Loud and clear: Intermec's 700 Color mobile computers now offer speech recognition. (Tech...

Sometimes you just wish for that extra pair of hands or set of eyes to help you do your job. You need to multi-task. You want to multitask. But what can you do when you're limited by the tools you use to perform a particular job function? Intermec has added a component to its 700 Color mobile

Speech recognition systems allow mobile workers to perform hands-free and eyes-free data collection for improved productivity, accuracy and safety. The Sy Vox speech recognition software is suitable for warehouse and inventory workers who "pick" inventory to fill orders.

"Sy Vox software allows workers to accurately and simply use speech commands to control their Intermec 700 mobile computers," said Kelson Elam, managing director of Intermec partner Genesta, which provides the Sy Vox technology. "That means workers don't have to stop what they're doing to enter a keyboard command. They become instantly more productive. We believe these systems will pay for themselves in short order."

The Sy Vox system offered by Intermec allows workers to hear instructions through a headset connected to a belt-mounted Intermec 700 Color and to communicate verbally with an ERP system through a wireless network. Speaker-independent technology eliminates the need to train the system to match a particular user's voice. Users can just put on a headset and speak. By standardizing on the reliable Intermec 700 platform, the system can cost almost 50 percent less than speech recognition systems that use proprietary speech data terminals.

The Sy Vox system easily integrates with existing warehouse management systems and enterprise resource planning systems. It functions accurately in noisy, industrial environments. It adds a powerful additional capability to the Intermec 700 Series, joining more familiar scanning, keyboard and touch screen input methods.

The Sy Vox system provides support tor multiple languages. It will be available on 700 Color mobile computers in the second quarter of 2003, the result of a marketing partnership between Intermec and Genesta, of Rockwall, Texas. Genesta has become a primary provider of industrial speech recognition systems through its recent acquisition of the assets of Sy Vox Corp., a company that invested 20 years of research and development into speech recognition technology.

"Sy Vox speech recognition software offered by Intermec again clearly demonstrates that the Intermec 700 is the device of choice for serious enterprise mobility' said Intermec vice-president Scott Medford.

According to the company, Intermec's 700 Series already has become a favorite with workers whose daily shifts require powerful, reliable and easy-to-use handheld computers that can take the abuse of industrial, mobile and retail environments. The 700 Color model provides the power and speed necessary for serious enterprise mobility. Its ability to integrate up to three radios in a single device, including 802.11b and BlueTooth[TM] technologies, provides virtually unlimited wireless communications capabilities. Its optional scanning, technologies offer reliable and accurate data and image collection, and its battery capacity ensures up to 10 hours of operation between recharging. Yet the 700 Series Color weighs as little as 17 ounces.

Visit www.intermec.com for more information on these and other products.