Eight Leading Online Education Companies License HearMe’s eLearning VoIP and Interactivity Solutions to Enhance Virtual Classroom Experience
Mountain View, CA (August 9, 2000) — HearMe (Nasdaq:
HEAR), a proven leader in providing advanced, real-time voice communication
technologies today announced it has licensed its voice over IP (VoIP)
solutions and real-time multiuser application servers to eight leading
corporate learning and online education companies. HearMe customers
in the high-growth elearning space include Educata, eInstruction,
Englishtown.com, EpicLearning, HorizonLive, Learnability, Inc.,
Tutor.com and WiredCollege.com.
This “next generation” form of online learning uses HearMe™
technology in live voice or real-time application services to allow
students to join discussions directly through their Internet-connected
PC or from any standard telephone, saving the student considerable
time and money compared to attending class in person or via conference
call. In addition, HearMe’s solution allows corporate education
departments or online institutions to significantly reduce costs
by allowing employees or students to be trained locally, through
centralized online instruction. HearMe customers can add this functionality
by working with HearMe’s elearning voice solution or HearMe’s real-time
multiuser application server, POP.X™.
Adding HearMe’s technology solutions to an existing virtual classroom
deepens the level of interaction among teachers, tutors and students.
For example, elearning offers a variety of flexible opportunities
to fit continuing education into a busy schedule, whether it’s mandatory
continuing education for certification—or just keeping up with
the latest developments for personal growth. Elearning allows students
to enroll in instructor-led courses, take tests, access educational
resources and discuss classroom topics with other students in open
and hosted discussion sessions.
“HearMe’s voice solution addresses several of the key issues confronting
a large portion of our target audience,” said Educata CEO, Keith
Edwards. “Adding live voice increases student/instructor interaction,
enables the ability to ask questions in real-time, and offers a
more rewarding classroom environment. We’re always looking for technology
that is easy to deploy, enhances the learning experience, and makes
it as convenient, inexpensive and simple as possible for our students
to use.”
“By enabling students and trainees to fully interact with the
presenter via two-way live voice, HearMe makes HorizonLive software’s
the most robust tool available for live on-demand learning,” said
HorizonLive CEO, Bob Clyatt. “Important messages and ideas can now
be flawlessly communicated on the Internet.”
“HearMe’s technology has enabled our students to participate in
classes either by talking through their PC or by using a regular
phone connection if they do not have a access to a microphone/headset-enabled
computer,” said Robert Ramers, CEO, Learnability, Inc. “We can also
quickly schedule live classes over the Internet without having to
provide extensive tech support for sound set up beforehand. We expect
the use of this technology to save us hundreds of thousands of dollars
a year in conference call charges.”
“Tutor.com needed an interactive, online application that we could
deploy quickly and easily,” said David Berger, CTO of Tutor.com.
“HearMe’s POP.X real-time multiuser application server provided
us with a scalable solution that improved our time to market.”
“Real-time live voice is a natural next step for the emerging
elearning market,” said Frank Chu, senior vice president and general
manager, HearMe Business Products Group. “Our technology enables
students and teachers to connect via the PC or phone in a virtual
classroom which is more convenient and less expensive for students
and instructors to access these classrooms from a variety of areas.”
Depending on an organization’s implementation of HearMe’s live
voice and/or real-time application server technology, students,
teachers and tutors can interact using a “virtual classroom” which
allows them to talk, write, draw, collaborate, and interact as though
they are sitting side-by-side in the same room. Using instant text
and voice communication technology facilitates a contextual interchange
among all parties present. Features can include tiered user participation
(moderator, panelist and participant), the ability to send text
questions, questions screening, an auditorium environment, the ability
to record/playback classes and full duplex (simultaneous two-way)
sound.
