Wire Free and now Hands Free

Wire Free and now Hands Free - Norwood Systems partners with Nuance to provide Bluetooth tm Office Telephony - voice recognition integrated into Bluetooth wireless office network for the first time - Richmond-upon-Thames, UK - 4th September 2001 - Norwood Systems, developer of office networks for the wireless generation, announces a breakthrough in developing a Bluetoothtm wireless office solution with a natural language user interface for outbound dialling applications. It has partnered with Nuance, the market leader in voice web software, to allow users to access directories by voice when communicating using EnterpriseMobilitytm, the enterprise-class wireless office solution for voice and data networks. While Bluetooth-enabled communication is wireless by definition, this advance enables organisations to implement a Bluetooth wireless office solution providing users with a rich experience offering both wireless and hands-free voice recognition support. Through the partnership, Norwood Systems has integrated EnterpriseMobility with Nuance 7.0 speech recognition software to create a breakthrough solution for EnterpriseMobility customers. "We have taken the next step in Bluetooth voice-led telephony. A few years ago, this would have been in the realm of science fiction," comments Jean-Paul Deschamps, VP of Marketing, COO and co-founder of Norwood Systems. "No longer do you need to dial numbers manually or be tied to the desk through cable connections with your phone. Your staff can use a Bluetooth headset integrated through your PBX infrastructure, harnessing our More.../ EnterpriseMobility software, to contact customers, colleagues and business partners by the simple action of a voice request." Christian Dugast, director of EMEA business development at Nuance, agrees. "Nuance is at the forefront of speech recognition software development and has been since its inception. It is great news that we have been able to extend our software to support the leading Bluetooth wireless office solution from Norwood Systems. The combination of Nuance 7.0 and the EnterpriseMobility suite will prove that speech recognition can be used to increase mobility and improve communications for those in and outside the office environment." Jan ten Sythoff, Wireless Program Manager at analyst group Frost & Sullivan said, "Norwood's Enterprise Mobility product is at the forefront of Bluetooth technology. The integration of Nuance's voice recognition capability adds significant functionality and convenience for the end-user. It's great to see Bluetooth technology being used innovatively to create solid applications which have clear business benefits." - Ends - NOTES TO EDITORS: About Norwood Systems Norwood Systems was founded in January 2000 to become the market leader in Bluetooth based wireless office networks for voice and data. The company's current product set, EnterpriseMobility, delivers an office network for the wireless generation. It offers an enterprise-class communications platform that lets Bluetooth devices integrate seamlessly with existing office voice and data communication networks. Norwood Systems is working with a number of global partners, committed to participating in Norwood Systems' beta trial programme. Norwood Systems' EnterpriseMobility was a Grand Prize Winner of the COMNET 2001 Most Innovative New Product Award, a reflection of the opinions of the attendees of the Conference and Expo. EnterpriseMobility was also chosen as the winner in the Wireless category. · At the recent Bluetooth Industry Congress in Monte Carlo EnterpriseMobility was recognised as the Best Business Product. · Time Magazine Europe listed Norwood Systems as one of Europe's hottest 30 tech companies. · Norwood Systems is an Associate Member of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), and a member of the PAN working group of the SIG. Norwood Systems currently has over 40 employees located in two offices in Richmond-upon-Thames, UK, and Perth, Western Australia. More information can be obtained by calling +44 208 334 8065 or at http://www.norwoodsystems.com Norwood Systems photography - High Resolution images from Norwood Systems can be downloaded free of charge by the media from the Newscast Website: www.newscast-online.com About Bluetooth The Bluetoothtm wireless technology is set to revolutionise the personal connectivity market by providing freedom from wired connections. It is a specification for a small-form factor, low-cost radio solution providing links between mobile computers, mobile phones and other portable handheld devices, and connectivity to the Internet. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), comprised of leaders in the telecommunications, computing, and network industries, is driving development of the technology and bringing it to market. The Bluetooth SIG includes promoter companies 3Com, Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Agere Systems, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia and Toshiba, and 2,491 Adopter/Associate member companies. For more information on Bluetooth, please visit its web site at www.bluetooth.com. The Bluetooth trademarks are owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc., U.S.A. About Nuance Nuance is the leader in Voice Web software -- speech recognition, voice authentication, text-to-speech and voice browsing products that make the information and services of enterprises, telecommunications networks and the Internet accessible from any telephone. Every day, millions of people interact with Nuance systems at companies like Bouygues Telecom, British Airways, Deutsche Telekom, Lloyds TSB Bank, Odeon Cinemas, the Swedish National Road Association and Telia Mobile. Nuance is headquartered in Menlo Park, California and has its EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) headquarters in Guildford, UK, with offices in France and Germany. For further information, go to www.nuance.com or call 020 7386 1579. EnterpriseMobility and InstantCoverage are registered trademarks of Norwood Systems. All other trademarks or registered trademarks belong to their respective companies. For further information: For Norwood Systems For Financial Dynamics Karen Worrall Edward Taylor Tel: +44 20 8334 8065 Tel: +44 20 7269 7295 e-mail: karen.worrall@norwoodsystems.com e-mail: edward.taylor@fd.com ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2001/09/04/20010904BIT00380/bit0001.doc http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2001/09/04/20010904BIT00380/bit0001.pdf