Intel and Microsoft to Enable Integration of Personal Computers and Telephones
Major PC and Telecom Participants Join in Support
DALLAS - May 4, 1993 - Intel Corporation and Microsoft Corporation, joined by leading telecommunications and PC industry companies worldwide, today announced a standard way to integrate the telephone with the personal computer.
Future products to add telephony functions to the PC will be based on a new specification, called Windows Telephony Application Programming Interface (API), that Intel, Microsoft and industry participants have co-developed for the Microsoft(R) Windows operating system. The specification was reviewed and is supported by approximately 40 companies, including major telephone- switch manufacturers, PC and peripheral manufacturers, software developers and network providers (see attached list).
Products to Add New Functions to PCs
Products based on the specification will enhance existing PC applications and enable new applications. Applications such as database managers, personal information managers, spreadsheets, and word processors will benefit by gaining direct access to the telephone network. New communications applications enabled by Windows Telephony include:
The specification is intended to insulate PC users and applications developers from the underlying computer hardware, connection model or telephone network being used, including PBX, ISDN, Centrex, cellular or analog telephone service.
"We at Lotus see the Windows Telephony API as the first of a suite of application programming interfaces we can use to incorporate telephony into our Workgroup Computing products," said Alex Morrow, general manager of Cross Product Architecture at Lotus Development Corporation. "By making good use of the API in our workgroup applications, we're hoping to streamline business communications."
"We fully support the Microsoft and Intel initiative on Windows Telephony for desktop applications," said Tom Lowery, vice president, Multimedia Applications, Northern Telecom. "Open architectures are essential for stimulating the introduction of high-value applications that require seamless, transparent interworking between desktops." According to Lowery, Northern Telecom will support Windows Telephony as part of the VISIT Access program, which is the open architecture of the VISIT Multimedia product line.
"The specification will allow us to help our customers achieve the efficiencies that come from integrating telephony and PCs," said Peter Pribilla, group president, Siemens Private Communication Systems Group and president and CEO of ROLM. "This alliance is another substantial step in our effort to provide high-efficiency desktop solutions."
Extending the PC Architecture for Real-time Communications
"We are pleased to see such strong and unprecedented support from the software, PC and telecom industry for extending the PC architecture," said Ron Whittier, Intel vice president and general manager of Intel's Architecture Software Technology Group. "As Intel introduces products based on this work later this year, we are looking forward to working with our partners in the software and telecommunications industry to bring exciting applications to PC users."
"Windows Telephony allows the integration of information on the PC with real-time communications, which brings us another step toward the vision of Information At Your Fingertips," commented Paul Maritz, senior vice president, Systems Division at Microsoft. "The telephone has long been an office staple upon which employees have relied to be effective in their jobs. With Windows Telephony, resulting products will not only combine the strengths of the telephone with the power of the computer, they will open up a whole new world of applications."
The Windows Telephony application programming interface specification is part of the Microsoft Windows Open Services Architecture (WOSA), which provides a single set of open-ended interfaces to enterprise computing services. WOSA encompasses a number of APIs, providing applications and corporate developers with an open set of APIs to which applications can be written and accessed. Feedback received through the WOSA open process assures a fully integrated framework and a complete set of telephony features for software developers, telecommunications manufacturers and PC vendors to deliver products. WOSA also includes services for data access, messaging, software licensing, connectivity and financial services.
Today, Windows Telephony is focused on enabling the desktop and will be extended to server environments in future releases. Additionally, Intel and Microsoft will encourage open cooperation with other system software providers to bring the functionality provided by the specification to other computing platforms.
Availability:
Version 1.0 of the Windows Telephony API is available now. For more information, check the ISV Specifications library in the Intel(R) Access Forum on CompuServe(R) (GO INTELACCESS). The specification also is posted on CompuServe (GO WINEXT) and on the Internet at ftp.uu.net ~ftp/vendor/microsoft. Or copies can be obtained by faxing the "Windows Telephony Coordinator" at Microsoft at (206) 936-7329, or by sending e-mail to telep...@microsoft.com.
Intel, the world's largest chipmaker, is an international manufacturer of microcomputer components, modules, and systems.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
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