LAST week I discussed Hewlett-Packard's e-speak e-commerce platform and the excitement the company tried to generate about the technology in Bangalore, India. I promised I would conclude this week my discussion about e-speak and the current technologies that surround it, but I will have to renege on that promise. Allow me instead to talk about a new development with Microsoft Corp.'s Windows and the e-mail I received from Smart Communications Inc. Next week, we'll go back to our discussion about e-speak, Rajiv Gupta's baby.

What did I tell you? For years now we've been suspecting that future Windows versions would be based on NT technology, effectively wiping out previous versions of the Windows9x consumer line. Marrying the reliability of NT (to get rid of Windows9x's blue screens of death) with the wide application base of Windows would be the ultimate goal of Microsoft, aside from world domination, that is. We thought we'd see it happen with Win2000, only to find out that Windows Millenium Edition would be the version for consumers (a follow-up to Win98).

Well, Microsoft just came closer after announcing some revealing stuff at the soft launch of WinME. Microsoft officials said that an NT-based consumer platform, code-named "Whistler," was in the early stages of development. Finally, all Windows products will have a common code base (unless you didn't notice, Microsoft the Marketing Genius successfully hid the fact that its products had different code bases and were in some ways incompatible with each other, but we all got suckered into it, shrugged our shoulders for the last 10 years and just continued using Windows).

Whistler is the proof of what had been suspected by analysts all those years-that Microsoft would eventually drop its much-hyped Windows consumer products of today in favor of NT-based Windows. In other words, the old Windows version you're using now may be obsolete real soon. If you're still using Win95, you better start worrying.

Remember Lorna Tan, of the INQUIRER, the one who's not related to Lucio? About a couple of weeks ago I wrote about her problem with Smart Communications, which apparently wasn't able to fix the billing problems Lorna encountered. Well, Lorna is now happy that her problems have been resolved, thanks to the power of media.

Lorna would also like to thank Joy Sanchez, senior manager of customer care at Smart. Would you like to thank Fanny for your hair and make up, Lorna? Guess not.

Ms Sanchez also e-mailed me a note regarding Lorna's case. I'll let her do the talking:

"Dear Mr. Magno

"This refers to your column published in the March 20 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer titled 'Lucio Tan, Christine Tan, Lorna Tan.'

"Rest assured that the issues raised by Ms Tan have been thoroughly investigated and responded to. With our telephone conversation last March 23, Ms Tan was satisfied and amenable to our proposed arrangements. Furthermore, we await Ms Tan's consideration to our proposal in switching her PriceBuster phone to our GSM Buddy service.

"Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention."

Bravo, Joy! I've never been a Smart user, but service like that should be commended, the same way I bring to your attention the plight of some of your unsatisfied customers.

By the way, the National Telecommunications Commission-in a rare show of bravado and independent thought and action-has decided to crack the whip on telephone companies, landline and cellular alike. The NTC has asked the National Computer Center to audit the billing systems of these phone service providers, stemming from a billion and a half complaints in the Philippines, similar to the complaint of Lorna Tan about Smart's billing system.