Conversa Technology Supports Windows CE Pocket PC Platform; Speech Interface Enabled for PDAs, Smart Phones, Internet Appliances.

Business Editors/Technology Writers

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 27, 2000

Conversa, a global leader in enabling speech technologies that facilitate Internet access through both mobile and traditional access devices, announced its embedded speech solution supports the Microsoft Windows(R) CE Pocket PC platform.

This means that devices running on the Pocket PC platform -- including PDAs, smart phones, Internet appliances, computer-driven handheld games and more -- can now employ speech recognition and text-to-speech capabilities to enhance the device's interface, allowing more compelling and easier to use applications.

"Our technology embraces and extends Windows CE devices, making them more useable and more useful for today's mobile consumers," said Ora Williamson, General Manager of Client Solutions at Conversa. "We strongly believe that manufacturers will see strong sales growth with speech-enabled devices, since adding a robust voice interface to these devices will greatly enhance their perceived value."

Conversa's solution for Pocket PC provides automated speech recognition and text-to-speech for command and control and application control. Web developers looking to offer speech-enhanced content on the Pocket PC platform can use the Conversa Web Conversation Development Kit (CDK) today, to speech-enable their Pocket PC-ready Web sites and test their applications. Developers can also use Conversa Web(TM) or Web Express(TM) as a simulation environment for speech-enhanced Pocket PC. Both Conversa Web Express and the CDK can be downloaded at www.conversa.com.

Conversa embedded technology is proven in a number of applications, including the Samsung wrist-phone, the UP.Browser microbrowser from Phone.com, and the ISD SR-3000 chip solution from Winbond Electronics. Conversa has also integrated its Conversation Server solution into the "EveryWhere Office" interactive voice response system from AirTrac. Conversa's approach of speech enabling both the server (content) side, as well as a wide variety of client devices, creates opportunities for distributed applications.

About Conversa

Founded in 1994, Conversa (pronounced con-ver-say) provides solutions that enable voice interaction with networked information, including the Internet, when other interfaces are difficult or impossible. Built on an innovative speech engine, Conversa(R) technology is speaker-independent, modular, scalable and accommodates unlimited vocabulary, making it ideally suited for embedded applications. It also drives award-winning products including a voice browser, desktop and web developer tools, and a conversational server. Conversa headquarters are in Redmond, Wash., and is located on the web at www.conversa.com.

Conversa is a registered trademark and Conversation Server a trademark of Conversational Computing Corp. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.