Vocalis Launches Internet Products Nationwide in the US

Vocalis, the international speech technology group, is introducing its key Internet-related products into the US market nationwide today. The two products, which proved such a success story for Vocalis in the UK during 1999, are Vocalis SpeechMail and SpeecHTML.

Vocalis SpeechMail, the service developed by Vocalis that gives people access to their emails solely via a telephone, is already being widely used by many international Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The latest ISPs to add Vocalis SpeechMail to their service offering are three of the UK's leaders: BT, Cable & Wireless and UUNET. The Vocalis SpeechMail service connects with the users current e-mail account and so does not require the user to change their e-mail provider.

Mike Williams, President of Vocalis Inc explains "We are pleased we can now provide our Internet products on a local basis as we know that there is a great deal of interest in the US market for these types of value-add services. Vocalis SpeechMail's functionality is very much in the introductory phase. Our initial focus is to introduce people to this functional and very practical service in the first instance. However there are new versions of the product due out this year."

Vocalis SpeechMail users simply dial a specified number - this will be available on local area codes or 1-800 numbers in certain areas- and enter an account number and PIN. Their emails are read out to them using the latest technology. Once users have accessed their mailbox, Vocalis' advanced speech recognition (ASR) technology, Vocalis SpeechWare, allows them to perform various actions through spoken commands, such as replaying messages, deleting them, skipping on to the next message, or replying. There will be a nominal monthly fee for the service.

SpeecHTML provides similar features by allowing users to access a Website for information and have the textual parts of the site read back to them over the telephone. They interact with the Website entirely through spoken commands. The result is, millions of new users around the world who do not have a computer - still the vast majority - can now reach the Web. Vocalis SpeechMail and SpeecHTML also allow those who do have access to a computer to remain in contact even when on the move, without the need to use their notebook PC or PDA when it is not convenient.