Sypglass on Tuesday announced a new Web browser for devices that use Microsoft's Windows CE operating system. The browser is targeted at industrial control systems -- such as elevators and certain types of office equipment, like photocopiers -- as well as at handheld devices and smart phones.
The "Device Mosaic Web browser" has a memory footprint under half a megabyte, and supports frames, tables, and JPEG and animated GIF images. By licensing the software's core technologies as a development platform, Spyglass (SPYG) allows developers to create customized applications, such as a email programs or electronic television programming guides.
After buying the Web's first graphical browser in 1994 -- Mosaic -- Spyglass licensed it to Microsoft (MSFT), which used it as the basis for Internet Explorer. Since then, Spyglass has reinvented itself as a systems integrator and "HTML engine" developer for the emerging consumer Internet device market. The company has already moved into the set-top box space, and consults with consumer device manufacturers who want to build browsing capabilities into their products. In December, the company established a technology and consulting group to develop advanced Web-related applications, and offer technical and market support to the cable and satellite television industries.
