Shoutbox

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Originally posted by Neowin.net
At this year's VS Live and Windows Anywhere event, Microsoft showed of new technology it plans to launch with Longhorn for laptops and PCs, Techworld reports.

The company plans to offer a system based around the SPOT technology used in Microsoft's line of watches. Users will be able to see mobile phone style displays on the top of laptops containing various pieces of information; Microsoft foresee the screens showing the time, appointment and email information as well as common information like the laptop's status. At a demo during the event, Microsoft showed off a demo with calendar, contacts, tasks, inbox and media player working.

Microsoft will be pushing the technology to laptop makers to coincide with Longhorn, expected to be launched in 2006.

Sriram Viji, a program manager at Microsoft told Techworld that the technology would be similar to mobile phones and would be powered off the laptop's battery. The data would be cached allowing it to function when the PC is turned off; also included is a small processor and flash memory. The hardware could be programmed to wake up the computer periodically to download and update information. Microsoft will be offering information to developers around the time of the first Longhorn beta, expected around June of this year.

The technology will be supported in all version of Longhorn, yet will have a special focus and use for laptop users. This is one of the first peripheral pieces of gear to emerge for Longhorn, and it sounds impressive; the excitement, and expectations, are building.

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