THE WINDOWSFORDEVICES.COM WEEKLY NEWSLETTER WindowsForDevices.com Newsletter -- January 8, 2003 


Wednesday, January 8, 2003

By Alexander Wolfe, executive editor
 

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***************************TOP STORIES******************************

1)MICROSOFT PLANS BIG PLATFORM ANNOUNCEMENT AT CES

Microsoft will make a big splash at the Consumer Electronics Show 
in Las Vegas on Thursday, January 9, when it formally unveils its 
new Smart Personal Objects Technologies (SPOT) platform.

Microsoft will be joined in the debut by partner National 
Semiconductor. SPOT is designed to allow consumers to receive 
information from a variety of downsized, embedded appliances, 
including wristwatches and alarm clocks.

Microsoft has to date been somewhat fuzzy on just exactly what SPOT
is, previously characterizing it as something that's "aimed at 
improving the function of everyday objects through the injection of 
software."

At CES, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates is expected to demonstrate 
several SPOT device prototypes. One will likely be a bedside clock 
with a touch-sensitive screen that updates its time and its alarm 
settings as it moves between time zones and also provides 
up-to-date weather, traffic, and other useful information. 

Other items on tap are a key chain and wristwatch, which is wired 
(or "unwired") up to provide real-time news, personal messages or 
financial information. Another envisioned do-dad is an intelligent 
refrigerator magnet that could display sports updates or family 
calendar information.

While the SPOT initiative is new, it's by no means the first time 
Microsoft has delved into smart objects. Indeed, they've been an 
ongoing area of study for several years. For example, a 1999 
Microsoft white paper noted that embedded microprocessors "are 
finding their way into everyday items such as refrigerators, ovens,
cars, and even credit cards. We think of these slightly more 
intelligent and connected devices as smart objects. Microsoft has a
number of smart-object initiatives...some future product lines from
our partners will enable consumers to tie entertainment and home-
control devices into a home network." 

Microsoft enlisted National Semiconductor to make the low-power 
chip set for the hardware-side implementation of SPOT.  Not yet 
clear to embedded developers are the software requirements and 
specifications they will have to adhere to create SPOT-capable 
products.

story

2)FCC OPENING UP SMART-DEVICE SPECTRUM SPACE 

(Exclusive to WindowsForDevices.com) The Federal Communications 
Commission is on the verge of opening up additional radio-frequency
spectrum space for PDAs and smart Internet devices. 

The move is being prompted by the explosion of 802.11, Bluetooth, 
PDAs, and wireless local area networks. Unlike broadcast television
stations, which are granted licenses by the FCC to use specific 
frequencies, 'Net connectivity transmissions operate in what's 
called unlicensed bands. As such, they're restricted to very low 
power transmissions to avoid interference with each other.

However, as the number of smart devices increases, interference 
among them becomes a very real potential problem. Adding spectrum 
space is a quick way to open a safety valve.

The agency has just issued a formal notice of inquiry on the 
matter, entitled "Additional spectrum for unlicensed devices below 
900 MHz and in the 3 GHz band."

According to the FCC notice, "The past few years have witnessed the
development of industry standards, such as IEEE 802.11b, Bluetooth,
and Home RF that have greatly expanded the number and variety of 
devices that operate in the 2.4 GHz ISM band. This has provided for
the introduction of wireless headsets and computer connections for 
cellular and PCS phones, wireless computer peripherals such as 
printers and keyboards, and a host of new wireless Internet 
appliances that will use all of the spread spectrum bands. Because 
of this, a large number of new devices have been developed and 
placed into operation in the ISM bands. The success of our 
unlicensed device rules for the ISM bands shows that there could be
significant benefits to the economy, businesses and the general 
public in making additional spectrum available for unlicensed 
transmitters."

In this regard, the FCC would simply allocate by edict some 3 GHz 
spectrum (specifically, 3650 to 3700 MHz) a notch up from the 2.7 
GHz ISM band.

The spectrum below 900 MHz the FCC is referring to lies within the 
TV broadcast bands. This includes slots at 54-72 MHz, 76-88 MHz, 
174-216 MHz and 470-806 MHz. According to the FCC plan, the ongoing
transition from analog to digital television would open up some of 
that TV spectrum, which could then be reallocated to smart devices.

In outlining its plans, the FCC notice said: "We believe that these
actions could have significant benefits to the economy, businesses 
and consumers by allowing the development of new and innovative 
types of unlicensed devices." As its next procedural step, the FCC 
is currently in a 105 day period during which they are soliciting 
public comments on their plans.

For their part, FCC officials appear to look favorably upon the 
plan. "Technological advances now allow smart low power devices to 
communicate in spectral open spaces that were previously closed to 
development," said FCC chairman Michael Powell in a statement.

Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy concurred in her statement. 
"Unlicensed devices include cordless phones, computers, baby 
monitors, garage door openers, PDAs, and wireless local area 
networks. We are striving to promote two important interests: 
ensuring that incumbents are protected from harmful interference 
and allowing innovative technologies to take advantage of unused 
spectrum."

However, a mixed message was sounded by FCC commissioner Kevin 
Martin.

"Unlicensed devices have been a huge success story, from cordless 
phones to wireless broadband connections, such as 802.11b and 
Bluetooth," Martin wrote in his statement. "I am hopeful that 
unlicensed operations will eventually provide a last-mile 
application to connect people's homes to the Internet, offering a 
real alternative to telephone wires, cable, and satellite 
connections. I thus believe the Commission should consider a range 
of additional allocations for unlicensed devices."

Yet Martin does raise a red flag over possible interference 
problems. "I have reservations, however, into permitting additional
unlicensed devices to operate in the TV broadcast bands at this 
time."

story

3) WI-FI IS COMING TO A DOWNTOWN NEAR YOU

Hear's a strong cup of coffee: Wi-Fi appears destined to see 
deployment beyond the caffeinated confines of Starbucks. Now, 
municipalities are jumping into the act. Leading the list is the 
city of Long Beach, Calif.--previously famous as the home of the 
Queen Mary ocean liner--which is planning to make free wireless 
Internet access available in its downtown area as part of an effort
to attract visitors and companies to the business district.

Other cities exploring free Wi-Fi are said to be San Francisco, 
Seattle, and Jacksonville, FL. (Of course, San Francisco already 
has ample Wi-Fi access, since it is home to several of the 1,000 or
so of the domestic Starbucks coffee stores which are currently 
wired up for wireless access.)

story


4) MICROSOFT EXTENDS SMARTPHONE TO CDMA
 
Microsoft is continuing its surprisingly tortoise-like Smartphone 
strategy. ("Tortoise-like" is supposed to be a compliment; it means
they're persistent.) The latest step they've taken in their battle 
to put Smartphone on an even footing with competitor Symbian is to 
extend the Smartphone platform to support GSM-standard mobile-phone
networks. GSM is the so-called "worldphone" mobile standard, first 
implemented in Europe.

GSM support is also now part of Pocket PC software. Microsoft 
expects the final Pocket PC Phone Edition and Smartphone products 
for CDMA-based GSM networks to become available later this year.

Microsoft has already rounded up support for its effort in the form
of working agreements with leading CDMA companies such as Sprint.

Hitachi is first out of the pocket with its Multimedia Communicator
Pocket PC. The product is slated to debut on Sprint's CDMA-based 
PCS Network in the United States during Q1 2003.

The Multimedia Communicator is equipped with Pocket Outlook 
(contacts, calendar, in-box), pocket versions of Microsoft Word and
Excel, Pocket Internet Explorer browser, and the Windows Media 
Player. It's powered by a 400 MHz Intel Xscale processor and has an
integrated camera.

story

5) RECOVERY ON THE WAY? MAYBE, SAYS IEEE.

The computer industry could be about to get its a little economic 
stimulus of its own, according to just-released survey of Fellows 
of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The IEEE 
fellow believe the computer segment (Hey, this confused us, too) 
could be the first portion of the electronics industry to exit the 
current economic slump. The semiconductor segment was the next most
popular prediction, followed by telecom and energy.

In other findings from the IEEE Fellows surveyed:

52 percent believe that Moore's law will continue for another five 
to 10 years.

85 percent agree that high-caliber students are no longer choosing 
engineering as a profession because they are able to make more 
money in other fields.

The top three areas where the IEEE Fellows feel technology can cure
social ills are energy development, the fight against terrorism, 
and environmental protection. 

story


6) MICROSOFT PRESSES AHEAD WITH DIGITAL MEDIA STRATEGY

It's looking like Microsoft's digital-entertainment plans for 2003 
will reprise last year's efforts to call as much attention to its 
technology as possible. (Not that that makes the technology any 
less impressive.) To that end, Microsoft today is trumpeting the 
release of the final version of its Windows Media Player 9 Series 
for Windows XP.

Microsoft is making the software available for free downloading. 

Also hitting the Web is the final version of Microsoft's new 
Windows Movie Maker 2 for the Windows XP. Its compression allows 
the storage of the equivalent of 15 one-hour DV tapes in 10 GB of 
hard drive space, Microsoft says.

story


7) HERE'S A WAY TO BEAT THE ENERGIZER BUNNY

Taking a step back from this week's news, we wanted to inform you 
of some interesting new technical content we've published at 
WindowsForDevices.com. It's a treatise for developers on how to 
design handhelds and other smart devices so that they get maximum 
battery life. That's a subject which probably crossed your mind on 
your last transcontinental flight (assuming you handheld made it 
through security). The article was written by two experts at smart-
device design house In-Hand Electronics, and we think it's 
something your favorite Web site might want to link to.

story


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