1. Stefan Marti Speech Interface Group MIT Media Lab
Who has a pager?
Who has a cellphone?
Who has another cellphone, because the first one doesn’t work everywhere?
So, some of you are in the same situation as I am: I have a 2-way pager, a cellphone, and would need another cellphone because mine doesn’t work everywhere.

2. What We All Want The ultimate communication device!
Universal, has everything built in
Works everywhere, anytime
Long range, never runs out of battery, etc

3. Solution? The CommBadge! Please watch the TV show Star Trek.
FOR MORE INFO...
Please watch the TV show Star Trek.
Above model will be available at around 2364…

4. Instead: Current Solution
Cellphones, pagers, other cellphones, more pagers, wireless PDAs, etc.

5. Actually, there’s even more…
Fax machines, wired phones, desktop computers, etc.

6. Why this variety?
We don’t have the technology to pack everything into one device (will change in the future)
Smallest devices will never be universal (wrist, finger ring, ear ring)
AND: No one device fits all situations!

7. Our Solution!
Something that integrates all our existing communication channels and devices:

8. Active Messenger (AM) is a kind of agent software that deals with a user’s incoming email
AM manages this user’s communication channels
AM is used by two users for two years now

9. AM guarantees the delivery of messages
AM modifies its filtering and forwarding rules depending on which devices are being used and current location of user

10. Related Documents
Main feature that makes it better than other solutions: it can wait!
Scenario: What happens when an message arrives?
Let’s assume the following “channel sequence”:
wait 10 minutes, send to Pager
wait 13 minutes, send to Voicepager
wait 13 minutes, send to Phone
wait 35 minutes, send to Fax

11. done! done! skip it! cancel! 6:57am arrival of message send to Pager
10 minutes
done!
send to Pager
13 minutes
done!
send to Voicepager
skip it!
13 minutes
send to Phone
35 minutes
cancel!
send to Fax
User reads message!
Monday 6:50am
7:00am
7:10am
7:20am
7:30am
7:40am
7:50am
8:00am
Pager: anytime
Ok to use
Voicepager: not 0-7
Ok to use
Phone: not M-F 22-8
NOT ok to use!
Fax: not 2-7:30
Ok to use

12. How Does It Work?
How does AM choose specific “channel sequences”? AM solves the routing and forwarding problem using context information.
Note: Most of the context information is not unambiguous, so AM uses behavioral heuristics.

13. Context Sensitivity User location Where is the user?
Message priority How important is message?
Message history Is this message part of thread?
Message status Was the message read?
Channel status Which channels are active?

14. User Location Where is the user? Most devices are not location aware
Message priority
Message history
Message status
Channel status
User Location
Where is the user?
Most devices are not location aware
Obvious: AM keeps track of user with caller ID information and UNIX “finger” command
AM also infers from user behavior: From which channel did she communicate most recently?
Soon: cell trilateration, other tracking options like GPS. (Will make AM just more accurate.)

15. Message Priority How important is a message?
User location
Message priority
Message history
Message status
Channel status
Message Priority
How important is a message?
Complex problem – almost philosophical. What is really important in my life?
Anyways: Certain people are important, certain facts too: Static rules
AM uses other information sources, like user’s calendar, address book, and communication history: Dynamic rules, created by CLUES

16. Message History Is the message part of a thread?
User location
Message priority
Message history
Message status
Channel status
Message History
Is the message part of a thread?
Instead of sending a message to a sequence of channels, pick the channel it originates from.
This assumes that the message is part of a thread, going back an forth, perhaps a kind of semi-synchronous communication.

17. Message History, cont. Option: Association of channel with thread
User location
Message priority
Message history
Message status
Channel status
Message History, cont.
Option: Association of channel with thread
Usually: Channel sequence

18. Message status Is message read? When message is read, job is done!
User location
Message priority
Message history
Message status
Channel status
Message status
Is message read?
When message is read, job is done!
Usually not enough feedback from devices
BUT: User’s behavior could give a hint!
Message read level is not binary (yes/no), but a continuum, a “probability level” between 0% and 100% (85% is enough usually.)

19. Channel Status Which channel is active?
User location
Message priority
Message history
Message status
Channel status
Channel Status
Which channel is active?
AM continuously checks all peripheral systems if they are working
It skips channels and devices that seem to be not working
Again, it uses back channel information from user

20. Summary of AM Features
Context information is used to solve the routing and forwarding problem
Behavioral heuristics are applied to enhance unclear context information
AM has a temporal dimension: It can wait for user reactions and other events to happen

21. Speech Interface Group
Stefan Marti and Chris Schmandt