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Microsoft forces another upgrade
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posted 10:46am EST Wed Apr 25 2001
NEWS
Consumers who want the new Media Player 8 from Microsoft are not going to be able to get it unless they upgrade to Windows XP. The older version of Media Player, 7.0, will still be available on Microsoft's website as a free, separate download.
This action is very similar to when MS bundled Internet Explorer with the Windows operating system, the issue at the heart of the Department of Justice's antitrust case against Microsoft. Many analysts feel that this new move with Media Player 8 could be MS's attempt to boost Windows XP sales. They also think this new bundling is targeted at competitors RealNetworks' RealPlayer 8 and Apple Computer's QuickTime 5.01.
Read more at ZDNet.
AMY'S OPINION
When will Microsoft learn? By doing this, it's just shooting itself in the foot with the current court case. The company will wind up looking bad in the media as well.
Where is the competition associated with free enterprise? Where are the choices? Sure, you can download whichever media player you want, but most people are lazy and will take whatever they are offered. The browser war is now the media player war.
And what about the people who like Windows Media Player (like me)? Most folks like to have the newest version of products they use all of the time. I don't want to have to upgrade to XP just to get WMP 8.
Hopefully Microsoft will see the light on this and offer Media Player 8 as a download for all consumers. It would benefit the company in the long run.
USER COMMENTS 46 comment(s)
Good. (11:19am EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
Since WMP is bloated trash, I'm glad it's not included. I'm sure my machine will run faster without it and I can use WinAmp and other not-fat programs to play my stuff.
Thank you MS for not forcing your worthless crap on us. (Too bad for you XP users ... ha ha). - by Potato Head
I doubt it. (11:20am EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
WMP8 isn't a compelling enough reason for someone to drop $250+ dollars on an OS upgrade.
Comeone, it is just a media player, and they are a dime a dozen.
All those people who may the their knickers in a twist over this should realize that there are far better reasons to get the XP upgrade, rather than just to get a new media player.
And are you really at a loss for continuing to use WMP7?
- by Ed
Potato Head (11:22am EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
They aren't forcing anything on us, just on XP users. Even if WMP8 was available on Win9X or 2000, your still not being forced to use it.
Are you just blabbing for something to say?
- by Johnny
its not war it's business (11:25am EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
Twisting people's arm with a newer 'feature' is how you drive sales. - by jocky
Hmm, Then again (11:27am EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
If media player 8 is writen to take advantage of the core components of XP and actually reqires them to run the greater functionality built into the app then I could see a reason for saying windows XP only. But then again, this is microsoft we are talking about, The funny thing is that unlike the Explorer problem a while bach this will allow someone to install and use a different player such as real, so honestly we should relax, its not like microsoft is the only one that says "this version of the software will not work with older OS's." - by Eric the Red
why MP8? (11:32am EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
Media Player 7 sucks, so why would I want to 'upgrade' my 6.4 version to 8?
Repeat after me:
"must have biggest number"
"must have biggest number"
"must have biggest number"
"must have biggest number" - by fishbert
CD Burning (11:38am EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
Windows XP has CD burning built into the OS. Using WMP8 for burning CDs will allow the digital rites manager to control what files can be burned to a CD. This is part of the attemp to make Windows a secure platform for the distribution of digital media. - by Juice
MP 7 sucks? (11:53am EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
As an employee for a digital multimedia company, it's safe for me to say that MP 7 is CONSIDERABLY better than 6.4, and Real. 6.4 can't even play MPEG-2 files (even though if you know the 'fix' you can do it). MP7 has much higher video quality than 6.4 and Real.
"effort is the first step to failure"
- by liquid
You get what you pay for (11:53am EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
I rarely buy software when I can get something that will do the job for free, but when it comes to playing my 150+ CD's ripped to MP3's, I bought RealJukebox, and I'm glad I did.
I use Windows Media Player for some stuff like playing MPG's, but I'm not gonna upgrade to XP just to upgrade my MPG player. - by X-Geek
IT'S "FREE" SOFTWARE! (11:57am EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
Where is it written that MS has to give away Media Player at all? If you want Media Player 8, get XP! From Amy's comments, it makes it sound like MS OWES you Media Player. Do we live in a capitalist nation or under communism?
The next thing you will want is for WMP8 to work with Windows 3.1! - by Brandy
Trouble ahead (11:59am EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
The main problem i can see is when new file formats appear WMP8 is upgraded while WMP7 is left in its current form. This creates another reason to upgrade to XP. I like WMP even if it is bloatware, it looks and feels much better than QT or RP. (geeks, start your flaming!).
I'd like to see a list of stuff that won't work on anything but XP, all these little programs will add up to a lot of hassle if you don't own the latest version of windows. I think i'll skip XP and wait for the next windows incarnation! - by Spaghetti
DivX support in 8? (12:06pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
hmmm, if yes the sure, I'll go for it, if not.. well I'll stick with 6.4, rock solid and good quality on non-1GHz PCs
- by LoVe My 6.4
Who Cares? (12:09pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
Who cares about Media Player? Real Sucks, WMP Sucks... They all suck. - by Booger
Oh please. (12:17pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
What an article, It's suggesting that MS is doing something illegal by not creating MP8 for all versions of Windows. Why not sue them because it won't work in Windows 3.11?
Does GM get sued because they don't retrofit their last year's models with this year's technology? - by Martin
Bloat Ware? (12:23pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
Anyone notice that Winamp and the rest have become pretty bloated recently? I won't even install winamp anymore because after doing so I notice my MP3s will skip while I use my computer (surf the net etc..). This behavour wasn't evident before the install and continues even after uninstalling winamp. Considering the hardware I run (dual 450's, 768Mb CAS-2 RAM and Ultra 160 drives) I would doubt this is a hardware issue. I'll stay with Media Player v6.4 for now as well or wplay which is everything winamp used to be. - by Kevin J. Lang
CD Burning (12:27pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
Juice - with the latest update for WMP 7 comes an "Adaptec plug-in." I didn't have time to check it out, but I'm betting the plug-in enable CD burning.
Anyone know for sure?
- by Mark
One more push from Microsoft to get you off Windows (12:28pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
Is everyone sure that Microsoft didn't buy up shares of Redhat or BeOS under the table?
Here's yet one more news item where they could just as easily have replaced the verbiage with "Sick of constantly paying for upgrades to slightly less buggy software than you already have? Why not go the Opensource route?"
