Speech-based search specialist Novauris has joined forces with mobile, performance-based advertising aggregator Traffic Gate to offer Tokyo commuters free, speech-enabled access to route maps, fares and schedules to support railway/subway route planning. The service is made possible for owners of the Apple iPhone or iPod touch in Japan who download a new application called “Koetan!”™ Tokyo Version.

Once they start the application they hold down a “press-to-talk” button and designate their route by saying “From [name of Train Station A] to [name of Train Station B]”. They can say the names of over 660 stations in the Tokyo prefecture. The application responds with list of the train lines that need to be taken, transfer points and fares. All of which can be displayed on a map. Using pre-installed maps on the iPhone, the application can also display routes by car and foot, in addition to train (very much like Google Maps in North America).

Koetan is Japanese for “voice search.” Indeed, all of the promotional information about the service is in Japanese, but this video illustrates how the application works. It makes use of Novauris’ flagship NovaSearch® speech recognition engine. The same technology supports a speech-enabled search of Verizon Wireless’ Get It Now (GIN) market for ringtones, MP3s and other digital content.

Traffic Gate is an interactive advertising network operated by Rakuten, Inc., which operates a leading Web-based retailer in Japan.

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Tags: mobile speech, iPhone