Microsoft on Wednesday began its first beta test of computerized speech software designed for call centers, paving the way for a server product expected next year. The pre-release software, called Microsoft Speech Server, uses a company-backed standard for application development that's starting to find adherents. But Microsoft's approach will face tough competition from an IBM-backed approach that's being used by companies including American Airlines and Merrill Lynch. The first beta test of Microsoft Speech Server could involve as many as 100 companies, up from the 11 that have been testing a "technical preview" released last fall, according to Kai-Fu Lee, Microsoft's VP for speech technologies. Microsoft won't say who those 11 are, but says more than 40 resellers, independent software vendors, and original equipment manufacturers, including Hewlett-Packard, Fujitsu Consulting, and Scansoft, have undergone training on the new software, which will require Windows Server 2003.
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