The PC can serve as a smart answering machine, not just taking messages, but screening and forwarding calls based on user preferences. Further, interactive response systems, like the telephone-dialpad-based menu systems used by many banks, can be easily constructed on the PC, making this capability easily available to departments, small businesses, and even individuals. Finally, speech recognition will allow users to call their computer from the car or airport and have the PC retrieve information or perform tasks for them—even read incoming e-mail aloud over the phone line.