Power 2002: Recharging portable & wireless products for e-business & consumer applications Los Angeles, CA--September 29-October 2, 2002

Advanced Battery Technology, Jan 2003 by Sieminski, Dennis

In the microprocessor area, Michael DeNeffe, vice president of marketing, explained Transmeta's Crusoe, which is designed specifically to use the least amount of power possible to accomplish a task.

While Crusoe is presently hitting the market, Intel has announced its Transmeta killer, Banias, is slated for 1Q03. As with all pre-announcements by market leaders, the effect is one of stalling the market as buyers decide to wait and see. Intel's next generation, Prescott, is due 1Q04. Also from Transmeta is an initiative on the concept of

an Ultra Personal Computer. This is a small computer core that would be a PDA and then could morph into a notebook and desktop by docking into shell devices made to accept them. In this way, you always have all your information with you in a physical device most suited to the moment and avoid all the issues with synchronizing.

Fujitsu's Tom Bernhard looked at the design considerations involved in doing a pen tablet. The device is very similar to notebook computers but has a screen, which also functions as an input device. This construction brings unique thermal issues because it has one half the volume and surface area of a notebook. Since tablets are designed to be carried, weight and weight distribution are important; battery placement is key. The target is to have three to six hours of battery life.

Jay Gilbert is with Intel's Emerging Platform Lab, which is focusing on mobile 3-D and video. Work out of this group enables products such as personal video players (PVP) and mobile gaming. Intel believes that providing compelling graphics will be a key to spurring market growth. Jay provided a demonstration of 3-D graphics state-of-the-- art with the X-scale processor simulating a flight through a realistic, detail-rich scene.

The concept of wearable computers has been slow in developing commercially but nonetheless remains an enduring vision. Wearables are seen as the next step in a natural movement of computers from desktop to laptop to use of the device while performing other physical activities such as walking, driving, working on things, or interacting with others. The wearable computer can also be thought of as analogous to the ideas of hands-free phones and wearable audio, such as the Walkman. Wearables in their best executions, rather than just allowing us to perform multiple activities simultaneously, will enhance our ability to perform difficult tasks.

There are possibilities in the medical field, skilled trades, and the military. In executing wearables, the process typically involves breaking the device apart and putting its various pieces where they are needed or where they are least obtrusive or vulnerable, e.g., a screen becomes an eyepiece.

Handhelds - PDAs and Phones

David Kerr of Strategy Analytics reported on the wireless industry and Ken Smiley of Giga gave an overview of handheld devices recently introduced into the market.

Cellular subscribers passed the I billion mark in 2002 and are projected to be 2 billion by 2006. That means that one-quarter of the world's population will have a phone, with North America and Western Europe accounting for 50% of the users. However, note that this growth rate is slower than the 40% per year experienced in the past. In 2002 it stands at just 6% but it is expected to go back up and normalize at around 15%. In the U.S., Verizon, Cingular, AT&T, and Sprint are the main service providers with Sprint driving the market at present with its introductions of color displays, new handset designs, and innovative content. However, the network operators, the application developers, and the providers of content have not found a way to work together effectively and have a tendency to operate within their own silos. Revenue-sharing issues between networks and content providers is one example of this. The result is delays in rolling out services, which can increase market value like rich media on handsets. Microsoft is becoming a significant positive force in wireless. The migration of its business tools from the desktop to the PDA format will legitimize and reinvigorate this sector.