AT&T Co really has the multimedia bug now, and its latest trick is a US business messaging system called Intuity, which combines speech messaging and voice response technology in a single system, and is being developed to enable messages to be sent as facsimile and spoken at the other end – or vice versa. The aim is that the system should translate text to speech; enable media to be mixed within a message – the on-line singing telegram, carry visual messages, such as full-motion video; and manage message transmission from a desktop computer. The Intuity system merges the technology from AT&T’s Conversant voice response and Definity Audix speech messaging systems to create a single system capable for multimedia messages. The system will initially be available with integrated speech messaging and voice response and message management through a personal computer. Other multimedia features are to be introduced later this year and in 1995. It appears that users will need an AT&T Definity PABX to use the system, but the company did not make that aspect of it clear.
