Oki to Begin Marketing of "SMARTTALK® Version 3.0", the First Japanese Speech-Synthesis Engine with Singing Capability

- Realizes clear and natural speech through "A New Approach for Pitch Control" and a "Prosodic Control Model" -

Oki will start shipments of SMARTTALK 3.0 at the end of July. The software will be marketed as a stand-alone package and through resale licenses that will permit use of the program with various applications.

Regarding the new program, Mr. Sadayuki Hikita, general manager of the Multimedia Messaging Systems Division of Oki notes, "Speech-synthesis technology can now be applied to a wide range of applications, including CT systems, mobile terminals, car-navigation systems, home electronic appliances, and games. SMAARTTALK 3.0 is also ideal for use when accessing the Internet and at multimedia kiosks. Thus, there is market demand for a unique, multifunctional speech-synthesis engine, rather than one that only reads accurately, and the new SMARTTALK 3.0 is the perfect software to meet that demand."

Due to its singing utility feature, SMARTTALK 3.0 can be configured to enable a computer to sing songs by having the user simply assign musical notes and lyrics using staff notation. Moreover, MIDI files can be imported, and songs can be output both to a computer's speakers and as wave files, as well as be saved as musical data comprised of lyrics and musical notes.

The program makes it possible for text to be read with high clarity and natural intonation. This is accomplished through the combination of a new "Prosodic Control Model," which recreates natural rhythms by analyzing a large database of natural speech, and "A New Approach for Pitch Control" that supplies synthesized sound that closely approximates a natural voice by finely controlling the pitch (voice tone). In addition, Oki's popular variation of pitch synchronous overlap add technology ensures improved natural intonation and clear synthesized speech.

Also, the program's text-analysis capabilities have been improved. It now correctly interprets and reads common abbreviations that are used to denote dates, times, and telephone numbers. For example, 99/06/12 is read as "kyu ju ku nen roku gatsu ju ni nichi," which is the Japanese equivalent of saying "June 12, 1999."

Furthermore, when reading English words, SMARTTALK 3.0 can be set either to pronounce them normally as words or to spell them out letter by letter, or to automatically distinguish between these options. This is convenient for words that need to be spelled out, such as URLs and e-mail addresses.

In addition, the software's dictionary has been expanded to a total of approximately 110,000 words, with the newly added 2,000 names of people, 3,000 place names, and 1,000 English computer-terms.

SMARTTALK 3.0 includes one new male voice and one new female voice, making it possible to select from two voices for each type. Also, variations of each voice can be created by changing its speed and pitch, and by adding various echo effects (e.g., cave, dome, and mountain) and robotic tones. This enables the creation of different voices to suit various game characters and other entertainment applications.

SMARTTALK 3.0 can run on Japanese versions of Microsoft^® Windows^® 95/98, Microsoft^® Windows NT^®, and Microsoft^® Windows^® 2000.

Note 1: SMARTTALK is registered in Japan as a trademark of Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.

Note 2: Microsoft, Windows, and Windows NT are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation (U.S.A.) in the United States and other countries.

Note 3: Other company names and product names are generally trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

About Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
Founded more than a century ago in 1881, Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. is Japan's first telecommunications manufacturer headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. With more than 20,000 employees worldwide, Oki Electric provides customers with top-notch products and technologies for telecommunication systems, information systems and electronic devices through its corporate slogan "Oki, Network Solutions for a Global Society." Oki's all manufacturing facilities are ISO9001 and ISO14001 certified.