A new version of Windows CE is due this summer (Microsoft Watch) and with that release comes some cool embedded VoIP functionality.

Windows CE 5.0 integrates with Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 for contacts and calendaring, adds multiparty audio conferencing, and provides automatic provisioning to SIP servers.

One nifty example of how the Exchange integration would work is that it will allow a user to look up contact information through an IP phone and know whether they are online via presence. With automatic provisioning, an IP phone running CE 5.0 could scan the network for its correct SIP address and access the right SIP server.

According to Balz Wyss, product manager in Microsoft's Embedded Devices Group, Microsoft is focusing on expanding its VOIP partners for Windows CE. At a recent VoIP tradeshow, it announced 13 new VOIP manufacturer partners focused on embedding Windows CE into IP phones and other devices.

According to Wyss, Vonage has a prototype of a PC-based soft phone built on Windows CE 5.0 that it plans to offer to its customers once the new OS is available.