Microsoft Chooses Active Voice Call Control Application for Windows 2000
Active Voice's Call Control Technology to Be Available on Millions of Enterprise Desktops
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SEATTLE, March 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Active Voice Corporation (Nasdaq: ACVC - news), a global provider of unified messaging and computer telephony software solutions, today announced at CT EXPO the general availability of Phone Dialer, a voice and video communications application developed for Microsoft and packaged with Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system products.
``Phone Dialer will put Active Voice's core call control technology on millions of enterprise desktops worldwide as Windows 2000 is deployed over the next few years,' states Kevin Chestnut, Active Voice chief technology officer and vice president of advanced products and technology. ``We developed Phone Dialer at Microsoft's request to demonstrate the power of TAPI 3.0 and Windows 2000 communications services for converged communications. Phone Dialer is further proof of our commitment and ability to deliver communications solutions that work equally well with a traditional circuit telephone system, an Internet Protocol (IP) telephone system, or something in between.'
Phone Dialer -- Exercises New TAPI Features in Windows 2000
Phone Dialer was designed to showcase many of the new capabilities of the Windows Telephony Application Programming Interface (TAPI) 3.0. TAPI is a software abstraction layer in Windows that allows software applications from one vendor to work with a wide variety of telephone systems to provide great customer choice and flexibility. TAPI 3.0 adds media streaming and better IP telephony support, with built-in H.323 and IP Multicast features, building on TAPI's earlier support for traditional, client-server telephony applications.
Because TAPI 3.0 is based on Component Object Model technology, developers can write telephony applications with TAPI using a variety of programming languages.
``Customers today need communications solutions that are reliable, easy to use, and that work well with new devices and existing phone systems,' says Thomas Koll, vice president, Network Solutions Group, Microsoft Corporation. ``With this in mind, Microsoft selected Active Voice for Phone Dialer because of their experience in developing high quality applications using Microsoft products and technologies.'
Benefits Customers Will Enjoy
Using the TAPI 3.0, Phone Dialer gives users the ability to make and receive both traditional telephone and IP (Internet and Intranet) voice and video calls using a single application. The unique Phone Dialer call control user interface hides technical complexity. A user doesn't need to ask, ``Is this a telephone call or an IP call? Is this voice or is this video?' Phone Dialer will take care of establishing the connectivity over the appropriate network so users only have to manage calls -- not networks, protocols, or media types. Phone Dialer enables point-to-point voice or video calls, as well as multi-party calls through conference bridging using TAPI's H.323 support. In addition, Phone Dialer takes advantage of TAPI 3.0's bandwidth-efficient IP Multicast support and the Windows 2000 Active Directory Service to enable a user to create, administer, and participate in scheduled IP-based video and voice conference calls.
Phone Dialer is one part of an overall set of features Active Voice is developing to deliver true ``unified communications' with Unity(TM). Today, Unity is a state-of-the-art unified messaging solution. In the future, as a unified communications solution, Unity will act as a personal assistant, providing a wide range of real-time choices to callers and users through traditional phones, at the desktop, on the Web, and through mobile phones and other wireless devices. Unity will route incoming calls based on a user's location, schedule, availability, device and media capability, and real-time instructions provided by the user at the desktop, over the phone, or via an SMS/WAP compatible mobile phone or device.
Definitions: Service Management System (SMS) allows provision and updating of information on subscribers and services in near-real time for administrative purposes. Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) provides Internet content and advanced services to digital cellular phones and other wireless terminals.
``Through Phone Dialer's widespread distribution, we expect customers will find it easier to evaluate the benefits of unified messaging and upgrade their Phone Dialer software with our more feature-rich, enterprise solution Unity,' adds Ken Myer, Active Voice executive vice president of sales and marketing. ``The 'About' Phone Dialer screen introduces Active Voice's products and offers a URL for upgrade information. We are currently working on an upgrade, which we will offer for sale, that integrates tightly with Unity, offering enhanced personal assistant and mobility features with a powerful desktop interface.'
About Unity's True Unified Messaging
Unity, which recently won Computer Telephony magazine's ``Unified Messaging Shootout' and received Windows NT magazine's ``Best of Show' award for Microsoft Exchange Conference '99, is a Windows NT©-based communications solution that delivers voice mail, unified messaging, an automated attendant, and a fax server in a truly unified environment. Unity gives users the power to access and manage all their messages -- voice, fax, and e-mail -- through a touchtone telephone, a desktop PC, or over the Internet.
For more information on Unity please visit:
www.activevoice.com/products/unity/index.html.
About Active Voice
Founded in 1983, the Seattle-based Active Voice has offices in Australia, Canada, China, France, Sweden, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. With more than 85,000 systems installed in virtually every kind of business in over 60 countries, Active Voice develops technology that helps businesses communicate better. Active Voice solutions are sold through a global network of independent telecommunications dealers, telephone equipment manufacturers, and computer resellers.
More information about Active Voice and its products is available at the company's Web site, www.activevoice.com.
For more information, photographs, and interviews please contact the following:
Public Relations: Monica Drake, 206-441-4700, ext. 1154,
pr@activevoice.com
Investor Relations: Amy Thomas, 206-441-4700, ext. 1197,
ir@activevoice.com
Web Site: www.activevoice.com
NOTE: Brand and product names in this document are trademarks of their respective owners.
SOURCE: Active Voice Corporation
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