DESCRIBING MAIN / MAJOR NDMINOR PARTS OR COMPONENTS

The MSN Direct Web site acts as a user interface for the Smart Watch The chipset fits on a PCB about

the size of a U.S. quarter.

>Piezo (piezoelectric ceramic crystal) - This material expands and contracts when electric current is applied. The Piezo crystal in the watch acts as a tiny speaker driver, allowing the Smart Watch to generate sound.

>PCB (printed circuit board) - A PCB is usually a multi-layered board made of fiberglass. The surface and sublayers use tiny copper lines to direct electricity to various components on the PCB. Motherboards, SIMMs and credit-card memory are all examples of PCBs. The PCB in the Smart Watch houses the CPU, memory and radio chip.

>CPU - The Smart Watch is basically a tiny computer with a very specific job, and the CPU is the brains of that computer. The Smart Watch uses an ARM 7 TDMI as its central processor.

>Memory - Also like a computer, the Smart Watch needs memory to perform its functions. The Smart Watch uses 512 KB of ROM and 384 KB of RAM.

>DirectBand radio receiver chip - This chip was made specifically for the Smart Watch and is how the MSN Direct service connects to the watch. These chips are the heart of SPOT technology.

>Battery - The Smart Watch battery is rechargeable. The Fossil Abacus comes with a recharging stand, but other models use an adapter that plugs into the wall. The amount of time you get out of each charge varies greatly and depends on how much "channel surfing" you do (and on the model of Smart Watch you buy). The Abacus can function for up to two days on a single charge.

>Inductive charging coil - This is used to charge the battery. The coil is attached to the contact surface on the back of the watch. When this surface comes in contact with the charging plate on the watch stand, the Smart Watch battery is charged through induction.

SPOT uses FM broadcasting, like the kind picked up by a radio, to deliver Web-based data to Smart objects. Smart Watches receive more than 200 channels of information that are broadcast on a radio spectrum leased by Microsoft. Microsoft created the Microsoft DirectBand Network to send data to Smart Watches and other SPOT objects. DirectBand 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-subcarrier technology.
Subcarrier frequencies are usually above the normal frequency range used for audio and are modulated to carry data. For instance, in analog TV transmissions, a subcarrier frequency is used to carry information about color and other broadcast information. DirectBand transmits Web-based data on subcarrier frequencies using radio protocols designed specially for Smart Watches. To start a Smart Watch, a user must create a profile using a free .NET account. The activation process and setup includes entering billing information, location and the particular type of Smart Watch the user owns. Once the account is set up, the user can add, delete and modify the channels that are sent to the Smart Watch. The channel system is based on "blocks." For instance, the test watch we used for this article had 1,000 blocks available on it. We chose from a list of channels, each of which had a block value ranging anywhere from 20 to 480 blocks. We were able to add channels up to our allotted 1,000 blocks. When we deleted a channel, its corresponding number of blocks became available.