Sybase iAnywhere Brings Natural Language Interfaces To Telematics And Embedded Devices

Sybase iAnywhere today announced it is enhancing its presence in the telematics and embedded devices markets by enabling embedded applications to provide intelligent user interfaces and context aware user interactions. Extending the company's Answers Anywhere™ technology, Sybase iAnywhere now offers a natural language engine that targets the memory constrained world of embedded devices.


The new Answers Anywhere functionality enables developers to improve the user experience of resource constrained devices which otherwise would have limited user interface capabilities. Interacting in a natural, free-form and context sensitive way will generate a higher degree of satisfaction, reduce training requirements, and result in a higher task completion rate for users. For example, an automotive telematics product would allow users to ask for information or control applications in their own words to easily access directions, weather, yellow page content or control functionality such as air conditioning or entertainment systems.

"Traditionally when using embedded applications, for example embedded speech recognition, users have to comply with the systems interface restrictions," said Babak Hodjat, senior director of engineering, Sybase iAnywhere. "Applying embedded capabilities to our natural language engine takes that burden off of the user, enabling a free-form context–aware dialog. Now, instead of following tedious voice menus to obtain traffic information from the in-car telematics system, a user can simply say 'I'm going to Comerica Park. Any traffic problems?'"

"We're excited about the new possibilities that Sybase iAnywhere brings to the development and deployment of embedded devices," said Naoki Hashimoto, senior manager, Software Development Group, at the Japan-based NEC Infrontia Corporation. "A natural language engine for embedded environments will enable developers to create applications with superior user interfaces, which in turn will deliver a greatly improved customer experience."

New Answers Anywhere functionality for telematics and embedded devices includes:

• A Java-based, graphics-oriented development tool for generating an agent network model of the natural language application,


• Automatic C++ code generator optimized for size and performance in embedded applications,


• Support for embedded systems running Windows CE or the QNX operating systems, and


• Adaptive, agent-oriented software architecture incorporating 22 natural language patents.

The new Answers Anywhere capabilities designed for telematics and embedded devices is available in June, 2007. To sign up for a Webcast demonstration of the new version on Tuesday, June 5 at 8 A.M. PT/11 A.M. ET, please register at: http://www.ianywhere.com/answersanywhere/webcast. To learn more about Answers Anywhere please call 1-800-801-2069 or visit: http://www.ianywhere.com/embeddedanswersanywhere

About Sybase iAnywhere

Sybase iAnywhere enables success at the front lines of business. The company holds worldwide market leadership positions in mobile and embedded databases, mobile management and security, mobile middleware and synchronization, and Bluetooth® and infrared protocol technologies. Tens of millions of mobile devices and over 20,000 customers and partners rely on the company's "Always Available" technologies, including SQL Anywhere and its Information Anywhere suite. iAnywhere is a subsidiary of Sybase, Inc. (NYSE:SY).