IBM Corp is today set to announce what it claims is the first small business PC with speech recognition technology included as standard. The IBM PC 300GL Small Business Series includes IBM’s ViaVoice speech recognition software for speech dictation and voice control. The system, which bundles Microsoft Office and Lotus SmartSuite with ViaVoice, also includes Artisoft Inc’s iShare, enabling multiple users to connect to the internet through a single external internet connection, and Ring Central, IBM software for managing incoming and outgoing faxes when fax and voice traffic are fed through the same phone line. The systems come with either Celeron or Pentium II processors, and include 3D graphics chips from S3 Inc. IBM will lease the PCs for around $50 per month through its new SuccessLEase program. Prices begin at around $1,150 without monitor, depending on configuration.
