November 7, 2001
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications and MobileAria, the pioneer in True Hands Free(TM), voice-enabled productivity services for the driver, today announced a strategic partnership to promote in-vehicle Bluetooth adoption. As part of the partnership, MobileAria will support and market Sony Ericsson's Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones with the company's True Hands Free productivity service, which will launch by the end of the year.
MobileAria's True Hands Free service "voice-enables" a driver's PC laptop and mobile phone using cutting-edge text-to-speech, voice recognition and Bluetooth technologies to create an in-vehicle productivity service. MobileAria's True Hands Free service is the first and only service to provide drivers with purely voice-activated access to their voice mail, email, contact information and personalized news, while enabling drivers to always keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. The service is also the first in-vehicle Bluetooth application for personal information.
"Sony Ericsson recognizes that MobileAria's True Hands Free service offers productivity and flexibility and will revolutionize phone usage for drivers," said Bo Larsson, Corporate Vice President and General Manager at Sony Ericsson. "MobileAria is the first company to demonstrate such a comprehensive value of Bluetooth in the automobile, giving drivers the ability to access both data and voice in a hands-free, voice-activated manner."
Through the strategic partnership, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications and MobileAria plan to jointly promote Sony Ericsson's Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones for MobileAria's True Hands Free service. This includes the:
-- T39- GSM/GPRS
-- T60- CDMA
-- T68- GSM/GPRS
"As a founding member of the Bluetooth consortium, Ericsson continues to be a driving force for the development and advancement of Bluetooth technology," said Mike Orr, MobileAria CEO. "Sony Ericsson is already a leader in the global deployment of Bluetooth(TM) phones, and we look forward to working together to generate their demand in the United States."
At launch, using MobileAria's service with a PC laptop and an Ericsson Bluetooth(TM) phone, drivers can use voice commands to:
-- Read, file, forward, reply, delete or prioritize their email,
-- Dial the phone by saying the phone number or saying the contact name,
-- Navigate through voice mail and customer service prompts,
-- Answer or hang up the phone,
-- Listen to personalized headlines, sports, financial and entertainment news.
Upcoming MobileAria True Hands Free applications include the ability to listen to Microsoft Outlook contact information, calendar and to-do list; real-time traffic information and driving directions; business finder to locate the nearest restaurant, bank, gas station or hospital; and real-time weather and stock quotes.
MobileAria provides busy people with continuous access to important information through the first and only telematics service that supports the same devices people carry with them throughout the day, including laptops and cell phones.
MobileAria's True-Hands Free service will be demonstrated with Ericsson's T39 mobile phone during COMDEX 2001. It will be displayed in MobileAria's BMW 525 at Ericsson's booth (L2729, located in the North Hall, Level 1).
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