Concierge Unveils Unified Messaging Solution for Remote Access/Management of E-mails, Voicemails, Faxes.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 16, 1997--Concierge Inc., a pioneer in computer telephony integration, announced a breakthrough software product today that reads E-mail, fax, and voice messages stored on a personal computer over any telephone connection.

Called Personal Communications Attendant(TM)(PCA(TM)), the Windows(R) 95-based software provides today's mobile users with unprecedented convenience, flexibility and security. With a suggested list price of only $199.95, the new PCA is sure to be a "must-have" item for every business person and professional.

The Concierge PCA is an economical solution for the three biggest problems users of business communications face today when they are away from their PCs: 1) notification when a message has been received, 2) retrieval and forwarding of digital communications and voicemail with a single system, 3) the ability to block access by unauthorized persons.

Sophisticated voice recognition/response algorithms utilized by Concierge provide maximum levels of security and assure ease of use for even the most non-technical user. The PCA reads the messages in a human voice when called with the correct combination of DTMF (Touch Tone) code and a spoken personal password.

Part of the installation procedure is a simple voice "training" session during which the system is taught to recognize system commands and the individual user's personally selected voice password.

Feature-rich Cross-functionality

With its patented AutoPage feature, the PCA automatically alerts the user at a pre-designated telephone or beeper number when a user- specified number of E-mail, voice and/or fax messages have been received.

The AutoPage(TM) function, or any PCA function, can be invoked either by local keyboard entry or remote voice command. The system also automatically determines the mode (fax, E-Mail or voice) of incoming transmissions and receives, stores, converts (where appropriate) and forwards messages in all modes. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and text-to-speech modules are used to convert incoming fax messages to digitized voice output streams.

When prompted by an authorized user, individual messages are then read over the telephone connection and may be saved, discarded or forwarded in fax, E-Mail or voice mode as designated by the user. Voice messages may also be forwarded to other locations. For example, a user can dictate a message and have the PCA E-mail the message to a business partner while driving across town or flying to anywhere in the world.

Compatibility, Availability

The PCA can be installed in minutes on any host PC operating under Windows 95 that has UNIMODEM V support. To simplify integration, the PCA is fully compliant with the Messaging Application Program Interface (MAPI), Telephone Application Program Interface (TAPI) and Speech Application Program Interface (SAPI).

The Personal Communications Attendant package includes the software, user documentation, tutorials and other user aids for a suggested list price of $199.95. An E-mail-only version of the PCA will be available in late August for $99.95 and will be upgradable to the full version for $99.95.

The English version of the Personal Communications Attendant is the first in a series of products scheduled for launch in the near future. Among them is a LAN server-based version and PCAs for several other spoken languages. Japanese, Spanish, German and French versions are being developed using Lernout & Hauspie advanced speech technology.

With continuing research and development, the PCA will ultimately be able to recognize continuous human speech in multiple languages of any speech pattern. The multi-language PCA will also enable dictation of E-mails and Faxes over the telephone.

Headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., Concierge, Inc. focuses on advancing the technologies used in business communications. For more information on the Personal Communications Attendant, including the location of the nearest retail outlet, contact Concierge, Inc. at 888/PCAMAIN (888/722-6246), E-mail [e-mail], or visit the Concierge Web site at www.pcahome.com . -0-

EDITOR'S NOTE: For an editorial review copy of PCA, contact Andy Marken 408/986-0100 or [e-mail] .

CONTACT: Marken Communications Inc.

Andy Marken

408/986-0100

[e-mail]

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