ZYGO INTEGRATES DECTALK TTS TECNOLOGY INTO POLYANA II.Fonix Corporation's (BULLETIN BOARD: FONX), DECtalk text-to-speech technology has been integrated into the latest type-to-talk product from ZYGO, a provider of augmentative aug·men·ta·tiveadj. 1. Having the ability or tendency to augment. 2. Grammar Indicating an increase in the size, force, or intensity of the meaning of an adjacent word, as up does in eat up. n. communication systems to physically disabled people. ZYGO's Polyana II is a modified NEC (NEC Corporation, Tokyo, www.nec.com, www.necus.com) An electronics conglomerate known in the U.S. for its monitors. In Japan, it had the lion's share of the PC market until the late 1990s (see PC 98). NEC was founded in Tokyo in 1899 as Nippon Electric Company, Ltd. MobilePro 790 device to which the company has added an amplifier base pack, a handle/stabilizing bar, and holes for mounting to wheelchairs and other assistive devices. ZYGO's Persona is a simple talk-to-type program with the addition of both word-completion and word-prediction capabilities. Through the use of Fonix's DECtalk, ZYGO's newest product, called Polyana II with Persona, offers literate people who are not able to speak, the ability to do so via a machine that says what they type. "We are thrilled to see DECtalk -- the smallest fully-featured, formant-based synthesizer synthesizer Machine that electronically generates and modifies sounds, frequently with the use of a digital computer, for use in the composition of electronic music and in live performance. offered in the world-put into such a perfect use through ZYGO's new product," said Dr. Lynn Shepherd, VP/GM Embedded Systems Embedded systems Computer systems that cannot be programmed by the user because they are preprogrammed for a specific task and are buried within the equipment they serve. of Fonix. "This is yet another example of Fonix speech technologies and solutions providing a natural human speech interface to help people communicate through a broad range of applications used with PDAs, smartphones, handheld and notebook PCs, and other wireless-enabled mobile products." "We decided from the outset that DECtalk would be our synthesizer of choice because it is the clear leader in embedded speech synthesis speech synthesis Generation of speech by artificial means, usually by computer. Production of sound to simulate human speech is referred to as low-level synthesis. High-level synthesis deals with the conversion of written text or symbols into an abstract representation of and provides capabilities no one else offers," said Lawrence Weiss, president of ZYGO. "In designing Polyana II with Persona, we set out to provide a simple-to-use and simple-to-understand communication aid for literate users. Fonix and DECtalk has helped us meet that goal and thereby better meet the communication needs of non-speaking literate individuals such as Lou Gehrig's disease Lou Geh·rig's disease n. See amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. , cerebral palsy cerebral palsy (sərē`brəl pôl`zē), disability caused by brain damage before or during birth or in the first years, resulting in a loss of voluntary muscular control and coordination. , multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy muscular dystrophy (dĭs`trōfē), any of several inherited diseases characterized by progressive wasting of the skeletal muscles. There are five main forms of the disease. , Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease or Parkinsonism, degenerative brain disorder first described by the English surgeon James Parkinson in 1817. When there is no known cause, the disease usually appears after age 40 and is referred to as Parkinson's disease. , and more." DECtalk Key Features and Benefits DECtalk text-to-speech technology transforms ordinary text into natural-sounding, highly intelligible speech. It provides the highest level of speech quality and accuracy available in the industry, producing clear, correct pronunciation of single characters, words, phrases, and proper names. DECtalk technology is the smallest fully featured speech synthesizer in the world, offers personalized voices, and has extensive user controls to ensure optimum performance in real-world applications. Key features of DECtalk include: -- Multilanguage text-to-speech synthesis -- US English, UK English, Latin-American Spanish, Castillian Spanish, and German -- Nine defined voice personalities (four female, four male, and one child) -- Ability to say letters, words, or phrases -- Pause, continue, and stop speaking controls -- Variable speaking rates from 75 to 600 words per minute Noun 1. words per minute - the rate at which words are produced (as in speaking or typing) wpm rate - a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit; "they traveled at a rate of 55 miles per hour"; "the rate of change was faster than expected" -- Accurate letter-to-sound pronunciation rules -- Large internal dictionary -- Punctuation control for pauses, pitch, and stress -- Ability to say ethnic-specific proper names -- Application pronunciation dictionary -- Ability to insert voice control commands into any text file for use by DECtalk software applications -- Microsoft Speech API compliance (Windows 95/98/NT/2000, Windows CE, and SAPI (Speech API) A programming interface from Microsoft for speech recognition and synthesis. It provides a way for developers to enable their applications to receive text from and send text to voice devices. 1. 3.0 and 5.0) Polyana with Persona Key Features and Benefits Polyana with Persona is a practical computer solution to what is usually a dedicated product market. In addition to addressing the needs of people with speech difficulties, it provides those same users with capabilities that most people have, such a s writing and Internet access. Because it is based on a Windows CE computer, Polyana with Persona has the advantages of instant on, long battery life, and relatively low price. Access to the Internet, the ability to write and store long documents (Pocket Word), and printing directly from the communication program are all features useful for individuals with disabilities. The Polyana with Persona is supplied with: -- DECtalk speech synthesis -- Switch and serial adapter for single-switch users -- Carry bag with strap -- Vinyl keyboard cover for moisture protection -- Full Windows Desktop programs such as Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, Internet Explorer, Contact Listing, Calendar for scheduling, and more -- Other programs such as Windows Media Player Digital jukebox software for Windows from Microsoft that plays a variety of audio, video and streaming formats including MP3, WMA, CD audio and MIDI. Starting with Version 6.2 in 1999, the Windows Media Rights Manager was added for securing copyrighted content. , Microsoft InkWriter for writing and drawing on the display, Calculator, and PC Link to couple to a desktop PC. About ZYGO ZYGO has provided easy to use augmentative communication systems for profoundly physically disabled individuals, since 1974. Zygo manufactures and distributes augmentative communication systems, computer access and other assistive technologies. ZYGO can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.zygo-usa.com . For more information, call 503/684-6006. About Fonix Corporation Fonix Corporation (BULLETIN BOARD: FONX) is a provider of natural-user interface technology solutions for wireless and mobile devices, Internet and telephony systems, and vehicle telematics. Leading chip manufacturers, independent software and hardware vendors, and Internet content and service providers incorporate Fonix technology to provide their customers with an easier and more convenient user experience. Fonix products, including Text-To-Speech (TTS (1) See text-to-speech. (2) (Transaction Tracking System) Software that monitors a transaction until completion. In the event of a hardware or software failure, it ensures that the database is brought back to its former state before the attempt to ), Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition) Using voice recognition to replace keypad entry for telephone voice menus. Typically used to speak the digits 0 through 9 insted of keying them, ASR systems may be able to recognize a limited vocabulary. See voice recognition and AVSR. ), and Handwriting Recognition (HWR HWR Heavy Water Reactor HWR Hazardous Waste Regulations HWR Hand Writing Recognition HWR Hot Water Return HWR Hot Wet Rock HWR Half-Wave Rectifier HWR Hazardous Waste Reduction HWR Half-Wave Retarder HWR Hull Weight Ratio ), provide the most natural communication solutions available. Fonix can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.Fonix.com. For more information, call 801/553-6600. |
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