This won't neccesarily send users spilling over to OS X, as they'd then have to purchase a whole new hardware setup, but Microsoft really does seem to be pushing people towards alternative x86 Operating Systems with all of these "non-consumer friendly" moves.
Conversely, if I were Apple, I'd be eyeing the prospects of an x86 port of OS X. Course I'd probably be doing so over Steve Jobs dead body, but you know... There's priorities, and there's priorities. 8)=
On a side note, does anyone know if Grumpy Old Man's ok? We're already several posts into an article from Amy, and he's yet to post some diatribe about Amy getting stuck with the lame articles. Perhaps someone should check on him. 8)= - by Mr. Cancelled
Jibba Jabba (12:36pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
Last year's Crapco car companies' cars came standard with a radio, this year's they come with a radio/cd player.
Industry moron: "This is exactly like that Microsoft case, because cd players are being bundled with the car."
Retard Lawyer: "I think we can see the effect to cd player makers, lets sue Crapco, it's exactly like that Microsoft case."
Geek.com monkey: "Jeebus when will Crapco learn, if they include new stuff in a new model, they must give all the last year's model owner's a cd player too. Just like that Microsoft case which has nothing to do with this at all." - by jeebus christ
WMP8 (12:39pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
Personally, I cannot see paying for an upgrade to WMP8... QT5 works fine and has a better interface...not worth paying for something that offers the same or less than free programs. I would never use it for MP3s as I use MMJB OR WinAmp. - by jimf42
Please (12:40pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
Bill Gates Knows much more about marketing than all of you - Obviously MS knows what they are doing eitherwise they would not be one of the largest companies in the world. - by Give me a break
M 6.4 (12:55pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
7 Is a horrible interface, too big, and completely slows the computer.
6.4 is much better, format support may be lacking, but 7 is so bloated it slows so i can't see the other formats anyway - by the Curteye
blah 6 (12:57pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
you can make 7 look exactly like 6, once you get rid of the crap it seems to run just fine - by david d
Side note (1:18pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
While "forcing" users on Windows to have Explorer, I'm actually a fan of it. Browsing directories is much better with Explorer.
If Windows XP is anything like ME, then I'm sticking with Win2k. BTW, when is the expected release of a Win2k upgrade? - by ypogeios
The problem with 7 (1:21pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
Unless I completely missed how to do it, there is no way to have more than 1 instance of 7 open at a time. You might ask, "why would you want to?". Some sites force you to open a video with media player and then wait to download it. It sucks when you open another piece of media which wipes out whatever has downloaded. - by Stupid Microsoft
Never mind (1:22pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
I haven't really stayed up to date on XP, just saw the professional version of XP. Still researching, not sure if it's a wise choice for an upgrade from Win2k. - by ypogeios
Still (1:23pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
Still wondering when a 64 bit upgrade for Win2k is available though. - by ypogeios
Watch and learn (1:24pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
Of course not every sucker is going to buy into the M$ scams..are they? or maybe most will.
This is how you become a billionare.
- by NoM$KissAss
By any means....... (1:27pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
Almost everyone at on time or another has complained about MS. But the blame is ours. We allowed them to get this way. When they made OEM's pay for a license on each PC sold no matter the OS, no one said anything. No one said anything until they got to be to big to be easily stopped. Now you hate them. Even when they are right, they are wrong. How much longer is this going to go? Reminds me of a guy in Germany around the 1930s........... - by LikeWhat?
os integration (1:29pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
WMP 8 leverages off the operating system just the way WMP 7 does. I still run NT at work... so gee, I can't upgrade to 7 yet. Maybe someday MS will have a Windows.net where you pay a subscription and upgrades are done automatically and you won't complain about MS "forcing" you to buy a new operating system to get the new features. (but I'm sure you'll complain about anything/everything else that obviously must be MS trying to screw you).
- by Robguy
Hey "Give me a break" (1:30pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
Didja ever see the MS ads for Windows 2000? They expect you to buy it by demonstrating a blue screen crash in Windows 98, and then saying "Aren't you sick of seeing this? Buy Win2k, and you'll never have to again".
Which any Marketing person worth his or her salt would say "Terrible Marketing". You simply don't point out the flaws in the products you've already sold people as an effort to get people to buy what you're now selling.
Particularly when MS has such a bad reputation with regards to system stability.
Bill Gates knows about Marketing... Haahahahaha...
Your comment also goes to show how much you know about Marketing, coincidently. - by Mr. Cancelled
Hmmm (1:37pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
Marketing, I don't know much in that field, but strategy, Bill has that one down. MS is a power house through the strategic moves made by BG.
About XP professional, the nice thing about it is the file extensions. If you try to open a file with an unknown file extension, WinXP goes up on the net and finds a program to open it for you. However, you may have to pay for that program, but it's a nice tool to have.
As for OS X, is anyone laughing besides me about the amazing similiarities in cosmetics? For 2 OS's that try to distance themselves, it sure looks like the same cosmetic package. - by ypogeios
Rumors??? (1:41pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
Heard through the grapevine that when Windows XP is released, Microsoft is going to discontinue Windows 2000....
Came from a fairly reliable source too! - by M$$$Suck$!
MP 6.4 versus MP 7&8 (1:43pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
I have noticed that both 6.4 and 7 come with Windows ME. The one thing I like about MP7 is that it has a graphic equalizer (vital for cheap computer sound systems). However, I seem to remember that MP 7 likes to collect data and send it back to MS without your knowledge (I think there is an "opt-out" buried in options somewhere). You can easily switch your player to MP 6.4 by running MP 7 and going to options and disassociate all files from it. Then create a shortcut to (I think it's called) wmplayer.exe (if not then it's the other .exe in the same folder). This is MP 6.4 and go into its options and associate all pertinent files to it. Voila! Anyhow, MP 6.4 seems to handle all the files I want it to. So my questions are:
1. Does anyone know of a freeware graphic EQ that works on *any* WAV OUT signal?
2. What files can MP 7 or MP 8 run that MP 6.4 can't? - by Media Police
Mr. Cancelled (1:58pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
God you are stupid - If MS knew nothing about marketing do you think that they would have as much market share as they do now?
'You simply don't point out the flaws in the products you've already sold people as an effort to get people to buy what you're now selling.'
