Patent Shows Microsoft Has Been Planning a Smartwatch for 2 Years

By -


Powered by Translate



Windows-smartwatch
Pete-pachal-headshot-sq
Apart from a few words at its latest developer conference, Microsoft has been more or less silent on wearables so far, probably dreading comparisons to its failed Spot platform. But a patent suggests its wearable tech might be a larger part of its strategy moving forward.
The patent, which Microsoft filed in 2012 but was granted this week, is clearly for a kind of smartwatch. The accompanying diagrams and description reveal it will be a sensor-laden device capable of measuring a "biometric parameter" (i.e., heart rate). The illustration shows the watch displaying a simple interface for a generic fitness app that measures distance traveled.
As shown, the band is separate from the "computing device," which can be easily removed, similar in concept to the Sony Core life-logging gadget from CES, which was essentially a small sensor device that could be part of a wristband, brooch or something else.
However, Sony's device was more of a tracker, whereas Microsoft's is clearly more interactive, equipped with a "touch display" and communications interface (presumably to connect with a smartphone) to transfer the data it logs.
Microsoft smartwatch patent
IMAGE: USPTO
Microsoft plans to charge the device via a dock, similar to Samsung's Galaxy Gear. The illustrations show the display rotating 90 degrees while in the dock, which also functions as a stand.
Even though it hasn't said much about wearables themselves, Microsoft recently launched an initiative called Windows on Devices, which adapts the company's software for the "Internet of Things" — getting products that normally don't run Windows (or any OS) to run Windows. The first software development kit (SDK) is due this spring.
It's definitely possible Microsoft is planning its own hardware offering to kick-start the platform, similar to what the company attempted with the Surface and Windows 8. There's no telling when a Microsoft smartwatch might debut, but given that an upcoming event will be focused on theSurface Mini, it would probably be fall at the earliest.
Microsoft smartwatch patent
IMAGE: USPTO
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Ten Year Journey: How SEO PowerSuite Has Kept Its SEO Tools Current

By -
Image
By Parth Makadiya I reviewed  PowerSuite set of tools in a previous post and am adding further information about their evolution through the years as part of a sponsored post series. We’ve all heard the old saying “The only thing that stays the same is that everything changes”. And in the online marketing industry, change has always been the name of the game. From staying on top of the zoo Google keeps throwing at us, to dodging curve balls from Facebook Ads, to figuring out each new social platform that pops up – if you aren’t flexible, then online marketing may not be for you. As our industry continuously shifts, the tools we use must change and adapt just as fast. Through out all the changes, one tool set has continued to help SEO experts attain higher rankings, increase traffic, and spy on their competition. We know them now as  SEO PowerSuite . Yet, this tool set has evolved over the last ten years. It’s fun to look back on where you’ve come through the waves of Goog
Read more

4 Ways to Crack a Facebook Password and How to Protect Yourself from Them

By -
Image
     We share our lives on Facebook. We share our birthdays and our anniversaries. We share our vacation plans and locations. We share the births of our sons and the deaths of our fathers. We share our most cherished moments and our most painful thoughts. We divulge every aspect of our lives. We even clamor to see the  latest versions even before they're ready  for primetime. But we sometimes forget who's watching. We use Facebook as a tool to connect, but there are those people who use that connectivity for malicious purposes. We reveal what others can use against us. They know when we're not home and for how long we're gone. They know the answers to our security questions. People can practically steal our identities—and that's just with the visible information we purposely give away through our public Facebook profile. The scariest part is that as we get more comfortable with advances in technology, we actually become more susceptible to hacking. A
Read more

Create Separate Contact Page in Blogger

By -
Image
By Parth Patel Share On Google+ Add This To Delicious Tweet/ReTweet This Share on Facebook StumbleUpon This Digg This Blogger launched it’s official version of the Contact Form Widget but, it works only on the Blogger Sidebar. If you don’t want to add the contact form to your Blog’s sidebar but want it to appear on a specific page, then this tutorial will help you out. I didn’t want the contact form to appear every where on my blog. So I have moved it to a separate Contact Me Page How to move the Blogger Contact Form to a separate Page Follow the below steps to move the Contact Form to a separate page. If you would like to see a demo, you can check out my Contact page. First, add the Blogger Contact Form Widget to your sidebar. (We will hide the contact form later in this tutorial, but you have to add it) .  Now create a new page in your blog Copy the below contact form code block <form name='contact-form'> <div>Your Name : </div> &
Read more