<s>
The	O
Smart	B-Application
Personal	I-Application
Objects	I-Application
Technology	I-Application
(	O
SPOT	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
discontinued	O
initiative	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
to	O
create	O
intelligent	O
and	O
personal	O
home	O
appliances	O
,	O
consumer	O
electronics	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
objects	O
through	O
new	O
hardware	O
capabilities	O
and	O
software	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SPOT	O
was	O
first	O
announced	O
by	O
Bill	O
Gates	O
at	O
the	O
COMDEX	O
computer	O
exposition	O
event	O
in	O
2002	O
,	O
and	O
additional	O
details	O
were	O
revealed	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
at	O
the	O
2003	O
Consumer	O
Electronics	O
Show	O
where	O
Gates	O
demonstrated	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
prototype	O
smart	B-Application
watches	I-Application
—	O
the	O
first	O
type	O
of	O
device	O
that	O
would	O
support	O
the	O
technology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
more	O
recent	O
technologies	O
,	O
SPOT	O
did	O
not	O
use	O
more	O
traditional	O
forms	O
of	O
connectivity	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
3G	B-Architecture
or	O
Wi-Fi	O
,	O
but	O
relied	O
on	O
FM	O
broadcasting	O
subcarrier	O
transmission	O
as	O
a	O
method	O
of	O
data	O
distribution	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
National	O
Semiconductor	O
would	O
aid	O
in	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
device	O
chipsets	B-Device
,	O
which	O
would	O
feature	O
an	O
ARM7	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
and	O
ROM	B-Device
,	O
SRAM	B-Architecture
,	O
and	O
a	O
100MHz	O
RF	O
receiver	O
chip	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bill	O
Gates	O
also	O
demonstrated	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
prototype	O
smart	B-Application
watches	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
SPOT	O
was	O
not	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
first	O
foray	O
into	O
the	O
smartwatch	B-Application
business	O
—	O
the	O
company	O
previously	O
co-developed	O
the	O
Timex	B-Application
Datalink	I-Application
with	O
Timex	O
in	O
1994	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
CES	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
claimed	O
that	O
the	O
first	O
SPOT-based	O
smartwatches	B-Application
would	O
be	O
released	O
in	O
the	O
fall	O
of	O
that	O
year	O
;	O
the	O
company	O
would	O
also	O
release	O
a	O
promotional	O
video	O
that	O
displayed	O
an	O
estimated	O
delivery	O
time	O
of	O
fall	O
2003	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
first	O
devices	O
would	O
be	O
delayed	O
until	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
2004	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Hardware	O
Engineering	O
Conference	O
of	O
2003	O
,	O
Gates	O
unveiled	O
a	O
new	O
set	O
of	O
hardware-based	O
navigational	O
controls	O
codenamed	O
XEEL	O
,	O
designed	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
consistent	O
navigation	O
experience	O
across	O
Windows-based	O
devices	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
smart	B-Application
phones	I-Application
,	O
tablet	B-Device
PCs	I-Device
,	O
and	O
those	O
powered	O
by	O
SPOT	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
intended	O
for	O
XEEL	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
consistent	O
navigation	O
experience	O
across	O
hardware	O
devices	O
that	O
equaled	O
the	O
software	O
interface	O
navigation	O
consistency	O
introduced	O
by	O
the	O
mouse	B-Device
scroll	O
wheel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2003	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
unveiled	O
its	O
MSN	B-Protocol
Direct	I-Protocol
wireless	O
service	O
developed	O
specifically	O
for	O
SPOT	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
be	O
made	O
available	O
across	O
North	O
America	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
service	O
would	O
enable	O
the	O
delivery	O
of	O
personalized	O
information	O
on	O
devices	O
and	O
,	O
as	O
an	O
example	O
of	O
this	O
functionality	O
,	O
would	O
allow	O
users	O
to	O
receive	O
messages	O
sent	O
from	O
MSN	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
or	O
calendar	O
appointment	O
reminders	O
from	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Outlook	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
MSN	B-Protocol
Direct	I-Protocol
would	O
use	O
a	O
subscription-based	O
business	O
model	O
,	O
available	O
through	O
monthly	O
or	O
yearly	O
service	O
plans	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MSN	B-Protocol
Direct	I-Protocol
relied	O
on	O
the	O
DirectBand	O
subcarrier	O
technology	O
developed	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
