TECHNOLOGY

If you’re thinking about buying anew monitor or a new PC, you’reprobably considering getting one

with a flat LCD screen. Microsoft’s “Mira” (derived

from Spanish for “to watch”)simply makes that LCD mobile.Mira is a wireless, pen-enabledmonitor. You’ll also see it referredto as a “smart display,” whichisn’t a very useful name, since itdoesn’t mean anything specific.Why would anyone want a wire-less monitor? To be able to use ahome PC in any room of the

house, or even in the back yard.According to Microsoft CEO SteveBallmer, “Mira does for monitorswhat the cordless handset did fortelephones.” Think about that fora moment – it’s a darn goodanalogy. “Mira,” by the way, isonly a temporary code name.Microsoft hasn’t decided on afinal name for product. They’llhave to decide soon, though,since Mira products are sched-uled to be available in time forChristmas 2002.

Microsoft MIRABy Geoff Walker

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MICROSOFT MIRA AT A GLANCEMira is Microsoft's code name for a wireless, pen-enabled monitor intended for use with your home PC.Mira extends the use of Windows XP to any room inyour house. Mira can be summarized as follows:

● Available Christmas 2002, $500 to $800

● 14 OEMs & ODMs are signed up to build Miras

● Two form factors: “main monitor” and “mobile monitor”

● Main monitors are 15" XGA

● Mobile monitors are 8.4" and 10.4" SVGA

● Mira communicates with the home PC via WiFi (802.11b)

● Mira uses Terminal Server software built into XP Pro

● Only one Mira can be used at a time

● Mira doesn't support full-motion video or 3D games

“Mira” is yetanother

Microsoft-championed

conceptmeant to

extend thereach of

Windows beyond the

desktop. With Mira

you accessyour PC with

a wirelessconnection

from wher-ever you arein the house.

Philips Mira prototype

ViewSonic Mira prototype

Tatung Mira prototype

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Extending the ExperienceThink of the applications andfeatures you use on your PC,and then consider whethersome of them would be easieror better used away from thedesk and room where the PClives. One of the most obvioususes is reading news and otherInternet content (browsing theweb). Wouldn’t it be morecomfortable to do it in an easychair or on the couch with aMira mobile monitor? But don’tstop there — what about read-ing and responding to email,doing instant messaging, re-viewing your personalfinances, planning a trip withmapping software, doing cross-word puzzles, viewing andediting photos, playing solitaire,doing minor editing with aproductivity application, play-ing and managing MP3 files,sharing your photo albums withfriends, reading ebooks, listen-ing to Internet radio stations, orreading endless documentsand presentations from work?Finally, breaking away from the“couch” environment, whatabout accessing technicalinformation from a CD-ROM foryour car while you’re in thegarage?

The basic concept of theMira is to extend the WindowsPC experience to any room inthe home. When you’re using aMira, you’re using your PC. Thisis significantly different fromusing a webpad. With a web-pad, you’re limited to browsingthe Internet and using a few,limited-functionality CE appli-cations. When you’re using aMira, you have access to allthe data and applications thatare resident on your PC. Thismeans that the Mira reflects allof your personalized PC set-tings such as My Favorites, MyPictures, folder settings, etc. It

also means that youhave access to all ofyour PC peripherals,such as printers, CDburners and Zip drives.Mira is your PC, whereveryou want it. This is whatMicrosoft calls “relaxed,casual computing.” For avery slick, two-minute Mi-crosoft concept video of afamily using a Mira in fourdifferent rooms on two differentfloors of a house, visithttp://www.microsoft.com/win-dowsxp/mira/video.asp.

Initial Form FactorsMost Mira V1 products will beavailable in one of two basicform factors: “primary detach-able monitor” and “secondarymobile monitor.” For the re-mainder of this article, theseterms are shortened to “mainmonitor” and “mobile monitor.”The Mira main monitor, as thename implies, replaces thestandard CRT or LCD monitoron a PC. When a Mira mainmonitor is being used next tothe PC, it’s connected via aVGA or DVI cable, just like anyother monitor. However, it canbe detached (removed) from its

base and usedanywhere in thehouse. When it’smobile, it com-municates withthe PC via WiFi(802.11b) wire-

less. Most of theMira main monitors to be an-nounced in 2002 will use 15"XGA (1024 x 768) LCDs, sincethat’s the current “sweet spot”in LCD monitors.

Mira mobile monitors can beused only remotely from the PC.They can’t be connected di-rectly to the PC like a mainmonitor. They also communi-cate with the PC via WiFi(802.11b) wireless. Mira mobilemonitors will generally havesome form of docking cradle(or at least a passive stand) tohold the unit while it is beingused with a keyboard and amouse. Most of the Mira mobilemonitors that will beannounced in 2002 will use 8.4"or 10.4" SVGA (800 x 600) LCDs,since that’s the design centerof most webpads.

w w w . p e n c o m p u t i n g . c o m M I R A J u l y 2 0 0 2

The basic concept of Mirais to extend the

reach of your PCto every room of

the house

R ationale

Figure 1: The Mira log-in screen is the first thing you see on a Mira device. Pleasenote that this is a beta version and may be different in the final product

Philips Mira prototype

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AirSpeak FlairThe Flair is a wireless monitor aimed at the enterprise marketrather than the home market. It was initially designed to wirelesslyconnect to a “corridor cruiser’s” desktop PC and provide remotemobile access to the desktop. The Flair is similar to the Mira in thatit’s a Windows CE device with integrated WiFi (802.11b) wireless,except that the protocol used between the Flair and a desktop PC isproprietary. The Flair is a more open platform than the Mira, since itcan also be configured as a wireless thin client or a CE tablet.When the Flair is configured as a thin client, the protocol usedbetween the Flair and a server can be either Microsoft’s RDP orCitrix’s ICA. When it’s configured as a CE tablet, the Flair can sup-port wide-area wireless(CDPD or GSM) as wellas WiFi. AirSpeak’sprimary target marketsfor the CE tablet versionof the Flair are health-care, manufacturingand retail. List price ofthe Flair is $1,895 for thewireless monitor or CEtablet version and$1,695 for the thin clientversion.

DOT Design Technologies XtendThe Xtend is closest of the four products in concept to the Mira.Created by a tiny startup in San Mateo, CA, the Xtend is like an

enhanced Mira runningLinux instead of Win-dows CE. According toTodd Shafer, Presidentand Founder of DOTDesign Technologies, theproduct is presently inthe “virtual prototype”phase of development.DOT’s philosophy strong-ly emphasizes the long-term benefits of an open

design based on Linux.DOT also clearly understands that a device such as the Xtend is“primarily for read-only activities.” There are two main areaswhere the design of the Xtend differs from Microsoft’s concept ofMira: RDP and standalone applications. First, instead of Microsoft’sRDP, the Xtend uses a proprietary protocol between the wirelessmonitor and the PC. Second, the Xtend includes a full web browser,an email client and accessory applications such as a universalremote control for audio-visual equipment, a calculator and anotepad. DOT’s street price target for the Xtend is $699.

