A cordless communication device is provided in which a processor used to
code and decode signals for the wireless communication is further used to
process messages for an integral answering machine. An existing digital
signal processor (DSP) within the cordless phone is used to code and
decode signal for wireless communication between the base station and the
handset. The coding scheme used for the wireless communication, for
example, adaptive differential pulse code modulation (ADPCM), is also used
for compressing, storing and retrieving messages used in the answering
machine.