in	O
conjunction	O
with	O
SCA	O
Data	O
Systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tissot	O
would	O
later	O
introduce	O
the	O
first	O
compatible	O
watch	O
to	O
feature	O
a	O
touchscreen	B-Device
,	O
and	O
Swatch	O
would	O
release	O
the	O
first	O
compatible	O
watch	O
largely	O
tailored	O
towards	O
younger	O
consumers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
smartwatches	B-Application
were	O
the	O
first	O
type	O
of	O
devices	O
to	O
make	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
technology	O
,	O
they	O
became	O
the	O
de	O
facto	O
type	O
of	O
device	O
that	O
represented	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
second	O
generation	O
of	O
smartwatches	B-Application
was	O
also	O
released	O
,	O
and	O
were	O
designed	O
to	O
address	O
the	O
shortcomings	O
observed	O
in	O
first	O
generation	O
models	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
that	O
year	O
,	O
Melitta	O
released	O
the	O
third	O
type	O
of	O
device	O
to	O
utilize	O
the	O
technology	O
:	O
a	O
coffeemaker	O
that	O
displayed	O
weather	O
forecasts	O
on	O
an	O
electronic	B-Device
visual	I-Device
display	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
2008	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
MSN	B-Protocol
Direct	I-Protocol
would	O
be	O
available	O
for	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
Mobile	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
in	O
early	O
2009	O
,	O
the	O
service	O
would	O
receive	O
additional	O
location-based	O
enhancements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Production	O
of	O
SPOT	B-Application
watches	I-Application
ceased	O
in	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2009	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
discontinue	O
the	O
MSN	B-Protocol
Direct	I-Protocol
service	O
at	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
MSN	B-Protocol
Direct	I-Protocol
service	O
continued	O
to	O
support	O
existing	O
SPOT	O
devices	O
until	O
transmissions	O
ceased	O
on	O
January	O
1	O
,	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SPOT	O
extended	O
functionality	O
of	O
traditional	O
devices	O
to	O
include	O
features	O
not	O
originally	O
envisaged	O
for	O
them	O
;	O
a	O
SPOT-powered	O
coffeemaker	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
would	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
display	O
information	O
such	O
as	O
weather	O
forecasts	O
on	O
an	O
electronic	B-Device
visual	I-Device
display	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Smartwatches	B-Application
featured	O
digital	O
watch	O
displays	O
,	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
Channels	O
,	O
that	O
presented	O
information	O
in	O
a	O
manner	O
that	O
could	O
be	O
customized	O
by	O
a	O
user	O
—	O
a	O
user	O
could	O
also	O
specify	O
the	O
default	O
channel	O
to	O
be	O
displayed	O
;	O
this	O
feature	O
was	O
functionally	O
analogous	O
with	O
a	O
home	B-Operating_System
screen	I-Operating_System
commonly	O
seen	O
in	O
mobile	B-Operating_System
operating	I-Operating_System
systems	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additional	O
channels	O
could	O
be	O
downloaded	B-Application
from	O
a	O
specialized	O
website	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
Glance	O
feature	O
would	O
allow	O
a	O
user	O
to	O
cycle	O
through	O
downloaded	B-Application
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Manufacturers	O
could	O
also	O
add	O
their	O
own	O
features	O
to	O
SPOT-based	O
devices	O
;	O
as	O
an	O
example	O
,	O
a	O
manufacturer	O
could	O
create	O
its	O
own	O
smartwatch	B-Application
channel	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
distinguish	O
its	O
product	O
from	O
a	O
competitor	O
's	O
product	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
also	O
reportedly	O
considered	O
an	O
alarm	O
function	O
for	O
SPOT-based	O
smartwatches	B-Application
that	O
would	O
activate	O
in	O
the	O
event	O
of	O
theft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SPOT	O
relied	O
on	O
the	O
.NET	B-Application
Micro	I-Application
Framework	I-Application
for	O
the	O
creation	O
and	O
management	O
of	O
embedded	O
device	O
firmware	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
technology	O
would	O
later	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
SideShow	O
feature	O
introduced	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
,	O
which	O
shares	O
design	O
similarities	O
with	O
SPOT	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2007	O
,	O
five	O
years	O
after	O
SPOT	O
was	O
announced	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
released	O
the	O
first	O
software	B-Application
development	I-Application
kit	I-Application
for	O
the	O
.NET	B-Application
Micro	I-Application
Framework	I-Application
.	O
</s>