Mira is unique. There’s nothing exactly like it on the market today. However, there are several other wireless

monitor products that share some degree of commonality with Mira. These include the AirSpeak Flair, the

Xtend from DOT Design Technologies, the Panasonic Toughbook 07 and the Sony Airboard. (See Table 4 for URLs.)

OTHER WIRELESS MONITORS

TABLE 1: COMPARISON OF MIRA WITH OTHER TYPES OF PRODUCTSCharacteristic Mira LCD Monitor Internet Appliance Webpad Tablet PC Laptop PC

Positioning The evolution of Desktop monitor Limited capability Limited capability The evolution Mobile PCthe monitor Internet access Internet access of the laptop

Target Market Consumer Consumer Consumer Consumer Mobile Mobile and enterprise and vertical markets professionals professionals

PC No (peripheral) No (peripheral) No (competition) No (competition) Yes YesUser Interface Windows Windows Browser Browser Windows WindowsMobile Yes No No Yes Yes YesWireless 802.11b No No 802.11b 802.11b & WAN 802.11b & WANStandalone Apps Very limited in V1 No No Some Unlimited UnlimitedQuiet, Cool Yes Yes Yes Yes Some NoInstant-On Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes1 NoPen Support Yes No No Yes Yes NoFull-Motion Video Not in V1 Yes No No Most2 Most2

and 3D GamesOS Windows CE .Net None Windows CE, Windows CE Windows XP Windows 98

Linux Linux, QNX Tablet PC Edition 2000, XP1 Resume in two seconds, but boot is still slow 2 (some may not have strong 3D support)

The Input ProblemLooks pretty cool, doesn’t it? Aslong as whatever you’re doingdoesn’t require a lot of input,everything’s great. Most Miramonitors have will touch

screens (resistive digitizers) foruse with a pen, on-screenkeyboards, handwriting recogni-tion (Transcriber, the same ason a Pocket PC), and a methodof connecting a corded or cord-

less keyboard and mouse (USB,IR, RF, etc.). But what if youwant to write more than a one-line response to an email?Handwriting recognition and on-screen keyboards are never

going to be practical for longemails or anything else thatrequires a lot of input. A realkeyboard is the only solution.But how do you actually do it?Do you put the Mira on the

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coffee table and the keyboardon your lap? The screen’s hardto read at that distance. Do youput them both in some sort of“portfolio” case and balance thecase on your lap? It’s clumsyand awkward. With a Mira mainmonitor, it’s impossible becauseit is too big. The reality is that ifyou need to use a keyboard,you’re going to put the Mira (in astand or dock) and the keyboardon a table or desk. At least itdoesn’t have to be in the sameroom as the PC.

The OOBE ChallengeThe ultimate target market forMira is any consumer with a PC.The out-of-box-experience(OOBE, what the consumer seesand does when they first openthe Mira box) is therefore veryimportant. Microsoft is going tosignificant lengths to make theOOBE as easy as possible, butit’s a challenge. Consider the

case of the consumer who has aPC running Windows XP Homebut knows little about it (theyjust use it). The PC must have aninternal or external wirelessAccess Point installed andconfigured, and XP Home mustbe upgraded to XP Pro (more onthis later). There may be wire-less dead spots in the home dueto plaster walls or other prob-lems. In the worst case, theconsumer may have decided toupgrade to broadband at thesame time, so the broadbandconfiguration may also be addedto the mix.

To help minimize this com-plexity, Microsoft is workingwith the Mira OEMs to ensurethey develop appropriate bun-dles – for example, a PC andMira already fully configured.Microsoft is also in discussionswith retailers and other organi-zations about wireless installa-tion services, though they aren’t

Panasonic Toughbook 07The Toughbook 07 was reviewed in the April/May issue of Pen Com-puting (issue #44, page 40). Like the rest of the Toughbook family of

products, it’s aimed atenterprise and govern-ment markets, not thehome. Typical applica-tions for the Toughbook07 include law enforce-ment (e.g., bicycle po-licemen), aircraft main-tenance and “line bust-ing” (using a mobilePOS terminal to shortenservice lines). The

Toughbook 07 consists ofa “brick-like” base module and a handheld wireless monitor incor-porating an 8.4” SVGA transflective TFT. The use of a transflectiveLCD allows operation indoors or outdoors; the wireless monitor isrugged enough to survive repeated four-foot drops to concrete. TheToughbook 07 is a full PC and can run any version of Windows (98,NT-4, 2000 or XP). It uses a proprietary protocol over a standardWiFi (802.11b) link between the base module and the handheld wire-less monitor. The Toughbook 07 is sold through VARs and in quantityto large end-users (there is no published price).

Sony AirboardThe Airboard is a wireless monitor that embodies the convergenceof entertainment (TV and other audio-visual sources) and informa-tion (Internet access). As such, Sony puts the Airboard in a new

device category called the “IT TV” (information technology televi-sion). The Airboard consists of a 12.1” wireless monitor connectedvia WiFi (802.11b) to a base station (not a PC). The base stationcontains the following functionality:• TV tuner for connection to CATV cable or an antenna• Two video inputs for DVD, VCR, satellite tuner or other AV enter-

tainment devices• 56 Kbps modem for connection to a phone line• Ethernet for connection to a cable or ADSL modem• Router and WiFi (802.11b) access point supporting up to 15 PCs• Print server supporting a USB printer accessible by the Airboard

and the PCs• Charging for the Airboard’s rechargeable battery

The Airboard supports picture-in-picture, so you can be surfingthe Internet or checking your email while simultaneously watchingTV or a DVD movie in one corner of the screen. The print serverallows printing images from the TV, not just the Internet. Unlike MiraV1, the Airboard can be used standalone, for example, in public WiFihotspots. The Airboard also includes offline email, drawing andphoto-display applications. Like Mira V1, only one Airboard can beused at a time, but since the Airboard isn’t replacing the monitor ona PC, it’s less of an issue. Since the base station contains a routerand WiFi access point, the Airboard’s broadband connection can beshared by up to 15 PCs.

The Airboard is currently sold only in Japan. Satoru Maeda, cre-ator of the Airboard and head of Sony’s Personal IT division, told theauthor that introduction in the US was being considered but that itrequired careful, detailed planning in light of the US economy andSony’s recent experience with the eVilla (Sony’s Internet Appliancethat was pulled from the US market after only two months of sales).The street price of the Airboard in Japan is 130,000 yen (around$1,000). ◆

above: Sony Airboard

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ready to talk about any detailsyet. Intel, who sells WiFi(802.11b) hardware to OEMsbuilding Miras, is also sensitiveto the problem. “We’re trying tofigure out easy mechanisms forsetup and connectability for thewireless system. We want tomake it so my mom can use it”(Mike Iannitti, Director of Ex-tended Computer Operations atIntel, in a story in EE Times).

