The Redmond, Wash.-based computing giant is working on future versions of its Windows operating system that will better interoperate with the telephone and other communications devices, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said Tuesday.
In future versions of Windows, phone calls will be routed through the PC, while voice messages will be turned into e-mails that can be read. E-mail also will serve as an application for delivering voice messages, Gates said in a keynote speech delivered at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) here.
Gates said the combination of computing and communications devices will make it easier for people to screen calls. In an application demonstrated on the Athens PC prototype during his speech, Gates showed how a picture of a caller, e-mails on the PC from that caller, and a history of interaction with that caller could all be displayed on a PC. The PC owner could then decide to take the call or, after looking at who is calling, send it to voice mail.
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