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IBM to Enable Honda Drivers to Talk to Cars
July 29, 2002
By REUTERS
Filed at 0:08 a.m. ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Can't find a restaurant? Running out
of gas? Down to your last dollar?
Tell it to the car.
International Business Machines Corp. said on Monday it
signed a deal with Honda Motor Corp. that will make it
easier for drivers to find the closest gas station or
restaurant by asking the car's computer for help.
IBM said Honda will offer in its 2003 Accord models, for
sale in September, a navigation system that is integrated
with voice recognition software and a small touch screen.
The voice recognition system works by touching a button on
the steering wheel and then speaking aloud. The software
then responds, using the car's audio system to give driving
directions.
The voice recognition software, based on IBM's ViaVoice
product, understands different speech accents and has a
larger vocabulary, according to IBM director of automotive
and telematics solutions Raj Desai.
``It's closer to the natural ability to have a dialogue,
rather than just remembering key words, which is what the
previous generation systems had,'' Desai said.
Companies including DaimlerChrysler AG have been building
cars with voice recognition and other wireless
communications-based services for years but it was still
not clear if there is a market for the technology, called
telematics.
Ford Motor Corp., for instance, pulled the plug on its
18-month-old telematics venture Wingcast in June.
General Motors Corp. has the largest telecommunications
service system, called OnStar.
IBM said price information on the system was not available.
______________________
Now, why can't they do this on a Pilot?
havasu
July 29, 2002
By REUTERS
Filed at 0:08 a.m. ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Can't find a restaurant? Running out
of gas? Down to your last dollar?
Tell it to the car.
International Business Machines Corp. said on Monday it
signed a deal with Honda Motor Corp. that will make it
easier for drivers to find the closest gas station or
restaurant by asking the car's computer for help.
IBM said Honda will offer in its 2003 Accord models, for
sale in September, a navigation system that is integrated
with voice recognition software and a small touch screen.
The voice recognition system works by touching a button on
the steering wheel and then speaking aloud. The software
then responds, using the car's audio system to give driving
directions.
The voice recognition software, based on IBM's ViaVoice
product, understands different speech accents and has a
larger vocabulary, according to IBM director of automotive
and telematics solutions Raj Desai.
``It's closer to the natural ability to have a dialogue,
rather than just remembering key words, which is what the
previous generation systems had,'' Desai said.
Companies including DaimlerChrysler AG have been building
cars with voice recognition and other wireless
communications-based services for years but it was still
not clear if there is a market for the technology, called
telematics.
Ford Motor Corp., for instance, pulled the plug on its
18-month-old telematics venture Wingcast in June.
General Motors Corp. has the largest telecommunications
service system, called OnStar.
IBM said price information on the system was not available.
______________________
Now, why can't they do this on a Pilot?
havasu