A
Ablang
[Ed. The PC could well be on it's way out.]
Will Windows Power the Living Room?
Microsoft's Home Concept PC combines video recorder, CD player, phone, and more.
Joris Evers, IDG News Service
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
SEATTLE -- Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard are showing off at a developers
conference here some Windows XP concept devices intended to replace a consumer's
video recorder, CD player, answering machine, and telephone.
The Windows Home Concept is expected to make its debut in the opening talk by
Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates at the annual Windows
Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) this week.
The hub of the Windows Home Concept is the Home Center PC, which looks more like
a fancy video recorder than a PC. Unlike today's Windows systems, the device can
turn on and off instantly and operate silently. Also, it does not need a mouse
or keyboard; all access is through an intelligent remote control that features a
color screen, fingerprint reader, microphone, and speaker, according to
Microsoft and HP.
The Windows Home Concept is an evolution of Windows XP Media Center Edition,
says Greg Sullivan, lead product manager for Windows.
"The improvements in Windows combined with new hardware will enable devices that
we will be happy to put in our living room," Sullivan says. Media Center PCs
allow users to use a remote control to provide access via TV to photos, video,
and music stored on their PC, as well as selected Internet services such as
movie downloads.
Multitasking Device
Microsoft has a grand vision for the Windows Home Concept. Through the
fingerprint reader on the remote, the Home Center PC will automatically show an
individual user's favorite TV shows and computer games. The screen on the remote
will let users to select shows to record, even while the PC is doing something
else.
When connected to a phone line, the Home Center PC can display caller
information on the TV when a call comes in. The user can then decide whether to
take the call, with the remote acting as a speaker phone, or have the PC answer
the call. TV can be paused while a call is answered, using the system's digital
video recording features.
The HP concept Home Center PC boasts a DVD burner, high-capacity hard disk
drive, and other features, says Ameer Karim, HP's director of worldwide product
marketing. It also has a display on the front, much like traditional consumer
electronics devices.
"Think of this as replacing your DVD recorder, VCR, CD player, TiVo, and
potentially your AV receiver in the future," he says. "This is the PC turned
into an entertainment device." For a separate den room as well as the office, HP
will continue to make and sell regular PCs, he says.
The Home Center PC will also function as a wireless access point for other PCs
in the home to access data and to share its broadband Internet connection. Aside
from the Home Center PC, the Windows Home Concept also includes a Home Tablet PC
that will come with a docking station and can synchronize with the Home Center
PC.
The vision for the Home Tablet PC is similar to that of the Smart Display, the
wireless PC displays that Microsoft dropped in December, only a year after the
first Smart Displays shipped.
"The Home Tablet PC is a more compelling scenario," Sullivan says. "There is a
notion that the ability to take my content with me and it still be usable when I
am away from my home network is an important feature." The comments echo the
broad criticism of Smart Displays, which were found to be overpriced, dumb
mobile terminals.
Just a Peek
Just as with concept cars at auto shows, the Windows Home Concept devices won't
be found at retailers soon, Sullivan says.
"This is not a product announcement; it is a demonstration of a concept," he
says. "Over the next 12 to 18 months you will see many of the technologies that
we are showing here shipping in PCs. The full end-to-end scenario of the
concept, we're thinking is kind of a 2006 scenario."
A step closer to the vision will be reality later this year. Several hardware
makers, including HP, plan release Windows Media Center Extenders before the
December holiday shopping season. The Windows Media Center Extender removes the
need to physically connect the TV to a Media Center PC or even have it in the
same room.
At WinHEC, Microsoft tells hardware makers where it is headed with Windows and
related software products so they can allocate resources accordingly.
In addition to the Windows Home Concept, Microsoft plans to provide details
about Web services for devices such as printers and digital cameras as well as
its plans for products including Windows Media Digital Rights Management,
Windows XP 64-Bit Edition, and Longhorn, the successor to Windows XP.
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,115977,tk,dn050404X,00.asp
==
"Guys are like dogs. They keep coming back. Ladies
are like cats. Yell at a cat one time... they're gone."
