Media Release

New Media Player Uses Nuance Speech Recognition Technology for Completely Hands-Free Operation

Developed in New Zealand, SpeakMediaPro is operated by the spoken word; enables users to select and play music without touching the player

AUCKLAND, New Zealand – 16 August, 2007 – Idlearts Limited, a New Zealand software company specialising in speech recognition and automation applications, has announced a media player powered by Nuance Automatic Speech Recognition that allows it to be operated by the spoken word. SpeakMediaPro enables a user to select and play music without even touching the player.

“A user needs only to ‘say it to play it’,” said Andrew Ferguson, Director of Idlearts Limited. “SpeakMediaPro allows your entire media library to be controlled simply by the sound of your voice, without breaking your concentration. This has obvious benefits in terms of safe use in automotives, convenience in situations where you are doing something else with your hands, and assistance for the physically disabled.”

SpeakMediaPro’s graphical user interface is optimised for both touch screen and mouse navigation, with controls that are logically grouped and separated – including dial controls for seek and volume, as well as smart loop and random play modes. The screen offers complete control over colour selection, contrast, background and form saturation – enabling high contrast displays that are suitable for low vision users.

SpeakMediaPro is available as a free software download from www.idlearts.com and comes with a 14 day trial of SpeakMediaASR which retails for US$40 per copy. System requirements are Windows XP or Vista, Windows Media Player 11.0, and a microphone-equipped desktop, car PC or notebook PC.

About Idlearts

Idlearts Limited aims to create simpler software through smart Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), focusing on usability and accessibility – so making software accessible to a wider range of people. The majority of the company’s work has been in the assistive technology sector and it has formerly provided services to Humanware and the New Zealand Spinal Trust.

Nuance Communications, Inc.

Nuance is the leading provider of speech and imaging solutions for businesses and consumers around the world. Its technologies, applications and services make the user experience more compelling by transforming the way people interact with information and how they create, share and use documents. Every day, millions of users and thousands of businesses experience Nuance's proven applications and professional services. For more information, please visit http://australia.nuance.com/

Trademark reference: Nuance and the Nuance logo, are registered trademarks or trademarks of Nuance Communications, Inc. or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners.