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Microsoft Extends Multilanguage Support for the Tablet PC

Posted on: Monday, 15 September 2003, 06:00 CDT

REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of extended language support to provide enhanced multilanguage functionality for the Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Tablet PC Edition. The Microsoft Tablet PC Multilingual User Interface & Recognizer Pack (MUIRP) allows users or administrators to switch user interface settings (e.g., menus, dialog boxes and help files) to multiple languages and allows installation of multiple handwriting and speech recognition languages on a single Tablet PC. This functionality greatly eases information technology (IT) administration in multilingual computing environments and considerably lowers the cost of desktop change and configuration management.

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MUIRP functionality is available as a preinstall option from Microsoft Tablet PC original equipment manufacturers or through Microsoft corporate licensing programs.

In response to consumer demand, Microsoft also announced a stand-alone release of the Tablet PC Recognizer Pack. The Recognizer Pack allows customers to increase the number of handwriting and voice recognition languages on their Tablet PCs.

The Tablet PC Recognizer Pack allows users who write and speak more than one language to install another language on their Tablet PC. For example, an individual who writes and speaks Chinese and Japanese can install Japanese handwriting and speech recognizers on a Chinese-language Tablet PC. With the Recognizer Pack installed, the Tablet PC would recognize handwritten Japanese and Chinese text as well as spoken Japanese and Chinese, and convert both to computer text. Both the MUIRP and the Tablet PC Recognizer Pack include an update to the soft keyboard in the Tablet Input Panel so that users can now select any Windows input language, which will correctly map the soft keyboard for information entry.

The Recognizer Pack includes handwriting recognizers for U.S. English, U.K. English, French, German, Iberian Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. Speech recognizers included are for U.S. English, U.K. English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. The Recognizer Pack will be available for Tablet PC users Sept. 15 through http://www.microsoft.com/tabletpc/ . The single installation provides the recognizer functionality for all supported languages.

"The Tablet PC MUIRP gives businesses a broad range of language options for deploying in multilingual environments," said Dustin Hubbard, lead program manager for the Tablet PC division at Microsoft, "whereas the Recognizer Pack will provide multilanguage voice and handwriting support for individual customers, providing greater flexibility to meet today's multilingual business and personal needs."

About the Tablet PC

Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition enables next-generation personal computers to be optimized for mobility, convenience, reduced weight and comfort. The Tablet PC operating system enables Windows-based applications to take advantage of various input modes, including keyboard, mouse, pen and voice. With software developed and optimized by Microsoft for the new platform, the link between the pen input process and a wide range of Windows-based applications will give users new ways to collaborate, communicate and bring their PCs to bear on new tasks. Its high-resolution display makes the Tablet PC ideal for immersive reading. More information on Windows XP Tablet PC edition is available at http://www.microsoft.com/tabletpc/ .

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software -- any time, any place and on any device.

NOTE: Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.