Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates introduced his company's Smart Personal Objects Technology ("SPOT"), an initiative whose focus is described by Microsoft as "improving the function of everyday objects through the injection of software in 17th November of 2002." According to Microsoft, SPOT includes a range of new technologies including a low-distraction user interface, a new operating system platform, and new communications capabilities that have been developed in the labs of Microsoft Research.

Smart Personal Objects are everyday objects, such as clocks, pens, key-chains and billfolds, which are made smarter, more personalized and more useful through the use of special software. Timepieces like clocks and wristwatches are great examples of ordinary devices that could benefit deeply from the addition of specialized SPOT technology. They could provide more accurate, perhaps atomic-clock-accurate, time displays. They could also be extended to display not just time, but timely information -- traffic information, schedule updates, news -- anything that is time-critical and useful to people through this advanced technology "SPOT". This technology also allows smart watch owners to access news, weather, sports, horoscopes, Microsoft Outlook, MSN Instant Messenger, etc on their watches.

Microsoft has built a partnership with Infinity FM Broadcasting over a wide area in which the content is transmitted through Microsoft Direct Band Network. Now the content is moved over 200 channels of information to smart watches and other SPOT-enabled objects, can be received in 100 metropolitan areas in the US and five major cities in Canada. Microsoft created the Microsoft Direct Band Network to send data to Smart Watches and other SPOT objects. Direct Band consists of two components: a special chipset in the watch that houses the radio receiver and a nationwide, wide-area network (WAN). The WAN is built on FM-sub-carrier technology.

MSN Direct is the Web-based component of the Smart Watch system. The Web site can be used to purchase, activate and administer Smart Watches. It can be used by people to buy, activate and administer smart watches. To activate a smart watch, you need to create a profile using a free .NET account. Once the account is set up, you can select the channels that will be sent to your smart watch. There are four companies who produced SPOT-enabled watches. These companies are Tissot, Fossil, Suunto and Swatch. The designs vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, but in essence they all contain the same basic components.

-- The PCB (Printed Circuit Board), which is a multi-layered fiberglass board that directs electricity to the various components in the watch.

-- The Piezo (piezoelectric ceramic crystal), which acts as a tiny speaker driver that enables the smart watch to create sound.

-- ARM 7 TDMI, which works as the central processor, and literally forms the brains of the smart watch.

-- The DirectBand radio receiver chip, which is at the heart of SPOT technology and is used by MSN Direct to connect with the watch.

Further, the smart watch needs memory, like all computers, and uses 384 KB of RAM and 512 KB of ROM. The smart watch uses a rechargeable battery. How long the charge lasts, depends on the model and how much channel surfing you do.SPOT technology is being developed to create new smart objects, and is expected to become a part of our everyday lives in the coming years.