User InterfaceWhen you sign on to a Mira, theprocess is almost the same assigning on to XP. The fact thatyou’re doing it over a wirelesslink is almost transparent. Figure1 shows a screenimage of aprototype Mira logon screen.Looks a lot like XP, doesn’t it?One Mira can connect (sequen-tially) to multiple PCs, thus the“Connect to:” field in the upperleft corner. The Battery andConnection indicators are self-explanatory, but the Applicationbuttons need some explanation.

Mira is actually a full Win-dows CE-based computer. Itcould run Pocket Office or otherCE applications. However,Microsoft is discouraging theMira OEMs from including anystandard Windows CE applica-tions in the Mira ROM. Only verysimple, consumer-orientedapplications such as “TV remotecontrol” or “electronic pictureframe” (software that displaysphotos from external storagecards) are recommended. Theuser starts these applications

via two dedicated Applicationbuttons – note that there’s noother way to start local applica-tions. Microsoft’s reason for thislimitation seems to be to ensurethat the product positioning iscrystal clear – it’s a remotemonitor, and you’re runningapplications on your PC. Period.As soon as you add meaningfullocal applications and data, thenyou’ve introduced a sense of“state,” where the user has tothink about whether they’reworking locally or remotely.Microsoft believes that forMira’s ultimate target audience,simplicity is critical.

Not everyone agrees. Proba-bly the most vocal disagreementcomes from The Register, a UK-based, on-line publicationwhose slogan is “Biting thehand that feeds IT.” Their story,entitled “Microsoft’s Mira – takesmart display, maim, serve” isworth reading. Visithttp://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/24463.html.

Comparison with Other DevicesMicrosoft has put an unusualamount of effort into carefullydelineating the differencesbetween Mira and other relatedproducts. To some extent, thisseems to be driven byMicrosoft’s Tablet PC project;there is concern about potentialconfusion between Mira andTablet PCs. The differentiationwas clearly drawn in technicalterms in the WinHEC sessions,

but for the keynote-levelspeeches, Microsoft boiled itdown to “Mira is like a cordlessphone (you can only use it in thehouse), while the Tablet PC islike a cellphone (you can use itanywhere).” Paul Thurrottcommented on this in his WinIn-fo Daily Update (www.winnet-mag.net) on April 19, saying“One problem with introducingnew technology to the massesis that you have to dumb it downfor the attention-deficit-disordercrowd. Microsoft’s recentattempts to differentiate its Miraremote-display technology fromthe Tablet PC are groan-induc-ing. Seriously, did anyone actu-ally confuse these products?”Table 1 presents this author’sversion of a product type-com-parison. See the sidebar on“Other Wireless Monitors” forinformation on related products.

One might ask, is Mira an“information appliance?” Mi-crosoft’s answer is a definite no.The Microsoft Mira team iscareful never to use the dread-ed “IA” word. Information appli-ances were a hot future productin 1999 and 2000, but they basi-cally died a quiet death in 2001.The IA word is now associatedwith failure, and Microsoftwants no part of it.

Why Not Another PC?The main competition for Mira isanother PC. After all, if you wantto use a PC in the living room,and you want to use a keyboard,why not just buy a laptop? The

answer is cost and complexity.A Mira monitor should be sub-stantially lower cost than adecent laptop, and ideally evenlower cost than a low-end PC(more on cost later). Complexityis even more significant. It canbe difficult, expensive and time-consuming to keep multiple PCsat the same level in terms ofapplication versions, anti-virusfiles, favorites, user interfacetweaks, downloads, data filesynchronization, etc. Setting upa full-scale home network todeal with this just raises thecomplexity level even further. Ifthe objective is to give yourteenager their own PC in theirbedroom, and they’re going tomanage it themselves, then asecond PC makes sense. But ifthe objective is to extend yourown use of the PC to otherrooms in the house, then a Mirais worth consideration. One finalaspect is the “quiet, cool, in-stant-on” nature of a Mira. It’ssubstantially more comfortableand convenient to use than alaptop (assuming that a highvolume of keyboard input isn’trequired, of course).

Media ReactionMost of the stories about Mirain the computer trade presshave been factual, with relative-ly few dissenting opinions. Thisis probably because Mira is anew concept in the consumerspace, compared to the TabletPC. The latter carries a lot ofbaggage from the last 12 years

TABLE 5: OTHER WIRELESS MONITORSSpec DOT Design Panasonic Toughbook 07 AirSpeak Flair Sony Airboard

Techn. XtendProduct Concept Enhanced Mira 2-piece rugged PC w/ wireless display Wireless monitor, thin Convergence of TV

running Linux client or CE tablet and Internet accessMarket Home Enterprise & government Enterprise HomeLCD 10.4" XGA 8.4" Transflective SVGA 12.1" XGA 12.1" SVGACPU Geode Pentium III @ 300 MHz StrongARM MIPS @ 200 MHzOperating System Linux Windows 98, NT-4, 2000, XP Windows CE 3.0 VXWorks (Wind River)Storage Slots 1-CF None (5 GB hard disk) 2-PC 1-Memory StickSize (in.) 9.5 x 9.5 x 1.5 8.7 x 6.4 x 1.2 (LCD)7.9 x 3.6 x 2.1 (PC) 11.7 x 9.4 x 1.2 14.5 x 9.5 x 2.1Weight (lbs.) 4.5 1.5 (LCD); 2.1 (PC) 3.3 4.6Battery (hrs.) 3-5 2 6 2-3

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that tends to evoke strongopinions. The majority of thepublished opinion on Mira so farhas been positive. An exampleof both sides is as follows:

“Mira is a big deal,” saidMartin Reynolds from GartnerDataquest. “It’s compellingbecause you have the applica-tions running on the computeritself. There’s no need for veryfast processors on the Mira pad;that will just burn the battery.”

“Microsoft thinks you’ll carryaround an LCD panel as a re-mote-access device for yourhome PC. Maybe as a drinktray…” (Stephen Howard-Sarin,writing for ZDNet’sAnchorDesk).

Reality CheckWhenever Microsoft comes upwith a new product concept, theworld has learned to ask, “Is itreal? Is it going to stick, or is itjust another half-baked idea?”Not everything Microsoft tries issuccessful. For example, takethe Auto PC. Have you heardanything significant about itsince 1999? On a “realnessscale” of 1-10, the author putsMira at about 6-7. In compari-son, the Tablet PC is at about 9.One way of gauging this factor isto look at the number of peopleon the respective project teamsat Microsoft. The Tablet PC teamhas around 200 people; the Mirateam has around 20. However,that’s actually a little misleading.Tablet PC requires creating aseparate version of Windows,along with many capabilities forcreating, managing, manipulat-ing and storing digital ink. Thattakes substantial engineeringresources. Mira, on the otherhand, is simply a repurposingand tweaking of existing tech-nologies. Also, assessing Mi-crosoft products requires takinga multi-year view, acknowledg-ing their incremental step-by-step approach, and the fact thatMicroft doesn’t care what hard-ware form-factor wins.

