Sick of listening to other people talking on their cellphones? FXPAL, a Xerox
lab in Palo Alto, California, has an answer: a system that lets people reply to
cellphone calls without speaking. When a call comes in, you can select a verbal
response from a range programmed into the phone. A pre-recorded or synthesised
voice will speak to the person calling in. Les Nelson at FXPAL says the system,
called Quiet Calls, is perfect for people in meetings or other situations where
they can’t talk.
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