12-20-2003, 01:00 AM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Microsoft SPOT Watches Hit Stores: Wristwatches With Wireless Connectivity Coming Next Month
"Wristwatches and wireless services based on Microsoft's Smart Personal Objects Technology won't be on sale in time for the holidays, but they are coming soon. The devices will be available in January, the software giant confirms. Microsoft will use next month's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to announce the availability of the devices, which were announced there last year. The software maker also plans to launch updates to its MSN Internet Software, and is expected to outline planned improvements to the Media Center Edition of Windows XP at the show.
Smart Personal Objects Technology, or SPOT, uses a portion of the FM broadcast radio networks to deliver snippets of information about weather, news, stock prices, and sports scores to wristwatches equipped with the technology."
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12-20-2003, 01:44 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,398
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:drool:
Egad! I think I'll be buying one...
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12-20-2003, 02:15 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 192
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by David Prahl
Egad! I think I'll be buying one...
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Me too if:
-there isn't a monthly fee
-someone makes a style that isn't too geeky
-I can get local weather and traffic
-it has a good backlight (Indiglo-ish)
-I can read it without my reading glasses
-it will show seconds, pefereably analog-style (to take a pulse)
0X
(I just put the alien here because I like it.)
UPDATE: Nevermind...it's going to cost $9.95 a month...humm...SPOT on top of Cable TV, Tivo, Cell Phone, Wireless Data Plan, XM, Blackberry, Pager, Web site subscriptions...I need a second job just to pay monthly fees.
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12-20-2003, 02:32 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,398
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How can they really regulate the subscriptions if the data is being sent over the FM band? Some sort of DSS decoder?
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12-20-2003, 02:39 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,185
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Can the launch of spotthoughts.com be far off now? :wink:
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12-20-2003, 03:50 AM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by bdegroodt
Can the launch of spotthoughts.com be far off now? :wink:
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Quote:
$ whois spotthoughts.com
...
Domain Name: SPOTTHOUGHTS.COM
Registrar: TUCOWS, INC.
Whois Server: whois.opensrs.net
Referral URL: http://www.opensrs.org
Name Server: NS1.WWWROOT10.NET
Name Server: NS2.WWWROOT10.NET
Status: ACTIVE
Updated Date: 09-oct-2003
Creation Date: 09-oct-2003
Expiration Date: 09-oct-2005
...
Dunn, J. {email address removed}
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:lol: Seriously, I doubt it will be happening soon, though. Jason's busily working on DMT...
--janak
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12-20-2003, 04:14 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 21
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I don't want to have to reboot my watch twice a day. :?
That and I just bought a LaCrosse Tech watch that set's itself to atomic time every night.
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12-20-2003, 04:23 AM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Xianfox
I don't want to have to reboot my watch twice a day. :?
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Do you install tons of software on your watch?  Before drawing such conclusions, why don't we wait and see what reviews of the SPOT devices turn up. I suspect battery life will be a relatively bigger issue than stability. Oh, and I can't remember the last time I rebooted my i700.
Quote:
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That and I just bought a LaCrosse Tech watch that set's itself to atomic time every night.
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I have a Casio Wave Ceptor that does the same thing, and it's great, but I wouldn't mind getting a "smarter" watch if the price and wearability are right...
--janak
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12-20-2003, 04:37 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 21
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Janak Parekh
Do you install tons of software on your watch? |
We'll see. Sorry, but 20+ years of experience, many of them with MS products has made me a bit cynical. If it comes out of Redmond, I believe it only when I see it.
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12-20-2003, 04:46 AM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Xianfox
We'll see. Sorry, but 20+ years of experience, many of them with MS products has made me a bit cynical. If it comes out of Redmond, I believe it only when I see it.
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You're not the only one with 20+ years of experience. :razzing: I've seen both good and bad on nearly every platform...
--janak
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