Key TechnologiesMira V1 is a classic Microsoftproduct. It’s a set of existingtechnologies, nicely packaged,well-positioned with strongmarketing spin, and defined as aplatform on which OEMs, IHVsand ISVs can develop products.

The key technologies in Mirainclude the following:• Existing webpad hardware

designs• Windows XP• Microsoft Windows CE .Net• WiFi (802.11b) wireless LAN• Microsoft Terminal Services

Are you surprised to see“webpad hardware designs”listed as one of the key tech-nologies? Webpads and wire-less monitors are both “embed-ded devices.” They both need aCPU and an embedded OS todrive an LCD, manage a wire-

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TABLE 2: Microsoft’s Mira Partners as of May 2002Companies Building Mira MonitorsCompany Type and Location Comments

AboCom ODM (Taiwan) Makes 10.4" webpads for three OEMs (top provider)DT Research OEM/ODM (Taiwan) Showed 8.4" Mira prototype at CeBIT

Sells webpads/thin clients under own WebDT brandBuilds ODM webpads and thin clientsProviding hardware for Microsoft’s Mira beta test

Fujitsu OEM (Japan) Builds lots of pen tabletsNo webpads, but is developing a Tablet PC

LG Electronics OEM/ODM (Korea) Announced they will build 15" Mira as an OEMConsidering building 10.4" or larger remote MiraAnnounced a webpad in 2001 but never completed it ODM for one of the Tablet PC OEMs

NEC OEM (Japan) Partnered w/ Tatung on a webpad for Japanese marketDeveloping a Tablet PC

Philips OEM (Netherlands) Showed 10.4" Mira prototype at CeBITShowed 15" Mira ID model at WinHEC, no webpads

Tatung ODM (Taiwan) Showed 10.4" Mira prototype at CeBIT and WinHECBuilds ODM webpads, is developing a Tablet PC

Toshiba OEM (Japan) No webpads, is developing a Tablet PCTriGem ODM (Korea) Showed 8.4" Mira prototype at WinHEC

Considering building a larger MiraHas a joint venture with SOTEC in Japan

ViewSonic OEM (USA) Showed 15" Mira prototype at CESSells 10.4" pre-Mira wireless monitor (AirPanel 100)Sells webpads and pen tabletsDeveloping a Tablet PCProviding hardware for Microsoft’s Mira beta test

Wistron ODM (Taiwan) No webpads, is developing a Tablet PCWyse Technology OEM (USA) Showed 15" Mira non-mobile prototype at CeBIT

Will also build 10.4" Mira and "remote terminal" MiraNo webpads, but resold Zenith CruisePad in late 90’s

Companies Building Mira-Enabled PCs

Fujitsu OEM (Japan) See aboveNEC OEM (Japan) See abovePanasonic OEM (Japan) No webpads

Focused mostly on Japanese marketSOTEC OEM (Japan) No webpads

Focused exclusively on Japanese market

Technology Companies

Intel IHV (USA) Providing XScale CPUsNational Semi. IHV (USA) Providing Geode CPUs

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less link, send and receive datafrom various ports, accept inputfrom a touch screen, etc. Itturns out that today’s webpadhardware designs are an idealstarting point for Mira.

Windows XP is obviously a

key technology. Mira V1 moni-tors will be supported only onXP Pro, because the underlyingtechnology that allows a remotesession (Remote Desktop) isonly in XP Pro, not XP Home. Inaddition, XP Service Pack 1

must also be installed, becauseit includes all the Mira-specificPC technology. In the long term,clearly the Mira technology mustbe included in XP Home in orderto serve the target market. In theshort term, according to Aubrey

Edwards, Director of Marketingfor Microsoft’s Embedded Appli-ance and Platform Group(EAPG), Microsoft is “workinghard to ensure that consumerswill have as few hurdles (bothtechnical and financial) aspossible for Mira V1.”

Windows CE .Net (4.0) is theobvious choice for Mira’s em-bedded OS, since Windows XPEmbedded would be overkill fora product as simple as a wire-less monitor. A Mira-type prod-uct could certainly be built withLinux as the embedded OS, butthen it wouldn’t be a Microsoftproduct, would it? (See thesidebar on “Other WirelessMonitors” for an example.)

WiFi (802.11b) wireless is alsothe obvious choice for the physi-cal communications betweenMira’s mobile display and thehost PC. In Mira V1, the 11 Mbpsspeed of “b” is plenty fastenough. Intel says they willmigrate to a dual 802.11a/bcombination next year as wire-less hardware costs come down.

Microsoft Terminal Services(often referred to by the name ofthe protocol it uses, RemoteDesktop Protocol, or RDP) is thefinal obvious choice of techno-logy. Terminal Services providesthe “logical” (versus “physical”)communications betweenMira’s mobile display and thehost PC. Terminal Services candeliver the Windows XP desktopto almost any client device thathas a screen and an inputmethod (keyboard, pen ormouse) – such as Mira.

Microsoft’s all-encompass-ing vision of the ConnectedHome includes entertainmentdevices, computing devices andcommunications devices, allconnected together via an IP-capable home network that’salso bridged to a control net-work supporting home automa-tion devices. The basic objec-tives of the Connected Homeinclude the following:

• Make all audio-visual contentavailable anywhere inside andoutside the home• Display relevant informationon all content in a consistentmanner on all devices• Make all devices in the homefunction together as a uniform,automated system• Make all device user experi-ences available anywhereinside or outside the home• Allow trusted suppliers toprovide reliable servicesthrough the devices in the home

In addition to all of the vari-eties of Miras described in themain article, the ConnectedHome includes many otherkinds of devices all networkedtogether, as follows (with trans-lations of the Microsoft jargon):

• Standard PCs• A “network edge device” (aPC or set-top box directly con-nected to the Internet)• A “residential gateway”(services on a PC providingDHCP, NAT and a firewall)• A “media center PC” (astereo component-like PC that’sa focal point for digital mediacreation, storage, management,

consumption and streaming)• A “Freestyle distance userinterface” (a PC remote controlwith an appropriate on-screeninterface for use ten feet away)• An “audio-visual node” (adevice that renders streamedaudio and video content)• A “digital audio receiver” (adevice that renders streamedaudio content)• Self-amplified, digital speak-ers containing their own audiocodecs • All existing audio-visualequipment (TV, VCR, DVD, PVR,DSS, etc.)• Home automation controlsand devices connected to adedicated control network (X10,EIB, Lonworks, Cebus, Jini, etc.)

Some QuestionsDuring one of the WinHEC

sessions on the ConnectedHome, Microsoft showed ashort video in which a womanputs a DVD movie into a player.Because everything is net-worked together, that simpleaction caused (a) the roomlights to be dimmed, (b) theelectric blinds to be lowered,(c) the HDTV to turn on, and (d)the DVD to start playing. Theaudience reaction seemed tobe mostly skepticism.

