IBM and VoiceBox Technologies Extend Hands-Free Technology to Allow Drivers to Talk to Their XM Satellite Radios and Mobile Phones

XM Satellite Radio is going hands-free thanks to IBM and VoiceBoxTechnologies, Inc., allowing drivers to talk to their radio - and itwill respond.

IBM and VoiceBox today announced that VoiceBox will integrateIBM's speech recognition engine, IBM Embedded ViaVoice into itsVoiceBox Navigator(TM), the world's first conversational voice searchplatform.

VoiceBox enables users to search and navigate information usingconversational free form speech. VoiceBox then creates and executesintelligent searches by determining the intent of the user based onthe context of the request. Whether users are searching for music andentertainment, asking for driving directions or making a phone call,VoiceBox and IBM's combined technology will enable users to navigateand control information from mobile devices, accurately andintuitively with conversational dialogue.

The first user of the VoiceBox platform with IBM Embedded ViaVoiceis XM Satellite Radio, which offers 160 digital entertainment channelsof commercial-free music and premier sports, news, talk andentertainment. The new application allows drivers to search andcontrol XM channels, raise and lower the volume or ask for trafficreports, stock quotes, sports and weather by simply talking to theirXM radio.

"VoiceBox chose IBM Embedded ViaVoice as its source for voicetechnology because of its proven quality and high performance onembedded platforms used in real world environments," said MikeKennewick, chairman and CEO of VoiceBox technologies. "The combinationof VoiceBox's conversational voice-search capability and IBM'sEmbedded ViaVoice telematics offering will provide consumers ofproducts such as XM Satellite Radio with an unprecedented userexperience. This type of experience is necessary to foster widespreadadoption of speech driven applications."

"We're leveraging IBM's leading voice-enabled telematicstechnology in additional markets including consumer electronics andservice provider solutions, enterprise solutions, and set topbox/digital media solutions," said Jim Holland, Product Line ManagerEmbedded Speech, IBM Software Group. "IBM has an industry leadingquality track record and we work closely with our customers tointegrate our technology into their solutions. We view VoiceBox'sselection of IBM Embedded ViaVoice for the XM Satellite Radio solutionto be an excellent example of what can be done when the technologyfrom the right companies are combined to bring innovative solutions tothe market."

The technology is expected to be made available to automakers andthe aftermarket later this year. (All statements regarding futuredirection or intent are subject to change or withdraw without notice,and represent goals and objectives only.)

Johnson Controls and VoiceBox Enter Agreement

In addition, Johnson Controls, Inc., (NYSE: JCI) and VoiceBoxrecently entered a multiyear deal to provide VoiceBox Navigator'sconversational voice search and retrieval features using IBM EmbeddedViaVoice on Johnson Controls' BlueConnect(R) wireless mobile devicegateway to the automotive market. The telematics voice searchcapabilities include Bluetooth(R) hands-free dialing and in-vehiclemusic navigation.

"VoiceBox's voice search capabilities will enable our customers tooptimize the use of Johnson Controls' BlueConnect technology byoffering a more intuitive user interface," said Jim Geschke, vicepresident and general manager of electronics, North America forJohnson Controls. "We selected VoiceBox after extensive testingbecause of its distinct, accurate and reliable voice user interfaceplatform that allows users to speak in a natural informal way whenoperating in-vehicle devices such as navigation and music management,particularly in noisy car cabin environments."

The companies' telematics offering will leverage technologieswithin IBM Embedded ViaVoice and VoiceBox's Navigator Platform. IBMEmbedded ViaVoice provides highly accurate and reliable speechrecognition, while VoiceBox enables conversational search andnavigation of media and other digital content from devices used in thecar, home or mobile phone. VoiceBox Navigator is based on itsKnowledge Enhanced Search and Speech Recognition algorithms that aredesigned to determine context and intent from conversational speechand its voice search engine that dynamically creates and executescontext driven searches.

About IBM Corporation

IBM is the world's largest information technology company with 80years of leadership in helping businesses innovate. Drawing onresources from across IBM and key business partners, IBM offers a widerange of services, solutions and technologies that enable companies totake full advantage of the on demand era. Please visit www.ibm.com onthe World Wide Web.

About VoiceBox Technologies

VoiceBox Technologies offers the world's first conversationalvoice search platform, called the VoiceBox Navigator Platform,enabling breakthrough conversational search and navigation of digitalcontent from any mobile device from any IP network. A keydifferentiator for VoiceBox's Navigator Platform is that itconsistently achieves a remarkable level of task completion searchingacross multiple content domains through its Knowledge Enhanced Searchand Speech Recognition (KESSR) algorithms, which determine the contextand intention behind the words spoken by the user. Intelligentqueries and searches are then dynamically executed by a voice searchengine based on such context and user intent. The VoiceBox NavigatorPlatform runs on various embedded, desktop and server systems forapplication such as music and media, navigation and drivingdirections, directory and hands-free dialing, and control over digitaldevices. VoiceBox, headquartered in Kirkland, Wash., develops andsells rich conversational language and voice search applications forthe automotive, digital home, mobile phone and VOIP markets. Moreinformation is available through the Web site found athttp://www.voicebox.com.

About XM Satellite Radio

XM Satellite Radio is America's number one satellite radio servicewith more than six million subscribers. Broadcasting live daily fromstudios in Washington, DC, New York City, Nashville, Toronto, andMontreal, XM offers 160 digital channels of choice from coast tocoast: the most commercial-free music, premier sports, talk, comedy,children's and entertainment programming; and the most advancedtraffic and weather information.

XM, the leader in satellite-delivered entertainment and dataservices for the automobile market through partnerships with GeneralMotors, Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, Nissan, Porsche, and Volkswagen/Audi,is available in more than 130 different vehicle models for 2006. XM'sindustry-leading products are available at consumer electronicsretailers nationwide. For more information about XM hardware,programming and partnerships, please visit http://www.xmradio.com.

About Johnson Controls

Johnson Controls is a global leader in interior experience,building efficiency and power solutions. The company providesinnovative automotive interiors that help make driving morecomfortable, safe and enjoyable. For buildings, it offers products andservices that optimize energy use and improve comfort and security.Johnson Controls also provides batteries for automobiles and hybridelectric vehicles, along with systems engineering and serviceexpertise. Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI) has 136,000 employees in morethan 1,000 locations serving customers in 125 countries. Founded in1885, the company is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Foradditional information, please visit www.johnsoncontrols.com.