Avnet offers Vangard AccuSPEECH technology in solutions 14 May, 2007 By Chris Talbot

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The initial integrations will be focused on vertical applications, but Avnet's long-term plan is to roll AccuSPEECH out for broader applications.

"We're very focused on delivering solutions to the market place, not just product in the traditional hardware sense, so as we continue to build our software portfolio, we're initially starting with products that have a horizontal space rather than a vertical," said Michael Douglass, vice president of enterprise mobility for Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas.

Text-to-speech (and vice versa) is becoming more of a channel opportunity, and when combined with stationary and mobile devices, it can be incorporated into several vertical applications -- especially for applications aimed at end-users who need to use their hands while also using computing technology.

Vangard takes a new approach in this area, Douglass said. Its technology is user-friendly and doesn't require businesses to re-engineer their workflows. Businesses can take their existing applications and use a software development kit to enable speech with Vangard's technology, he said.

AccuSPEECH also has a broad grammar base, recognizing common slang as well as proper English.

Douglass said there are big opportunities in verticals like healthcare and manufacturing, especially for applications where it would be easier if workers could fill in forms or reports by speaking rather than typing.

"In an area where you need to work with your hands while still collecting data, there's ample opportunity," he said. The opportunity for speech is going to be unlimited, he added.

With Vangard, Avnet can take a very inexpensive approach to offering software development for speech applications, Douglass said. Trials so far have shown that most applications can be speech-enabled with AccuSPEECH within hours or days -- or at most, weeks.

"The unique approach with Vangard is they're very Microsoft-centric ... but bottom line, anything that's running an XP-based operating system or CE.net or embedded XP ... the devices that support that it will work with. So it has a variety of applications, not just in the mobile handheld space but also in the notebook space," Douglass said.

To ease the design and deployment of AccuSPEECH-based products, Avnet is creating bundled solutions that include hardware, software and services along with Vangard's technology.

"There will be a variety of options and opportunities for the partner to sell additional hardware upgrades, as well as the services and support around the application itself," Douglass said.