The first question manypeople have about the Connect-ed Home is “Why would I wantcomputers to do all that?” Inone of the WinHEC sessions,Scott Manchester, a TechnicalEvangelist for the ConnectedHome, spent a full hour present-ing a detailed overview of theConnected Home without even

once offering asingle reason whythe consumerwould want it. Theunderlying as-sumption seemedto be “Because itcan be controlledby a PC, it shouldbe.” It’s simply notobvious that it makes sense touse a PC to control room lights,room temperature, electricblinds, etc. Using a complexnetwork to pipe music aroundthe house (albeit, differentmusic in different rooms) seemsto be technical overkill. Havingall the media content residenton the PC could be interesting,but people want to consumemedia, not spend time manag-ing it. A PVR works perfectlywell alone, what real advantageis there in having the PC controlit? These kinds of questionswere not addressed in anyconvincing way.

The second question manypeople have about the Connect-ed Home is “Is there anychance of it all working correct-ly?” While everything Microsoftdescribed is technically possi-ble, today’s PC is simply notstable and reliable enough tocontrol the entire house. Rec-ognizing this, Microsoft hasstarted working on making thePC “more reliable and trustwor-thy.” In fact, Microsoft has seta goal of making the PC “asreliable as a CD player” (instanton, never reboots, no resetbutton, quiet, simple to use,etc.) – but it’s likely to be a long,slow trip. ◆

MICROSOFT’S CONNECTED HOME

Dr. Gene Sheu, FIC

DT Research WebDT 380

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Terminal Services: the Key to MiraTerminal Services was originallycreated in 1997 as a componentof the NT-4 Server OS. It hasmatured substantially sincethen. Windows XP Pro now usesit to provide remote trouble-shooting capability, where onePC can view and control thescreen of another PC. You caneven use Terminal Services on aPocket PC 2002 device to log onto a remote PC and display aWindows 2000 or XP desktop onthe Pocket PC screen. In theenterprise, products that useTerminal Services are typicallyreferred to as “thin clients” (seethe sidebar on “Thin Clients” formore information).

When a user runs an applica-tion using Terminal Server, onlythe keyboard, pen, mouse anddisplay information are transmit-ted over the wireless link be-tween the “terminal” (Mira, inthis case) and the host PC. Thiscommunication is quite efficient,since only the pixels that havechanged (screen updates) aretransmitted, not entire screenimages. Since Terminal Ser-vices was originally designed towork acceptably over 28.8 Kbpsmodem links, running it overWiFi (802.11b) wireless at 11Mbps provides more thanenough speed.

RDP has been tweaked slight-ly for use in Mira. The improve-ments include improved con-nection management (e.g., toallow losing the wireless signal

for a fraction of a second with-out dropping the connection tothe PC), simplification of auto-matic reconnection (e.g., whenyou walk into and out of an areawithout wireless coverage inyour house), and improvedaudio and video performance.

Only One MiraIn a server environment, eachTerminal Services user seesonly their individual session,independent of any other clientsession. Literally hundreds ofsessions can exist simultane-ously. The server operatingsystem transparently managesthe multiple user sessions. Inthe current Windows XP envi-ronment, Terminal Services issingle-user. This means that

only one Mira can be used at atime. This is one of the two mostsignificant limitations of MiraV1. If your Mira is the maindisplay, when you undock it andgo to another room in the house,you’re still the only user. If yourMira is a mobile monitor, themain monitor is locked outwhenever you use the mobilemonitor (this is similar to theway Remote Desktop workstoday in Windows XP Pro).There can only be one user on aPC today, so only one Mira canbe used at a time.

Microsoft speaks with differ-ent voices about this limitation.Aubrey Edwards said that Mi-crosoft’s research clearly indi-cated that mobility is moreimportant than concurrency

(allowing multiple simultaneoususers). On the other hand, in thequestion-and-answer sessionafter one of his speeches atCeBIT, Steve Ballmer, Presidentand CEO of Microsoft, said, “The[Mira] concept doesn’t makesense [without concurrency], sothat will be a version 2 feature.”

Rick Merritt, writing aboutWinHEC in EE Times, reportedthat “a senior engineer with oneOEM said his company wouldnot make Mira-enabled devicesbecause in their first iteration auser cannot access a home PCand the Mira display at thesame time.”

Another dissenter, JackSchofield, writing in TheGuardian, chimed in with “[You]can’t use a remote Mira tabletwhile another member of thefamily is hogging the desktopPC... You would be better offbuying a cheap notebook PCinstead [of a Mira].”

Full-Motion VideoThe second most significantlimitation of Mira V1 is thatTerminal Services (RDP) can’thandle full-motion video (oranything that requires fastrefresh). This means you can’tsit on the couch in the livingroom with your Mira main moni-tor on the coffee table andwatch a DVD movie playing onthe PC in the den. (The legalissue of whether you can trans-mit the contents of a DVD movieto a remote device is an entirelyseparate issue.) RDP also can’t

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TABLE 3: MIRA PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONSSpec DT Research Philips Philips Tatung TriGem ViewSonic ViewSonic Wyse TechnologyBase Product WebDT 380 (New) (New) TWN-5213-CU CE Tablet AirPanel 100 (New) 3630LELCD 8.4" SVGA 10.4" SVGA 15" XGA 10.4" SVGA 8.4" SVGA 10.4" SVGA 15" XGA 15" XGASize (in.) 7.9 x 9.6 x 1.1 1.0 thick ND ND 0.67 thick 13.8 x 8 x 0.9 ND 14.8 x 15.4 x 7.7Weight (lbs.) 2.3 ND ND 3.2 1.4 2.5 7 proto, 5 target 12.5CPU Geode XScale XScale Geode XScale StrongARM XScale GeodeStorage Slots 1-CF 1-SD ND 1-CF 1-PC 1-PC & 1-CF ND NoneBattery (hrs.) 2-4 5 ND 2-4 4 5 ND (AC powered)

STRONGARM SUCCESSOR: INTEL XSCALEXScale is Intel’s name for a successor to the StrongARM micro-

processor. The “scale” in XScale refers to the CPU’s ability todynamically change both frequency and voltage to minimize powerconsumption. The “PXA250” is the Intel XScale CPU that will ap-pear in some Mira products. In Run mode at 300 MHz, the PXA250draws about 400 mW of power. In comparison, the StrongARM SA-1110 (used in most of today’s Windows CE devices) in Run mode at206 MHz draws 800 mW. This majority of this improvement comesfrom a change in process from 0.35 microns to 0.18 microns; thebalance comes from architecture improvements.

The core of the XScale CPU incorporates a new version of ARMarchitecture that is 100% compatible with existing applicationsoftware. ARM (Advanced RISC Machines, www.arm.com) is acompany in Cambridge, England that designs microprocessorcores and licenses them to over 70 semiconductor companies(including Intel). ARM’s designs are found in about 75% of all 32-bitRISC microprocessors. ARM’s next version (after the one currentlyused in the XScale) will boost initial clock speeds into the range of350-500 MHz, compared with 200-400 MHz for the PXA250. ◆

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handle any software that re-quires Direct-X, which meansthat you can’t run 3D games ofany kind (even relatively tame3D simulation games such asThe Sims or Monopoly Tycoon).RDP’s bandwidth is sufficient fortypical small-window streamingvideo from the Web (at 200Kbps), but that’s about it.

Microsoft minimizes theimportance of this limitation.Microsoft’s position regardingDVDs is that most families thatwatch DVDs already have agood viewing setup, usually a bigTV in the family room. Micro-soft’s position regarding gamingis that most people playing 3Dgames do so either at a desk(with joysticks or other gamecontrollers, 5.1 surround speak-ers, etc.), or they use a gamingconsole such as the X-Box.

HardwareAs noted earlier, the Mira V1hardware design is basically thesame as a webpad. Figure 2shows the block diagram of ageneric Mira.

CPU The two primary CPUproviders for Mira are Intel andNational. Mira is shaping up as abattleground for these twovendors. Intel has announcedfour Mira design wins for theirnew XScale CPU (AboCom,Philips, Tatung and ViewSonic),while National has announcedthree Mira design wins for theirGeode CPU (DT Research,Tatung and Wyse). Tatung isdoing two designs, that’s whythey’re on both lists. At this pointit’s impossible to predict whichCPU will end up in the majority ofMira designs. (See the sidebaron “Intel XScale” for moreinformation on this new CPU.)

LCD As noted elsewhere in thisarticle, Mira V1 LCDs are mostly8.4” & 10.4” SVGA, and 15” XGA.PC resolution is moving rapidlyto XGA, helped along by laptops

and LCD monitors, so Miraprobably won’t stay at SVGAvery long. 12.1” XGA may aninteresting LCD size for a Mira.Some OEMs may consider usingtransflective TFT for improvedoutdoor viewability. Since fewerthan 10% of monitors today canphysically rotate to portraitmode, screen rotation in Mira isnot a major issue – although itmay be a good differentiator foran OEM.

Digitizer Most, if not all, ofthe initial Miras will use resis-tive (touch) digitizers.Microsoft’s thinking on this isthat since the Mira is not meantfor heavy data input or exten-sive use of digital ink, the per-formance of a resistive digitizeris adequate. Actually, if a signifi-cant portion of the Mira’s use isfor web browsing, then anactive digitizer (which has hoverand a right-click button on thepen) makes more sense. Recog-nizing this, but unwilling to forcethe Mira OEMs to incur the costpremium for an active digitizer,Microsoft has implemented both“hover” mode and “right click”mode in the Mira input panel.This works, but having three

modes for the digitizer is notvery user-friendly.

Video Controller Thevideo controller shown in theblock diagram is optional, de-pending on the CPU selected,the resolution of the LCD, andthe desired video performance.It’s one of those classiccost/performance/battery-lifetradeoffs. The bottom portion ofthe block diagram shows thedock (base) for a Mira mainmonitor. It provides standardVGA and DVI inputs, which,after appropriate video process-ing, are “passed through” to theMira’s LCD. Note that the dockalso includes USB ports, whichmakes sense for both Mira mainmonitors and mobile monitors(keyboard and mouse connec-tions for the latter). The USBport can also be used to up-grade the Mira software fromthe PC.

Storage External storage(typically a compact flash slot)on a Mira is not required, but islikely to appear in most productssince the incremental hardwarecost is very low. If you think ofthe Mira V1 as just being a

screen and an input device, yourealize that memory of any kind(internal or external) is almostirrelevant. The user really does-n’t care how much memorythere is in a Mira because localstorage typically won’t be used.The user is connected to his PC,so storage is the PC’s RAM anddisk. The primary reason forMira’s external storage capabil-ity is standalone use as an“electronic picture frame.”

Battery Achieving sufficientbattery life while maintaininglight weight may be a challengefor Mira developers. Mostwebpads today have battery lifeof around 3 hours, and that’stypically with the brightness atmedium, the CPU idling most ofthe time while you’re readingweb pages, and a light dutycycle on the wireless. Constant-ly running Terminal Services toreproduce the frequently chang-ing screen of a PC, along with ahigher duty cycle on the wire-less, is likely to use more power.Screen brightness may be evenmore of a problem, since thebacklight is the largest con-sumer of power in the Mira. Atypical desktop LCD monitor has

TABLE 4: MIRA-RELATED LINKS AND RESOURCESAboCom Systems www.abocom.com.tw/ma1000.htm

AirSpeak www.airspeak.com/flair_frame.htmlDOT Design Tech. www.dotdesigntech.com

Fujitsu www.fujitsu.comIntel developer.intel.com/design/pca/prodbref/298620.htm

LG Electronics www.lge.comMicrosoft www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mira

National Semi www.national.com/pf/SC/SC3200.htmlNEC www.necus.com

Panasonic www.panasonic.com/computer/notebook/html/01a07.htmPhilips CE www.press.ce.philips.com/cebit2002/connect.html

Sony www.sony.jp/airboard/indexpc.htmlwww.sony-asia.com.sg/news/2001/dec12acnews.html

SOTEC www.sotec.co.jp/index.htmlTatung www.tatungwebpad.com

Toshiba www.toshiba.comTriGem www.trigem.com/trigem/front/2002/index.asp

ViewSonic www.viewsonic.com/products/airpanel100.htmWistron www.wistron.com/index.html

Wyse Technology www.wyse.com/products/winterm/3630le/index.htmwww.wyse.com/products/winterm/3200le/index.htm

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a brightness of around 250 nits,a typical laptop is 150 nits, andwebpads are typically 100 nitsor less. It remains to be seenwhat combination of brightnessand battery life the market willaccept in a Mira device.

What Will Mira Cost?Keith White, Senior Director ofMarketing and Business Devel-opment in Microsoft’s Embed-ded Appliance and PlatformGroup, has been widely quotedin the press as saying that Miraswill cost in the range of $500 to$800.

The chart below shows asimplified breakdown of anestimated hardware bill ofmaterials (BOM) cost for atypical Mira mobile monitor.

Component Cost 10.4” SVGA LCD $140 Geode motherboard $ 70 WiFi (802.11b) wireless $ 45 3-cell Li-ion battery $ 20 32 MB flash memory $ 20 64 MB SDRAM memory $ 15Resistive digitizer panel $ 10Housing $ 10 Total $330

Starting with the $330 totalfrom the chart and adding 10%for the ODM’s profit margin,then multiplying by 1.5 to ac-count for the OEM’s total distrib-ution cost and margin producesa forecasted minimum streetprice of $545 for a Mira mobilemonitor. This must be somewhatclose to reality, since more thanone of Microsoft’s Mira partnerstold the author that achieving a$499 street price for a 10.4”mobile monitor will be a difficultchallenge.