- Apparently you do since MS is worth Billions of dollars - their track record proves it
- by Give me a break
Sticking to Win98/MP6.4 (2:00pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
Personally I'll stick to Win98SE and MediaPlayer 6.4. They work. There is no reason to upgrade for the sake of upgrading. Heck I still use Office95!!! Just because Office2k is out, doesn't mean that my version stops writing letters.
As far as the CD Burner thing above, well that is just silly. If you buy a burning drive you are going to get the software to use it anyway. I can't imagine how many people are going to purchase WindowsXP with WMP8 and expect to be able to burn CD's on their standard drive. There are still people in the world that try to play CDROMs in their standard CD Players. - by Me.
WMP8 (2:27pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
WMP8 is bloated. It's butt ugly too. - by foobar
save me from media player... (2:33pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
dear god - in your infinite mercy protect me from all versions of media player greater than 6.4... need i say more? - by alexander
Beside the fact... (2:51pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
...that this can only HELP RealNetworks' RealPlayer 8 and Apple Computer's QuickTime 5.01, 6.4 is the only version that still works right with MPEG-4. WMA 7 and 8 are specifically designed NOT to work with MPEG-4. Microsoft is buddies with the copyright nazis and work to stamp out fair use.
- by Freed0m
Yeah, but... (2:56pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
Think of all the new stuff you won't be able to get on WMP7. M$ are trying to nail Real in the same way they did over Netscape, and that means streaming video and audio. In a couple of years, if all goes to the great plan, Real will be bust and you'll only b able to stream stuff with WMP8+. Which will require XP. Go figure - by Charmaka
Give me a break... (3:00pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
Take some marketing classes man...
Get some business training before you embarrass yourself any further.
As ypogeios points out, MS is great at strategy, and they've also proven great at leveraging market share (again... Not marketing, but close!) to get their userbase to upgrade to new products.
But this is largely based on ending support for existing products, forcing companies to upgrade, making products which aren't fully compatible with competitors products, etc..
In the past, it's also been largely caused by the question of what else would a business use than Windows?
they ruled the market simply because there were no alternatives.
Your comment of "- Apparently you do since MS is worth Billions of dollars - their track record proves it" shows a total lack of understanding of both how the industry used to work, as well as a flawed understanding of what's marketing vs. what's leveraging existing market share.
Why don't you get some schooling in the subject before calling people "stupid"? Your word-hole would thank you for it. Or at least those of us forced to read your diatribe would. - by Mr. Cancelled
M$$$Suck$!... discontinued W2K... (3:07pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
no shit.. the plan is that everyone uses the same code-base (XP). It would be nice in terms of support (drivers, hardware, software, etc...). They'll keep W2k around for about 2-4 more years, before XP will be 'required'.
Hey... they've stopped supporting Win 3.11, but I still see it in use. Doesn't mean you have to switch over if it does what you need it to do. - by God™
Broken Record (3:21pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
The Government as a whole still will NOT use Win2k until it's 2 years are up (time taken for standard Government testing). Win NT 4.0 is still the standard and MS still supports it.
Besides, it looks like Win2k will be the last NT series of OS's not to be weighed down by entertainment and high end media. I can't remember the last time a Naval submarine downloaded streaming media on their servers.
BTW - a while back there were some folks who blasted me saying that a story about a Naval ship being dead in the water and needing to be towed back to land was an urban legend. I have found several documents backing up my brothers story (he's an Officer that was posted there at the time) on this matter. If anyone is still questioning this, let me know, I will post the links. - by ypogeios
Yeah, give us the links! (3:32pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
I heard about this at the time IIRC. Plz post links :) - by Charmaka
Please post the naval links (3:42pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
Sounds interesting. - by Mr. Cancelled
Try these (3:56pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
http://www.zdnet.com/sp/stories/news/0,4538,342752,00.html
http://www.gcn.com/archives/gcn/1998/july13/cov2.htm - by ypogeios
Why didn't they just (4:07pm EST Wed Apr 25 2001)
Press Ctrl+Alt+Del :) LOL
Actually I heard about this a long time ago. - by
A New HandEra
April 24th, 2001
By: Wes Salmon
Late last week, information began to emerge about a new product from TRG, makers of the popular TRG Pro PalmOS PDA. TRG's claim to fame had always been expandability achieved by way of the industry standard Compact Flash expansion architecture. TRG, now known as HandEra had been very tight lipped about any upcoming products, that is until the leaks started.
As many may know, leaks of upcoming PDA products are nothing new this year and I was impressed that HandEra kept the wraps on their new device as long as they did. I was even more impressed when HandEra lifted the embargo on reviews and pictures ahead of schedule once the leaks were public.
The new product, the HandEra 330 has certainly caused a stir in the Palm community which had seen 3 major products announced and/or released in just the past 2 months. Previous to the official announcement, rumblings in the Palm community were of concerns that a new TRG product would be nothing more than a simple extension of the TRG Pro series with minimal advancements or feature enhancements. These concerns were silenced when details of the 330 became public.
HandEra surprised everyone, including myself with the new HandEra 330 and its great number of new features. I recently spoke with both HandEra's CEO and chairman Mike Downey, and founder and VP of software development Mike Walter about their new name, focus, and product. Below are many key points from my notes during the conversation that should help users get a good idea about the features and capabilities of the 330 as well as the thought processes that when into creating those features.
Development of the HandEra 330
Development of the new HandEra device started over a year ago around February 2000. At the time, TRG was not only focused on the new device, but also other projects with major PDA companies.
How is the hi-resolution display different from typical Palm devices?
The HandEra 330 is equipped with a quarter VGA display comprised of 240x320 pixels which means that the screen is crisper and more readable than the standard 160x160 Palm display. As opposed to implementing a 2:1 pixel doubling routine such as the Sony CLIE PEG-N700C, HandEra decided to optimize the hi-resolution display by building scaling support into the OS itself. Instead of just doubling the size of screen sent to the LCD by the OS, the device "intercepts" them, optimizes them for the 240x320 display, and then renders them. This allows developers to create applications that can run on both the standard 160x160 display as well as the HandEra's 330 display with minimal code changes. On the flip side, graphics intensive applications may see a slight slow down due to this technique.
What about legacy applications developed solely for 160x160 displays?
