The technology behind Microsoft's futuristic "smart objects" has humbler origins than one might expect. It's used to pipe music into elevators and was tested by Atari two decades ago as a way of sending new video games to its consoles, a developer of the technology said this week.
Microsoft shed light on its Smart Personal Object Technology, or SPOT, at the Consumer Electronics Show. It uses FM radio networks to deliver a slow but steady stream of data to devices like wristwatches and fridge magnets, sending information such as sports scores, weather reports, and stock quotes, or even short text messages. Three leading watchmakers plan to sell SPOT-enabled wristwatches by the end of the year, Microsoft said this week.
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