National Semiconductor has three new Compact SPEECH RISC-based digital speech processors that provide CallerID, digital speech recording, storage, and playback. Applications for the NSAM266SA, NSAM266SC and NSAM266SP include voice pagers, personal digital recorders, cordless answering machines, and global positioning satellite units. The devices include an integrated Serial Flash Memory interface, support for CallerID, full duplex speaker-phone, and International Vocabulary Support. NatSemi’s Serial Flash memories enable system integrators to avoid the hassle of dealing with battery-backed dynamic RAMs or fluctuating supplies of audio-grade dynamic RAMs. NatSemi’s NSAM266 range is claimed to be able to record up to two hours in two 8Mb Serial Flash devices using a 4.8Kbps CELP-based algorithm. The NSAM266SC integrates support for CallerID. By automatically storing the incoming name and number, system integrators will be able to provide features such as single button dial-back or selective call blocking at no additional expense. The NSAM266SC supports the Bell Communications Research Inc standard for CallerID used in the US, as well as the French and Dutch CallerID standards. For the home office, NatSemi is introducing the NSA M266SP, which integrates the digital answering machine function with a full duplex speaker-phone. The NSAM266 family is supported by the company’s International Voice Support software tools, which are designed to simplify the creation of spoken prompts in languages including Japanese, French, Spanish, Mandarin, and English. The spoken prompts are stored in the Serial Flash, eliminating the need for external ROM. The devices cost around $7 in quantity.