In a story published in EETimes, Mike Iannitti from Intelsaid that he expects the Mirahardware to add no more than$200 or $300 to the price of aregular LCD monitor.

Using the data from the chartabove but eliminating the LCD

and the housing (which arealready accounted for in an LCDmonitor) yields a cost adder of$180. Applying the same calcu-lation as above for the mobilemonitor produces a forecastedminimum adder of $297 for amain monitor, right at the upperlimit of Mike Iannitti’s $200 -$300 range. The average streetprice of a name-brand 15” LCDmonitor as of May 2002 isaround $400. Adding the $297Mira hardware to the $400monitor produces a forecastedminimum street price of around$700 for a 15” Mira main moni-tor, within Keith White’s $500 -$800 range.

What price point would causethe Mira mobile monitors to flyoff the shelf? Probably $299.This seems to be a magic pricepoint for consumer electronicsin general. Microsoft seems toagree. In a video interview onCNET News.com, Keith Whitesaid “The [Mira mobile monitor]price points have to come downto a very reasonable $200 to$500 range [instead of $500 to$800] before they’ll really be

widely accepted.”What would the installed cost

of a Mira mobile monitor be? Itdepends on the buyer’s startingpoint. If the user already has aWiFi (802.11b) wireless networkin the house and is alreadyrunning XP Professional, thenthe installed cost would be only$500. According to AubreyEdwards, the initial target mar-ket for Mira V1 is “earlyadopters and technical enthusi-asts,” so this is the most proba-ble scenario. Forecasting theinstalled cost for a user withoutwireless and with XP Home isn’tpossible yet, since as notedabove, Microsoft hasn’t decidedhow they’re going to minimizethe upgrade cost from XP Hometo XP Professional.

Adding broadband Internetaccess (about $50 per monthwith a rented cable modem) isnot required for a Mira, but itwould make the user experi-ence a lot better when browsingthe web on the couch.

Mira PartnersAs usual, Microsoft has assem-

bled a group of companies whohave agreed to kick-start theMira program. Table 2 lists allthe players, along with theirbusiness model (OEM/ODM),location and the author’s com-ments. It’s interesting to notethat of the companies who haveannounced they’re developingMira monitors, 58% of them arealso developing Tablet PCs, 42%of them build or sell webpads,and 25% of them do both web-pads and Tablet PCs. It’s alsointeresting to note the totalabsence of all of the Tier-1 PCOEMs: Compaq, Dell, Gateway,HP and IBM. Actually, it’s notsurprising. Mira is, after all, aform of pen tablet computer,and you know how most of theTier-1 OEMs feel about pentablets!

Mira PrototypesAs of May 2002, eight Miraprototypes or mockups havebeen shown in various publicforums. See Table 3 for summa-ry specifications on these proto-types. Some of the specs areshown as “ND” (not disclosed)

ExternalStorage

XScale or Geode CPU

Image Processor(Mira Main Monitor only)

EEPROM

SDRAM

■ Internal Mono Speaker

■ Internal Microphone

• Microphone In

• Headphones

• USB Ports

FlashMemory

ResistiveDigitizer

SDRAMMemory

User Controlsand Indicators

802.11bWireless

Video Controller (optional)

Audio

USB Ports • VGA • DVI •

LCD

System Bus

MIRA

DOCK

Figure 2: MIRABlock diagram

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because it’s a little too early forsome of the OEMs (and Mi-crosoft) to have all the detailsnailed down.

DT Research This 8.4”prototype, first shown at CeBIT,is based on the existing DTResearch WebDT 380 webpad.DT Research has been buildingwebpads and thin clients for

several years, and they have abroad range of products in thiscategory. Developing one ormore Miras is a natural andobvious direction for them.

Philips Philips has shown twoMira prototypes, both of whichappear to be based on newdevelopment. The first, a work-ing 10.4” mobile monitor, was

shown at CeBIT. Multiple photosof this prototype are availableon the Philips website (seeTable 4 for the URL). The sec-ond, a 15” main monitor mock-up, was shown at WinHEC. It’squite elegant in appearance,and quite thin. It would lookgreat on the coffee table.

Tatung This 10.4” prototype,

first shown at CeBIT, is basedon the existing Tatung TWN-5213-CU webpad. The reallyunique aspects of this webpadare that it can withstand at leasta 5-foot drop onto carpetedconcrete, and it’s splash proof.Tatung demonstrated the shockresistance several times duringWinHEC by dropping it fromshoulder height onto carpetedconcrete (the typical trade showaisle). Tatung’s mobile Mirashould be very attractive toconsumers who want to use it inthe kitchen or other PC-hostilelocations.

TriGem This 8.4” prototype,first shown at WinHEC, is theresult of new development. It’s astunner in terms of size andweight. It’s incredibly thin – only0.67 inches, and at only 1.4pounds, holding it is effortless.TriGem is a Korean ODM in ajoint venture with SOTEC, aJapanese computer OEM. As aresult, the prototype was la-beled with the SOTEC brand.SOTEC, on the other hand, hasbeen identified by Microsoft asonly building “Mira-enabledPCs” (a Windows XP Pro PCwith integrated WiFi wireless),not Mira monitors, so it’s un-

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Technically, Mira is a “thinclient” in Information Techno-logy (IT) terms. According toNational Semiconductor,whose Geode processor hasmore than 85% of the thin clientmarket, a thin client is “a desk-top device with nominal on-board computing power opti-mized for information accessfrom a central server.” Win-dows CE .Net running on aGeode or Xscale processorprovides “nominal on-boardcomputing power” comparedto the Pentium 4 in a full PC(“fat client”). Remote DesktopProtocol (see the main articlefor more information) is whatmakes Mira “optimized forinformation access from acentral server.” In the case ofMira V1, it’s a single-userserver (the home PC). Youwon’t ever see Mira referred toas a “thin client” by Microsoft,however, since it’s an overlytechnical term that’s incompat-ible with a friendly, home-oriented marketing pitch.

Thin clients are used inenterprise because they re-duce the Total Cost of Owner-ship (TCO) of a computing

solution. Thin client hardwareis typically more than twice asreliable as a PC. With applica-tions and data resident on acentral sever, the per-user costof management, support,downtime, backups and up-grades is reduced substantial-ly. New versions of softwareare distributed to all thin clientssimultaneously, which im-proves data exchange andcollaboration. Thin clients don’tneed hard drives, CPU up-grades, or large amounts ofmemory, which makes themcheaper than a PC. Sincethere’s no hard drive, datacan’t be lost due to hard drivefailure. Thin client systems cangrow by adding CPU power,memory and storage to thecentral server rather thanupgrading every PC in thecompany. Thin clients areinherently more secure thanPCs, since there’s no remov-able storage.

