BABEL provides voice interface for the new OWASYS22C mobile phone

Summary:
BABEL´s POCKETBABIL TTS engine embedded in mobile phone
developed specifically for the blind and partially sighted

Full Text:
BABEL TECHNOLOGIES S.A., a global player in providing pioneering speech and language technology, has today announced that OWASYS, a specialist in developing wireless devices for end-users with special needs, is deploying POCKETBABIL, BABEL´s embedded Text-to-Speech solution, in the OWASYS22C, a mobile phone that has been designed and developed specifically for the blind and visually impaired. The OWASYS22C will feature Spanish and US English language versions of BABEL´s embedded TTS engine.

With the introduction of the OWASYS22C, the blind and visually impaired can enjoy the many benefits provided by mobile communications. Until now, many mobile phone features were difficult to access for those who have little or no visual access to the mobile phone´s keypad or screen interface. The OWASYS22C resolves this issue by using POCKETBABIL to `talk´ to the user; it tells them who is calling, and also reads names and messages aloud. The phone´s ergonomic design and sophisticated speech synthesis makes the OWASYS22c an essential tool for the mobile generation of visually impaired users.

“OWASYS works with leading companies and suppliers to ensure its products are of the highest quality. BABEL is without a doubt the leader in speech technology, so this alliance assures the OWASYS2C will offer the highest levels of speech quality. The agreement with BABEL, with its multilingual products, will help the OWASYS22C to succeed in Spanish and English speaking countries, as well as on a worldwide level,” said Fernando Aguirre, Marketing and Sales Director, OWASYS. He continued: “The OWASYS22C provides the visually impaired with an easy and friendly way to access information from mobile phone, thanks to BABEL´s speech technology and OWASYS wireless expertise.”

POCKETBABIL is the embedded text-to-speech version of BABIL, a high-quality multi-lingual TTS synthesizer, based on BABEL´s unique Multi Band Resynthesis Overlap Add (MBROLA) concatenative algorithm. This patented technology is available in 18 languages. POCKETBABIL can produce any utterance in a given voice or language and features high segmental quality and fluidity of speech. It is a software only system that requires very few hardware resources in terms of memory and computational load. This TTS solution enables extremely fast development of new voices and languages.

Vincent Fontaine, CEO of BABEL TECHNOLOGIES, said: “BABEL is well established as a leader in the rehabilitation sector. Its technology is already being used in a wide range of applications to bring services and solutions to people with special needs. Incorporating POCKETBABIL into a mobile marks a significant step forward in the quality of life for the blind or visually impaired – as mobile devices become an increasingly important part of everyday life with services and applications being developed around them, now, with the OWASYS22C, the blind and visually impaired can now enjoy the same sense of liberation and security that comes with having an easy to use mobile phone.”

The POCKETBABIL is the ideal speech solution for portable devices and embedded equipment, and has been released in Arabic, Czech, Danish, Dutch (B&NL), Finnish, French, German, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese (Brazilian & Portuguese), Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, UK & US English. The software currently runs on WinCE, Symbian, Linux environments or on platforms without OS.

POCKETBABIL is also available for Texas Instruments´ high-performance, power-efficient OMAPTM wireless processing platform, which is delivering voice and multi-media enhanced applications for 2.5G and 3G wireless handsets and PDA´s and other multi-media-enhanced devices.

Contact:
Gino Mainolfi/ Nick Spencer
NSPR
Tel: +44 (0) 1344 873445
gino@nspr.co.uk
http://www.nspr.co.uk