Speech recognition company Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products NV has announced that it’s signed an agreement with Franklin Electronic Publishers that will see L&H’s text-to-speech engine ported to Franklin’s proprietary RISC processor. Franklin, which makes handheld electronic reference devices, will be using the engine to provide speech capabilities in its next-generation talking dictionaries. Meanwhile, rival Nuance Communications Inc said that its Nuance 6 natural language speech recognition engine will be used in Webley Systems Inc’s personal assistant service. The service is a directory that enables users to handle voice messages, emails and faxes to pre-listed contacts through voice commands.
