Contents
Introduction
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Datasheet
System requirements
Additional resources and links
Introduction
Microsoft Agent is an unprecedented technology that enables developers to create innovative, new conversational interfaces by incorporating interactive animated characters into their applications and Web pages. Driven by a powerful yet simple programming model, these onscreen personalities can gesture, move, speak (via a text-to-speech engine or recorded audio) and even accept spoken voice commands.
Applications and Web pages enhanced with Microsoft Agent provide their users with an interface that extends beyond the conventional screen, mouse and keyboard interactions so prevalent today, to broaden and humanize the interaction that they have with their computers.
There are a limitless number of roles and functions that developers can create for these Microsoft Agent characters to perform. For example, an application or Web page could implement one of the following uses with a Microsoft Agent character:
- A welcome host could greet new users and provide a guided tour the first time a computer is turned on, an application is run, or a Web site is browsed.
- A friendly tutor could lead someone through a task or a decision tree with instructions step-by-step along the way.
- A messenger could deliver a notification or alert that a new e-mail has arrived and then offer to read it to you.
- An assistant could perform tasks for you like looking up information on the Internet and then reading it aloud.
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Last Updated: April 2, 2003
Microsoft Agent product information