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IBM Plans Wearable PC


IBM is preparing to market a portable PC so small that it clips on to your belt and weighs only a few ounces. If all goes according to plan, individuals may be wearing it by the end of next year when the price could be less than $2,500.

The latest device comes with an eraser-sized mouse that works like a miniature joystick and a headset that holds speakers and a monitor. The monitor, about half the size of a pen cap, sits about an inch from the eye, giving the user the illusion of reading a 14-inch screen at normal viewing distances. The PC can also hook into a desktop monitor. Users can attach a keyboard but can also direct the PC through speech-recognition software that is included. The PC could accommodate a satellite-driven Global Positioning System, which would allow the computer to locate its position on Earth and display maps for directional guidance.

By Jason O'Grady

Founded the PowerPage in 1995.