Nov 6, 2000 – InternetSpeech Introduces netECHO™, Letting Users Hear Any Web Site from Any Phone

11/06/00
by sanjay

November 6, 2000

CONTACT:

Lou Saviano
Maita/Saviano Public Relations
510 739-0621
Lsaviano@maita-saviano.com

New Service Provides Voice Access to the Entire Internet, to Search for Information, Check e-mail, Without a Computer

San Jose, CA — November 6, 2000 — InternetSpeech, an audio Internet Technology Provider, today announced that its netECHO™ Internet service is available nationwide to users who want to hear any Web site, using any phone, without out a computer.

“netECHO™ lets people reach the entire Internet, not just a few categories of information plucked from the Net,” said InternetSpeech President Dr. Emdad Khan. “Audio Internet access is significantly more comprehensive than what existing voice portals offer, or what tiny screen-based wireless phones offer.”

Voice-based information access is clearly on the rise as more consumers seek simple ways to get the information they want, when and where they want it. Computers are the primary way people access the Internet today, but Khan predicts that the ubiquitous telephone will prove to be a handy and convenient Internet appliance of the future.

“Because Internet users will no longer be tethered to the computer, they’ll be able to get information on the fly, whether they’re sitting in traffic, waiting at an airport or watching a game,” Khan said.

While voice portal companies offer access to only a subset of pre-determined information, netECHO™ allows subscribers access to any Web page. “This is a much more complex technological task, but we believe it’s what customers will ultimately demand,” said Khan.

The product uses speech recognition technology to understand a user’s request, and text-to-speech technology to read the retrieved information out loud. A proprietary Intelligent Agent retrieves the requested Web page and extracts the text from the page, without the photos and graphics.

“This cutting-edge service is still evolving, and will improve over time, particularly as speech recognition technology advances,” Khan said. “We believe this version offers users a good picture of what direct audio access to the Internet can be like.”

netECHO™ subscribers dial a toll-free number to go “on-line,” and use voice commands for navigation. They’ll be able to hear the content of Web sites, search for information, or check and respond to their e-mail by speaking into the telephone. The product allows users to access any Web site, as well as directly access specific information, such as news, sports, weather, stock quotes, directions or other popular information.

To access a Web site, users will spell out the URL, or go to a bookmarked site by saying the site’s name. They’ll also be able to surf the Net and check their Yahoo, Hotmail or AOL e-mail. After listening to a particular e-mail message, subscribers will be able to respond by recording a voice clip, which will be sent to the recipient’s mailbox.

The current netECHO™ version has also been programmed to help users navigate by highlighting key information. This is extremely useful in portal sites, such as MSN, Yahoo and AOL, which offer access to a plethora of information that may be somewhat confusing in audio format.

netECHO™ is offered for $19.95 per month, and includes six hours of usage. To sign up, call 408-360-7730, or send an e-mail that includes your name, address and telephone number to corporate@internetspeech.com. The www.InternetSpeech.com Web site also includes an on-line sign-up form.

In addition to this consumer offering InternetSpeech is also working with ISPs, telecommunications resellers (wireless and wireline), portal companies, and other agents and affiliates to bundle netECHO™ with existing offerings.

From a business-to-business perspective, netECHO™ technology can be used to voice-enable a company’s Web site or applications so that its content can be heard by phone users. Depending on the site’s content, customers can then hear company news, as well as product and pricing information, check their order or account status, purchase products, obtain product support, etc. — without a computer, using simple voice commands. The process is automated, and does not require a costly, manual translation of each page into Voice Extensible Mark-Up Language (VXML).

InternetSpeech recently announced an agreement with Integrated Opportunities to use netECHO™ technology to offer audio Internet access to Rural Electric Cooperatives (RECs) and Municipal Power Authorities (MPAs) throughout the nation. Through Integrated Opportunities, InternetSpeech will also voice-enable utility Web sites, so that utility consumers will be able to review utility rates and offerings, check energy usage, and pay their energy bills via phone.

About InternetSpeech.com:

InternetSpeech.com, a privately held company headquartered in San Jose, Calif., develops, markets and supports an Audio Internet Browser, netECHO™, which provides audio-based telephone access to the Internet for businesses and individuals. The company’s patent-pending technology can be bundled with other products, such as traditional computer-based Internet access, or voice mail, and can be customized to meet individual business needs, such as employee access to Intranet sites. InternetSpeech also offers business software that automates the process of voice-enabling a company’s Web site/applications, furthering development of the “voice Web.”

For more information about InternetSpeech.com, visit www.InternetSpeech.com, or call 1-408-360-7730.

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