HearMe eLearning Customers
- Educata: Educata has licensed HearMe’s VoiceNETWORK solution
and will and will integrate the technology to provide a voice
interface between the students themselves and the teachers, in
a virtual classroom environment. www.educata.com
- Englishtown.com: Englishtown has licensed HearMe’s POP.X solution
and will integrate the technology to create interactive applications.
www.englishtown.com
- eInstruction: eInstruction has licensed HearMe’s VoiceNETWORK
solution and will integrate the technology to support distance
learning classes through the CyberClass platform. www.einstruction.com
- EpicLearning: EpicLearning has licensed HearMe’s VoiceNETWORK
solution and will integrate the technology to provide a voice
interface between the students themselves and the teachers, in
a virtual classroom environment. www.epiclearning.com
- HorizonLive: HorizonLive has licensed HearMe’s VoiceNETWORK
solution and will integrate the technology with their collaborative
application for elearning. www.horizonlive.com
- Learnability, Inc: Learnability has licensed HearMe’s VoiceNETWORK
solution and will integrate the technology to connect students
and instructors in live elearning classes. www.learnability.com.
- Tutor.com: Tutor.com has licensed HearMe’s POP.X and VoiceSERVER
solutions as an addition to its online classroom. Tutor.com offers
tutors the opportunity to teach in the tutor.com online classroom
from any setting, on any subject, at any time. Students select
tutors by multiple criteria including subject and hourly fee as
well as teaching philosophies, academic and teaching qualifications
and reviews from previous students. www.tutor.com
- Wired College Network: The Wired College Network has licensed
HearMe’s VoiceNETWORK solution and will integrate the technology
to create content delivery software in which they encourage colleges
and universities to use their collaborative tools for their elearning
environment. www.wiredcollege.com.
HearMe elearning customers include:
About HearMe Products and Technology
To take advantage of HearMe technologies, customers can either “rent”
or “buy” real-time voice capabilities based on their level of technology
expertise and desired level of application control. Customers, who
want to quickly enable their Web application without the responsibility
of managing the voice component, can implement voice applications
hosted by HearMe on its VoiceNETWORK™. VoiceNETWORK transparently
serves voice traffic to a customer’s application, allowing businesses
to focus on the “front-end” customer experience.
Customers, who would like complete control over their voice-enabled
application, can build and host their own voice services with HearMe
VoiceSERVER™. VoiceSERVER makes it easy for organizations to
develop, deploy and host voice applications that are scalable and
tightly integrated with “back-end” applications such as customer
databases and ad servers.
HearMe POP.X™ is the premiere real-time multiuser application
server for scalable user interactivity. With the POP.X real-time
multiuser application server, developers of highly interactive applications
can bring new products to market faster, deploy them seamlessly,
and operate them cost effectively. Java, C++, Flash and Shockwave
applications running on HearMe POP.X:
- Are able to scale to millions of users
- Are compatible and easily integrated with a broad array of high-end
databases
- Can be administered and monitored with POP.X
About HearMe
HearMe is revolutionizing voice communication on the Internet by
providing real-time voice capabilities to all businesses and consumers,
across the communication spectrum — from phone to Web to wireless.
A proven leader in the voice over IP market, the Company develops,
operates and licenses advanced technology that leverages the familiarity
of the telephone and the power of the Internet to deliver next-generation
voice communication. HearMe technologies are enhancing a wide range
of vertical market segments including telecommunications, e-commerce/
customer support, business-to-business conferencing, elearning,
Web events and consumer communities. Companies working with HearMe
technology include Macromedia, Evoke, Ask Jeeves, LivePerson, Asiacontent.com,
MTV Online Networks, StarMedia Network, GTECH Corporation, Creative
Technologies and Sony Online Entertainment. Founded in early 1995
as Mpath Interactive, Inc., HearMe is located in Mountain View,
Calif., and can be found on the Internet at www.hearme.com
or reached at 650/429-3900.
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters
discussed in this news release are forward-looking statements that
involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results
to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements.
Potential risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, changing
legislation and government regulation, HearMe’s dependence on its
ability to significantly increase its user base, user minutes, advertising
revenue and revenue from HearMe Technology Products customers; to
launch new products, to maintain and develop strategic relationships
with media, Internet and technology companies; to recruit engineering
and sales staff, to successfully integrate newly acquired companies
and to compete effectively. These and other risk factors are described
in detail in the Company’s Annual Report on form 10-K for the period
ended December 31, 1999, the Company’s form 10-Q for the period
ended March 31, 2000, and in HearMe’s other filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission.
Note to Editors: HearMe is a trademark of HearMe. All other product
or service names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective
owners.
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Contact:
Press Relations
(650) 429-3610
