- 2006.11.27
REDMOND - November 27, 2006 - Microsoft® Corp. unveiled
today its newest entry into the consumer electronics space,
providing details of the first product to be released under the
Pwnd™ brand. Designed around principles of sharing,
discovery, efficiency, profitability, and community, the Pwnd
Tablet Publishing Solution™ will revolutionize the way
consumers and businesspeople generate documents.
"The telecommuting revolution is just beginning," said J.
Allard, vice president, design and development, at Microsoft, who
is leading the charge in building the family of Pwnd products.
"With Pwnd, we are not simply developing a portable device, we are
introducing a new platform that helps bring home offices, corporate
workers, and customers together in a new and exciting way."
The Pwnd Experience
Available this tax season in the United States, Pwnd includes a
30 GB hard drive, the Pwnd Marketplace Digital Paper™ print
server, a built-in stapler, and a bright, 17" screen that not only
allows users to take notes with special Digital Paper™ that
automatically digitizes, spell-checks, grammar-checks, and
vectorizes the sketches you draw, but also allows you to display
what you have written without using the paper you just wrote on.
Pwnd comes in one color, brown, but more colors are planned in the
near future including chartreuse and vermilion.
Every Pwnd device creates an opportunity for connection. Free
from cables and wireless connections, the new Digital Paper
technology allows you to hand over either a Digital Printout or the
original document to another Pwnd owner, who can copy it using the
Pwnd built-in scanner. Up to 30 GB of information can be
transferred in this manner. Furthermore, extra digital copies can
be made to share with others.
Secure Digital Paper™ uses a new high-resolution version
of an old friend, thermal printing. During the copying process, the
scanner heats the digital image so that the original drawing or
copy is protected from spying eyes; after each use the paper turns
completely black, and it cannot be read even with specialized
imaging software. (Use of this feature requires users to write on
the Digital Paper with a Microsoft Heat Pen. Microsoft Heat Pens do
not write on ordinary paper. )
When copyrighted materials are scanned into the Pwnd, you can
rest assured your valuable intellectual property will remain
secure. Users can only read what is on the screen three times
before the digital version of the scan is deleted, and users will
be directed, when docked, to a docking program in Windows XP that
will allow them to purchase the document they tried to steal. A
special integrated webcam records the position of the user's eyes
to determine the number of times the document has been read.
(Please note the term "webcam" does not mean the device can be used
to communicate via video on the web.)
To get started, Pwnd comes with the entire library of free books
from the Project
Gutenberg library plus other great content from Barnes and
Noble™. At this time,the only print books offered are from
the bargain table, but as authors experience the excitement that is
Pwnd, they will offer premium works - such as horror from Stephen
King, the entire Dorf On... series movie tie-in books,
transcriptions of the Congressional Record, recipes from your local
Lion Wives, and much more.
Purchasing these products will use the same Microsoft Point
system used by the Zune™. Points are available through your
children's Xbox Internet connection.
To enhance the Pwnd experience, three Accessory Packs™
help Pwnd users do their office work where they want to - at home,
in the office, or on the road. The packs and the individual
accessories, all designed exclusively for Pwnd, will be available
at launch:
- The Pwnd Car Pack™ includes everything needed to hit the
road with a Pwnd device, such as the built-in French Fry
Holder™ with Grease Trap™ and the Pwnd Car Charger.
(Requires two cigarette-lighter power ports if fries are not
precooked.)
- The Pwnd Home Office Pack™ enhances your experience
through new software that will literally blow your mind:
WordSmith™, a new word processor; InfoCalc™, an
integrated spreadsheet; VisionPulse™, a presentation manager,
and DataCrunch™, a new intuitive database program for
managing your business contacts, budget, cell phone minutes, travel
expense forms, tax withholdings, and more. Even better, these
documents will remain secure and inaccessible to users using more
common software such as Microsoft Word™ and Excel™.
When you and your intended recipient are both using Pwnd, no one
else will be able to read your secure documents, with or without
your permission.
- Pwnd Art Pack™ is a set of five products designed to keep
you and colleagues working and connected while on the road: Pwnd
Heat Pen™, Pwnd Dual Connect Serial Port Modem™, Pwnd
WiFi® Adapter Carry Bag™ (WiFi not included), Pwnd Sync
Cable™, and the Zune AC PowerDapter™ (requires two
power outlets for full power and charging, one of which must be
220V).
Providing consumers with additional options to customize and
personalize their Pwnd experience, Microsoft is also working with
leading accessory manufacturers General Motors, Enron, Halliburton,
and, of course, Microsoft itself.
The Future is Bright
In addition to the features available at launch, built-in
wireless technology and powerful software provide a strong
foundation to continue to build new shared experiences around
documents and . . . documents. As Pwnd evolves, the
device can be easily updated. The Pwnd software on your Windows PC
will let you know when these updates are available for download and
will tell you how many Microsoft Points you were charged for this
information.
About Pwnd
Pwnd is Microsoft's new office document management platform that
provides an end-to-end solution for Connected Office
Workers™. The Pwnd experience includes a 30 GB digital media
recorder, the Pwnd Digital Bookstore™ (where you can purchase
Digital Paper and Heat Pens), and a foundation for an online
community that will enable office workers to discover the
efficiency of writing vs. typing.
Inspired by the vast and varied community of office workers,
Pwnd focuses on helping emerging entrepreneurs shape the digital
canvas. Pwnd is part of Microsoft's Office and Office-like
Products™ division and supports the company's software-based
services vision to help drive innovation in the office. More
information can be found online at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/pwnd.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide
leader in software, services and solutions that help people and
businesses realize their full potential.
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing
additional information on Microsoft, please visit the
Microsoft® Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass
on Microsoft's corporate information pages. Web links, telephone
numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may
since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and
analysts may contact Microsoft's Rapid Response Team or other
appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.mspx.
Corporate officers may contact Steve "Monkeyboy Dancer" Ballmer
directly at dance-monkeyboy-dance@microsoft.com.
