Speech Processing Solutions Launches Philips SpeechLive Legal Direct and Philips SpeechLive Professional Direct with Real-Time Speech Recognition Directly at Cursor

VIENNA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 2, 2026--

Speech Processing Solutions (SPS), the global leader in professional dictation and transcription solutions sold under the Philips brand, today announced the launch of Philips SpeechLive Legal Direct and Philips SpeechLive Professional Direct. The two solutions allow legal and other professionals to dictate into supported desktop applications, with recognized text appearing as they speak. They are designed both for organizations adopting professional speech recognition for the first time and for customers moving from established or end-of-life speech recognition solutions.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261029365830/en/

With support of 29 voice commands across 19 languages, these new solutions combine familiar dictation practices with commands covering navigation, selection, editing, formatting, lists and help functions. Professionals can continue working on their documents by voice, without repeatedly switching to keyboard and mouse, while remaining within the connected Philips SpeechLive environment. Automatic and spoken punctuation provide flexibility in how dictated text is structured. For conversations involving more than one participant, real-time multi-speaker recognition can distinguish different voices and organize recognized speech using speaker identifiers and timestamps. This provides a structured starting point for reviewing client discussions, interviews and meetings.

“SPS transforms professional speech into results,” said Dr. Thomas Brauner, CEO of Speech Processing Solutions. “With SpeechLive Legal Direct and SpeechLive Professional Direct, our portfolio now combines speech recognition at cursor with dictation workflows and optional AI-assisted document creation, offering organizations a clear path to modernize their documentation while retaining the working practices they value.”

Specialist speech recognition for legal professionals

SpeechLive Legal Direct uses Speech Recognition Legal, which is tuned for specialist legal language – including terminology, citations, references and frequently used expressions – to help reduce repetitive correction. Vocabulary and Replacements allow for the configuration of regularly used legal terms and preferred written forms.

Professional speech recognition that reflects an organization’s language

SpeechLive Professional Direct brings the same real-time, at-the-cursor experience to professionals working across a broad range of industries. Configurable Vocabulary helps recognition adapt to industry terminology, company names, technical expressions and frequently used phrases, while Replacements allow preferred written forms and recurring expressions to be standardized.

Built around professional dictation hardware and workflows

Both solutions are delivered through the redesigned SpeechLive desktop application, built to support the full Direct experience. They integrate with compatible Philips SpeechMike Premium and Philips SpeechMike Ambient devices, with configurable hardware controls for frequently used dictation functions. Depending on the connected device, supported button functions include microphone control and selected correction functions. Real-time dictation at the cursor is available through the desktop application, while SpeechLive web supports pre-recorded audio uploads and established SpeechLive workflows.

Legal Direct and Professional Direct complement the Philips SpeechLive AI Assistants, which provide a separate workflow for AI-assisted document creation. The Direct solutions focus on real-time speech recognition and voice-driven document control as a separate offering to AI-assisted drafting. Organizations can choose between speech recognition at cursor, established dictation and transcription workflows, or AI-assisted document drafting according to the requirements of each use case.

Designed for continuity, security and professional control

For organizations transitioning from established professional speech recognition tools, Legal Direct and Professional Direct are designed to retain familiar dictation behaviors while moving users into the broader SpeechLive environment.

Confidentiality and data protection are central considerations when adopting new documentation technology, particularly for legal organizations. Both solutions operate within the established SpeechLive security and data-protection framework, including Microsoft Azure infrastructure, service-region data residency, access controls and recognized organizational certifications (ISO 27001, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001). Data processing is subject to applicable privacy and data protection requirements, including GDPR. Recognized text remains under professional control and can be reviewed, corrected, and finalized by the user before being used in legal or business documentation.

Availability

Philips SpeechLive Legal Direct and Philips SpeechLive Professional Direct are available now, in markets where SpeechLive is commercially offered, subject to supported recognition languages, product availability and technical requirements. Supported recognition languages include English (UK), English (US), French, German, Austrian German and Swiss German, with availability dependent on region, configuration and product release.