The HandEra 330 provides 3 different display "emulation" modes for applications built around the standard 160x160 Palm display size. The first is the scale to fit mode which is very similar to Sony's pixel doubling scheme, but instead of 2 pixels for every one, there are 1.5 pixels for every one. The second method of displaying legacy applications is via a centered 160x160 window. This gives the user the ability to see the application as it was truly intended in an easy to manage centered environment. The third and final method of displaying older applications is the "left corner" alignment method. Some PalmOS applications were built upon a strict absolute coordinate system where the left corner is critical to proper alignment. This mode is not pretty but provides the ultimate in compatibility with older applications.
How does the virtual graffiti area work and why is it better than a silk screened graffiti area?
Those familiar with the Pocket PC input method will recognize the resemblance between the Pocket PC pop up keyboard and character recognition system and the HandEra virtual graffiti area. The area is designed to hide away when not needed to give the most screen real estate possible as well as be fully customizable including the icons and keyboard layout. Another advantage of the virtual graffiti area compared to the standard "hard" graffiti area is that when a pop-up keyboard is required, instead of taking up almost half of the display space, the keyboard replaces the graffiti silk screen area, leaving the full "Palm box" visible. The virtual graffiti system can also recognize both keyboard taps and graffiti strokes in this overlay mode so users can combine the best of both input methods for optimal performance. As a long time user of the Silkyboard, I find this feature particularly appealing.
Why two different expansion slots?
I had this same question and my first conclusion was that the thinking behind having both slots was simply a "pack it with cool stuff" mentality to cover all bases. After speaking with Mike Downing and Mike Walter however, I found that there was a specific reason for this decision, and a darn good one if you ask me. It seems that according to research and feedback HandEra had received, users were buying devices mainly for the storage expansion options but were a bit disenchanted when they would have to remove their additional storage to use I/O devices such as modems and network cards. The reasoning behind both the CF II and SD/MMC slot is so that users can have access to both I/O devices (mainly CF based) and SD/MMC storage devices without having to sacrifice one for the other. I'm sure any user who has had to remove their 128MB CF card or MP3 springboard to insert a modem will understand this decision just as much as I do.
Does HandEra plan to target consumers this time around?
Short answer no, long answer yes with a but. While the TRG Pro has gained wide acceptance in vertical markets, it seems that the vast majority of this was due to users themselves buying devices instead of employers allocating them. This means that HandEra is stuck between two changing markets, the rapidly expanding consumer market which bleeds over into the business realm and the increased adoption of mobile devices by businesses and larger corporations. This is one reason why HandEra is focusing on getting their products in more traditional business retail outlets such as office supply stores and discount warehouse outlets.
Will there be a color HandEra 330 and if so, when?
One key component in the HandEra 330 equation was affordability. At $349, it can be argued that the HandEra 330 is one of the best-equipped Palm devices at one of the lowest prices available. Adding a color display to this mix will effect two key elements of what HandEra hopes will make the 330 a success, price and battery performance. With the rapid advancements in both color displays and power management, a color device has certainly not been ruled out but one will only become a reality of HandEra can balance the pieces of the puzzle that they hope will make them unique, high performance mobile computing at a reasonable price.
With even Palm going with USB on their new devices, why is the HandEra 330 still based on a serial port connection?
Again, this is a question that I was pondering before my conversation with the folks at HandEra and the answer is basically what I expected. The main target for this device is business users, and for the most part, businesses are slower to adopt technology compared to a consumer. This means that USB has not proliferated into corporate America as quickly as it has in the home computing environment. As someone who recently worked at a Fortune 500 company that was still using Windows 95 as the Y2K "event" passed, I can see where HandEra is coming from with this. The added bonus is compatibility with existing Palm III based peripherals which not being justification itself, helps lend strength to the argument for a serial connection.
What's the point of using 4 AAA batteries?
Right off the bat most would expect that if you use twice the number of batteries as other PDAs, you'll get twice the battery life. This assumption is one track but not quite accurate since usage patterns vary so much from person to person. HandEra rates the battery life gain between 50 and 100 percent meaning it's possible you'll get twice the battery life, but you should expect a little less. The other big advantage to using 4 AAA batteries is that this allows the HandEra 330 to send full power to devices in the CF and SD slots. Compared to other devices such as the Handspring Visor and TRG Pro that can only provide 100 milli-amps of power to peripherals without requiring a dedicated power source, the HandEra 330 is capable of providing 500 milli-amps of power to expansion devices, also known as power level 1.
As you can see, the HandEra 330 certainly pushes the envelope in the PalmOS arena and is sure to become a popular alternative to the existing PalmOS devices available. Now if we could only get a color display with always on high-speed wireless connectivity built in, I think we would be set. :)
have phone, can read---eBooks on your phone
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posted 11:33am EST Wed Apr 25 2001
NEWS
Versaly Games and Fictionwise.com have teamed up to deliver eBooks on your mobile phone. The two companies are working to provide access to the Fictionwise library of eBooks from the Versaly website and next generation mobile phones, including Microsoft's Stinger. Read more about this at Fictionwise. I like the concept of reading an eBook on a mobile phone. Right now it looks like it will only be for the Stinger phone, though. Perhaps they'll build in support for the next generation Symbian phones, too?
Sources say EMI and Bertelsmann merger plans are faltering
LONDON (Reuters) - EMI and Bertelsmann's plans to create a global music leader are faltering as they struggle to find a compromise that satisfies regulators, sources close to the talks said on Wednesday.
The sources said the two sides still want a merger and are pressing ahead with five-month long talks but regulatory demands are making the chances of a positive outcome increasingly slim.
EMI, which helped build the careers of artists such as the Beatles, the Beach Boys and the Spice Girls, saw its shares sag six percent on concerns that antitrust issues would scupper EMI's second attempt down the aisle.
``The share price reflects the reality that things have taken a turn for the worse,'' said one source close to the talks.
``I'm not saying it is all over but the direction of talks has been negative recently because of regulatory issues. This is in no way a reflection that the two parties do not want a deal.''
EMI declined to comment and said talks were continuing.
EMI shares closed six percent down at 445 pence on the London Stock Exchange with almost seven million shares traded, after earlier slipping as much as seven percent. The pan-European DJ Stoxx media index was down 0.5 percent.
Thomas Middelhoff, head of German-based media group Bertelsmann which owns music major BMG, told Reuters on Tuesday that both sides still desperately wanted to realise a merger but antitrust issues continue to stand in the way.
``On paper at least a merger makes sense but there seems to be an enormous problem getting a deal through regulators,'' said Helen Snell, media analyst at ABN Amro.
