more on Gates at Comdex

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: "Charles Arthur, The Independent" <carthur () independent co uk>
Date: Fri, 22 Nov 2002 13:40:03 +0000
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Re: <[IP]> Gates at Comdex

Hi Dave...

At 8:03 am -0500 on 22/11/2002, you wrote:

> Get smart
> Gates also presented a prototype smart object during the keynote address--a
> travel alarm clock that wakes its owner up based on the owner's first
> calendar appointment, data that's stored on a central PC.
>
> "The first thing most of us think about when the alarm goes off is, how much
> more time do I have to sleep?" said a Microsoft representative.
> Consequently, the "smart alarm clock" offers flight and traffic information,
> to let an owner decide if he can snooze some more, or make a mad dash for
> the airport.

Sounds a lot like the prototpye alarm which I wrote about in September:

"The RISE alarm clock, developed by David Hunt of Brunel University, uses a
phone line and the internet to query websites containing information about
local traffic conditions, and decides whether those are serious enough that
you should get out of bed early, or lie back and relax."

The BBC wrote it up too: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2269144.stm

I think Bill's idea sounds more boring. Anyway, he has kids. He should know
better - you don't need alarm clocks for their first 10 years. Lie-in?
Distant memory.
    And if Microsoft is only going to market to the planet's hopeless
singletons - well, adios.


        best
        Charles

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