Ah, the sound of silence. You might find it in your backyard, or on that farm in the
country that your uncle owns. But you won't find it in the office. Conversations,
keyboards, printers, phones - all of these background noises combine to explain why we
chose Telex's Aria microphone for an Editor's Choice award.
Voice recognition software is finally here, and with it the dreams of interacting with
a computer directly and in everyday speech. But the software is only half of the
challenge. Without good microphones to provide an interface, using voice recognition
software would be like using a Windows or Mac OS without a mouse.
Up until this point, the best microphones have involved some sort of compromise: a
convenient desktop mike often "overhears" too much office noise to be fully
effective, while headset mikes provide more focused reception but require the user to be
tethered directly to the PC. With the Aria microphone, Telex has developed a
"hands-off" solution to the problem of human/computer interaction.
Realizing that there are a lot of people out there who won't be able to maintain the
physical link to their PC that a headset requires, Telex has developed a patented
technology known as Acoustic Directional Processing that applies additive integration to
focus reception on the user's voice, while employing acoustical destructive interference
to cancel off-axis noise. This technology allows the Aria to sit comfortably on the
desktop, whereas traditional noise canceling microphones need to be about �" away
from the user's mouth to be effective.
To prove that the Aria's performance is similar to that of headset microphones, Telex
has subjected the Aria to extensive testing, using methods that have been reviewed and
approved by Dragon Systems. This included playing back prerecorded office noise at 74 dB,
4 dB louder than the original noise level, while using the microphone for dictation
purposes. In these tests, the Aria's performance was comparable to the headset
microphones, while not requiring the physical link between user and PC.
These results alone would be impressive, but think about other applications. A
microphone that can eliminate background noise to this extent is a prime choice for
computer telephony and video conferencing applications as well. By significantly reducing
background noise, the Aria avoids introducing unnecessary ambiguity into the data stream.
This means better quality conversations over any network or phone line, and it also makes
the Aria an ideal microphone for multiple functions.
Telex plans to begin shipping the Aria microphone this fall, primarily through OEMs.
Pricing information was not currently available.
Genesys Telecommunications
Laboratories, Inc.
1155 Market Street, 11th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94103 Ph: 415-437-1100 Fx: 415-437-1260 Web site:www.genesyslab.com
While many vendors would like to be everything to everyone, such aspirations are often
unrealizable in the real world. Even when these aspirations are limited to a relatively
narrow field of interest, simple variety and the profusion of new technology and
applications make it very difficult for one vendor to do it all. Still, there are those
who go a long way toward accomplishing this goal.
Such a one is Genesys Telecommunications, who with its release of Genesys Suite version
5.1 has further expanded this integrated software solution to encompass new developments
and to expand upon existing applications. These developments include new multiple media
(Internet and e-mail), network routing, and outbound scripting capabilities, resulting in
what Genesys terms a "customer interaction network," and extending the benefits
of computer telephony beyond the central office location.
The focus here is on interaction, and Genesys Suite 5.1 takes into consideration all of
the many forms that interaction might assume in the present day. Allowances are made for
e-mail, voice communication, and Internet-originated activity. Even video is allowed for,
although mainly as a potential. And all of this is made possible through the use of the
Genesys T-Server Framework, which provides an open architectural support to integrate the
various media forms.
Among the new features of version 5.1 are a remote option, which extends the call
center to agents working at home or on the road; and a network interface option, which
treats multiple call centers and agent locations as a single unit. As a result of these
features, agents and call-center personnel are no longer tied to a specific location.
Additionally, customers who happen to call when "their" agent happens to be
somewhere else can still receive the one-on-one service they may have come to expect. A
familiar voice or an agent who can recall the specific account can often mean the
difference between true customer satisfaction and disgruntled frustration at the end of a
call.
Further evidence of this focus on interaction can be seen in the new Interaction
Router, which collects information on calls and routes the calls to the most suitable
agent, based on the call center's customized strategies. It even goes so far as to allow
all customer contact (including voice contact) to be preserved for the life of the
account, along with any notes made by agents or other personnel and transfers between
agents.
Also new to this version of Genesys Suite is a configuration manager that allows the
software to be configured once for all applications. This not only simplifies initial
set-up procedures - doing away with multiple vendor requirements - but also allows for
smoother implementation of changes to the system when these become necessary. Overall,
Genesys Suite 5.1 is a powerful contribution to call center software.
Teknor
Industrial Computers, Inc.
7900 Glades Road
Boca Raton, FL 33434 Ph: 561-883-6191 Fx: 561-883-6690 Web site:www.teknor.com E-mail: sales@teknor.com
Amid all the excitement and speculation surrounding CompactPCI and its potential
applications in CTI markets, Teknor has recently introduced a promising industrial single
computer board: TEK-CPCI 1003. As one of the first 6U-8HP Mobile Pentium II processor
based boards, the TEK-CPCI 1003 helps link readily available PC technology with the
telecommunications and telephony fields. The same processor has also been made available
in a single slot form factor (4HP).
Unlike standard PC technology, CompactPCI is designed to function reliably under
conditions of considerable duress and erratic usage - its most common application has been
in industrial environments that demand high-speed computing options with long term
reliability and support.
The ability to handle such a harsh environment and still perform as expected makes the
CompactPCI form factor especially appropriate for mission critical and high availability
applications, and thus makes it a prime candidate for usage in providing voice and video
communications. Additionally, CompactPCI supports hot-swap-ready technology, and features
low power consumption and a small footprint. When taken together, these features are
impressive enough to justify sudden interest in the CompactPCI form factor in CTI and by
telecommunications companies.
Even with the smaller size and lower power consumption, vendors and end users still
require a broad array of features. TEK-CPCI 1003 includes all CPU-related features,
including an Ultra Fast/Wide SCSI 3 interface, on-board EIDE, two 10/100Base-TX Intel
Ethernet interfaces, and a high performance 64-bit AGP graphics interface with 2MB of
Rambus video memory. In addition, it supports Intel's 233 MHz and 266 MHz Mobile Pentium
II processors and CompactFlash solid state disk memory, and Teknor has informed us that
they plan to ship a 300 MHz version in September.
Creating such a powerful processor in the CompactPCI form factor also leverages the
software development strength and diversity of the personal computer market for
telecommunications applications.
All of this adds up to TEK-CPCI 1003 being a significant contribution to bringing the
CompactPCI form factor to the fields of CTI and telecommunications. Teknor began shipping
the TEK-CPCI 1003 in April of 1998, and per unit pricing for the processor alone ranges
from $2795-3410.
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