``The longer this goes on, the more likely it is to be dropped than pursued, but I'm not ruling it out yet,'' added Snell, who sees potential for a further drop of up to 10 percent in EMI's shares if a deal fails to materialise.
Industry sources said EMI might take the opportunity of results next month to unveil the bad news on the merger front if the two sides find there is no way out in the coming days.
``It's always better to announce bad news along with good news and EMI's results are expected to positive,'' said one source close to the companies.
``However there is scope for further discussion on the merger and both companies will continue to look at all angles.''
A merger would create a music giant to rival industry leader Universal Music, boasting artists from Whitney Houston to the Spice Girls and top catalogues such as the Beatles and Elvis Presley. A deal would also reap impressive cost savings of around 200 million pounds ($287.1 million) a year.
EMI has always been cautious about a deal, having had its fingers burned once already after pulling out of previous merger talks with Warner Music in the face of mounting opposition from European regulators.
This time around, EMI was determined not to pull shareholders through a lengthy investigation and the two sides have unofficially been testing the regulatory waters before deciding whether to unveil a deal.
``The problems lie in the regulatory issues. There is certainly no conflict between the two companies,'' a source said.
One of regulators' prime concerns in the Warner case was market dominance and the fact that a merger would reduce the world's five major music groups to four. To get a deal done, an effective fifth major would need to be created by selling off some assets to one of the largest independent labels.
Middelhoff argued that dramatic changes over the past year had completely rewritten the competitive landscape, creating media giants such as AOL Time Warner, which owns Warner Music, and Vivendi Universal, which owns Universal Music.
As a result, he said such regulatory concerns were no longer relevant but industry sources said the European Commission was not convinced that the music world needs a larger rival to take on the new media giants.
New chips to power path for 3G
By Reuters
April 25, 2001 7:52 AM PT
URL: http://www.zdnet.com/intweek/stories/news/0,4164,2712220,00.html
TOKYO--The delay of NTT DoCoMo Inc.'s next-generation cellphones may disappoint those eager to glimpse Japan's latest wireless gizmos, but hot new chips due by the end of the year may make the technology worth waiting for.
The world's big chipmakers expect a new breed of silicon for the wireless world -- far faster with greater processing power and a minimal drain on portable batteries -- to help rescue the much-hyped, and now much-doubted, third-generation technology.
In the meantime, next-generation cell phones, which promise such cutting-edge features as videoconferencing and thief-proof online banking, will largely have to make do with the old stuff.
``For now, the handset manufacturers will be using what they've already got,'' said Masatomo Miura, manager of the Japan wireless terminals unit at Texas Instruments Inc, whose digital signal processors (DSPs) were at the core of nearly 60 percent of cellphones shipped last year.
``Aiming for next spring, though, they'll start volume production of wideband models, what we call 3G's 'second generation','' he said.
DoCoMo, Japan's dominant mobile carrier and the world frontrunner in wireless Internet services, had planned to launch its W-CDMA (wideband code division multiple access) service, the world's first commercial 3G offering, on May 30.
The company stunned the industry on Tuesday, however, by delaying its full-fledged 3G launch until October 1 due to worries about technological glitches.
Big money tied up
The launch was expected to pave the way for 3G, which will boost wireless transmission speeds by upwards of five to 25 times. European mobile carriers, having paid more than $100 billion for 3G licenses in their home countries, were among those keenly eyeing DoCoMo's progress.
Most 3G watchers agree, however, that despite the huge technological difficulties, the biggest challenge for next-generation wireless will be coming up with cool, must-have features to snag wary consumers.
And the chipmakers say they have the answer.
``The key is to get people excited about the applications,'' Intel Corp senior vice president Ronald Smith said in an interview last week. ``You need to unleash lots of applications developers. You need a high-performance general-purpose processor to enable that.''
Intel, which spent billions of dollars over the past few years to acquire DSP firms and technology for wireless, plans to deliver such a processor by the end of the year to make it easier for programmers to develop new wireless applications.
The Intel architecture will compete head-on with TI's OMAP (open multimedia application platform) chips, due to reach customers in volume this autumn, that let software developers create wireless applications on popular operating systems such as Microsoft Corp's Windows CE or Symbian Ltd.'s EPOC.
Ready for karaoke?
California-based Beatnik Inc is preparing software for both the TI and Intel platforms that, among other things, could let users program a ring-tone with their own voice, or mute the vocal track on a favorite song running off the Net so they can use their cellphone for karaoke at a party.
The company said Intel's new architecture made it possible to port software in only three days, compared with perhaps three months if it had required recoding.
Chips are gearing up for other neat functions as well.
Market researcher Forward Concepts forecasts that by next year semiconductors will be advanced enough to support software-defined radio technology, which would let users operate their handsets anywhere in the world.
Several other chipmakers also plan to offer chips for next-generation wireless devices, including Agere Systems Inc and Motorola Inc of the United States and Japan's electronics conglomerates.
Toshiba, Japan's biggest chipmaker, plans to start volume shipments this autumn of a power-saving MPEG4 chip used for videoconferencing, and sees video processing as part of its ''mission'' in advanced mobile technology, said Yasuo Kawahara, a senior manager in the company's system LSI division.
But Japanese chipmakers, which ceded much of their role in the global chip industry over the last decade to companies such as Intel and South Korea's memory chip makers, are expected to play only a limited part in 3G despite DoCoMo's high profile.
``Other than memory, the Japanese are relatively small contributors to the cellphone or base station chip market,'' said Forward Concepts' Will Strauss.
But with 3G about to roll out on a limited basis, how was the semiconductor industry, long at the cutting edge of global technology, caught less than fully ready?
Roadblocks ahead
Analysts point to the sheer complexity of 3G, which posed daunting challenges for virtually everyone involved.
``I think the real problem is that W-CDMA is a big leap forward in technology: new base stations, new handsets, new everything. It just takes an awful lot of resources to develop a new technology like that,'' said Jack Quinn, head of Micrologic Research, a wireless market research firm.
The company estimates that, while sales of semiconductors into the wireless market will rise more than 20 percent a year to $41.6 billion in 2005, third-generation is expected to be only a small portion of that.
And, in contrast to Intel's domination of processors for PCs, the processor market for wireless devices is expected to be hotly competitive.
Michito Kimura, senior analyst at IDC Japan, notes that technology line-ups among Japan's leading handset makers indicate each may opt for a different chip technology.
