Microsoft SPOT watches to go on sale in January
InfoWorld | at | by Mike
Microsoft will use January's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas to announce availability of wrist watches and wireless services based on its Smart Personal Objects Technology (SPOT), a Microsoft spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday.
It was first announced at CES in January 2003, and SPOT watches were originally supposed to go on sale from Fossil Inc. and other watchmakers in time for the holiday shopping season. Last minute tweaks to a radio chip in the watches delayed their introduction, according to a source familiar with the effort.
The problem has now been fixed and Fossil has manufactured ''many thousands'' of SPOT watches that are ready for retail next month, the source said. Microsoft's MSN Direct Service, which will deliver information to the watches, will also be available at that time. Plans are priced at $9.95 per month or $59 per year while watches start at $129, Microsoft has said.