Be To Launch BeIA OS For Web Devices

A new computer operating system targeted at the rapidly-emerging Internet appliance market has reportedly been announced by San Francisco-based Be Inc.

The company was founded 10 years ago by former Apple Computer Inc. executive Jean-Louis Gassee.

The company said that it will unveil the new system, BeIA, at the Demo2000 conference.

The operating system, formerly code-named Stinger, is aimed at the potentially hot market for Web appliances, a niche not dominated by the "WinTel" PC alliance, according to a report today from Reuters.

The company is currently known for its BeOS operating system, which the Reuters report describes as an alternative desktop operating system that has never taken off in the commercial market.

Be went public last July, announced in January it would give away free copies of its latest version, BeOS 5, because it was concentrating on a system for the Web appliance market, the report said.

Some analysts feel the appliance market will not be dominated by Microsoft or any other single player, according to Reuters, which quotes International Data Corp. (IDC) analyst Kevin Hause as saying, "We are not going to have any one operating system or one environment that establishes a choke-hold on the market. There is an opportunity for Be in this space as well as an opportunity for Linux and others."

Be said its BeIA software allows appliances to be configured as entertainment devices like movie or music download-and-playback systems, the report said, adding that Be worked with Intel Corp. to optimize BeIA to run on Intel's Celeron and Pentium III processors.

BeIA will play audio streamed from the Net using RealNetworks Inc.'s RealSystem G2, and run multimedia technologies and Internet standards, such as Macromedia Inc.'s Flash and others, Reuters reported.

Be said the operating system does not take much memory or storage space and will use a browser by Norway's Opera Software A/S. Be also said Hitachi Ltd. will use BeIA in next-generation Internet appliances and dedicated devices and that Compaq Computer Corp. will use BeIA in any appliances it develops, the report said.

Reuters also reported that IDC will release a report today on Internet access devices which predicts that they will surpass consumer PC shipments in 2002. The report also said that the worldwide market for appliances will exceed 89 million units, or $17.8 billion in 2004, up from a market of 11 million units, or $2.4 billion in 1999.

Reported by Newsbytes.com, http://www.newsbytes.com .