Number-one Matsushita Communication Industrial Co, maker of the Panasonic brand, will stick with the Matsushita group's own chips, he said, while number-two NEC Corp has said it may use Intel's architecture and Sony Corp, which on Tuesday announced a broad handset alliance with Ericsson, looks likely to choose TI. Nokia Oyj, the world's biggest handset maker, also has strong ties with TI.
For their part, chipmakers are looking beyond handsets, to personal digital assistants and other devices, in the search for wireless markets.
``Chipmakers shouldn't just be looking at the handset makers. We have to be studying what it is the telecoms operators want to do next,'' said Toshiba's Kawahara.
NAB show moves well beyond traditional broadcasting
Labeling itself "The Convergence Marketplace," this year's National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show, going on this week in Las Vegas, extends well beyond its traditional focus on television production and broadcasting. Other forms of digital video have come to the surface, enabling broadcasters and other content providers to extend their brands to consumers in ways beyond the traditional viewing experience.
Whether Hollywood is completely on board the convergence bandwagon is still unclear, but NAB showcased a panoply of technologies for the delivery of video over IP, interactive television, streaming media, and even video to wireless devices.
In the VoIP domain, Artel Video Systems demonstrated, along with network-infrastructure company Marconi, the transport of DTV (digital TV) programming over an intelligent broadband network. The demo included quality-of-service (QoS) and remultiplexing capabilities for digital TV, enabling delivery of digital video to cable-TV head-ends and telecommunications DSLAMs over packet-based networks. Targeting the telecommunications and video-networking markets, applications of this technology include distribution of video-on-demand, interactive TV, and digital TV for DSL.
Meanwhile, DSL technology provider Alcatel and DG Systems CoolCast, an Internet broadcaster, announced an agreement that bundles CoolCast technology with Alcatel's DSL access platform, the 7300 Advanced Services Access Manager (ASAM). The combo aims to allow DSL service providers to deliver broadcast-quality video, CD-quality audio, and Internet connectivity to broadband consumers. CoolCast's patented technology allows both PCs and set-top boxes to access in-progress streaming video, stored video, and CD-quality streaming audio while multitasking with other Web-based or local applications.
Together with Alcatel's DSL access equipment, the CoolCast system offers DSL service providers a system for multimedia delivery that bypasses the unpredictable performance of the Internet. CoolCast distributes media via a satellite network that beams data to receivers located close to a telecommunications provider's central office. This data is then aggregated in the Alcatel 7300 ASAM and streamed to the consumer via DSL.
In the wireless area, Emblaze Systems, a provider of wireless multimedia streaming technology, and Network Appliance, which provides network-attached data access and content-delivery products, announced a partnership to deliver the Emblaze Wireless Media Platform. According to the companies, the platform provides wireless carriers with the reliability, scalability, and high-availability required to deploy streaming audio and video applications.
With so much multimedia flying around, format confusion is bound to arise. At NAB, a company called Generic Media unveiled a system aimed at quelling the disturbance. The Generic Media Publishing Service is a streaming system that lets broadcasters and other content providers economically integrate streaming media into regular programming without worrying about what streaming format to support, according to the company.
From a single source file called a Streaming Master, the Generic Media Publishing Service delivers audio and video across multiple devices, media formats, and delivery networks by converting the source on the fly and on demand. The system delivers content at a wide range of bit rates to whatever player the end-user has installed, including Microsoft Windows Media, QuickTime, RealPlayer, MP3 players, and the Palm OS-based gMovie Player. Streaming Masters can be stored in a number of standard, formats including AVI, MP3, MPEG-1, QuickTime, and WAV.
remember that eastech's 701 does WOW---
The Best Audio and Video Experience
Windows Media Player 7 builds on the industry-leading Windows Media Technologies 7 audio and video quality by adding unmatched control over audio and video playback. Make the most of your media experience with features including:
SRS WOW Effects
Windows Media Player 7 can improve the quality of any audio content, including both MP3 and Windows Media formatted files. Developed by SRS Labs, the SRS WOW technology integrated into Windows Media Player adds deep bass and dynamic range to put you in the middle of the music. The TruBass feature improves the bass or low frequencies, simulating the effect of having much larger speakers. This apparent widening of the "sound stage" makes the user think that the sound is coming from speakers that are farther apart. The result is a higher quality and fully immersive experience, allowing superb sound from any listening direction.
Best Audio Quality
Windows Media Format provides CD-quality digital music in half the file size of MP3, doubling your music storage and reducing download time for CD-quality digital music.
The Best Video Quality at All Speeds
Windows Media Player 7 improves the audio and video quality of content encoded with Windows Media Audio 7 and Windows Media Video 7 -- from narrowband to broadband. Windows Media Player 7 also includes the industry's first broadcast-quality video, true-to-the-source film playback, and PC-based streaming screen capture support.
Reference Standard MP3 Playback Engine
Windows Media Player 7, unlike some other jukeboxes, uses the reference-standard FHG MP3 codec from the inventors of the MP3 format. This codec delivers the best possible sound from your existing MP3 music collection.
Eye-Catching Visualizations Support
Customizable two and three-dimensional animations change and move in response to your music. These new visualizations also support full-screen format, and are great for parties or just to set the mood. More visualizations are available from the Web by opening the Tools menu from within the Player and selecting Download Visualizations. In addition, get 19 new visualizations as part of the free Windows Media Player 7 Bonus Pack download.
Improved Audio and Video Controls
Windows Media Player 7 includes a 10-band audio equalizer with customizable presets, as well as advanced video controls that allow you to easily adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, and hue.
Fourth Generation MP3 Player
By Darshan Somashekar - 02/10/01
Print Article - Email Article - Post Your Comments
TREÓ Digital Music Jukebox - Hy-Tek Manufacturing Co. Bucktail Lane Sugar Grove IL 60554 - 800-835-7278 - www.treoplayer.com - Info@treoplayer.com
Photo Courtesy of Hy-Tek Manufacturing Co.
We've seen the MP3 player market expand and diversify tremendously over the previous several months. The first MP3 players, such as the PINE D'Music, were not only small in dimension but small in storage capacity as well. Then came a few hybrid CD/MP3 players, like the D-Link DMP-CD100. Finally, Creative Labs unleashed the biggest milestone yet in portable MP3-player history, the Nomad Jukebox.
