SANDi by Sound Advantage Gets a New Number; SANDi 2.1 Incorporates Powerful Upgrades to Popular Speech-Enabled Advanced Call Processing Solution.

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 4, 2001

Sound Advantage today announced the availability of SANDi(TM) 2.1, the latest version of Sound Advantage's popular speech-enabled unified communications solution. SANDi 2.1 incorporates important enhancements and new features that both improve the caller experience and provide greater efficiency for users in small to mid-size companies.

SANDi Increases Call Completions

With SANDi 2.1, users will increase live call connections and avoid the "voice mail jail" and phone tag that plagues business.

"Calls to the office get through to the intended recipient more often with SANDi installed at our business," said Curtis Steinhaus, Managing Partner at Abregov Steinhaus Parrino, Certified Public Accountants, a Member of the Aspen Advisory Group. "We installed SANDi to handle over 3,000 calls per month, and now our customers get better service by avoiding the inevitable phone tag. The investment in SANDi has really paid off big for us."

Empowering Mobile Workers

From the employee perspective, SANDi enables mobile workers such as salespeople, field technicians, delivery personnel, and traveling business executives to always stay connected.

"Our staff can check e-mail, voice mail, and faxes from their cell phone while on the road," said Jonathan A. Michaels, Partner at the law firm Burkhalter, Michaels & Kessler LLP. "The speech recognition and navigation of the system makes it so easy to use that our attorneys have eagerly adopted this new technology. We see the value in SANDi -- we stay connected with our clients, which is the most important thing in our business."

SANDi makes one call access a reality with speech-activated advanced call processing, plus the ability to send, receive, and reply to voice mails, e-mails, and faxes -- all by voice. SANDi 2.1 facilitates live call connections through the use of the "Locate" feature often referred to as "Find Me/Follow-Me." SANDi 2.1 increases productivity, requires little maintenance, and integrates with legacy PBX and KTS systems.

SANDi 2.1 is a family of tiered products addressing the needs of companies of various sizes. SANDi Standard (for companies with up to 1,000 employees) and SANDi Lite (for companies with up to 100 employees) are currently included in the family and now shipping.

SANDi 2.1 Boon for Dealer Network

"Our dealer network requested easier setup, faster speed, and more features and enhancements based on the feedback of their customers," noted Dr. Chester W. Anderson III, chief operating officer for Sound Advantage. "The valuable input from our dealers, customers and many others has been incorporated in SANDi 2.1, making it a product that truly addresses the needs of the market. SANDi 2.1 is easier to install, easier to use and provides more efficient system use than ever before."

SANDi is Speech-Engine Independent

The SANDi family of products is expanding into new markets by integrating various speech engines and technology to create a true speech-engine independent suite of applications. This enables Sound Advantage customers to choose the "best of breed" technology that fits their specific requirements.

SANDi 2.1 incorporates the Lucent Automatic Speech Recognition (LASR) engine, enabling the new version to operate twice as fast as the previous SANDi 2.0. The LASR engine enables an increased grammar table in SANDi 2.1 of four times the previous allowable number of words. SANDi 2.1 now boasts 98% accuracy, with the ability to support up to 1,000 users.

SANDi 2.1 will also support UK English and Australian English through the use of the Nuance Automatic Speech Engine version 7.0. These international versions will be available for customers in early fourth quarter 2001.

Enhanced Locate Features Provide Faster and

More Efficient Call Handling

SANDi 2.1 includes enhanced locate features that provide both faster and easier access for callers and cost savings through more efficient call handling. With a single prompt by the caller, the locate mode will now cascade through a selection of alternate telephone numbers for a contact. This single prompt locate feature provides increased ease-of-use for the caller and measurably shortens the call time.

SANDi 2.1 also includes the ability to enable virtual extensions by voice, cross reference e-mail addresses and voice mail lists, and the ability to fast-forward, rewind and pause during a message, as well as many additional new or enhanced features.

SANDi 2.1 Available Now for Avaya, Lucent & AT&T

SANDi 2.1 is available now in US English for Avaya, Lucent and AT&T Private Branch Exchange (PBX) and Key Telephone Systems (KTS), including ACS, Endeavor, Partner+, Magix and Legend. Sound Advantage is currently working on additional integrations and expects to announce the availability of SANDi for other PBX and KTS systems shortly.

SANDi 2.1 Available Through the Sound Advantage

Nationwide Dealer Network

SANDi 2.1 is available in North America through Sound Advantage's Nationwide Dealer Network at competitive prices. All dealers have been SANDi-certified to sell, install and support SANDi(TM) systems for business customers ranging from 5 to 1,000 phones. To find a dealer near you, contact Sound Advantage at [phone] and ask for sales, or on the Web at www.soundadvantage.com.

About Sound Advantage

Established in 1997, Sound Advantage is the leading developer of voice-user interface technology for communication, messaging and content. The company's core product is SANDi (Sound Advantage Natural Dialog Interface). The SANDi family of products includes advanced call processing solutions to speech-enable common office technology such as CRM, e-mail, fax, PBX and voice mail, and with solutions available for small, mid-size and large businesses. Enterprise and Network solutions support from 1,000 to hundreds of thousands of users. Having earned a record-breaking 23 top industry awards since its initial release, SANDi(TM) has become America's Favorite Voice Interface(TM).

For additional information, contact Sound Advantage at 5 Park Plaza, 7th Floor, Irvine, CA 92614. Phone: [phone]. Fax: [phone]. Access the company's Web site at www.soundadvantage.com.