LONDON and SEATTLE, Feb. 24, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ROK Entertainment Group, the UK-based mobile technologies, applications and services company, and Spoken Communications Inc., the hybrid voice technology innovator based in Seattle, have today announced the formation of a strategic alliance between the companies, which will see Spoken's speech-to-text transcription service, GotVoice, and its voice search solution, GotSearch, marketed under the ROK brand to mobile operators, handset manufacturers and directory-enquiry operators globally.
GotVoice, which will be branded ROKVoice outside the U.S., is a proven carrier-class voicemail to text and visual voicemail solution. The product enables carriers to offer their customers the ability to have all their voicemails transcribed in real-time and presented as SMS or email, centralising all messaging in a single inbox and optimising user efficiency.
"We have been looking for a scalable visual voicemail for some considerable time, as we know that such a solution is a killer application. But until we saw GotVoice, we did not feel that any of the existing offerings offered the scalability, reliability and economic model that would deliver value to our carrier partners," said Jonathan Kendrick, Chairman and CEO of ROK. "What GotVoice offers is a patented and unique combination of voice recognition technology along with structured human mediation that drives the quality of the transcription the system is able to produce. It is demonstrably the most advanced product of its type available today, and we're delighted to partner with Spoken Communications."
GotSearch, to be marketed outside the US as ROKSearch, is currently in final development and will offer mobile operators new revenue opportunities because it works on all mobile phones, not just smartphones, and will provide a far more accurate customer experience than existing speech-to-text services. For example, it improves on currently available voice search tools by using Spoken's patented human Silent Guide system, which provides the most effective combination of automated voice technology with pinpoint human intervention through patented software.
"These products are what mobile operators around the world have been asking for, and with ROK, we can now deliver these services internationally," said Howard Lee, CEO of Spoken Communications. "With Spoken's ROKSearch, we will be offering voice search to feature phone and smartphone users alike at a fraction of the cost of delivering traditional directory-enquiry services, with vastly increased accuracy. Mobile operators will even be able to insert location-based services such as adverts, surveys and promotional offers, as well as offer answers to general questions, like 'What is the World Cup?' or 'Who is Lady Gaga?' And we will soon include the ability to make restaurant reservations, get traffic updates and much more. It's the most comprehensive voice search solution on the market today."
About ROK:
Founded in 2004, ROK Entertainment Group is a mobile technologies, applications and services development company with a suite of revenue-generating mobile services which it licenses to Mobile Operators and Handset Manufacturers worldwide. Headquartered in the UK, ROK is best known for its award-winning mobile TV services which streams video – live and on demand – over 2.5G, 3G and Wi-Fi®. In addition, ROK has 5 patent awards and many more patent applications in place. For more information, please visit: www.rokent.com
The ROK Entertainment Group logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=5361
About Spoken Communications:
Spoken Communications provides hybrid voice technology solutions to call centers, telecommunications companies and consumers that ensure a successful call experience. With Spoken, voice technology is combined with pinpoint human intervention in a single solution, because the caller experience matters. For more information, please visit www.spoken.com, call 1-888-9-SPOKEN, Twitter @spokencomm or subscribe to our blog at http://blog.spoken.com.
Forward-Looking Statement:
The information contained in this news release, other than historical information, consists of forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in these statements. Forward-looking statements regarding the timing of developing, testing and releasing existing and new products, of marketing and selling them, of deriving revenues and profits from them, as well as the effects of those revenues and profits on the Group's margins and financial position, are uncertain because many of the factors affecting the timing of those items are beyond the Group's control.