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Personica Intelligence and SimpleDevices Launch First Voice-Controlled UPnP Software Platform (21/1/2004)

Simple's UPnP-Enabled iClock Integrated With Personica's PI Intelligent Interface Technology

Personica Intelligence, a pioneer in natural interfaces and intelligent assistant technology for the digital home, and SimpleDevices, a leading connected-device software company, announced today at the Consumer Electronics Show the launch of Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) software with conversational speech controls that can be embedded into a variety of consumer electronic (CE) devices. For the first time, CE vendors have a powerful weapon to combat "gadget fatigue" for consumers who are overwhelmed by the complex user interfaces of the electronics in their homes. In addition, the partners unveiled a product demonstration using the combined technologies-- the iClock(TM), an internet-connected alarm clock radio that uses voice control while lying in bed to provide news, weather, sports, traffic and PDA information. The demonstration was made possible by the combination of Personica's PI(TM) natural intelligent interface technology and Simple's UPnP-enabling SimpleWare Software Suite(TM).

UPnP is a new standard adopted by consumer electronics manufacturers to make it easier for different devices to connect and work with each other. For example, with UPnP enabled devices one could more easily connect a PC to a TV to do a slide show of digital pictures. Conversational speech recognition allows consumers to control devices with their own voices and, since the device can also talk back and help guide the user, no user training is required.

"Ever since The Jetsons people have been wanting a better way to interact with the gadgets around them," said Brian Mahony, Personica Vice President of Marketing. "By partnering with SimpleDevices, we can allow consumer electronics vendors who embed our combined software a way for their devices to more easily connect with each other and be controlled in a more natural way using conversational speech." The iClock demonstration shows the benefits of the respective partners' technologies. The iClock extends the capabilities of the Internet and the PC to a place where it is rarely accessible-- the "forgotten bedroom" of the connected digital home. Personica's conversational speech interface makes the iClock a device that fits into the hands-free requirement of people in their bedrooms. People lying in bed with their eyes closed or getting dressed do not have hands or eyes free to interact with tactile or visual interfaces. The iClock overcomes these obstacles, wirelessly connecting to the PC and the Internet to allow a host of information services desired by consumers either beginning or ending their day in the bedroom.

"Our partnership with Personica will allow CE manufacturers to deploy our UPnP software for devices that require limited tactile interactions, such as in the bedroom, through human interfaces which work well there," said Lou Hughes, CEO of SimpleDevices. "As content goes digital, it is crucial to offer consumers a more intuitive human interface for navigating large content databases in a limited interaction environment. We feel that enabling our UPnP device software with Personica's natural speech interface will be the solution that brings viability to many new connected multi-media products in the home."

www.personica.com www.simpledevices.com