Microsoft Gadgets

We gave you a sneak peek at Apples iPhone, the one everyones hyperventilating about, but what about Apples arch rival Microsoft? Theyre working day and night to come up with some revolutionary products of their own. In a design lab on the Microsoft campus near Seattle, the pressure is on to re-define "cool," and create the next "must-have" gadget. In the back, the self-proclaimed "sound geek" is working on the ring tones. "Ring tones fit and finish the way it feels in your hand. Its kind of the emotional attachment to the device," says Audio Designer Benjamin Bethurum. The plan: to cram as much of your PC as possible into your cell phone, which already includes music, videos, pictures, a camera, text messaging, e-mail and Internet access. So whats next? Word Processing and Powerpoint files in your phone, GPS locator chips, real-time traffic updates, and for shoppers, electronic coupons that are transmitted to your phone as you walk by a store. This fall, Microsoft hopes to have dashboard computers that will read back your phones text messages. Also new: using your cell phone camera, youll soon be able to photograph a product in a store, like a DVD, then automatically match product information and reviews on the Internet. "The question is, how can a mobile device that you carry with you help you simplify the things you want to do in your life?" says Windows Mobile Program Manager Ira Snyder. But how do they know if that new gadget really is simple to use? Welcome to the isolation room, where developers watch non-tech heads struggle with new products. So how much is the iPhone driving change? "It doesnt change our strategy any. It doesnt change our approach," says Robbie Bach, President of Microsoft Entertainment Devices. Soon we will be dragging pictures and music between our phones and coffee table PCs, and the future is now!