Philips, National Semi. Embrace ‘Mira’ at CeBIT 2002

by Alan Sheckter, SmartTV & Sound news editor

Philips showed a prototype March 12, of a flat panel, touchscreen battery-powered LCD. The display is designed to work with Microsoft’s Mira, a set of wireless technologies that the software giant announced in January.

Shown at the CeBIT trade show in Hanover, Germany, the IEEE 802.11b wireless networking-capable display, when removed from its docking cradle, becomes a PC remote control designed to work up to 100 meters from its base. Philips said that it plans to put the display into production by the end of the year.

National Semiconductor, also at CeBIT, announced that it would incorporate its Geode technology into Mira. National’s Geode processor, the company said, incorporates in one chip, the microprocessor, graphics and interfaces that can drive the majority of Mira devices. The company also predicts that the Geode processor will enable equipment manufacturers to bring Mira-enabled devices to the market quickly.

Philips’ and National’s embrace of Mira comes after the February announcement that four Japanese PC manufacturers would integrate the system into their PCs.