Mobile devices will soon be able to read text messages aloud following an agreement between the Belgian business Babel Technologies and Texas Instruments (TI). Babel developed PocketBabil – its text to speech technology (TTS) – commercially available for Texas Instruments OMAP wireless processing platform.
Mobile devices that feature the platform with PocketBabil embedded, such as 2.5G and 3G handsets and PDAs, will enable mobile users to listen to text messages (SMS) , receive spoken feedback, and listen to e-mail and voice prompts.
As text-based applications for wireless devices become more prolific, text-to-speech and speech-to-text technology will continue to gain popularity.
Babel has successfully ported its application to TIs OMAP platform to help handset manufacturers ensure the end-user experience remains convenient and easy to use, regardless of the complexity of future devices and applications, said Paul Werp, worldwide marketing director for TIs OMAP platform.
Vincent Fontaine, Babel Technologies CEO , commented: in todays wired world, the mobile handset is an essential device for both personal and professional use. Mobile access to information saves time and increases productivity, and speech enabling the mobile handset is the next logical step forward in their development.
Mobile text messaging is becoming increasingly popular, with over 24 billion text messages sent worldwide in May 2002, according to a recent GSM Association report.
2003-01-28
Notícias