LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7, 2003 — This week at the 2003 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Microsoft Corp. announced that the first Microsoft® Windows®
Powered Smart Displays — the ViewSonic air panel V110 and V150 Smart Displays — will be available tomorrow through leading online and storefront retailers including Amazon.com Inc., BUY.COM Inc., CompUSA, Dell.com, Fry’s Electronics and RCS Computer. In addition to the air panel V110 and V150 Smart Displays that include a wireless adapter and an upgrade to the Windows XP Professional operating system, ViewSonic Corp. also will offer a 10-inch air panel Smart Display without those items early in the first quarter of 2003. In addition, Microsoft announced that Philips Consumer Electronics Co., one of the largest consumer electronics companies and the third largest PC monitor supplier globally, will deliver its 15-inch DesXcape 150DM Smart Display to the U.S. market the first week of February 2003. Philips will include a USB wireless adapter, a docking station and, for a limited time, the DesXcape Wireless Keyboard with the purchase of its Smart Display. Smart Displays make it possible for consumers to use their Windows XP Professional-based PC anywhere in the house.*
“Smart Displays enable consumers to access the power of their Windows XP-based PC from anywhere in their home,” said Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect of Microsoft. “We are delighted to announce availability today, and excited by the amazing work our partners have done since we showed the first prototype at last year’s CES.”
“Consumers are accustomed to ViewSonic delivering quality and innovation to their PC display, and as the need for mobility grows, it is a natural evolution for ViewSonic to lead in bringing Smart Displays to the market,” said James Chu, CEO of ViewSonic. “Smart Displays are the next wave in home computing, and together with Microsoft we are making it possible for our retail partners and customers to take full advantage of this opportunity with our air panel V110 and V150.”
Philips, one of the world’s largest consumer electronics companies, will deliver its 15-inch DesXcape 150DM Smart Display the first week of February 2003 to the U.S. market. In addition to the Smart Display, the retail package will include a USB wireless adapter for the PC and a docking station for the Smart Display. When docked, the Smart Display can be used as a primary monitor. Also, for a limited time Philips will include a wireless keyboard with the purchase of the DesXcape 150DM Smart Display. The DesXcape 150DM will be available at RCS at an estimated retail price of $1,499. It also will be available in Europe in the first quarter of 2003.
“Philips’ expertise is delivering compelling technologies for the consumer marketplace, and the DesXcape Smart Displays are a great addition to our family of innovative products,” said Larry Blanford, president and chief executive officer of Philips Consumer Electronics North America. “Smart Displays represent a significant step forward in the evolution of the monitor, and the flexibility and power of products like DesXcape will fundamentally change the way consumers interact with their home computers.”
Jed Kolko, senior analyst at Forrester Research Inc., believes Smart Displays will dramatically redefine the home PC. In his research brief published by Forrester last November, “Smart Displays: The Next PC Revolution Is in View,” Kolko says Smart Displays will change how consumers use PCs as radically as broadband has: Broadband makes the Internet always-on; Smart Displays make the Internet always-here.
Using Smart Displays, consumers can surf the Web from their couch, check e-mail while lying in bed, download recipes in the kitchen, or share digital pictures on the patio. Primary first buyers of Smart Displays are expected to be the traditional early adopters of technology. This audience, composed of customers eager to apply forward-looking technology and gadgets to their daily lives, can test-drive the air panel V110 and V150 and the DesXcape 150DM, as well as a host of Smart Displays soon to be delivered by other manufacturers, in the Microsoft corporate booth and at the Smart Display Experience Center located just outside the main entrance to the show floor at 2003 CES.
Recognizing the growing trend of consumers who want to enjoy the rich features of Windows XP Professional in more-relaxed settings, Microsoft and industry partners are developing a variety of Smart Displays. Manufacturers developing Smart Displays or solutions for Smart Displays include AboCom Systems Inc., BenQ Corp., First International Computer Inc., Fujitsu Ltd., Intel Corp., LG Electronics Inc., National Semiconductor Corp., NEC Corp., Philips Consumer Electronics, Samsung Electronics, Tatung Co., TriGem Computer Inc., ViewSonic and Wyse Technology Inc.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.
* Normal operating range will cover all of most houses, but range may vary depending on manufacturer hardware, connection speed and environmental conditions.
Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.asp .
