Microsoft is working to add "rich user interaction" to its next-generation Windows client
While Microsoft isn"t expected to talk about Longhorn at this week"s SpeechTEK show in New York, the Redmond software maker is working to add speech and other "natural-user-interface" (NUI) technologies to its next-generation Windows operating system.
Microsoft"s Natural Interactive Services Division (NISD) has been working on a "NUI Platform" that is designed provide users with "rich interaction" (speech, handwriting, natural language and even machine learning). The NUI Platform is expected to debut in Longhorn, Microsoft"s Windows client due to ship in 2005+.
NISD includes folks plucked from a variety of teams across Microsoft. The 200 or so folks reporting to NISD corporate VP Kai-Fu Lee Lee include individuals from Microsoft Research"s speech team; Microsoft"s Entropic acquisition (who are familiar with the telephony-applications space); Microsoft"s Office and Windows speech-API and speech-engine teams; Microsoft"s natural-language group (which has pioneered Microsoft"s grammar and spell-checker products); Windows and MSN Search groups; and programmers from Microsoft"s Help and authoring-technology units.