Faced with the entry of a new deep-pocketed rival, watchmakers and companies that make a range of devices that Microsoft Corp. wants to wire with its own "smart" software see both an opportunity and a threat.
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates announced on Wednesday that the world's largest software company was mounting a new push to move beyond personal computers and into everyday objects using technology Microsoft calls SPOT, for Smart Personal Objects Technology.
SPOT-enabled watches and everyday objects such as refrigerator magnets will carry software that will allow them to display snippets of information, such as an upcoming appointment, phone numbers and weather forecasts, Gates said.
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