Yap Announces Release of iPhone SDK

Yap, developer of the world’s first fully automated speech-to-text hosted platform for communications service providers, today announced the availability of its Software Development Kit (SDK) for the speech-enablement of iPhone applications. The Yap SDK for the iPhone gives developers a simple interface to rapidly voice-enable existing mobile applications such as email, instant/text messaging, search, social networking, voicemail-to-text and others

Speech Recognition Software Hits Blackberry

SHAPE Services GmbH today announced the availability of a speech recognition feature in IM+, the mobile instant messenger. SHAPE has joined forces with Yap Inc., pioneer of the first fully automated voice-to-text platform, to add the first of its kind, thumbs-free message dictation feature to IM+ for BlackBerry(R) smartphones.

IM+ with speech recognition will allow users to dictate their instant messages and send them as text to their contacts in Facebook(R), AIM(R)/iChat, MSN(R)/Windows Live(TM) Messenger, Yahoo!(R), ICQ(R), Jabber(R), Google Talk(TM) and MySpaceIM. Recent studies indicate that over 70% of consumers prefer using voice to interact with their mobile devices rather than typing. Speech-enablement increases message creation speed and greatly improves the usability of instant messaging on mobile devices.

Yap Taps Caringo to Provide Content Storage Infrastructure for Next Generation Voice-to-Text Platform

Caringo, Inc. announced today that Yap Inc. has selected the company to provide the content storage infrastructure for Yap's next-generation mobile speech-to-text platform.
Yap will utilize Caringo's CAStor(TM) content storage software built on third-generation content addressable storage (CAS) technology to create a high-performance storage infrastructure with virtually unlimited scalability to support audio and text content derived from Yap's innovative Automatic Speech Recognition cluster. [click heading for more]

Mobile Startup Yap Secures $6.5 Million in Series A Funding

Yap Incorporated is pleased to announce that it has secured $6.5 million in Series A financing. Led by SunBridge Partners, the round also features participation by Harbert Venture Partners, Pittco Capital Partners, and existing individual investors. Yap will use the capital to fuel expansion of its business and accelerate its advanced research and development initiatives. As part of the round, partners from SunBridge and Harbert are joining Yap's Board of Directors, with Timothy Biltz continuing to serve as Chairman of the Board. "Yap is truly a leader in freeform speech recognition and driving innovation in the mobile user experience," said Paul Grim, General Partner at SunBridge Partners. "It is increasingly clear that the fastest, easiest, and safest way to interact with services on a mobile device is using your voice, and Yap makes this both possible and intuitive. We are excited to help them deliver on a vision in which carriers, device makers, and web portals are all able to provide an entirely new experience for their users." [click heading for more]