BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nuance Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN) today announced that its voice technology is powering the PlaySay language learning app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. PlaySay integrates Nuance’s Dragon voice technology via the NDEV Mobile developer program, which provides developers access to Nuance’s powerful voice recognition and text-to-speech technology.
A #1 ranking app in the Apple App Store for Education, PlaySay is an interactive social gaming app that connects Spanish and English language learners so they can learn useful phrases, practice with a real partner and improve pronunciation. With Nuance’s Dragon voice recognition and text-to-speech technologies, PlaySay evaluates users’ pronunciation and provides feedback, as well as enables conversations between people who are interested in a fun, social way to learn a new language. Users are able to learn through an interactive game that instructs users to complete a series of real-world “missions” in scenarios such as ordering food, introducing yourself and asking someone for help.
“Since my founding of PlaySay four years ago out of my own need to learn Japanese, technological advances in voice recognition by Nuance and cloud technologies have enabled us to create this iPhone app that I am most proud of,” said Ryan Meinzer, founder and CEO of PlaySay Inc. “With NDEV Mobile’s Dragon Mobile SDK, we have quickly integrated the power of Dragon into our app to expand the functionality and user experience from a non-verbal app, to a social mobile experience that is changing language learning on a global scale.”
“Through Dragon’s voice technology, the gaming, social and educational elements of PlaySay come together to promote an engaging user experience,” said Matt Revis, vice president and general manager, handset business, Nuance Mobile. “As the NDEV Mobile developer program rapidly expands, we’re thrilled to see a diverse range of apps like PlaySay take advantage of Dragon to provide a unique, fun and intuitive way of engaging consumers.”
PlaySay is currently available in the Apple App Store and is featured as “New and Noteworthy.”
Nuance’s Dragon Mobile SDK available as part of the NDEV Mobile developer program lets developers rapidly bring voice-enabled apps to market, even if they have never previously implemented speech technology. The Dragon Mobile SDK powers the voice recognition and speech-to-text capabilities of some of the most popular apps on the market, including Price Check by Amazon, Kraft Foods’ iFood Assistant, Ask for iPhone, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com, OnStar RemoteLink, iTranslate, Bon’App, Snapguide, Coupons.com Incorporated’s Grocery iQ, and more.
Nuance’s mobile voice technology, featured as part of the Dragon Mobile SDK and renowned Dragon Mobile Apps family, brings the power of Dragon Naturally Speaking to a variety of applications and services – supporting a broad range of languages. Nuance’s portfolio of speech and predictive text solutions are trusted by the world’s leading handset, TV and automotive manufacturers and mobile operators, and are found in billions of phone and millions of automobiles and consumer electronic devices – making them among the most persuasive mobile solutions on the market today.
To learn more about developing with Nuance’s voice technology, visit our NDEV Mobile developer program page. To learn more about the Dragon Mobile Apps family, visit www.NuanceMobileLife.com.
About PlaySay Inc.
PlaySay is an iPhone game that connects language learners so they can have real conversations with pronunciation feedback. PlaySay is a 2011 TechCrunch Disrupt Finalist backed by the most active VC's in the education space of the USA (Novak Biddle Venture Partners). PlaySay has closed premium content deals with the one of the largest publishers of language learning books and materials (McGraw-Hill) along with the largest foreign language learning dictionary publisher of the world (HarperCollins). For more information, please visit http://playsay.com.
About Nuance Communications, Inc.
Nuance Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN) is a leading provider of voice and language solutions for businesses and consumers around the world. Its technologies, applications and services make the user experience more compelling by transforming the way people interact with devices and systems. Every day, millions of users and thousands of businesses experience Nuance’s proven applications. For more information, please visit www.nuance.com.
Nuance, Dragon, and the Nuance logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nuance Communications, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States of America and/or other countries. All other company names or product names may be the trademarks of their respective owners.