Unified Messaging

Unified messaging, the linking of a variety of messaging tools - pagers, telephones, e-mail clients, fax - has long been a dream of forward-looking communications types. As these products indicate, the tools for accomplishing unified messaging have emerged.

• Mitel Networks 6510 Unified Messaging Mitel Networks 6510 Unified Messaging brings together voice, incoming fax, and e-mail messaging. It also supports text-to-speech conversion and is scheduled to support speech-to-text in the near future. Wireless PDAs are supported. Contact: Mitel Networks Corporation (www.mitel.com)

• PageMaster/ex PageMaster/ex allows Exchange Server users to send pages and text messages to pagers. Page recipients appear on Exchange and can be selected from global or personal address lists. Messages can be sent in pager alphanumeric or GMS SMS format. It has a companion product called PageMaster/ol, which will send text messages for Outlook reminders. Contact: OmniTrend Software, Inc. (www.omnitrend.com)

• Unified Messenger Unified Messenger is a high-end product that integrates with Exchange Server. It stores voicemail messages inside users' Exchange mailboxes. You can reply to voicemail with e-mail and vice versa. More real coolness! Contact: Avaya, Inc. (www.avaya.com)