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Kurzweil Applied Intelligence Introduces Kurzweil VOICE for Windows Release 2.5

Significant price reduction introduces mainstream PC users to the benefits of award-winning voice recognition software; personal and professional editions now available

December 3, 1996, 8:39 AM EST

Kurzweil Applied Intelligence, Inc. (NASDAQ: KURZ) set a new standard today for price/performance in the rapidly emerging voice recognition software market by introducing Kurzweil VOICE for Windows Release 2.5, the latest release of its award-winning voice recognition system for Windows 95 and Windows 3.1x.

Available in both a Personal Edition and a Professional Edition, Kurzweil VOICE for Windows Release 2.5 now enables users to purchase a voice recognition solution designed to meet their individual needs.

Kurzweil VOICE Release 2.5 (Personal Edition), which includes a 30,000 word active vocabulary, has a suggested retail price of $295.00. This dramatic new price reduction means that, for the first time, the street price for large vocabulary voice recognition software will be well within the price range of the suites of applications, such as Microsoft Office, Corel Office and Lotus SmartSuite, that it voice-enables. Kurzweil VOICE Release 2.5 (Personal Edition) is designed for use in any general business environment.

Kurzweil VOICE Release 2.5 (Professional Edition), the 60,000 word active vocabulary version of the product, has a suggested retail price of $595.00. It is appropriate for business people and other professionals with extensive and/or highly specialized vocabulary requirements.

Both versions of Kurzweil VOICE have on-line knowledge, including acoustic recognition models, and spellings for a total of 200,000 words.

Kurzweil VOICE Release 2.5 enables PC users to combine voice input with the keyboard and mouse to create an easy and natural approach to PC computing. Release 2.5 supports voice input for navigation, which drives the Windows operating system and Windows-based applications on a command and control basis, as well as dictation, which enables users to create text and enter data simply by speaking into a microphone attached to their PCs.

"With the introduction of Kurzweil VOICE for Windows Release 2.5 (Personal Edition), Kurzweil AI has once again set the standard for delivering superior voice recognition performance at a mainstream business software price," said Mark D. Flanagan, executive vice president of Kurzweil AI and general manager of the Company's PC Applications Group. "And, for individuals whose specialties have unique or extensive vocabularies, we are now offering the Professional Edition."

Release 2.5
Like the previous versions of Kurzweil VOICE for Windows, Release 2.5 improves user productivity through outstanding recognition accuracy and throughput, and the seamless integration of its navigation and dictation capabilities into the Windows operating system and leading Windows-based applications.

Kurzweil VOICE for Windows Release 2.5 combines Kurzweil AI's latest large vocabulary discrete speech recognition technology with its continuous digit recognizer, which allows the user to rapidly and efficiently enter numeric data. Kurzweil VOICE Release 2.5 is speaker-independent, meaning it can be used immediately upon installation, without the need for any training or customization. Initial "out-of-the-box" accuracy of Kurzweil VOICE Release 2.5 can be 90 percent or higher. The product automatically adapts to the user's speech and language patterns over time, which can boost ongoing recognition accuracy to 97 percent or higher, with easy error correction.

In addition to the significant price/performance benefits of the Personal and Professional Editions, Kurzweil VOICE for Windows Release 2.5 includes important enhancements in ease-of-use, such as:

Point & Fix Editing Capabilities: With Release 2.5, users no longer need to keep their eyes fixed to the screen, or make corrections as they dictate. This new robust editing capability allows users to generate a lengthy document in Microsoft Word 6.0 and 7.0 and Corel WordPerfect 7.0, go to any location in that document, and then dictate their changes. Users can now concentrate on text creation, leaving the editing to a final stage. "Point & Fix" editing is an easy-to-use, flexible solution that will increase dictation throughput by significantly reducing dictation interrupts.
Enhanced Command Learning: This new feature makes it easy for users to voice-enable additional Windows applications beyond those currently supported by Kurzweil VOICE. Release 2.5 automatically learns the commands for these new applications without any training by the user. This dynamic facility can also be used to create voice macros' that enable users to accelerate everyday tasks, making their PCs easier-to-use.
Enhanced Application Integration & Support: Release 2.5 includes many new commands that will make users more productive and efficient when working with spreadsheets and word processors. Also, Netscape Navigator and QualComm's Eudora have been added to the extensive list of leading Windows applications that Kurzweil VOICE supports with built-in commands
New Child Profile: The addition of three new speaker-independent profiles to Kurzweil VOICE ensures that any individual under 17 years of age will experience a high level of recognition performance. Now more people than ever before can experience the great "out-of-the-box" accuracy of Kurzweil VOICE.
MMX technology: Kurzweil VOICE Release 2.5 now supports MMX technology, and takes advantage of new enhancements to the Intel architecture to deliver superior performance. Users with MMX-enabled Pentium PCs can expect improved accuracy and faster throughput.

System Requirements
The minimum system requirements for Kurzweil VOICE for Windows Release 2.5 include: a 486 DX4/75 microprocessor or higher for Windows 3.1x (running in enhanced mode); a Pentium microprocessor is required for Windows 95 (Release 2.5 will take advantage of the additional processing power of faster PCs to boost accuracy and throughput); 8MB of dedicated RAM for the Personal Edition (30,000 word active vocabulary) and 16 MB of dedicated RAM for the Professional Edition (60,000 word active vocabulary). RAM dedicated to Kurzweil VOICE is in addition to the RAM required for the operating system and applications; 35 MB of dedicated hard disk space; a 16-bit sound board from Creative Labs or some other Windows-compatible, 16-bit sound board; VGA or higher resolution video adapter; and, Windows 95 or Windows 3.1x (running in enhanced mode). In addition, Kurzweil VOICE Release 2.5 ships with the high performance, noise-canceling Andrea NC-50 microphone.

Pricing, Support Programs And Availability
The suggested retail price of Kurzweil VOICE for Windows Release 2.5 (Personal Edition), which includes software, documentation and the Andrea NC-50 microphone, is $295.00. The suggested retail price of Kurzweil VOICE for Windows Release 2.5 (Professional Edition) is $595.00. A wide range of upgrade options are available to registered users of both Kurzweil VOICE and Kurzweil VoicePad Pro, Kurzweil AI's voice-enabled word processing application which is available for a suggested retail price of $79.95. Kurzweil AI offers 90-day, toll-free support for Release 2.5, with a variety of options available to the user beyond this initial period.

Kurzweil VOICE Release 2.5 will begin shipping during the week of December 9, 1996, and be available through a network of Authorized Business Partners as well as leading national resellers. Interested parties can call 1-800-380-1234 for more information; or they can visit Kurzweil AI's web site (http://www.kurzweil.com)

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release are forward looking statements. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors such as the availability and market acceptance of new products and product reliability, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Kurzweil Applied Intelligence, Inc. to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. For further information, refer to the risk factors detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Kurzweil Applied Intelligence, Inc., headquartered in Waltham, Mass., was founded in 1982. The Company develops, markets and supports automated speech recognition software used to create documents and interact with computers by voice. Kurzweil VOICE is an easy-to-use voice recognition system for Windows-based PCs, and Kurzweil VoicePad Pro for Windows is a voice-enabled word processing application. The Company's medical reporting systems, VoiceMED and Kurzweil Clinical Reporter, are used in over 500 healthcare institutions nationwide.

For Kurzweil AI's investor relations inquiries, contact us by e-mail (ir@kurzweil.com) or by calling 617-893-5151.

All product names and trademarks registered herein are trademarks of their respective companies.

A version of Kurzweil VoicePad for Windows, Kurzweil AI's voice-enabled word processing application, can be downloaded from the Company's web site for use during a brief evaluation period.