|
|
|
ITOCHU Corporation Licenses LOBBY7's Multimodal Platform
ITOCHU Develops Multimodal Applications For Japanese Market
BOSTON, Mass, TOKYO, Japan, and NEW YORK, New York – October 29, 2002 – SpeechTEK 2002 – LOBBY7, the leading provider of multimodal technology systems, announced today that ITOCHU Corporation has purchased a global license of x|modeTM Network Server 2.0, the latest version of LOBBY7's flagship multimodal server platform, through its Tokyo-based Mobile Business Department. ITOCHU Corporation is one of Japan's leading trading companies with annual sales exceeding $85 billion and more than 650 subsidiaries and associated companies worldwide. A globally integrated corporation and owner of a significant share of the handset distribution market in Japan, ITOCHU is currently using x|mode 2.0 to develop multimodal applications for the Japanese mobile market. Applications will include city guides, entertainment and gaming offerings, all of which will explore the concept of "voice-activated mobile web" and will be targeted at the Japanese mass market of mobile subscribers.
Through one of its subsidiaries, ITOCHU Corporation operates retail shops for the three major Japanese wireless carriers and has become one of the largest mobile handset distribution agencies in Japan, selling approximately 2 million units a year. ITOCHU's subsidiaries are responsible for content production and content aggregation, currently serving a large number of subscribers of the three major Japanese wireless carriers through content brands such as Motorsports Channel, Re-com, i-RaTe and Navi-P, among others. ITOCHU Corporation also owns numerous digital broadcasting franchises for the Japanese market, including Cartoon Network and ESPN.
"As ITOCHU expands its efforts in the visual media and mobile content businesses, multimodality enables the development of a new kind of interface paradigm: one that greatly simplifies the increasingly complex and diverse level of interactivity of our mobile content," said Mr. Kazuaki Takada, General Manager of Mobile Business Department at ITOCHU Corporation. "We have been extremely pleased with the robustness, flexibility and functionality of the x|mode platform. We look forward to working with LOBBY7 during our upcoming network trials."
LOBBY7's x|mode Network Server 2.0 is a carrier-grade application server that delivers the essential capabilities for powering high-usability multimodal applications on current and next-generation network infrastructures. x|mode 2.0 has a fully IP- based architecture and supports available and forthcoming wireless devices and appliances, offering a simple migration path from existing voice- and data-only applications into complete multimodality. A set of XML-based developer tools included with the x|mode 2.0 suite accelerates time to market of new applications and multimodal-based services.
"As third-generation mobile services continue to gain momentum in the Japanese market, LOBBY7 is excited to be working with one of Asia's leaders in mobile media content," said Anthony Cirurgiao, CEO of LOBBY7. "While our ongoing projects with ITOCHU will deliver to Japanese subscribers applications with unprecedented usability and ease of access to complex information, these innovative applications will likely set the tone for future deployments in other networks worldwide."
LOBBY7 will be demonstrating x|mode Network Server 2.0 at the SpeechTEK 2002 International Exposition and Educational Conference at the Marriott Marquis NY, NY, October 29 - November 1, 2002.
About ITOCHU Corp.
ITOCHU Corporation (www.itochu.co.jp), is one of Japan's leading trading companies with annual sales exceeding 11.4 trillion yen (approx. US$85.5 billion). Currently ranked 17th in Fortune Magazine's Global 500 list, ITOCHU Corporation has over 650 subsidiaries and associated companies worldwide and is engaged in a wide variety of businesses, including information technologies, finance, textiles, construction, chemicals, real estate, aerospace, machinery, energy and food products.
About LOBBY7
LOBBY7's x|mode Network Server and x|mode Embedded Server enable a new breed of applications that deliver simple, powerful user interactions across a wide range of information appliances. This breakthrough technology enables simultaneous blending of speech, touch and graphics, so that users have fluid, efficient access to information systems through voice commands, touch controls, or both at the same time. x|mode allows carriers, enterprises, and portals to extract new value from existing systems - or generate new offerings altogether - that streamline work processes and improve customer access and reach. For more information, visit www.lobby7.com.
x|mode(TM) multimodal product line, x|mode(TM) Network Server and x|mode(TM) Embedded Server are trademarks of LOBBY7. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
|
|
|
|
 |
