Fonix Corp. has released version 5.0 of its Fonix DECtalk text-to-speech (TTS) software technology. According to Fonix, DECtalk offers the smallest memory footprint for a full-featured, multilanguage, full-dictionary TTS engine and is ideal for embedded applications. Fonix says Version 5 supports Linux devices implemented on a range of hardware platforms including ARM 9 and XScale.

Applications for Fonix DECtalk are said to include PDAs, mobile phones, automotive applications, talking devices like translators. and devices to assist people with disabilities.

Fonix says DECtalk 5.0 marks the first step toward integrating Formant and Concatenated TTS technologies and is based on an improved vocal tract technology. It now offers nine voices and six languages (U.S. and U.K. English, Castilian and Latin American Spanish, and significantly improved German and French).

Another unique characteristic of DECtalk 5.0 is the Unified Phoneme Set, which allows speaking in one language, switching to another language to speak one or more words and returning to the selected language without changing language modes, the company says. It produces clear, correct pronunciation of single characters, phrases and proper names. Fonix DECtalk technology allows the developer to create unique voices through its extensive set of user controls, which ensure optimum performance in real-world applications.

 
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