e.Digital Corporation (fka EDIG)

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LifeFX puts a digital face on the Internet


Michael Bartlett / NB



CALIFORNIA, 25 Jan: "Rachel" talks, smiles, winks, pouts and can read from a script, but she is not an actress. She is a digital stand-in created by LifeFX to put a face on e-mail or websites.

At this week's Upside Events Showcase, LifeFX announced a licensing agreement with IBM Corp under which Big Blue's ViaVoice text-to-speech engine will embedded in LifeFX's player software.

Mr Steve Ardire, senior vice-president of business development and sales for LifeFX, said people who want to add a new element to their e-mail, or companies that would like a face to greet visitors to their website, can download the player from the LifeFX site for free.

"For those who are familiar with Flash, we call our player Flash with flesh," Mr Ardire said. "It brings a degree of humanity to the Web."

LifeFX has six stand-ins available today that will read outgoing or incoming e-mail messages through a computer-synthesized voice, Ardire said. LifeFX calls the result "Facemail." In spring 2001, the company will enable people to record their own voice and have the stand-in speak for them, Mr Ardire said.

"In the first quarter of 2002, we will have a LifeFX service bureau. People can send us one photo of themselves, eyes open, facing the camera, and we will create a stand-in with their face that will be able to display a wide variety of expressions," he declared.

Ardire said people could create "living memories" with their face and voice for future generations to remember how "grandma and grandpa" met. He said the technology also has business potential, as companies can create virtual customer care representatives and Web guides.

"We are trying to make the Internet more personal. Stand-ins are lifelike, dynamic online personalities that create emotional bonds with users," he said. "Fifty percent of communication is non-verbal, and most of that is by use of expressions. We think stand-ins that talk and show emotions will help companies build customer retention and loyalty."

Ardire emphasized that the stand-ins are digital renderings, not video clips. "Video is passive. The stand-ins are interactive. They will read a script or a chat session and will display whatever emotion they are told." More information on LifeFX is available on the Web at http://www.lifefx.com .