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BOSTON -- The next "big thing" on the Web has less to do with the dot-coms and more to do with connectivity that pushes beyond the PC to interactive devices, from predictable products like cell phones and TVs to the unexpected, like pacemakers and boxes of Cheerios.

That's the vision of the X Internet, and it's shared by industry leaders like Microsoft President Richard Belluzzo and Dr. Jim Mitchell, vice president and director of Sun Microsystems' Sun Laboratories, as well as Forrester Research analysts hosting a conference on the topic here this week. The Forrester Executive Strategy Forum, called "The X Internet: The Next Voyage," is drawing tech industry heavy-hitters with suggestions of what comes next for the Internet.

Forrester coined the term X Internet to describe a future Internet of "executable" and "extended" services and applications delivered online. The X Internet won't be brand new, but rather an evolution of today's Internet of static Web pages and clumsy e-commerce processes. They've dubbed it the X Internet because it will rely on XML technology, increasingly used by many firms, including Microsoft.

"The whole idea of the X Internet is that it has to be much more experiential," says Carl Howe, principal analyst with Forrester Research. "Now we have to create more of an experience for the user, something that's much more interactive. And it has to be tied more to the real world."

The roots of X Internet applications can be found in services like AOL Instant Messenger and Napster. Other nascent X Internet offerings come from Microsoft and its .Net initiative and Sun Microsystems' Sun ONE Web services platform, Howe said. IBM is also developing a Web service offering, called Web Sphere.

Cheap Chips

Ten years from now, interaction among an estimated 14 billion Net-connected devices will make today's Web sites look like Model "T" Ford automobiles, says George Colony, Forrester chairman and chief executive officer.

Don't be surprised, for example, if every box of Cheerios sold in 2010 comes with a one-cent microchip that will apprise manufacturer General Mills exactly how many Cheerios are being eaten and where demand is highest.

"First it was a battle for Web portals, then for the browser, and next it will be for one-cent chips that connect the real world with the digital world," Colony says.

In his vision of X Internet, millions of clients are connected to an Internet that has less to do with central servers but more to do with pushing processes and intelligence to the outer limits of the Internet and to client devices.

Sun's Mitchell describes a Net-connected pacemaker capable of monitoring your heart, and alerting you and your doctor five minutes before you have a heart attack instead of 15 minutes after the fact.

Single-Minded Devices

Mitchell agrees with Forrester that some version of X Internet is inevitable. However, his vision places less emphasis on processor-heavy clients, like PCs and cell phones. He predicts tiny single-purpose processors like those embedded in thermostats and light fixtures will dominate the X Internet. Of course, the Sun exec believes Java will be the software platform that enables these devices to communicate.

Likewise, it's no surprise that Belluzzo is betting heavily on Windows desktop computers, Pocket PCs, and Microsoft's yet-to-be released Web tablets to be among the stars of the X Internet.

"We are a big company that makes big bets," Belluzzo said, of Microsoft's pervasive .Net platform approach to future computing. The .Net platform, which is tied directly to Microsoft's Passport universal identification scheme, keeps user information online and accessible from a variety of platforms.

Of course, the technology firms also expect the X Internet to provide profit opportunities for them. Forrester analysts say the X Internet can be a tremendous cost-saver for firms that automate processes between businesses and market subscription services to customers. It forecasts X Internet economy will double many times and will generate trillions of dollars in revenue by 2010.

But don't expect microchips in your Cheerios for another five years. The change won't come at a breakneck pace, according to Forrester, and today's Internet will endure for some time, although X Internet components are being implemented today.

Approaching at 65MPH

An early example of the X Internet is the deployment of about 1.8 million X Internet-connected devices already deployed inside General Motors vehicles that use the OnStar service, according to Forrester. OnStar enables drivers to contact a 24-hour call center for a variety of services. They can call to get directions, request that OnStar service remotely unlock a car, or seek emergency assistance.

OnStar President Chet Huber, who spoke at the Forrester forum, says his firm is rolling out related new services. For example, Personal Dialing marries OnStar's hands-free cell phone with an address book of names and phone numbers. You'll be able to verbally tell OnStar who you want to talk to, and it places the call. Huber says GM is also testing OnStar as a way to download software fixes directly to your car if, for example, your carburetor settings need adjustment. Forrester calls OnStar an X Internet example because it is a thin client service that relies on remote servers for intelligence.

For now, most early X Internet developers are small firms, trying to create this more experiential environment. Forrester cites the example of Altio, which offers a platform for companies to build and deliver mostly financial XML applications over the Internet.

NetBotz is another early X Internet firm, the analysts say. The company is developing an environmental monitoring device for a server room. Through a magnetic sensor, the unit can detect when a door is opened, identify the temperature and humidity, and sense the presence of smoke. The device can send alerts by e-mail or pager.

Sun, Microsoft, and IBM have all described their interest in Web-based applications and services. But to ensure interaction over a shared network--the Internet--will necessitate standards and collaboration, the vendors note. Microsoft's Belluzzo noted that Microsoft expects to work more closely with competitors as well as partners, to ensure interoperability.

"Clearly we are at the very beginning of the X Internet," Forrester's Colony says.

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