Microsoft said Wednesday that major manufacturers, including NEC and LG Electronics, intend to create Internet phones with the newest version of Windows CE, Microsoft"s operating system for small devices.
The first substantial wave of phones from the equipment makers is expected in about three months, Microsoft Product Manager Balz Wyss said. The manufacturers are among 22 new licensees Microsoft announced Wednesday for its latest Windows CE software, which is a stripped-down version of the Windows operating system intended for handheld devices, set-top boxes and other limited-function computing devices other than PCs and servers. The new CE software, version 5, contains much improved technology for making phone calls on the Net with voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), according to Microsoft. Internet Protocol is the most popular method of sending data from one computer to another.