-- Lenny Bruce
Will Windows Power the Living Room?
Microsoft's Home Concept PC combines video recorder, CD player, phone, and more.
Joris Evers, IDG News Service
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
SEATTLE -- Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard are showing off at a developers
conference here some Windows XP concept devices intended to replace a consumer's
video recorder, CD player, answering machine, and telephone.
The Windows Home Concept is expected to make its debut in the opening talk by
Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates at the annual Windows
Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) this week.
The hub of the Windows Home Concept is the Home Center PC, which looks more like
a fancy video recorder than a PC. Unlike today's Windows systems, the device can
turn on and off instantly and operate silently. Also, it does not need a mouse
or keyboard; all access is through an intelligent remote control that features a
color screen, fingerprint reader, microphone, and speaker, according to
Microsoft and HP.
The Windows Home Concept is an evolution of Windows XP Media Center Edition,
says Greg Sullivan, lead product manager for Windows.
"The improvements in Windows combined with new hardware will enable devices that
we will be happy to put in our living room," Sullivan says. Media Center PCs
allow users to use a remote control to provide access via TV to photos, video,
and music stored on their PC, as well as selected Internet services such as
movie downloads.
Multitasking Device
Microsoft has a grand vision for the Windows Home Concept. Through the
fingerprint reader on the remote, the Home Center PC will automatically show an
individual user's favorite TV shows and computer games. The screen on the remote
will let users to select shows to record, even while the PC is doing something
else.
When connected to a phone line, the Home Center PC can display caller
information on the TV when a call comes in. The user can then decide whether to
take the call, with the remote acting as a speaker phone, or have the PC answer
the call. TV can be paused while a call is answered, using the system's digital
video recording features.
The HP concept Home Center PC boasts a DVD burner, high-capacity hard disk
drive, and other features, says Ameer Karim, HP's director of worldwide product
marketing. It also has a display on the front, much like traditional consumer
electronics devices.
"Think of this as replacing your DVD recorder, VCR, CD player, TiVo, and
potentially your AV receiver in the future," he says. "This is the PC turned
into an entertainment device." For a separate den room as well as the office, HP
will continue to make and sell regular PCs, he says.
The Home Center PC will also function as a wireless access point for other PCs
in the home to access data and to share its broadband Internet connection. Aside
from the Home Center PC, the Windows Home Concept also includes a Home Tablet PC
that will come with a docking station and can synchronize with the Home Center
PC.
The vision for the Home Tablet PC is similar to that of the Smart Display, the
wireless PC displays that Microsoft dropped in December, only a year after the
first Smart Displays shipped.
"The Home Tablet PC is a more compelling scenario," Sullivan says. "There is a
notion that the ability to take my content with me and it still be usable when I
am away from my home network is an important feature." The comments echo the
broad criticism of Smart Displays, which were found to be overpriced, dumb
mobile terminals.
Just a Peek
Just as with concept cars at auto shows, the Windows Home Concept devices won't
be found at retailers soon, Sullivan says.
"This is not a product announcement; it is a demonstration of a concept," he
says. "Over the next 12 to 18 months you will see many of the technologies that
we are showing here shipping in PCs. The full end-to-end scenario of the
concept, we're thinking is kind of a 2006 scenario."
A step closer to the vision will be reality later this year. Several hardware
makers, including HP, plan release Windows Media Center Extenders before the
December holiday shopping season. The Windows Media Center Extender removes the
need to physically connect the TV to a Media Center PC or even have it in the
same room.
At WinHEC, Microsoft tells hardware makers where it is headed with Windows and
related software products so they can allocate resources accordingly.
In addition to the Windows Home Concept, Microsoft plans to provide details
about Web services for devices such as printers and digital cameras as well as
its plans for products including Windows Media Digital Rights Management,
Windows XP 64-Bit Edition, and Longhorn, the successor to Windows XP.
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,115977,tk,dn050404X,00.asp
==
"Guys are like dogs. They keep coming back. Ladies
are like cats. Yell at a cat one time... they're gone."
-- Lenny Bruce