Several Tanjay devices are in the works, according to a Microsoft Australia spokesperson, as
reported by SmartOfficeNews. These include a screen phone running a version of
Office Communicator on Windows CE, as well as a USB handset and Bluetooth headset that work with a soft phone running on a PC.
Four or five manufacturers reportedly have signed up to produce the units.
One of those suppliers is very likely Nortel, which last month announced a
strategic partnership with Microsoft aimed at transitioning traditional business phone hardware into software. The joint strategy is based on Microsoft's
unified communications platform, which is intended to "seamlessly interconnect" email, instant messaging, and cellular and VoIP (voice-over-IP) telephony, along with audio-, video-, and web-conferencing.
Also involved with Microsoft's telephony strategy is LG-Nortel, a joint venture between LG Electronics and Nortel, which in June announced plans to develop and market a business-enabled IP desktop phone that supports the unified communications platform. Earlier this year, LG-Nortel signed an
MOU (memorandum of understanding) with Microsoft for a "broad range collaboration in VoIP," including the joint development and marketing of Windows CE based IP terminals and a new
Windows CE 6 videophone.
Related stories:
