Smart Device: Smart devices access and present data in the appropriate form for a particular device anytime and anywhere. In reality, the device is as thick as a brick; the software is smart. Microsoft's vision of smart devices has ambitions to be hardware and software smart. The following capabilities are among the components that make up that ambition:

  • The logged-on user's preferences are understood. Alerts and information are tailored to location and type of device in use.
  • The device responds to bandwidth constraints, to take advantage of the type of Internet connection when sending and receiving information.
  • Information can be accessed anytime and anywhere in a device-appropriate form.
  • When a device detects another device, it can send information in the format that is most appropriate to that device. Devices interrogate each other to determine which services are available.