About the size of a thick wallet (4" x 3" x .8"), the TREÓ digital music player combines storage capacity of a Nomad Jukebox with the dimensions of a Flash-based player. The TREÓ has a 6.4GB music capacity which allows it to store over 100 hours of music.
The player has a large LCD display (with ID3 support) and a USB interface to make tranferring and listening to MP3s as easy as possible. On top of supporting MP3, WMA, AAC and ePAC music formats, the TREÓ also comes with upgradeable firmware, ensuring that it never becomes obsolete. Weighing in at exactly half a pound, the TREÓ's lithium-ion battery lasts for 8 hours. Full recharges take about 3 hours.
Since the TREÓ should be shipping sometime this month, we'll soon be able to see if it's promise of small size and large capacity will make it the winner in the MP3 player market. It'll be priced at $399.
Voice Net System Coming to Japan
allNetDevices
04/25/2001
Motorola Japan Ltd. and NTT Software said Tuesday they will work together to develop a voice-actuated Internet platform for deployment in Japan.
The platform will provide voice-based access to Net services and information such as news and traffic conditions, the companies said in a joint statement. In addition, the companies said they will develop e-commerce applications for the technology.
The companies said they will aim the product at the enterprise as well as Internet service providers and application service providers.
As part of the agreement, Motorola will provide its VoixeXML-compliant Mya voice platform, which it currently is developing. NTT Software will use its Japanese language voice application development technology.
NTT is a unit of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation.
Phones to Become Remote Control Devices
allNetDevices
04/25/2001
Want to know what's playing at that movie theater you are walking past and, if you're interested, get screening times and see a preview? Point your phone at it and press a button.
That's what Texas Instruments hopes you'll someday do. The company said Wednesday that it was adding technology to its programmable digital signal processors for 2.5G and 3G wireless phones that will add that capability.
Specifically, TI said it will add location-based technology from GeoVector to its DSPs using its proprietary OMAP architecture. The technology will turn phones into virtual remote control devices, giving new meaning to the term point-and-click.
The technology will enable users to point at items they see on the street. Using location-based technology, the system then can provide information related to that location, such as menus for restaurants, movie times and, eventually, streaming audio and video such as movie trailers.
GeoVector's technology uses positioning data generated by the wireless device. GeoVector recently was given a patent for the technology.
Want Media Player 8? Buy Windows XP
By Joe Wilcox
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
April 24, 2001, 1:40 p.m. PT
Microsoft is requiring consumers who want to use the latest version of Windows Media Player to upgrade to the new Windows XP operating system--a move that is reminiscent of the company's controversial decision to tie the Internet Explorer browser with Windows.
Windows Media Player 8 will be bundled with the forthcoming Windows XP--the upgrade to Windows 95, 98, Me and 2000. A similar "tying" of Internet Explorer with the OS in 1996 is credited with helping Microsoft win the browser war against Netscape's Navigator and has been a key issue in the antitrust case that is awaiting a decision by a federal Court of Appeals.
However, with Windows Media Player 8, Microsoft is going one step further than it did with Internet Explorer: the newest version of the application will only be available to consumers who upgrade to Windows XP. The older version of Media Player, version 7.0, will continue to be available as a free, separate download.
Some analysts were critical of the move, considering the legal and public relations troubles that were caused by tying Internet Explorer to the OS.
"No matter what the courts say (about the legality of bundling), Microsoft will look like a bully and get called a bully," said Frank Gillett, senior analyst with Forrester research. "It's bad PR, so why the hell are they hitting themselves in the foot again?"
Repeating the company's argument for bundling Internet Explorer with Windows, a Microsoft representative said Media Player 8 includes new features that require close integration with Windows XP for optimal performance.
"There are some features with Windows Media Player that can only be delivered with Windows XP," said Jonathan Usher, Microsoft's group product manager for Windows Media Player. These include CD burning and DVD movie playback, among other features not available with earlier versions of the product.
Microsoft's decision to couple Internet Explorer with Windows, called "tying" in legal parlance, helped shut rival Netscape out of the browser market, federal and state trustbusters contended in a case they won at trial. Microsoft is awaiting an appeals court ruling on the matter that could result in a breakup of the company.
When it tied Internet Explorer to the OS, Microsoft was attempting to boost market share for the browser. With Media Player 8, the company also could be trying to spur demand for its new OS, Windows XP, analysts said.
"I see this as trying to add value to the OS and trying to get people to move to the OS rather than upgrading to the media player for free," said Gartner analyst Mike Silver.
But he said he doesn't think it is enough of a reason to buy Windows XP. "They're grasping at straws," Silver said.
Others agreed that Microsoft appears to be using Media Player to boost acceptance of Windows XP.
"Within Microsoft, Windows Media Player 8 is very much a favorite of Jim Allchin's (the Microsoft vice president who also drove Windows and Internet Explorer development). "It's a pet project, and I'm sure from his standpoint he sees it of significant value to try and make it one of the reasons people will upgrade to Windows XP," said Guernsey Research analyst Chris LeTocq.
The new bundling move could also put further pressure on competitive products, including RealNetworks' RealPlayer 8 and Apple Computer's QuickTime 5.01, analysts said. Other companies that stand to lose from the action are Roxio, maker of Easy CD Creator 5, and InterVideo, with its WinDVD.
Jupiter Media Metrix reports that media players are pre-installed on almost all PCs, but fewer than half of consumers use the products. The research firm therefore ranks media players by usage: 28 percent for RealPlayer, 22 percent for Windows Media Player and 4 percent for QuickTime.
Steve Banfield, general manager of RealNetworks consumer products dismissed any threat the bundling might pose.
"There are no parallels with the browser," he said. "Microsoft has been shipping various versions of their media player in various flavors of their operating systems for years. We still have 85 percent of the streaming content on the Web in our format and 200 million unique users.
He noted that RealPlayer is bundled with AOL 6 and the Netscape browser.
But Emmett Stanton, an antitrust attorney with Fenwick & West in Palo Alto, Calif., said that Netscape at one time had huge browser market share and lots of users. That changed with the introduction of Internet Explorer 4, "when Microsoft sought exclusive (PC maker and Internet service provider) agreements that locked out competitors."
Fair play?
The media-player market popularized by RealNetworks bears striking similarities to the Web browser market of a few years ago. While media players are unlikely to pose a competitive threat to Windows, as trustbusters contended about browsers, they could provide a versatile means of extending Windows into other markets, said analysts.
