ISRAEL: Fridge magnets go cyber

You are at work and forgot to remind your children to buy milk, so you email ... your fridge? The Israeli branch of Taiwanese high-tech firm Winbond Electronics Corp. has developed prototypes of devices with Microsoft Corp that transmit data from a computer to a portable screen, such one on a refrigerator magnet. The devices incorporate a technology called SideShow, a feature in Windows Vista, which was released earlier this year. They connect to a computer up to 100 metres (328 feet) away with a Bluetooth wireless connection, even if the PC is turned off. The gadgets allow you to write notes, check and send email, view pictures and read news, stock reports and more. Among the devices Winbond Israel is introducing is the Scribbler, a palm-sized, one-inch thick magnet with a touch-pad monitor. "The scribbler... is an electronic sticky note that could be attached to the refrigerator or the mirror, or whatever is convenient for the user," says Eyal Farhi, product marketing manager for Winbond's SideShow line in Israel. "It allows you to take any display around your house or the office and connect it seamlessly, automatically synchronised to your PC," added Windbond Israel's general manager, Jonathan Levy. Farhi says the user can use these monitors 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 their children or send E-mails from work that they can read on the device, says Farhi. He adds that they could also write back. There are no plans to develop similar technology for Macintosh or other Windows operating systems. Other gadgets that incorporate the SideShow technology include a remote control that works with Windows Media Center, which allows you to record and watch multimedia content on the computer. Another is The Chatter, a hand-held device used mainly to send text messages to and from a PC. 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 apiece.

ITN Source | July 28, 2007

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