speechkit.com Premiers At Inprise 99

Chant launches new web site to help designers and developers adopt speech technology

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 19, 1999—speechkit.com, a new web site for software and web site designers and developers, was launched today at the Inprise and borland.com conference by Chant Inc., of Marina del Rey, California. speechkit.com provides the information, support, and tools for rapidly adding speech recognition and speech synthesis (text-to-speech) capabilities to software programs and web pages. This lets you talk with software programs and web sites to fill out forms, query databases, enter transactions, navigate pages, ask questions and get responses without having to use a computer mouse or keyboard.

Once thought of as technology for science fiction movies, speech technology is being adopted at increasing rates by companies who are looking for more cost effective ways to be more responsive to their customers, suppliers, and employees. There are many forms of speech technology that can be applied in a variety of ways. Identifying the appropriate components and applying them in the most effective way places new demands on software and web designers and developers.

"Software and web professionals shouldn't have to understand the complexities of speech technology to use it just as you probably don't understand inner-workings of your car to drive it", said John Earle, president and founder of Chant. "speechkit.com provides them access to information, samples, support, and tools, to rapidly apply speech technology to their business problem."

With the launch of speechkit.com that features Chant's SpeechKit product line of developer tools, chant.net, Chant's corporate web site, will focus on providing information, support, and applications for consumers interested in talking with technology.

About Chant

Chant Inc. is a leading provider of software and services that helps organizations gain competitive advantage with speech technology. Chant helps organizations identify and implement the most attractive opportunities appropriate their company and industry. Chant is the first company to provide engine-independent middleware for developing desktop, web-enabled, and telephony applications that use speech technology.

Chant, SpeechKit, Talking with Technology, I'm Hooked On Talking With Technology, and Getting the World Talking With Technology are trademarks or registered trademarks of Chant Inc. All other marks are owned by their respective companies.