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E-notes at your fingertips
24/07/2007 10:11 - (SA)
Herzliya - You're at work
and forgot to remind your children to buy milk? E-mail the
fridge.
The Israeli branch of Taiwan chip maker Winbond Electronics
Corp has developed prototypes of devices with Microsoft Corp
that transmit data from a computer to a portable screen the
size of a fridge magnet.
The devices incorporate a technology called SideShow, a
feature in Windows Vista and released earlier this year. They
connect to a computer up to 100m away with a
Bluetooth wireless connection, even if the PC is turned off.
"The Scribbler... is an electronic sticky note that could
be attached to the refrigerator or the mirror, or whatever is
convenient for the user," Eyal Farhi, product marketing manager
for Winbond's SideShow line in Israel, told Reuters
Television.
Farhi says people can use these devices without having to
sit by a desk.
"This provides you the comfort and flexibility to walk
around your home and not necessarily sit tight in front of the
PC and use the regular keyboard and mouse," he added.
If the computer is switched on and connected to the
internet, people can use the devices to transmit and receive
information through the web. The quality of the online
connection depends on a separate internet services provider.
Using a stylus pen commonly used for pocket computers, a
person could scrawl notes on the Scribbler to leave for their
children or send e-mails from work that they can read on the
device, says Farhi. They can also write back.
The gadgets are powered by a battery that can be charged
with a USB connection to a computer and lasts up to several
days. They can store up to hundreds of megabytes.
"The idea of being able to display on another display
critical information, once it became possible to do it
wirelessly, means there's no limits," said Levy.
He said he expected manufacturers to market their SideShow
devices starting from the third quarter of this year. They are
expected to retail for about $100 (about R700) apiece.
- Reuters
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