Home Financial Network Introduces Speech Recognition and Touch Screen
Functionality for Home ATM(R)
(PR Newswire; 05/14/98)
ATLANTA, May 14 /PRNewswire/ Home Financial Network, Inc. (HFN), the
leading developer of private-branded Internet banking software for the
middle/mass market, today announced two innovations in home banking: the
incorporation of speech recognition and touch screen technologies in its Home
ATM(R) software. The announcement was made at the Faulkner & Gray Home Banking
Forum in Atlanta, Georgia.
The inclusion of speech recognition and touch screen technologies for Home
ATM enables HFN's bank partners to serve those consumers who find the
traditional methods of interfacing with a computer namely via keyboard or
mouse simply too difficult or too imposing. In particular, by providing
voice and touch screen navigation, banks can serve those constituencies that
arguably have the greatest need for home banking: the elderly and those with
physical limitations.
"By using the human voice to replace all keyboard and mouse commands,
millions of consumers who value the benefits of financial automation, but have
been unwilling or unable to achieve the benefits through conventional means,
can now do so with great ease and little or no training," said Daniel M.
Schley, chairman and CEO of Home Financial Network. "Touch screen technology
provides yet another simple and intuitive approach for dealing with technology.
Whether the consumer is elderly, physically limited, or technology-terrified,
the end result will be a further expansion in the number of consumers seeking
remote banking services from our partner banks."
Speech Recognition Technology
With the speech recognition-enhanced version of Home ATM, users are able to
perform all program navigation and execute all financial functions simply by
speaking into a microphone connected to the PC. Recent advances make speech
recognition technology fully capable of interpreting the basic command
structure of focused applications such as Home ATM, with little training and a
high degree of accuracy. Users are able to access their accounts and perform a
wide range of banking transactions with the same fluidity as if they were
speaking to a teller. When integrated into Home ATM Bill Pay, the same
technology will allow users to voice-select a payee and record the amount to be
paid simply by speaking.
Home ATM's speech recognition enhancement is being developed using the
Dragon NaturallySpeaking(TM) speech engine from Dragon Systems, Inc. and IBM's
Via Voice technology.
"Speech recognition makes home banking easier and faster for Home ATM's
customers because they can focus on the tasks at hand rather than the
interface. Home banking is an ideal application for speech recognition, with
obvious appeal to a broad market," said Roger Matus, Vice President of
Marketing for Dragon Systems, a leading provider of speech recognition
technology.
Touch Screen Technology
Home ATM with touch-screen technology enables users to navigate the program
and execute all banking and bill payment functions simply by touching the large
"ATM command buttons" on the screen. This version of the product is not only
quick to learn, but also exceptionally easy to use. To execute any program
command, it's simply point and smudge.
HFN's touch screen technology uses ELO IntelliTouch controllers, designed
for surface acoustic wave (SAW) touch screens. The company will soon add
AccuTouch controllers for touch screens that rely on capacitive and resistive
technology. Home ATM's large, on-screen buttons and simplified command
structure provide an ideal environment for touch screen usage.
Anticipated users for Home ATM with touch screen technology include
consumers who are either keyboard or mouse phobic and consumers with limited
physical dexterity. HFN is also developing a free-standing kiosk version of
Home ATM using 100% Pure Java and touch screen design. These kiosks will be
set up in bank lobbies and remote locations to provide consumers with direct
access to account information and enable them to perform a wide variety of
secure banking and bill pay transactions over the Internet.
About Home Financial Network, Inc. (http://www.homeatm.com)
Home Financial Network, Inc. develops and markets Internet-based home
banking software that enables financial institutions to deliver branded
electronic financial services to their mass market customers. The company's
products, which include Home ATM Banking and Home ATM Bill Pay, are written in
C++ and 100% Pure Java. They are designed to communicate over the Internet or
over secure private networks, and are compliant with each of the leading home
banking protocols, including OFX and Gold. Each of the company's home banking
products are Y2K compliant.
For more information, contact: Ann Marie Lochner, Lochner & Hawk at 908-
852-3656; or Tom Dittrich, Home Financial Network at 203-341-7403
Home ATM is a registered trade of Home Financial Network, Inc. Dragon
NaturallySpeaking is a trademark of Dragon Systems, Inc. All other company and
product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective
companies with which they are associated.
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