Palm Inc., (NASDAQ:PALM), the leading provider of handheld computers, and SpeechWorks International, Inc., (NASDAQ:SPWX), the market leader in the telephony-based speech technology industry,(a) have announced new speech recognition capabilities that will allow Palm's AnyDay Web-based calendar users to retrieve their calendar and contact information from any phone using spoken commands. This new capability will extend the benefits of the wireless Palm(TM)handheld computer and the anyday.com website -- now part of Palm since its acquisition in July 2000 -- to include voice access. The new phone service is expected to be available early in the first quarter of 2001.
Palm expects that the 3 million AnyDay registered users will enjoy the added convenience of "anywhere, anytime" phone access to tap their full line of calendaring and event services, including their personal calendar, address book, reminder service and task manager.
"The move to the wireless age is upon us; people want a personal information management service that they can access quickly, easily, and from anywhere," said Steve Watts, vice president of Internet Solutions at Palm, Inc. "Offering voice access to our service is a logical step toward our goal of developing a mobile personal-organization portal that helps people easily manage their schedules and take control of their busy lives."
In subsequent implementations of this new service, it is expected that users will be able to actively manage their schedules and make or change appointments over the phone. For example, a busy professional will be able to update a trip itinerary while on the road via their wireless Palm handheld. His or her spouse will be able to pick up a phone, find out when the traveler will return and add "pick up dinner" to the task list of the traveler. In another example, users will be able to call an automated event planner on the way to dinner Friday night and find out about local activities available afterward -- which movies are showing, when and where; or if tickets remain for the symphony, a play or a baseball game, then send a wireless invitation to their friends' Palm handhelds to join in on the evening.
"As companies look for ways to reach the mobile community, SpeechWorks is excited to work with Palm to deliver solutions that make everyday life even easier," said Stuart R. Patterson, chief executive officer, SpeechWorks. "Another market leader selects SpeechWorks to benefit from the reach of speech."
AnyDay's registered users will be notified via email shortly before the service becomes available. For more information about the phone service, contact Kelly Clifford at 617/621-0000, extension 108.
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