BlueAnt Wireless and Vlingo Partner to Deliver Free Integrated Voice Application on BlueAnt Products

LAS VEGAS, January 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- Turn Your Words into Action With New Application Optimized for BlueAnt Product Line that Lets Consumers Multitask Effortlessly While On the Move

Consumer Electronics Show (Booth No. 31253) -- BlueAnt Wireless, a leading innovator of Bluetooth peripheral devices, has extended its partnership with Vlingo, the maker of a Virtual Assistant that turns your words into actions, to elevate hands-free communications with a fully integrated free application that pairs Vlingo's speech-enabled virtual assistant solution with BlueAnt's hallmark voice-control technology and superior sound quality.

With the new BlueAnt Vlingo Application, consumers can speak into their favorite BlueAnt Bluetooth Headset or Speakerphone to initiate many actions on their smartphone, including sending and responding to texts and emails; conducting searches, making social networking updates and leaving reminder voice-to-text "notes2self" messages and more. Unlike other voice solutions on the market, many of which involve laborious consumer set-up, multiple application downloads and separate voice calls, BlueAnt's integrated application comes bundled in the box with all BlueAnt products for immediate and seamless operation.

According to David Hogan, CEO of BlueAnt Wireless, the company's long-standing partnership with Vlingo has evolved based on the success of integrating Vlingo's SafeReaderTM text-to-speech feature on BlueAnt products. "Our expanded partnership with Vlingo is further reinforced by a shared philosophy that consumers shouldn't have to compromise functionality or simplicity when it comes to hands-free communications," he says.

In optimizing its voice application for BlueAnt's product portfolio, Vlingo tuned its audio recognition capabilities to ensure the highest levels of speech recognition performance. "BlueAnt is well known in the market for its industry-leading audio quality and innovative voice technology, so their products were a natural fit for our application," says Chris Barnett, EVP of Markets, Vlingo. "We look forward to further leveraging our collective expertise and understanding of the mobile communications market to continue bringing consumers the most compelling features and voice technology advancements."

"Together, we're taking advantage of our respective strengths in voice technology to offer consumers a multitasking personal assistant that makes it easier to manage their smartphones as well as many aspects of their busy lives," Stephan Ziegler, sales director of BlueAnt Wireless EMEA, added.

Setting the Standard in Mobile Multitasking

The BlueAnt application powered by Vlingo will include the following *capabilities to provide the ultimate in mobile multitasking:

    
    - Voice Search,
    - Social Networking Updates,
    - Voice to Text "Note2Self,"
    - Voice Dialing,
    - Open Key Native and Third-Party Applications,
    - Compose SMS and emails with your voice, and
    - Integrated Text-To-Speech reading of incoming SMS and email messages.

*Feature availability based on phone platform

Vlingo and BlueAnt will provide support for the following languages: North American English, UK English, Canadian French, French, Spanish, Mexican Spanish, German and Italian.

Availability

The BlueAnt application powered by Vlingo will be available free of charge for all BlueAnt products and will be available on Android, iPhone and BlackBerry smartphones in Q1 2011.

Beginning Q2 2011, the free BlueAnt application powered by Vlingo will also be available on Symbian-based smartphones and additional functionality will be incorporated into the multiple smartphone platforms already available.

About BlueAnt Wireless

BlueAnt Wireless is a global technology company that provides the most innovative Bluetooth peripheral devices and accessories on the market. The company's product portfolio includes hands-free, stereo audio streaming and wireless communications products with cutting-edge technology, design and features. BlueAnt's products have been recognized for advancements in hands-free communications by receiving numerous prestigious industry awards. The company is based in Melbourne, Aus., with U.S. headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif., and offices in Chicago and London. For more information, please visit http://www.blueantwireless.com.

Connect with BlueAnt Wireless on:

    
    http://www.facebook.com/BlueAntWireless
    http://twitter.com/myblueant
    http://www.youtube.com/blueantwireless

About Vlingo

Vlingo is a Virtual Assistant that turns your words into action by combining speech recognition, natural language processing, and Vlingo's Intent Engine to understand the user's intent and take the appropriate action. Simply speak to your phone to connect with the people, businesses and activities that are important to you. Vlingo is the safest and easiest way to get things done while on the go. Send text and email messages, search the web, use Google maps, update Twitter and more. Founded in 2006, Vlingo is backed by Charles River Ventures, Sigma Partners, Yahoo! and AT&T and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information, go to http://www.vlingo.com.

Connect with Vlingo on:

    
    http://www.facebook.com/Vlingopage
    http://twitter.com/vlingo
    http://www.youtube.com/user/VlingoVoice