The two companies have banded together to create a unified messaging system. Currently in testing stage, it is due to go to market in 2002.
The system combines voice and data in a common database and allows users to access this information from a range of devices including mobile phones.
Users are able to access all e-mail, as well as voice messages from one central point and retrieve messages in whichever format they prefer. Text-to-speech capabilities allow the user to access e-mail messages as voice messages, and voice messages as text.
"What we've been doing is working with Oracle...for a universal messaging system which brings that convergence of voice and data to the average consumer in a very reliable, unbreakable, economic fashion," said Craig Barrett, president and CEO of Intel.
According to Chuck Rowzat, Oracle's executive vice president of Server Technologies, it has been a very profitable collaborative project.
"We have learnt a lot from Intel about communication, and about voice and we have been able to add the scaleable software that Oracle does best, " said Rowzat. "We have taken the skills of Intel, the skills of Oracle and put our best skills together to come up with a system that we are very close to going to market with."
While not yet released, the system is being used internally by Oracle in an attempt to judge its return and to locate any vulnerabilities or issues pre-release.
"It's not just a research project, we're actually using it inside work. We are using unified messaging for thousands of Oracle employees and are looking forward to rolling it out among the whole company," said Rowzat.
Nicole Bellamy travelled to San Francisco as a guest of Oracle.
