Microsofties make their way around the sprawling, wooded campus here in Redmond by taking shuttles. In a video demonstration at today's analysts meeting, a female face looked out from a computer screen and asked employees who approached, "You want a shuttle, right?"

It asked a pair of employees if they were riding together and where they were headed. After verifying their destination a second time, the "receptionist" scheduled a pick up. "You will be on shuttle 32. It should be here in four minutes. Bye."

Mundie didn't say when these receptionists would start. And it doesn't appear that they would replace the contracted receptionists who staff the lobbies of Microsoft's many buildings. The robotic receptionists apparently can only perform a single task.

Update, 5:33 p.m.: A Microsoft spokesman said the robotic receptionists would begin to show up later this year. Apparently Mundie said that, too, but I didn't hear it.