Bud;
When is this release supposed to have taken place? They released a beta
version of the 32 bit one some time ago.



On Fri, 1 May 1998, bud kennedy wrote:

> 32-bit Talking Web Browser for Windows
> TRENTON, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1998 APR 21 (NB) -- By Sami Menefee, Newsbytes.
> The Productivity Works has announced an upgrade of its pwWebSpeak talking
> Internet browser. The new version, with 32-bit technology for Windows 95, NT
> and 98, translates Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) into audio output with a
> simplified, size-and-color adjustable visible text.
>
> A spokesperson said the original software was designed primarily for the
> visually impaired, because the visual orientation of World Wide Web sites
> "shut out millions of people with ocular disabilities from using cyberspace."
>
> In its upgraded state, said the spokesperson, the program is also useful for
> home, work, school, library or any public Internet access point because it
> lets users "navigate through a document based on content, links to other
> sites and paragraphs," rather than scrolling through complicated screen
> graphics.
>
> The pwWebSpeak/32 reads Web sites by page, word or character. It provides a
> spell checker and includes several new features, not in the original program,
> like support for HTML 4.0, the HTML standard and user-definable audio style
> sheets, downloading and file transfer protocol (FTP), RealAudio 5.0,
> RealMedia 4.01 (and up) and compatibility with pwEMail and pwMedia SMIL
> multimedia player.
>
> To run on Windows 95, the program requires a 133 Pentium 133 with 16
> megabytes (MB) RAM and 5 MB of hard drive storage space. To run on Windows
> NT, the program needs a Pentium 200 with 32 MB RAM and 5 MB of free hard
> drive space. A 32-bit sound card is also required, plus connection to an
> Internet service provider (ISP).
>
> It is available from the firm or its international reseller network for a
> suggested retail price (SRP) of $150, the spokesperson said.
>
> For more about the program visit the Productivity Works Web site at
> http://www.prodworks.com .
>
> Reported by Newsbytes News Network: http://www.newsbytes.com .
>
> (19980421/Press & Reader Contact: Open City Communications, 212-714-3575, E-
> mail [log in to unmask] /WIRES ONLINE, PC/)
> Voice Commands Available Via Microsoft's Home Page
> REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1998 APR 24 (NB) -- By Patrick McKenna,
> Newsbytes. Speaking in natural language to a computer provides users
> with continuous dictation products, but Lernout & Hauspie
> [NASDAQ:LHSPF] claims the same core technology is the basis for a new
> evolution of computer applications. The company's Voice Commands
> product is being promoted on Microsoft Corp.'s [NASDAQ:MSFT] home page.
>
> "People have heard so much about the success and availability of
> continuous speech dictation products that they don't realize this same
> technology is going to be gradually integrated into many of today's
> standard applications," said Lernout & Hauspie (L&H) spokesperson
> Audrey Pobre.
>
> Voice Commands is the first L&H general consumer and office
> professional speech product in the new category of applications. The
> $19.95 software allows users to format a Microsoft Word document by
> using natural voice commands.
>
> "Simply put, you can format a Word document faster by word than you
> can with a keyboard and mouse," said L&H product manager John Joseph.
> "In our tests users would tell us they wanted to put another column in
> a table, but they didn't know how to do it. With Voice Commands you
> simply say, `add column to table.' You don't have to spend time
> searching through features and trying to figure out keystrokes."
>
> The new wave of applications enhanced with continuous speech or natural
> speech recognition do not generally require a user to "teach" their
> computers how to recognize a particular voice. "There is no voice
> training required with Voice Commands," added Joseph.
>
> Indicating a strong interest in speech technology, Microsoft invested
> $45 million in L&H last year. Bill Gates, Microsoft's co-founder and
> chief executive officer, has repeatedly acknowledged voice recognition
> as one of a number of technologies which will become standard in
> tomorrow's computers.
>
> His acknowledgement will become a reality in the next version of
> Windows NT version 5.0. A Microsoft spokesperson said, "Windows NT
> will ship text-to-speech features based on Lernout and Hauspie's speech
> engine."
>
> Text-to-speech means a computer is able to "speak" or "read" to a user.
> Implementations will most likely involve reading messages, making
> announcements and issuing warnings and advice. In his speeches, Gates
> has said the industry is several years away from an operating system
> completely navigated by voice.
>
> In the meantime, applications such as Voice Commands from L&H will
> continue to evolve. They require less memory and fewer resources than a
> full continuous voice dictation program. Under the name Kurzweil Voice
> Commands, the L&H product is available for downloading as a free sixty-
> day trial.
>
> Reported by Newsbytes News Network: http://www.newsbytes.com .
>
> (19980422/Press Contact: Audrey Pobre, L&H, tel 781-203-5431;
> /WIRES PC, ONLINE/)
> Continuous Dictation Software Ships For $50
> BURLINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1998 APR 29 (NB) -- By Patrick McKenna,
> Newsbytes. Voice recognition expert, Lernout & Hauspie [NSADAQ:LHSPF], says
> it is time to talk to your computer with natural, everyday terminology.
> Company officials claim their $50 continuous dictation product opens voice
> dictation to a wide spectrum of computer users at home, in small office/home
> offices and inside America's largest corporations.
>
> The company has announced Voice Xpress and Voice Xpress Plus to compete with
> continuous dictation products from IBM and Dragon Systems. The goal at L&H is
> to challenge their competitors on performance and price and offer voice
> dictation as an affordable mass market product to anyone creating documents
> on a computer, says the company.
>
> "There are two major differences between Voice Xpress and our competitors'
> products," began Koen Bouwers, president of L&H dictation division. "All of
> us offer continuous speech, but Voice Xpress provides users natural language
> command and control. Secondly, we have priced Voice Xpress aggressively and
> expect it will challenge our competitors to meet new price points."
>
> Natural language command and control provides users with a tool to navigate a
> document during or after dictation. It means a user does not have to learn
> specific commands to accomplish a certain task. "With Voice Xpress, you can
> say, `make the font bigger,' or `increase the font by two points,' or 'change
> the font to 12,'" continued Bouwers. "Without natural language, you have to
> learn a specific command such as `set font to 20.' If you do not remember
> those words, the software will not respond."
>
> "Continuous speech dictation products which employ natural language
> technology are much easier for users to learn and operate, permitting tasks
> to be processed in a more familiar and productive way," said Amy D. Wohl,
> president of Wohl Associates, a computer industry consulting firm in
> Narberth, Pennsylvania.
>
> Eighteen months ago, the first continuous speech dictation products were
> priced at $700. Prior to today's L&H announcement, continuous speech products
> sold for as low as $79. Today, Voice Xpress and Voice Xpress Plus are priced
> at $49 and $99, respectively, and ship with a noise- canceling microphone.
>
> Voice Xpress and the Plus version may be different in price and performance
> from their competitors products, but are similar in that they require voice
> training sessions and provide a "95 percent or greater" accuracy after
> training. L&H claims both versions allow a trained user to dictate at rates
> up to 140 words per minute.
>
> In a final feature, L&H included text-to-speech technology. During dictation
> or after, users can command Voice Xpress to read, in a computerized voice,
> the dictated text.
>
> The less expensive Voice Xpress allows users to dictate within the Voice
> Xpress application and then paste the finished content to any standard word
> processor. The same functionality is also part of the Plus product, but the
> more expensive version allows users to dictate directly into Microsoft Word.
> In addition, Voice Xpress Plus provides users with more natural language
> command control functionality. "Xpress Plus allows you to format an entire
> Word document using natural voice commands," added Bouwers.
>
> He claims the company's aggressive pricing opens speech dictation to "anyone
> who is creating documents on his or her computer. From the general computer
> user at home who wants to create e-mails or faxes or any document, to the
> corporate user who requires an efficient professional tool, Voice Xpress and
> Voice Xpress Plus offer an affordable breakthrough technology."
>
> Both versions are expected to appear at Office Depot stores this week and at
> other retailers such as CompUSA, Computer City, and Staples, next week.
>
> Talking to a computer is resource intensive. The technological advances in
> Voice Xpress require users to have a Windows 95/NT 4.0-based computer powered
> by a 166 megahertz (MHz) Pentium with MMX and 40 megabytes (MB) of RAM. An
> additional 8MB of RAM is needed when using L&H Voice Xpress Plus for
> dictation directly into Microsoft Word. NT users must have 48MB of RAM for
> any installation. Both products require 130MB hard disk space, a VGA or
> better monitor, and a 16-bit Creative Labs or other Windows- compatible sound
> card.
>
> Reported by Newsbytes News Network: http://www.newsbytes.com .
>
> (19980429/Press Contact: Audrey Pobre, Lernout & Hauspie, 781-203-5341/WIRES
> PC/L&H/PHOTO)
>
>
>
> Bud Kennedy
> email: [log in to unmask]
>