There was a time when it was an accomplishment for a PDA to be able to read a written word on a menu, a street sign, or a business cards. Today we are living in a world where PDAs are beginning to learn to speak.

We're not talking only about simple speech. We are referring to complicated translation engines that will enable the devices to understand not only the content of what is being said, but also the tone and inflection of the speech.

The Phraselator built by Marine Acoustics and sold by VoxTec is one example of such a device. The Phraselator is capable of translating between hundreds of different languages.

Five hundred Phraselators are being shipped to troops in Afghanistan. These units have been programmed with special phrases in Urdu that will help the troops. Each of these specially programmed phrases has an associated tone. Phrases such as "Halt!" and "Drop your weapon!" come across sternly and loudly, but a much softer tone is used when asking "Can I help you?"