World Appliance News

The Open Services Gateway Initiative (OSGi) has joined IBM, Siemens, Intel and Microsoft as a "platinum" sponsor of  Parks Associates' CONNECTIONS™ 2000 trade show.  The OSGi is a grouping of around 45 high-profile firms working to define open standards for gateway servers.  The show, the only event of its kind dedicated to the home networking industry, take place May 3-5 in San Diego, includes speakers from Whirlpool and Electrolux in its conference line-up.

From the blurb "Ho ...read more

Maytag announced January 4 a partnership with the aim of linking its machines to the Internet.  CEO Lloyd Ward would even like to make "products that can think so you don't have to."  Microsoft chairman Bill Gates no doubt shares this vision, hence Microsoft's signing January 13 a deal with GE to develop networked appliances.  Not a particularly surprising move, as home networks analyst Kurt Scherf of Parks Associates explains:  "Microsoft ... has been shaken by the speed in whic ...read more