QUALCOMM Inc.’s next release of its
popular e-mail software is set to integrate real-time voice communications
with text, at the click of a send button.
Voice technology firm HearMe and
QUALCOMM Tuesday struck a deal to integrate HearMe’s
voice technology into the next release of its Eudora
e-mail software.
As a result of the agreement, Eudora users will have direct free access to
live voice services through a co-branded version of HearMe’s VoiceCONTACT
software.
Eudora users will be able to initiate live voice and text communications
sessions by simply sending an e-mail invitation to move to voice. The
agreement with HearMe is a first step in QUALCOMM’s strategy to provide
e-mail centric collaborative services for Eudora users.
Jeffrey Belk, QUALCOMM Eudora Products senior vice president and general
manager, said its partnership with HearMe means Eudora will be able to
provide the personal forms of online communications from a single e-mail
interface.
“VoiceCONTACT is a great complement to our e-mail solutions because it
naturally and intuitively combines the power of e-mail with live voice
communications,” Belk said.
Frank Chu, HearMe senior vice president and general manager said by making
VoiceCONTACT a key part of its Eudora software offering, QUALCOMM is
clearly signaling its intentions for providing its customers with
compelling integrated communications.
“QUALCOMM’s adoption of VoiceCONTACT for Eudora represents a logical leap
forward in expanding the reach and ease of use of e-mail communications to
encompass a live voice component,” Chu said.
As a result of the deal, QUALCOMM raises the bar for unifying e-mail
services with online voice interaction.
HearMe’s Web communication capability is based on voice over Internet
protocol technology. The California-based firm operates and licenses
advanced VoIP technology that leverages the familiarity of phone services
with the power of the Internet to deliver next-generation voice communications.
QUALCOMM’s Eudora e-mail software offers three user-selectable modes,
including an advertising-supported service that provides a full-featured
version of the program for free.
QUALCOMM confirmed that the HearMe voice feature would be available to the
public on Eudora’s next upgrade, which is due out in the next 60 days.
