Slashdot Mirror
Assorted CES Gizmos
Frank Buckheimer writes "The CES 2003 show in Las Vegas will give us some pretty nice introductions of some brand new products." Other submitters sent in news about a "Mini PC" the size of a paperback book, and a spiffy digital sound projector. mbstone writes "Bill Gates announced a line of MS wristwatches that receive email, stock quotes, sports scores, etc. by FM radio. Gates claims it's a 'whole new product concept that was completely incubated by Microsoft Research,' but it's really just a reprise of the Seiko MessageWatch -- mine became just a watch, sans atomic time, as of 12/31/99 when Seiko called it quits. Once bitten, twice shy. Has anybody proposed an open standard for such gadgets so that new wristwatch-data-service providers can enter the market when the old provider leaves?"
I hate paper documents... besides being wasteful of trees, any notes you take normally have to be typed up and recorded for quality purposes (like ISO). Give me a mini-PC or tablet PC anyday.. I'll even sometimes lug around a laptop.
In regards to the MS watch? Who needs that when you carry around a cell phone with the same thing or a PDA with the same thing.
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Free your mind.
If I understand the concept correctly, these watches are only receiving data, not sending. So basically, it's a mini-pager. Is this revolutionary?
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You may like my a cappella music
Seriously, this seems another indication that when it comes to consumer products, Microsoft has no clue what people want. The X-Box is still #3 and losing them money, and Bob was an unmitigated disaster. Do they really think that Joe Six-Pack wants and needs something like this?
It's looking more and more like their strategy is simply to try everything, until they eventually succeed (in taking over the world). For a normal company, this would be quick suicide -- but MS has Lots And Lots Of Money.
Gah.
We live, as we dream -- alone....
This is the most tinfoil-hat wearing anti-MS unfunny joke that I have seen for a while.
If you read the article you would see that MS is experimenting with the market and the concept mostly, to see who would pay for it and how much people are prepared to pay. They don't care if the whole thing is a flop.
Do you think that Joe Six-Pack wants and needs linux on his desktop? Are you saying that if Joe Six-Pack does not want or need something then it shouldn't be done?
Vulcan hopes it will attract mobile computer-users willing to pay for wirelessly transmitted movie trailers and other content.
Who is actually going to pay for advertisements? Do the companies really think they'll be making money from trying to convince people to go see their movies so they can make money? Not a business strategy I'd invest in.
Find me in ~/.sig
From the businessweek interview: ...
Q: How does the Spot stack up in terms of other innovations that have come out of Microsoft Research?
A: Well, Microsoft Research has contributed so many innovations to so many products that I will get myself in trouble very quickly if I start ranking or comparing.
Why is it that each time you ask MS what innovations they have done, you get no real answer?
Funny interview anyway. For once, slashdotters should read the article.
I'll do it for cheesy poofs.
DON'T BUY IT THEN. ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID? There is always one idiot on EVERY story saying 'well, I don't want this'. Shut the FUCK UP then!
I love the irony of two slashdot articles in a row, where one talks about Apple's Rendezvous, and the next talks about Microsoft's new 'Spot' wristwatch thingy. Apple's product is useful, open-sourced, and can provide benefits beyond Mac owners, since devices can communicate without a Mac or any Apple products at all. Contrast this with the Microsoft announcement: a clunky, expensive watch that will cost at least $100 year in service fees.
Apple Press Release
Microsoft Watch Article
But there is something more going on here. Apple is returning to its roots, and to computing's roots, by giving away software in order to sell hardware. Microsoft sees the "free software" writing on the wall, and is desperately trying to sell hardware and services. Who's going to win?
Mike van Lammeren
It will challenge your head, your brain, and your mind.
Although I would often find streaming wireless movie trailers usefull (e.g. I'm at a restaurant with friends and we're deciding which movie to go see), I don't know of anybody who would actually *pay* for this service. After all, we are going to *pay* to see the actual movie, right? I also wouldn't put down $1200-$1500 that doesn't even work as well as a Sony Picturebook, just for the privelege of these wireless movie trailers.
Luckily, this is one of those *concept* electronic show ideas that will never see the light of day (in it's current form).
Because the two companies run on completely different philosophies. One is run on the philosophy of coming up with new things that are cool and interesting. A desire to make something new. The other is run on a philosophy that dictates that money is the bottom line.
One, as a company, preaches innovation. The other, touts innovation, but preaches dollars. Of course, I could get into the whole Apple doesn't make the big bucks because they don't want to argument, but I'll save that for another time.
Bite my yammer.