The downside is that thinclients demand more (or morepowerful) servers, and theytend to generate more networktraffic. Knowledge profession-als aren’t good prospects for

thin clients due to the widerange of software and proces-sor-intensive applications theyoften need. Thin clients areespecially appropriate in envi-ronments where there is heavyuse of template applications,such as in the completion andprocessing of forms. The topsix markets for thin clients arehealthcare, financial services,retail point-of-sale, education(K-12), transportation andgovernment agencies. The nexttime you’re in a retail chainstore such as Mattress Dis-counters, check out the “PC-like” device on which thesalesperson is entering yoursale. Chances are it’s a thinclient, probably one made byWyse Technology, since theyhave more than 50% of the thinclient market. ◆

THIN CLIENTS

ViewSonic Mira prototype TriGem Fermata Tatung prototype Philips Mira prototype

A number of Geode-based products

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clear who will finally brand thisreally cool product.

ViewSonic ViewSonic hasshown two Mira-related prod-ucts. The first, a prototype 15”main monitor, is the poster-childprototype. It was in the initialMira announcement at CES, itappears in Microsoft’s Miraconcept video, and Bill Gates isholding it in the Mira publicityphotos. The second productisn’t a prototype, it’s a realproduct. Called the AirPanel100, it’s a “pre-Mira” wirelessmonitor product based on View-Sonic’s current webpad, theViewPad 100. According toMarc McConnaughey, View-Sonic’s Senior Vice President ofAdvanced Technologies, theAirPanel 100 was developed toexplore the concept and estab-lish the legitimacy of the wire-less monitor. It’s a form ofmarket development. ViewSonicis more aggressive and quicker-moving than many OEMs; quick-ly bringing a wireless monitorproduct to market for the know-ledge to be gained from it istypical of their style.

Wyse Technology This 15”prototype, first shown at CeBIT,is based on the existing Wyse3630LE Winterm (Windows-based terminal). Unlike any ofthe other prototypes, this one isnon-mobile. It’s in a form factorthat hasn’t been mentioned sofar in this article – Microsoftcalls it a “remote station.”

Mira Version 2 (V2)Mira V2 is targeted to includeconcurrency (multiple simulta-neous users) and streaming AV(audio-visual) support. Accord-ing to Aubrey Edwards, Mi-crosoft’s desire is to ship a newversion of Mira every year intime for Christmas. However,Microsoft never commits to a V2date until V1 is out the door, soit is unknown if the 2003 Mirawill be V1.5 or V2. Some other

areas for possible Mira en-hancements in V2 include theability to use the product awayfrom the home (e.g., at a publicwireless hotspot), more supportfor standalone applications,enhanced audio input andimproved administration.

Additional Form FactorsConcurrency may change theMira usage picture substantial-ly. In addition to enabling theuse of multiple mobile monitorssimultaneously anywhere in thehouse, it allows additionalstationary Miras to be located(for example) in the kids’ bed-rooms. Concurrency changesthe single-user home PC into a“residential server”, without allthe complexity of a true serveroperating system. (The licensingissue of whether multiple userscan share a single copy of anapplication on the PC is anentirely separate issue.) Mi-crosoft has already proposedtwo additional Mira form factorsthat could be argued only makesense with concurrency.

The first is called a “remotestation.” It’s basically a 15"desktop LCD monitor with theMira hardware integrated inside(without a touch screen). Wysealready makes a very similarproduct designed for use onwired networks, the Winterm3630LE. Street price of thisproduct as of May 2002 isaround $1,150. Jeff McNaught,Vice-President of Market Strat-egy at Wyse Technology, saysthat his target for the Miraversion of this product is lessthan $1,000.

The second proposed formfactor is called a “remote termi-nal.” This is simply the Mirahardware in a small box with nodisplay and no battery. It’smeant to be used with new orexisting monitors andkeyboards. Again Wyse Tech-nology already makes a verysimilar product designed for use

on wired networks, the Winterm3200LE. Street price of thisproduct as of May 2002 isaround $350. Jeff McNaughtsays that his target for the Miraversion of this product is lessthan $300.

If you add the $300 for theMira version of the 3200LE tothe current $400 average streetprice of a name-brand 15” LCDmonitor, and throw in $50 for agood keyboard and mouse, thetotal is $750. Why not buy asecond PC for the same money?The answer’s the same asabove. It depends on what yourgoals are for home computing,and how much money, time andeffort you want to spend man-aging multiple home computers.

Finally, going one step fur-ther, Microsoft proposes thatMira hardware could be embed-ded in a flat-screen TV or in apresentation projector. In bothcases, the devices can beconsidered displays in a differ-ent form-factor. Adding Mirahardware turns them into wire-less displays. This may be acase of technology looking for aproblem to solve, but it’s aninteresting idea.

Audio-Visual StreamingThe second major enhancementin Mira V2 is audio-visual (AV)streaming. This is the ability toview full-motion video and listento high-quality audio on theMira, as well as play 3D games.AV streaming is a fundamentalpart of Microsoft’s ConnectedHome vision (see the “Connect-ed Home” sidebar for moreinformation). Adding AV stream-ing to a Mira generally meansadding an MPEG decoder chip(DSP), which adds cost.

Alternatively, instead ofadding another chip, it’s possi-ble to include support for AVstreaming in a new CPU. AtWinHEC, ATI (one of the two topvendors of video controllers)announced a new, highly inte-

grated, low-cost “super CPU”called Xileon. It includes both a300 MHz MIPS CPU (supportedby Windows CE .Net) and acomplete video processor thathandles AV streaming (MPEG-2), Direct-X/3D graphics, dualdisplay with picture-in-picture,TV output, etc. This super-CPUcould be used as the core of aMira V2 device, or of an “AVnode” device.

SummaryMira V1’s primary advantage ismobility. It extends the use of ahome PC to any room, whileavoiding the hassles of manag-ing multiple computers. Forsome home PC owners, this maybe a substantial advantage. Theprimary challenge thatMicrosoft and the Mira OEMsface is the out-of-box-experi-ence. Installing and configuringthe WiFi wireless (and possiblya broadband connection) mustbe made foolproof and extreme-ly simple. The two main limita-tions of Mira V1 are that onlyone Mira can be used at a time,and that it doesn’t support full-motion video or 3D games.Microsoft intends to eliminateboth of these limitations in MiraV2. Another significant limitationof Mira V1 is that it requires XPProfessional on the PC; Mi-crosoft is working on ways ofreducing the cost impact ofupgrading from XP Home. Mirawill cost between $500 and$800, with mobile monitors (8.4"and 10.4") at the lower end andmain monitors (15") at the upperend. Overall, Mira V1 is a goodstart on a multi-year develop-ment program. Unless the con-cept totally bombs in 2002, wecan look forward to increasinglycapable new Miras everyChristmas. ◆

Based in Silicon Valley, Geoff Walkeris a consultant with Walker Mobile, LLC.Geoff has worked on the engineering andmarketing of pen computers since 1989at GRiD Systems, Fujitsu PersonalSystems (now Fujitsu PC) and Hand-spring. He can be contacted atgeoff.walker@att.net.

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