Mostly known for its industry-grade wearable computers, Xybernaut has now launched its first product targeted towards consumer - a Windows CE-based wearable, called poma.
Wearable computers have until now been something only hardcore tech enthusiasts that built their own, or industry workers in special circumstances, have been allowed to play with. In the future, however, wearables will be just an integral part of some people's lives as handhelds are today - and Xybernaut's new poma concept is the first wearable concept directly targeted at consumers.
 | Xybernaut's new poma concept is the first wearable computer for consumers
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Co-developed with Hitachi, the new Xybernaut poma was showcased during the recent 2002 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, where Xybernaut said it would market and sell the product in North America under the brand name poma at a suggested retail price of $1,499 USD to include the computer itself and a lightweight head mounted display (HMD).
A few months ago, Hitachi announced that it had completed a license agreement under Xybernaut's broad patents and intellectual property to manufacture a wearable computing and communication product for the consumer market. Under separate agreements announced in 2001, Hitachi will market the product as a Wearable Internet Appliance (WIA) in Japan.
Xybernaut's poma incorporates Hitachi's SuperH 32-Bit 128 MHz RISC processor with a companion coprocessor, which powers the 10.9-ounce device that utilizes Microsoft's Windows CE as its operating system. The poma incorporates a CompactFlash slot, USB port, 32 MB of RAM, 32 MB of ROM, has a custom optical mouse and a removable internal rechargeable battery.
According to Xybernaut, the poma also provides users with support for instant on/off Internet although more detailed information was not made available about this feature at this point. Additionally, a head mounted display comes with the poma that the company says provides a private viewing experience equivalent in quality to a desktop monitor.
"Xybernaut and Hitachi have worked with industry leaders to integrate commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software, plug-in adaptor hardware, and application support with open computing standards for communication, computing and networking," said Edward G. Newman, chairman, CEO and president of Xybernaut. "An example of this effort is our relationship with Socket Communications, Inc. under which Socket has incorporated support for their products in the poma." Through using products from Socket Communications, users can configure their CompactFlash ports to be used for cellular and wireless connectivity.
Xybernaut is already accepting orders at the company's website for delivery before the end of Q1 2002, and in addition to direct sales, Xybernaut is considering selling the poma through distributors that cater to technically minded consumers and mobile professionals.
Hi-res pictures of the Xybernaut poma can be found on the following pages - enjoy :)
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