Here is what XYBR says on its CORE. Notice how the functions discribed within there CORE exist today on the market, there has been no explaination to why this current set of products does not meet the product Market envisioned by the CORE. It is important to note that even for form factor concerns or advantages, that XYBR does not expect to have a working prototype of the their CORE until late in this year. This is what I call Vaporware hype.
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Getting at the Core of Data
by Michelle Finley
3:00 a.m. Mar. 8, 2000 PST
The problem with the ever-expanding range of computerized devices is figuring out where a particular bit or byte of information is stored -? on the desktop, laptop, handheld, cell phone, or super floppy disk.
Xybernaut, best known for producing wearable computing devices, is attempting to solve the problem with its "Transferable Core."
The Core will contain the brains and guts of a standard PC -- the processor, memory and hard drive, and I/O circuitry -- everything but the power supply and display.
The company plans to license the core to hardware makers that would create devices. The Core would then be plugged into the devices, which the company refers to as enclosures, according to Edward G. Newman, Xybernaut president and CEO.
John Moynahan, senior vice president and chief financial officer of Xybernaut, said the genesis of the idea was frustration. Moynahan and co-inventor Mike Jenkins wanted to find a way to keep computer settings, stored information, installed programs, and preferences with a user at all times.
The Core contains all the essentials -- CPU and non-volatile storage -- to allow a user to access their preferred operating system, applications software, and data on an "anytime-anywhere" basis, Moynahan said.
"And by separating the computing functions from the input and output functions, core computing allows manufacturers to mass-produce standard cores at a low cost. The enclosures can be tailored to the environment or application needs. There will also be longer product life since the input/output devices are separate," he said.
And while the Core could, at least in theory, be used with an existing computer instead of a device purpose-built to house it, a lot of tinkering would be required to fit it into a standard computer that already has a processor and storage built in.
But Moynahan predicated that there will be plenty of new enclosures to choose from in the next two years.
"We have had a great deal of interest from several companies in the Core. But we haven't yet publicly released the names of the companies interested in the product," he said.
Evan Whiting, a systems and hardware consultant under contract with the New York State government, said Xybernaut's mobile Core technology could have some interesting applications.
"I've worked with some companies where we'd set up the mobile fleet with 20 or so laptops and 60 removable hard drives. Whoever was going out on a call that day would pop his or her drive into the laptop that IT issued them depending on whether they were doing presentations, or just needed email access. It was less expensive than buying several dozen laptops, but it was a hassle to set up."
Another strength of the product is its promised interchangabilty between different types of computing devices, Whiting said.
He said he envisioned that users could be supplied with a hand-held device if they just needed access to email one day, or a high-end laptop on another day if they were going out to give a presentation.
"If Xybernaut's technology functions as promised in the real world, it could be an excellent way of inexpensively providing users with the right portable device for the job at the right price," Whiting said. |
