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Conversay Speech-Enables the First Linux PDA

8 January 2001

Conversay Speech-Enables the First Linux PDA 
    Device Developed by G.Mate and CenterComm Also Features Location-Based
         Services and Wireless Connectivity for the Automotive Market

    REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 8 Conversay, a global leader in
speech technology solutions for both mobile and traditional Internet access
devices, announced it will provide the speech interface for the Linux-based
YOPY(R) PDA system, making it the first Linux PDA to employ a speech
interface. G.Mate, from Seoul, South Korea, and CenterComm of
San Diego, Calif., developed the YOPY system.
    "Support of Linux was a natural step for Conversay," said Matt Scheuing,
executive vice president of sales and marketing at Conversay. "Based on the
number of initiatives we're encountering, Linux is the new hot platform for
handhelds. We are pleased that our next-generation system will be a part of
the YOPY -- this is a state-of-the-art device and nicely complements the work
we've done with other platforms, such as Pocket PC."
    Conversay's speech recognition and text synthesis engine will be
incorporated into the device -- the world's first Linux-based PDA -- expected
for worldwide release in first quarter of 2001. Using spoken commands in
natural language, users of speech-enabled YOPY devices can access and use GPS
positioning services, through an application developed by CenterComm, aimed
primarily for use in automotive environments. It provides location and
direction services, along with digital mapping, that will be accessible
through spoken command and control. Users will also have access to normal PDA
functions, such as Web browsing, e-mail, scheduling, contact lists, games, and
other applications.
    "We see the speech-enabled YOPY as expanding the popular conception of
what a PDA can do," said Sang-Un Yoo, chief operating officer at G.Mate.
"Between Conversay's speech interface and the CenterComm GPS services for
automotive use, the YOPY really does a lot more than the ordinary PDA."
    "Adding the speech interface makes our location services a natural for the
automotive environment," said Kiem Le, president and CEO at CenterComm. "Being
able to ask for location and direction, and have them spoken back to you,
makes it a completely hands-free system that is ideal for use in the car."
    Beginning with the YOPY, Linux-based devices are expected to grow to nine
percent of the handheld device market by 2003, according to analyst group
ResearchPortal.com. The CenterComm application means this version of the YOPY
will not only be a consumer product, but has market potential with auto
manufacturers and after-market auto manufacturers, as well as corporate users.

    About CenterComm
    Founded in 1997, CenterComm is a GPS navigation system company that has
developed a proprietary and state-of-the-art system solution which
incorporates the most accurate and comprehensive digital map available, to
provide portable and real-time navigation and tracking services.

    About G.Mate
    G.Mate is a leading developer of portable PCs based on embedded Linux.
Formed in 1998 as a mobile computer development company, G.Mate is the leading
Bluetooth developer approved by the government of South Korea. Its original
design of the YOPY was the world's first Linux-based PDA. G.Mate was
recognized in December 2000 by the South Korea Ministry of Information and
Communication as one of the country's "promising information/communication
enterprises." More information on G.Mate is available at http://www.gmate.co.kr.

    About Conversay
    Founded in 1994, Conversay provides solutions that enable voice
interaction with networked information, including the Internet, when other
interfaces are difficult or impossible. Built on an innovative speech engine,
Conversay(R) technology is speaker-independent, modular, scalable and
accommodates unlimited vocabulary, making it ideally suited for embedded
applications. It also drives award-winning products including a voice browser,
desktop and web developer tools, and a conversational server. With
headquarters in Redmond, Wash., Conversay is located on the web at
http://www.conversay.com.

    NOTE: Conversay is a trademark of Conversational Computing Corp. All other
trademarks are property of their respective owners.