The next generation virtual assistant is here, and his name is Webley. The most advanced personal communications system ever designed -- incorporating voice activation, speech and text recognition, telephone as well as Internet access, and an ever expanding array of time and money saving features -- is being unveiled by Webley Systems, Inc.

As if HAL had bolted from the sci fi world of 2001: A Space Odyssey to take control of your communications life, Webley has been created from the synergistic worlds of telephony and Internet to make, take, screen, hold and forward your calls. To page you, find you, follow you or honor your wishes not to be disturbed, Webley efficiently accepts and delivers all your messages via voice mail, e-mail, fax, and pager on the phone or on the Web, providing you with a personal 800/888 number, plus access to a secure Web site to manage your data. Webley delivers voice mail via streaming audio anywhere on the Internet with virtually no delays using pure Java - no plug in is required, just any Java enabled browser (Netscape 3.0 or MS Explorer 3.0 or higher). Also, it allows users to listen to their e-mail over the phone, reply to it and send email to their contacts with audio (using audio attachments) and send email on to your contacts.

"In essence,Webley masters today's communications quagmire. It packages a whole realm of time-saving/money-saving features", says company chairman and CEO James Whiteley.

Webley bundles messages, talks to you, listens to you, and acts as your personal administrative assistant. And does it all for only $14.95 a month plus 14.9c per minute for 800# calls to or from anywhere in the country.

Webley will be marketing its services primarily through its Web site at http://www.webley.com, which features Java-enabled audio demonstrations of its features. An audio demonstration of Webley is also available by dialing toll free at 888-4WEBLEY.

Webley, which may soon be offered by select Internet and long-distance service providers and telephone and cellular VARs, is designed for active individuals and businesses for whom the telephone is a vital business tool, according to Alex Sarelas, Webley Systems president and chief operating officer. As a celebrated developer of the Bank On-Line and Pay On-Line services now offered by Microsoft and Intuit, Sarelas joined Whiteley and company vice presidents Alex Kurganov and James Hall in the development and design of Webley.

"Webley simplifies communications efforts by ensuring that every call reaches you through one source; every message is delivered to you through that same source -- regardless of how the message was transmitted (fax, e-mail, voice mail, pager). With Webley, every call you make is effortless, efficient, and automatically documented on your Web page," Sarelas said.

"Whether you are a corporate executive, or salesperson on the fly, an entrepreneur working from home or a doctor or lawyer on the go, Webley frees you from communications worries, allowing you to focus on business," said Whiteley, whose prior achievements include Dytel Corp. (pioneer in the manufacture of premise-based call processing equipment) and Vail Systems, Inc. (a multi-million-dollar telephony company which, among other things, is largely responsible for Webley's concept and technology). "Let Webley handle all of your incoming and outgoing calls and even arrange conference calls up to as many as 32 parties from any phone in the world," he added.

Webley is housed on sophisticated computers in Chicago and Deerfield, IL. "The redundant facilities ensure a fault tolerant system by relying on two different power grids connected on an MFS loop that will deliver a signal to the surviving facility if one goes down," explained Sarelas.

The unique system was engineered with state-of-the-art technology that permits subscribers to access Webley either on the phone or from a secure Web page interface, where you may also access any and all messages (including voice mail), review your up-to-the minute call records and billing information, and amend your telephone listings, contact numbers and service preferences. All of these services also may be accomplished on the telephone. Plus, Webley provides the option of using your telephone keypad to rapidly input commands.

The heart of Webley's character is his intuitive speech-recognition capability, requiring no training, and his ability to speak clearly and intelligently--with a British accent, no less -- to companies and its callers.

Sarelas acknowledged that Webley is not meant for everyone, "but it is an ideal and powerful tool for those who live and die by the phone. It's like hiring a conscientious, dependable assistant for $14.95. Even home-based businesses can afford that."

Webley is able to charge so little and offer so much, Sarelas explained, "because the Webley System has been created on the open environment of the Internet with standard telephony hardware and software. Unlike other systems that have tried to launch a costly voice-activated product, we did not have to reinvent the wheel. We used Vail Systems - our sister company - as our launching platform, integrating 14 core technologies and services that allow speech recognition databases to interact with the Internet and advanced telephony. We operate our own open computer telephony system with no traditional switches. The platform is 1/30 the cost of any other equipment in existence. We have achieved the availability to run tens of thousands of speech enabling ports for a very modest price. The result is an affordable personal communications assistant named Webley".

"Webley is the most ambitious effort to date to unify the telephone and the Internet to provide consumers with an all-inclusive, efficient, easy-to-use and affordable communications manager," Sarelas asserted. "And we will constantly enhance the quality and array of services to meet the demands of our customers."

Four core partners have contributed greatly to the development of the Webley System:

Pure Speech, Inc. is the company responsible for the sophisticated speech recognition platform. Pure Speech is a Cambridge, MA-based company that is a leader in the implementation of innovative, robust advanced speech recognition for high volume computer telephony markets.

Pure Speech is a member of Dialogic Corporation's Signal Computing System Architecture (SCSA) and has been responsible for developing the advanced software required for Webley's intuitive speech recognition.

Vail Systems, Inc. is a Chicago-based, Internet Enhanced telephony company responsible for the overall design, system integration and development of both the concept and the technology behind Webley Systems. Vail is a multi-million dollar company serving the Fortune 500 including Allstate Motor Club, Allstate Insurance, Intuit and Webley Systems.

Dialogic Corporation is responsible for the hardware in the Webley System. Dialogic is the leading manufacturer of high-performance, standards-based computer telephony (CT) components. Dialogic products are used for voice, fax, data, voice recognition, speech synthesis and call center management CT applications. The company is headquartered in Parsippany, NJ, with regional headquarters in Tokyo and Brussels, and has sales offices worldwide.

Vosaic, Inc. is the company responsible for the elegant, state-of-the-art Internet audio program for Webley.