Nuance Gives Voice to Waze App for iPhone and Android
Nuance’s Connected Text-to-Speech Reads Aloud Turn-by-Turn Directions and Traffic Alerts for Popular Social Mapping and Navigation App
Sep 22, 2011 Burlington, Mass. – Nuance Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN) today announced that the successful Waze social mapping and navigation apps for iPhone and Android are powered by Nuance’s text-to-speech to provide turn-by-turn directions and traffic alerts. Waze integrated Nuance’s Vocalizer Network, an innovative connected text-to-speech technology, through Nuance’s Vocalizer Studio.
The real-time traffic source of choice by more than five million drivers, Waze is a free social mobile application providing turn-by-turn navigation based on the live conditions of the road, and is completely powered by the Waze user community. By integrating Nuance’s Vocalizer Network cloud-based text-to-speech technology, Waze iPhone and Android app consumers are able to engage in a safer, smarter driving experience with upcoming traffic alerts and directions read aloud – enabling drivers to keep two hands on the wheel, and two eyes on the road.
“With millions around the world relying on Waze for up-to-the-minute traffic updates and turn-by-turn navigation, we needed to ensure the best possible user experience behind the wheel. By integrating Nuance’s cloud-based text-to-speech technology, we were able to quickly update, enhance and customize our iPhone and Android applications with natural, humanlike voices that provide the guidance our consumers demand,” said Uri Levine, founder and president, Waze.
Vocalizer Network is Nuance’s robust cloud-based text-to-speech service leveraged by leading global enterprises that has now been optimized for HTTP-connected mobile devices to deliver the readback of street names, route numbers, city, towns, traffic alert details, and much more. And because it’s in the cloud, Vocalizer Network is device independent, enabling developers like Waze to quickly and easily voice-enable their applications.
Additionally, Waze quickly and easily integrated Vocalizer Network with Nuance’s Vocalizer Studio, a suite of easy-to-use graphical tools that delivers more control and customization over text-to-speech audio output. With Vocalizer Studio, developers like Waze are able to monitor and evaluate output, adjust text processing and pronunciations, and fine-tune speech output by customizing intonation and expressivity.
“Apps like Waze are incredibly dynamic, with lots of content and information being delivered to consumers all day, every day on multiple platforms, and giving them a voice can be challenging if the speech technology isn’t flexible or customizable,” said Matt Revis, Vice President of Product Marketing and Management, Nuance Mobile. “Vocalizer Network and Vocalizer Studio takes full advantage of the power of the cloud to bring our robust text-to-speech capabilities to a broad range of apps, devices and platforms in over 40 languages, faster and easier than ever before possible.”
Availability
The Waze app for iPhone and Android are currently available for download in the Apple App Store and Android Market respectively, with text-to-speech capabilities supporting US English. To learn more about Waze, visit http://www.waze.com/.
Nuance’s full portfolio of speech and predictive text solutions, which include the renowned Dragon Mobile Apps, are trusted by the world’s leading manufacturers and mobile operators, and are found in billions of phones and millions of automobiles and consumer electronic devices – making them among the most pervasive mobile solutions on the market today.
To learn more about developing with Nuance’s robust text-to-speech technology, visit http://www.nuance.com/. To learn more about the Dragon Mobile Apps family, visit http://www.NuanceMobileLife.com.
About Waze
Waze is a free community-based traffic and navigation app that uses real-time road reports from drivers nearby to save commuting time and improve everyday driving. Way more than just another free navigation app, Waze's social layer is what sets it apart - giving drivers the power to work together to report and receive the most relevant traffic information available at any given moment. Plus, it actually makes commuting a whole lotta fun!
About Nuance Communications, Inc
Nuance Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN) is a leading provider of voice and language solutions for businesses and consumers around the world. Its technologies, applications and services make the user experience more compelling by transforming the way people interact with devices and systems. Every day, millions of users and thousands of businesses experience Nuance’s proven applications. For more information, please visit http://www.nuance.com.
Nuance, Dragon, and the Nuance logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nuance Communications, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States of America and/or other countries. All other company names or product names may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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