Nuance (News - Alert) Communications Inc., a provider of speech solutions, has announced that Nuance’s VSuite software is commercially available on the latest Katana series mobile handsets by SANYO.

VSuite 3 is designed to enable the voice command and control capabilities featured on the Katana Eclipse and Katana LX handsets. The latest Katana series handsets by SANYO provide users with the power of VSuite’s innovative speech recognition application to place calls, find contacts and launch their favorite applications with simple voice commands.

 

These voice commands work without any voice or user training required. All commands and responses guide users with both visual and audio cues. The Katana LX and Katana Eclipse handsets also feature Nuance’s T9 predictive text software.

“Today’s mobile users rely on their phones to do more than simply place calls. They’re texting, browsing, taking and sending pictures – staying connected with friends, family and colleagues from anywhere at anytime,” said Michael Thompson (News - Alert), senior vice president and general manager, Mobile, Nuance Communications, in a Monday statement.

“With our VSuite speech recognition technology, the latest SANYO phones make it easier for users to access several core mobile applications so they can use them faster, speaking to the brand’s commitment to providing customers with innovative yet intelligently designed handsets.”

Users can use the latest version of Nuance’s VSuite 3 framework to tap into the most natural interface – the human voice – to enhance their overall mobile handset experience. Such personalization and ease of use is critical in driving the adoption of mobile applications and handsets.

Recent research has shown that the ability to personalize and the ease of use of the handset is a key driver in the adoption and growth of specific handsets. By incorporating Nuance speech applications into the Katana series, SANYO will be in a better position to achieve differentiation in the market and as a result, drive greater revenue generation.

When using simple commands, connect services are engaged that support complex grammars and large vocabulary recognition for local business and Web search. Such capability also provides OEMs with the ability to build and deploy custom text-to-speech applications.

Nuance’s Mobile software is embedded in more than 3.5 billion shipped handsets. The company has extensive relationships with carriers around the world and with every major mobile OEM. Such partnerships has helped to drive the strong growth that Nuance has enjoyed in the global market and is expected to help sustain this growth long-term.