About Speech Processing Solutions

Speech Processing Solutions is a global leader in voice-driven documentation, with more than 70 years of innovation in professional speech technology. Under the Philips brand, SPS provides professional dictation hardware, SpeechLive software, specialized speech recognition and AI-assisted documentation solutions used by more than four million users across 50+ countries.

Philips SpeechLive Legal Direct – legal speech recognition, directly at cursor

A business jet carrying nine people nose-dived into a South Florida neighborhood Sunday and erupted into a giant fireball that appeared to just miss homes near a busy roadway. Everyone on board was killed, the nation's transportation secretary said.

Video recorded by people inside their cars captured the terrifying moment the Bahamas-bound aircraft plunged from the sky before striking near the Palm Beach County roadway and exploding. Flames flickered around chunks of pavement lining a crater as people milled about, expressing shock that it landed only feet from homes and inches from passing vehicles. Thick black smoke engulfed the crash site.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on X that the Learjet 60 crashed in Palm Beach County at 12:50 p.m. and called it a “horrific tragedy.” The Federal Aviation Administration is sending a team to support the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation, he said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said there were no immediate reports of anyone on the ground injured or killed.

“It was a cataclysmic plane crash,” DeSantis told reporters at the scene. “It looked like a missile going down and left a big crater on the side of the road.”

Rain pounded the region on Sunday. A flood watch due to excessive rainfall was in effect through Monday afternoon, the National Weather Service said.

The aircraft had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to the Bahamas, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Authorities did not immediately say what caused the jet to go down or who was on it.

The plane was heading east at 35,000 feet (about 11 kilometers) when pilots reported turbulence, icing and precipitation and requested to climb another 2,000 feet (about 610 meters).

Moments later, the plane entered a steep dive, first 10,000 feet per minute, then 20,000 feet per minute and up to 30,000 feet per minute, speeding the plane beyond its design limits, according to air traffic control recordings and flight tracking data.

A pilot declared an emergency and issued distress calls. The plane banked sharply to the right before it smashed into the ground.

Minutes before the crash, the pilot reported ice accumulating on the jet and turbulence that was jolting it by as much as 700 feet (213 meters), according to air traffic control recordings captured by LiveATC.net.

“We have light, clear ice that is manageable and moderate turbulence,” the pilot told controllers.

But the situation rapidly deteriorated. After encountering precipitation and requesting to climb, the pilot declared an emergency as the aircraft began losing altitude at an alarming rate.

“We’re descending 8,000 – mayday, mayday - we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute,” the pilot radioed.

“We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute,” the pilot radioed, before delivering a devastating acknowledgment of what was about to happen. “We’re going to crash into the ground.”

Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, said the jet was a private aircraft. He could not immediately provide details about who was on the flight.

Steve Arroyo, an aviation safety expert, said icing and turbulence could have been factors in the crash and may have caused the plane to stall while it was cruising at 34,000 feet (10,363 meters).

There are many potential factors and the NTSB will consider all of them, including how the pilot responded to the icing and turbulence reported over the radio. But investigators won’t rule anything out at this early stage, he said.

The NTSB said investigators were expected to arrive at the crash site on Sunday and Monday. A media briefing is scheduled for Monday in West Palm Beach.

Palm Beach County authorities were evacuating about 600 people from a nearby mobile home community while federal officials investigate the crash. The road will be closed until further notice, county officials said.

The crash occurred in Greenacres, Florida, according to Palm Beach County sheriff’s officials. The city of 45,000 people is about 7 miles (11 kilometers) southwest of West Palm Beach.

Taxin reported from Santa Ana, California. AP Transportation Writer Josh Funk contributed from Gretna, Nebraska.

Law enforcement respond to a plane crash in Palm Beach County, Fla., on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Elias)

Law enforcement respond to a plane crash in Palm Beach County, Fla., on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Elias)

Law enforcement respond to a plane crash in Palm Beach County, Fla., on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Elias)

Law enforcement respond to a plane crash in Palm Beach County, Fla., on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Elias)

Law enforcement respond to a plane crash in Palm Beach County, Fla., on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Elias)