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January 16, 1996
Web posted at: 9:20 p.m. EST
From Correspondent David George
IPSWICH, England (CNN) -- If there's a word that sums up the history of consumer electronics, its "miniaturization." Televisions, radios and calculators are just some of the devices that technology has shrunk to a fraction of their original size. Computers, too -- but engineers at British Telecommunications (BT Labs) have something new up their sleeves. And one day it may be on your sleeve.
"Anything you can do on a laptop, you will be able to do on this."
-- Roger Payne, BT Labs
BT's Roger Payne told CNN this miniaturized computer, dubbed the "office on your arm," will be able to do anything a laptop can, including e-mail, Internet access, and word processing. Speech recognition software and a headset with microphone help take the place of a keyboard, Payne said. (He explains in a 170K AIFF sound or 170K WAV sound).
"Office on your arm" has a tiny monitor, but images can be enlarged with the push of a button. They can also be displayed inside the headset. It's built with what amounts to a small black-and-white television with a magnifying lens and a reflective 45-degree mirror. The image is projected into the eye. (561K QuickTime movie)
"Typing" is done with commands fingered onto a tiny track pad that functions much like a computer mouse. It's clumsy, but "office on your arm" software does some of the work. "If you were writing the word 'computer' and wrote 'c-o-m,' it would keep giving you guesses as to the complete word," Payne says.
Far from being a mere laptop, "office on your arm" is designed to be an extension of the user's desktop computer. It can be linked to the desktop by modem or -- from within the same room -- by infrared signal. BT engineers say "office on your arm" could show up on store shelves in about five years. They predict the price will match high-end laptops with similar capabilities.
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