market, but also strongly compete for support and service opportunities. Wizzard is in discussions with several major ATM operators to purchase TTS Management Software from Wizzard allowing for immediate updates to what the ATM says, what the ATM offers to customers, and the 'personality' of the ATM. "As the core TTS technology base is expanded in ATM's worldwide, the up-sell potential for Wizzard is exciting", says Gordon Berry, Wizzard's Chief Financial Officer. The U.S. Congress recently amended the Rehabilitation Act (508) to require federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. Inaccessible technology interferes with an individual's ability to obtain and use information quickly and easily. Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, to make available new opportunities for people with disabilities, and to encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals. About Wizzard Software Founded in 1996, Wizzard Software has become a leader in the speech technology application development market. Wizzard's relationship with software and communications companies such as Microsoft(R) (MSFT), AT&T(R) (T) and IBM(R) (IBM) provide opportunities to develop new markets for speech enabled computing. Wizzard architects solutions to business problems using its expertise in consulting, development tools and building applications for the Desktop and Internet. Wizzard has achieved global recognition because of its expertise with voice communication whether it is via PC or telephone. Wizzard's successes have lead to expanding opportunities in both the government and commercial sectors. More information can be found in Wizzard's Investor's Corner at www.wizzardsoftware.com. CONTACT: MPH PR Mike Hiles, 310/234-3200 (Media Relations) mhiles@mphpr.com or Arthur Douglas and Associates Art Batson, 407/478-1120 (Investor Relations)

To: Urlman who wrote (1267)	5/14/2003 3:59:17 AM
From: Savant	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2062

RT-IBM + ATCO = Minority Report take this technology from 2001 article, mix in a little HSS, and..... Hey, YOU, don't squeeze the Charmin!! Recent analysis of your unconscious eye movements has targeted. you as a prime candidate for this annoying e-mail promotion! IBM researchers report that a growing number of large retail interests are embellishing their surveillance systems with technology that not only records customer eye movements and facial expressions, but interprets them as well. While the technology at issue here -- IBM's BlueEyes software -- was developed to create computational devices with the perceptual abilities that would enable them to work more easily with humans, it appears the retail industry has different designs on it. Clearly, BlueEyes' ability to determine a person's physical, emotional or informational state simply by analyzing video and audio information could help answer questions that have long plagued retailers: How many shoppers were bored by a particular promotion? How many were disgusted by being misted with a repellent men's cologne? As one might imagine using the technology in this manner has inspired the concern of privacy advocates who fear it heralds an era in which customer identities are cross-referenced to income and buying preferences. "Soon you won't only be able to capture how many people stopped by, but who they were," ACLU Associate Director Barry Steinhardt told The Technology Review. "Once identity is established it will be cross-referenced to capture that person's income and buying preferences. It's only a matter of time." Best, Savant