Active Voice Selects ScanSoft RealSpeak for Unified Messaging Solutions; Natural-Sounding Text-to-Speech Provides Convenient, Mobile Access to Important Business Information.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

PEABODY, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 24, 2003

ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT), a leading supplier of imaging, speech and language solutions, today announced that Active Voice, LLC, a global provider of unified messaging, computer telephony and voice messaging solutions, has selected ScanSoft(R) RealSpeak(TM) for its Kinesis and Repartee(R) LX unified messaging solutions.

Through ScanSoft's new text-to-speech (TTS) capabilities, Kinesis and Repartee LX mobile users can conveniently access, address and manage important business communications, including e-mail, from virtually any wired or wireless telephone.

"The use of unified messaging products is increasing as systems become more robust in providing mobile access to e-mail, scheduling and other essential information tools," commented Blair Pleasant, president and principal analyst of technology research and consulting firm, COMMfusion, and associate consultant for the PELORUS Group. "Speech interfaces, including e-mail and calendar reading, remain key factors in the growth of messaging applications, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future."

Active Voice's Kinesis and Repartee LX unified messaging solutions provide efficient access to information through mobile networks and simplify information management by delivering a range of message types through a single integrated environment.

ScanSoft RealSpeak is the market-leading product for converting text into human-sounding synthesized speech. The text-to-speech solution is used for a wide range of applications, including implementing voice portals, delivering emails for unified messaging systems, providing prompts for interactive voice response (IVR) applications, and speech-enabling mobile, automotive, game and PC/multi-media applications.

"Text-to-speech technologies have become a critical component and market differentiator within unified messaging applications," said Mike Prescott, vice president of marketing for Active Voice. "With its exceptional quality and multi-language support, ScanSoft RealSpeak has proven to be an excellent choice for our products."

RealSpeak offers a single, standardized application programming interface (API) that supports the creation of speech-enabled applications in 19 languages: US & UK English, German, French, Dutch & Belgian Dutch, Castilian and Mexican Spanish, Italian, European and Brazilian Portuguese, Norwegian, Polish, Swedish, Danish and Cantonese & Mandarin Chinese, Korean and Japanese.

"We are delighted to work with Active Voice to deliver business-critical solutions for the unified messaging market," said Wayne Crandall, senior vice president of sales and business development at ScanSoft. "The ability to remotely access and manage messages, in any format, is an empowering tool for business professionals in today's competitive and fast-paced work environment."

About Kinesis and Repartee LX

Active Voice's Kinesis product uses the power of Microsoft(R) Exchange(R) and Windows(R) 2000 to deliver voice mail and unified messaging into a Microsoft BackOffice(R) environment. Kinesis allows users to access and manage their voice, fax and e-mail messages from a PC, telephone or the Internet. Kinesis is convergence-ready, as it can support both IP (Internet Protocol) and traditional telephone systems simultaneously. In addition, Kinesis offers clustering, which facilitates redundancy, provides sharing of resources and features, and enables system scalability. Kinesis can scale from four to several hundred ports, which is critical for supporting small businesses to very large enterprises and multi-site corporations.

Active Voice's Repartee LX product is a full-featured unified messaging solution that is designed for small to mid-sized businesses. Repartee LX allows users to access and address important communications from a wired or wireless telephone, and from a networked PC. For example, users can manage real-time telephone calls, as well as their voice and e-mail messages visually from their desktop. Built upon a proven software code that operates on the Linux operating system, Repartee LX offers businesses growth potential, stability and security.

About Active Voice

Active Voice, LLC, a subsidiary of NEC America, Inc., is a global provider of unified messaging, computer telephony, and voice messaging solutions, powering the communications infrastructure of businesses worldwide. The Seattle-based company has offices in the United States, Australia, and the Netherlands. Over 110,000 Active Voice systems have been installed in more than 60 countries. Active Voice's products are sold through a network of independent telecommunications manufacturers, dealers, computer resellers, and strategic partners. For more information, visit our Web site at www.activevoice.com, or contact Active Voice's Sales Support at 1-877-864-8948 or by e-mail at [e-mail].

About ScanSoft, Inc.

ScanSoft, Inc. is a leading supplier of imaging, speech and language solutions that are used to automate a wide range of manual processes--saving time, increasing worker productivity and improving customer service. For additional information on the company, please visit http://www.ScanSoft.com.

Trademark reference: ScanSoft and RealSpeak are registered trademarks or trademarks of ScanSoft, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other company names or product names referenced herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

The statements in this press release that relate to future plans, events or performance are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with market trends, competitive factors, and other risks identified in ScanSoft's SEC filings. Actual results, events and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date hereof.