Microsoft Talks The Voice-Activated Talk

Microsoft on Monday launched its Voice Command voice-activated control software for Pocket PCs and cell phones, giving users hands-free access to some of the most commonly-used features of their PDAs and phones.

Voice Command, which uses Microsoft's own phonetic speech- recognition technology, works on devices that run the Windows Mobile 2003 operating system. It lets users dial numbers, access calendars, and launch applications by speaking commands to call a contact or asking questions such as "what's my next appointment" to view the next meeting in the calendar.

The add-on to Windows Mobile 2003 is priced at $39.95 and is available at Handango.com and PocketPC.com.