Monday May 15, 7:05 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
Plantronics Selected as Headset of Choice by Global
Leader in Speech Recognition Technology
Lernout & Hauspie to Include Plantronics PC
Headsets in North American Rollout of Newest Version of
Award-Winning Continuous Speech Recognition Software,
L&H Voice Xpress(tm) version 5
SANTA CRUZ, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 15, 2000--
Plantronics Inc., (NYSE:PLT
- news),
the world leader in communications headsets, today
announced that it signed an agreement with Lernout &
Hauspie (NASDAQ:LHSP
- news;
EASDAQ:LHSP )(L&H), a global leader in speech and
language technology. Under the agreement, Plantronics will
combine its voice-enhancing PC headsets with L&H's
family of continuous speech recognition software. The
first product offering will bundle Plantronics' SR1 PC
headset with L&H Voice Xpress(tm) version 5, the
newest version of L&H's award-winning continuous
speech recognition software, which was introduced today.
The Plantronics SR1 PC headset will initially be
bundled with L&H Voice Xpress(tm) Professional and
L&H Voice Xpress(tm) Mobile Professional. The
Plantronics SR1 PC headset, with its high-quality
microphone, combined with the L&H speech recognition
product, enables L&H to offer customers a complete
package for command and control of virtually any Microsoft®
Windows®-based application using natural voice commands.
``We chose the Plantronics SR1 PC headset to complement
our product line simply because we found it to be superior
in design, comfort and sound quality to any of the other
headsets we tested,'' said Klaus Schleicher, director of
product management, L&H PC Applications Division.
``The quality of its audio performance and its
noise-canceling capabilities allows L&H to provide
customers with a headset that is comfortable and durable
for extended use, and that demonstrates high accuracy in
all noise environments.''
L&H Voice Xpress(tm) Professional version 5 and
L&H Voice Xpress(tm) Mobile Professional version 5
will bundle Plantronics SR1 monaural PC headset, which is
designed specifically for use with voice commands, speech
recognition and other business voice applications. Under
the agreement, L&H plans to use Plantronics PC
headsets as the standard headset to be bundled with
current and future voice recognition application products.
L&H Voice Xpress(tm) version 5 for North America,
which includes L&H Voice Xpress(tm) Professional,
Mobile Professional, Advanced and Standard, is expected to
be available in more than 3,500 retail locations in North
America in the coming weeks.
``L&H rigorously tested various headsets before
making a choice. Their decision to offer Plantronics
headsets to L&H customers is a testament to our
ongoing efforts to develop products with superior
performance and quality construction,'' said Neil Snyder,
president of Plantronics Computer Audio System Division.
``It's an honor to be chosen by L&H to complement the
newest version of its award-winning speech recognition
software.''
Plantronics SR1: Monaural Speech Recognition Headset
The SR1 is a high-quality, monaural PC headset designed
specifically for use with speech recognition applications
and other business communications. Its noise-canceling
microphone and specially designed acoustic housing has
been extensively tested with speech recognition
applications to provide the highest possible accuracy even
within high-noise conditions. As with all Plantronics PC
headsets, the SR1 features a QuickAdjust(tm)
noise-canceling microphone that allows users to position
the microphone easily and consistently for uniform
performance and higher voice accuracy. The SR1 is designed
using lightweight materials for ultimate comfort, and
offers a sleek, stylish design with color accents.
L&H Voice Xpress(tm)
The L&H Voice Xpress(tm) family of products,
including L&H Voice Xpress(tm) Professional, Mobile
Professional, Advanced and Standard, enables users to
dictate notes, e-mails, letters and other documents using
continuous, natural speech. The products offer command and
control of virtually any Windows®-based application and
includes L&H(tm) Natural Language Technology(tm) (NLT)
in a number of applications. L&H Voice Xpress Mobile
Professional combines L&H's award-winning speech
recognition software with the Olympus® DS-150 digital
voice recorder. The product is designed to boost
productivity for mobile professionals by enabling them to
conveniently dictate documents while away from their
computer and later use L&H Voice Xpress(tm) speech
recognition technology to instantly transcribe recorded
files into text.
About Plantronics
Plantronics introduced the first lightweight
communications headset in 1962 and is recognized as the
world leader in communications headsets. A publicly held
company with more than 1,800 employees, Plantronics is the
leading provider of headsets to telephone companies and
the business community worldwide. Plantronics headsets are
also used widely in many Fortune 500 corporations and have
been featured in numerous motion pictures and high-profile
events, including Neil Armstrong's historic ``One small
step for man'' transmission from the moon in 1969.
Plantronics launched the Computer Audio Systems Division
to the public in April 1999. The division is chartered
with elevating awareness and driving the direction of the
PC headset industry, including research and development of
new technologies for voice applications. Plantronics,
Inc., headquartered in Santa Cruz, was founded in 1961 and
maintains offices in 19 countries. Plantronics products
are sold and supported through a worldwide network of
authorized Plantronics marketing partners. Information
about the Company and its products can be found at www.plantronics.com
or by calling 800/544-4660.
Note to Editors: Plantronics is a registered trademark
of Plantronics, Inc. L&H, L&H Voice Xpress and
Natural Language Technology are either registered
trademarks or trademarks of Lernout & Hauspie Speech
Products N.V. in the United States and other countries.
All other company and product names are the property of
their respective companies. |
