STEP Labs™ officially launches at CES in Las Vegas, announces first manufacturing partnerships

San Jose, California – January 14, 2008 – STEP Labs Inc. today launched its patented voice separation technology and unique professional acoustic design services for incorporation into wireless telecommunications and consumer electronic devices. By working with STEP Labs, manufacturers benefit from the best voice clarity on the market, better than all ‘noise elimination’ and ‘voice isolation’ alternatives.

STEP Labs, a venture-backed company based in San Jose, California, has developed technology, called StepWare, that improves the quality of voice signals, while ignoring all surrounding noise such as other voices, noisy nightclubs, machinery, engines, and wind. While StepWare™ has found its first application in the Bluetooth headset market, it is also essential for any application where a highquality voice signal is needed. StepWare improves the accuracy of speech recognition in any CE device – such as mobile devices, automobiles, computers, remote controls and more.

With soaring demand for reliable, functional speech recognition, the need for improved voice technologies is booming. STEP Labs provides the first step in voice recognition – allowing the voice recognition software to clearly ‘hear’ the voice signal.

“At STEP Labs, we believe that voice will be the primary way consumers interact with all of their devices in the near future,” said Robert F. Mitro, CEO of STEP Labs. “One of the things preventing consumer electronics from adequately leveraging voice is that a true voice signal was not available until now. StepWare ignores the noise and preserves the natural fidelity and intelligibility of the voice – for men and machines.”

The foundation of StepWare software relies on 11 patents relating to the behavior of sound wave propagation. StepWare uses a microphone array, instead of a single microphone, to recognize the shape of the voice signal coming from a specific location and discards any noise or voices not in the target listening zone.

“Step has attacked the voice clarity problem from an entirely new angle,” said Jack Reynolds, Product Management and Marketing Vice President for GoerTek, a leading supplier of microphones and speakers/receivers to mobile phone companies. “While other technologies focus on identifying and eliminating noise, STEP’s voice separation technology is based on research in sound propagation and time of arrival, which translates into clearer conversations for consumers using products enhanced by Step.”

Competing solutions use skin sensors, spectral separation, and other traditional noise cancelation technologies to remove the noise. But these solutions distort the voice and the clarity of speech, because they remove portions of the voice signal and throw it out with the noise – the proverbial baby with the bathwater. With no specific on/off switch, no need to touch your jaw, face, or throat, StepWare-enabled devices are easy to use and can be incorporated into any type of CE device, offering superior spectral fidelity and integrity of voice.

StepWare is customizable for use in any CE device where perfect voice signals are needed. Along with StepWare, which is now available for licensing to any CE manufacturer, our partners and customers also take advantage of STEP Labs’ comprehensive acoustic design services – from product concept through production and distribution.

Upon today’s launch of the company, STEP Labs already has already signed three leading headset manufacturers to bring their StepWare-enabled, cutting-edge devices to market. These retail Bluetooth headsets, identified by the Step OnBoard™ logo, are available now in the U.S. and Asia.

About GoerTek, Inc.

GoerTek is a leading developer of consumer audio products and one of the world’s foremost suppliers of acoustic components. GoerTek’s development and manufacturing expertise includes Bluetooth stereo and communication headsets, high fidelity noise-cancellation headphones, hands free car kits and speakerphones. Headquartered in Qingdao, China,

GoerTek serves international brands in the mobile communication, audio accessory, gaming and VoIP industries.

About STEP Labs

STEP Labs is a venture-backed, Silicon Valley-based acoustic software company whose technology produces crystal-clear voice communications even in the noisiest environments. STEP’s patented technology enables speech recognition and hands-free communication by using an understanding of the physics of sound wave propagation to isolate voice from ambient noise. This approach offers broad applicability to a wide range of wireless telecommunications and consumer electronic devices. Step Labs, StepWare, and Step OnBoard are trademarks of Step Labs Inc.

Media Contact
Liz Kerton
The Kerton Group for Step Labs
+1-408-935-8702
steplabs (at) kertongroup.com