e.Digital Corporation (fka EDIG)

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Xybernaut Transferable Core patent
Take your PC's 'brains' to go

Fairfax, Virginia-based Xybernaut is one of the recognized leaders in wearable computing, with years of research poured into the area and its flagship product, the Mobile Assistant IV, a full-function PC that can be worn on the body (see review in December 2, 1999, issue).

You've probably seen pictures of this unit, with the wearer looking like a pseudo-cyborg outfitted for computer combat, and Xybernaut always draws the biggest crowds to try it on at tradeshows, even though wearable has still generally been regarded as being a few years away from reaching the masses. But recently IBM has started showing interest in wearable computing products (i.e., the barrage of commercials in which young, hip stock traders are doing business while sitting on park benches), and with Big Blue in the wearable game, all bets are off. Wearable computing could be catapulted to mainstream awareness before anyone expected.

The latest news from Xybernaut is that it has secured a U.S. patent for a "transferable core," which the company says will "radically change mobile computing." The transferable core will be a unit smaller than a PDA and will contain the "brains" of a PC, including processor, memory, and I/O circuitry, but not power supply or display. When plugged into what Xybernaut calls an "enclosure"--desktop, laptop, cell phone, car dashboard, etc.--the core unit becomes a personal computer.

The idea is that this model will allow users to easily insert and remove the brains of their computing device from one device to another, and, therefore, Xybernaut says, users won't need separate devices such as PDAs, desktop PCs, laptops, cell phones, etc. They will access the information they need independent of these devices anywhere they go. The transferable core idea would also allow manufacturers to mass produce standard cores at a low cost, with the enclosures tailored to the environment or application needs, says Xybernaut.

While it sounds like a great idea, it's only a patent grant, and a long way from being a proven commodity. It would take quite an incredible device to completely wipe away the entire mobile device model that most mobile workers now follow. However, Xybernaut is known for innovation, and the low price component of the equation will sound good to buyers. Apparently some people believe in the transferable core idea because Xybernaut stock shot up from $16 to $29 the day the news was released. We applaud the efforts of companies such as Xybernaut that are pushing the envelope to create new possibilities for mobile device convergence. (http://www.xybernaut.com)