Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Intel Corporation (INTC) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Joey Smith who wrote (44733)	1/10/1998 9:59:00 PM
From: Ibexx	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 186894

Joey and all, Now Intel wants to get inside your car By Mark Egan LAS VEGAS, Jan. 9 (Reuters) - If Intel Corp. has its way, your car may soon be telling you where to go. Besides merely driving from place to place, Intel and Microsoft Corp. -- whose microprocessors and operating system software run nine out of 10 PCs sold -- want you to be able to send e-mail, browse the Internet and even watch movies in your car. Intel, the world's biggest computer chip maker, and software giant Microsoft, unveiled separate plans this week at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas aimed at putting the latest in computer technology into your dashboard. "This is the natural extension of the PC," Intel engineer Jeff Casazza said. The electronics show opened in Las Vegas on Thursday and features products that will find their way onto retail shelves in the coming year. Microsoft unveiled what it called an "AutoPC," while Intel is previewing the "Connected Car PC," at the show. While Microsoft's plans so far have limited applications, Intel wants to put an entire personal computer in the car. The dashboard of Intel's car talks to the driver, giving navigational advice, headlines, stock quotes, traffic reports and e-mail access. It also has a voice-activated phone. If you need to find the nearest Chinese take-out or ATM, this car will tell you where to go. "We have PCs in the home and in the office," Casazza said. "The only other place we spend a lot of time is in the car. This brings us full circle." Casazza likened the device to having an extra passenger in the car, making the journey safer and more enjoyable. The use of cellular phones has contributed to many auto accidents, and some people have called for restrictions on their use while driving. Asked about safety issues, Intel's Casazza said adding a computer to a car increased its safety rather than distracting the driver. "You can keep your hands on the wheel and you don't have to pull out a map and you don't even have to look at the screen," he said. "The computer tells you everything." Besides a radio and CD player, this car has a fully loaded entertainment center better than the average home. Back-seat passengers can watch videos, play computer games, browse the Internet and even use a word processor. Even with all these features, Casazza said Intel and others have the technology to put the computer that drives the whole system in a space as small as a car radio. The car PC will cost about $1,000 to $2,500, depending on options, he said. The first systems should be available in 1999 and should come as a dealer option in new cars in 2000 or 2001. Intel is in discussions with major automakers and potential manufacturers of the products and will make further announcements in the coming months. For its part, Microsoft is offering the "AutoPC," although critics said the dashboard-mounted unit had more in common with a stereo than a computer. The AutoPC has an AM-FM radio, CD player, and responds to voice commands, allowing the driver to listen to e-mail messages, traffic reports and navigational directions. Microsoft Senior Vice President Craig Mundie said the product could later be integrated with wireless phones, pagers and the car's diagnostic system. The AutoPC, being manufactured by Clarion Corp. of America and using Microsoft software, should retail later this year for less than $1,000. Mundie said it would be available as a dealer option in new cars by the year 2000 at the earliest. The offerings by Intel and Microsoft follow the so-called "Network Vehicle," demonstrated at the Comdex computer show in November by computer giant International Business Machines Corp. The concept car would use IBM's voice recognition software to allow drivers to ask a computer to read aloud e-mail messages or locate a restaurant or hotel while keeping their hands on the wheel. That car was a result of a joint effort of IBM, General Motors Corp.'s Delco Electronics, Internet software maker Netscape Communications Corp. and computer workstation manufacturer Sun Microsystems Inc. IBM said most of the technology could be made available to consumers in as little as 18 months as add-ons to their existing vehicles. MSFT.O INTC.O IBM.N SUNW.ONSCP.O GM.N REUTERS Rtr 17:40 01-09-98 ______ Ibexx