Technology and Innovation

Microsoft unveils the wireless LCD that’s at home in any room of the house

Is your home a temple to minimalism? Do you freak out at the sight of ugly  tangles of wires? Sorry, to hear it. Microsoft may just have had you in mind when it came up with its new home conceptJhe Mira is a portable LCD monitor that communicates with your PC over a wire-free network using the industry-standard Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) technology.
Named after the Spanish verb for”to look” the Philips,ViewSonic and Wyse 10.4-and 15-inch prototypes currently on show are good-looking, but what use they’ll be put to is another matter. Aubrey Edwards, Microsoft’s director of marketing believes the Mira will “free your PC’from the constraints of your desk, so you can pick up your email and surf the Web all from the comfort of your sofa.
Unfortunately the low transfer rate that Wi-Fi currently offers means it only works with low-end applications – and so that means, as yet, no DVD movies in the kitchen or Quake III on the toiletThis does prompt the obvious question; why not use your PDA or laptop? Microsoft argues that as Mira’s only power drain is its display,you’ll get 4-6 hours battery life, and its touchscreen conveniently pops-up a handy “fat fingers” virtual keyboard.
Whether we all go wireless monitor crazy or not, you can expect Mira in the shops by Christmas.

Is your home a temple to minimalism? Do you freak out at the sight of ugly
tangles of wires? Sorry, to hear it. Microsoft may just have had you in mind when it came up with its new home conceptJhe Mira is a portable LCD monitor that communicates with your PC over a wire-free network using the industry-standard Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) technology.

This handset, with its swish swivel-cover action and white on black LCD screen, is a poser’s dream. Admittedly, it’s awkward to use, but who cares when it looks that stylish? Well, not to be outdone, Nokia has rolled up with an adversary, the tri-band 7210. Unmistakably Nokia, this handset may not eschew the phone blueprint as much as the V70, but it still stands out from the mobile hoi polloi.

When we applied power to the drive, its dot-matrix LCD display illuminated blue and noted that the device was in a normal state. You can press the menu button on the front panel to see information on the installed drives, the current RAID level, capacity of the system, firmware version, serial number, etc. There’s also a 24-hour time clock on the front panel.

This is one of the first camcorders we’ve tested that has a built-in guide to assist beginning users with tips on general usage, shooting, connection and display options. The guide is just one touch away on the LCD screen, giving you a short description of each function and a shortcut to its controls.
We particularly liked the option of assigning manual control (though not at the same time) of focus, exposure, shutter and AE shift to a single button on the side of the lens barrel.