Microsoft Hopes People See SPOTs When Glancing At Watches; New Data-Enabled Timepieces; Two companies start selling wristwatches that will bring news, other info -- for fee.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)

Byline: PATRICK SEITZ

Microsoft Corp. thinks your wristwatch should do more than tell the time. It also should give you the news, weather, traffic, sports and stock prices, plus send you instant messages and Outlook calendar reminders.

The debut last month of watches using Microsoft's smart personal objects technology, or SPOT, and its service for bringing content to those objects, called MSN Direct, marks the company's first foray into what it calls "glanceable" displays.

Using new MSN Direct-powered watches from Fossil Inc. and Suunto, people can glance at data that's important to them during meetings, business lunches and other places where a cell phone, pager or handheld computer would be obtrusive or rude.

"We're very excited about the watch and its potential," said Doug Kramp, Fossil's senior vice president of consumer technology. "Technology is really merging with fashion for the first time. On the wrist you basically have oceanfront property in terms of accessibility, convenience and discreetness."

The MSN Direct watches from Fossil and Suunto let users customize the data they receive wirelessly. The watches cost from $179 to $300. The MSN Direct service is available in the 100 largest U.S. cities and costs $9.95 a month, or $59 a year. That cost is likely to be the biggest challenge to adoption of the technology, says Matt Rosoff, an analyst with independent research firm Directions on Microsoft.

"Most consumers won't be willing to pay $10 a month for the kind of information that's available on MSN Direct," Rosoff said. "It seems a little pricey for what you get."