Such players are most commonly used to view live or prerecorded video content on the Web. CNET News.com, for example, offers video feeds in either RealPlayer or Windows Media Player formats.
Integrating the media player with Windows XP better positions the product to compete against RealPlayer and QuickTime. It could also bolster Microsoft's development efforts for games, where DirectX and Windows Media Player are emerging as top picks by developers.
As a result, some analysts believe integrating Windows Media Player with Windows could help the company woo more developers for its forthcoming Xbox gaming console.
"This is clearly a content leverage play," said LeTocq. "The question is will Xbox drive the standards here? You've got DirectX on the Xbox and the PC. What you have there is a cross-platform environment feeding Xbox and Windows XP supported by DirectX and Windows Media Player."
The Real impact
At the same time, through its much-touted .Net software-as-a-service initiative, Microsoft increasingly is focusing on subscription revenue rather than software sales to sustain growth. Whether the company can succeed at this is uncertain. But as the company looks to deliver more content through the Web, controlling video-streaming standards would be a valuable asset, LeTocq said.
By integrating Windows Media Player 8 with Windows XP, Microsoft could make it more difficult for competitors to distribute their players. On the one hand, this is a consumer benefit, said NPD Intelect analyst Stephen Baker.
"The biggest advantage to doing that is that most consumers have dial-up modems," he said. "They don't have the capacity or the time to download great big add-ins and plug-ins like that."
By that reasoning, consumers also might be less willing to download competing products from RealNetworks and Apple. Another difference: Both RealNetworks and Apple offer free media players, but if consumers want a full-featured version, they must pay for it.
If fewer people are using competing media players, more Web sites could start offering content only viewable with Microsoft's product, Stanton said.
"Getting your (product) selected as the standard is a time-honored way of succeeding in the market," he said. "That builds in a huge advantage, obviously. Normally, people wouldn't get excited about it but for the market power Microsoft has."
Betting on the court
Meanwhile, Microsoft's antitrust case, which had tying as a central issue, is still wending its way through the court. Whether tying is considered anticompetitive under U.S. law will likely be determined by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
In the antitrust case brought by the Justice Department and 19 states, U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson ruled that Microsoft had illegally tied Internet Explorer to Windows. The issue: Using a monopoly in one market as leverage into another.
But the Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Microsoft on this issue in a previous trial and could choose to do so again.
"What this signals with XP and the media player is Microsoft's confidence that they're going to win that issue on appeal," Stanton said. "If they thought they were going back to the trial court on that kind of issue, they would be foolish to be flaunting their intentions right now."
A ruling against Microsoft could be used against the company's Windows Media Player 8 plans, said Bill Kovacic, an antitrust professor with George Washington University Law School. But he predicted the court would likely side with Microsoft.
"If they do win the tying claim, it's going to be extraordinarily difficult for anyone to attack bundling," he said. "This shows incredible confidence on Microsoft's part that they will win the tying claim."
In but out
While the ultimate impact on the media-player market is unclear, companies offering technologies competing with Media Player 8 could pay an immediate price.
Roxio's CD burning software and InterVideo's WinDVD are bundled with most PCs packing CD rewritable and DVD drives. Compaq Computer, Dell Computer and Gateway are among the PC makers offering the software.
Consumers get the software for free, but PC makers must pay for it, something they might not continue to do if Windows Media Player 8 is already installed and performs similar functions.
"What that does is pretty much give away Roxio's software free," said Gillett of Forrester research.
"The biggest impact of including Windows Media Player is going to be, as we've seen time and time again, on the third-party software developers who produce utilities that get sucked into the operating system," Baker said.
PC makers would not comment on product plans, but several said that given declining sales they would do what economically makes the most sense. Because PC makers already pay a license fee for Windows XP, it's likely they would favor using the bundled Media Player 8 over products that must be licensed at additional cost.
Selling XP
While consumers will have to pay for Windows XP to get the newest version of Windows Media Player, the company has no intention of ceding the market for standalone products.
Product manager Usher said Microsoft would "continue to upgrade features to Windows Media Player 7 to remain competitive, and we will be looking at bringing some features from Windows Media Player 8."
Microsoft also will ensure that older versions of Windows Media Player will be able to view content created for newer versions.
But Microsoft also is clearly differentiating the two versions of Media Player. The bundled version will include better video quality and other features intended to drive Windows XP sales, Gartner's Silver said.
"Microsoft has a problem describing to consumers why they want to upgrade from whatever version of Windows they're using today to Windows XP," he said. "Windows Media Player is probably fairly well known by consumers, so anything they can do that seems to add value to Windows XP is a good thing to do."
Check stock quotes. Call up sports scores. Review your e-mail. Play your favorite song. Find the best route, the nearest gas station or a new restaurant down the road. The Motorola iRadio™ Telematics System makes it easy to control what you want to hear or locate, the moment you want to.
Voice recognition technology lets you select your preferred activity without taking your eyes off the road
Get real-time news, weather, sports, music on demand, audio book, stock quotes, satellite radio and more
The Motorola iRadio™ Telematics System locally stores downloaded content
Bluetooth and infra-red technology allows seamless connection to cell phones, PDA's and other consumer electronic equipment
Motorola Integrates IBM Software into Interactive Telematics System
Motorola's iRadio(TM) System Now Incorporates IBM Software
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Committed to maintaining its position as the leader in Telematics, Motorola (NYSE: MOT - news) has developed the iRadio(TM) system, an in-vehicle platform for automakers that combines entertainment, information, navigation, emergency calling and communication into one complete, driver-friendly system. In a move that further expands the iRadio system, Motorola (NYSE: MOT - news) announced today that it will license Java(TM) technology and voice recognition software from IBM, for use in the Motorola Telematics iRadio system.
The Motorola iRadio is being displayed at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Jan. 6-9, 2001 (booth #15032 in the gold lot).
Telematics is an automotive communications term that refers to in-vehicle and off-vehicle electronic systems that help drivers maximize safety and security with emergency calling, anti-theft, and roadside help combined with additional features such as real-time navigation and traffic avoidance, hands-free telephoning, expanded entertainment options, and e-mail. Today's announcement follows an agreement last year in which Motorola and IBM agreed to collaborate and combine their technologies, products and applications in an effort to help auto makers bring a variety of wireless and Web-based Telematics services to drivers and passengers worldwide.
The Motorola iRadio system is a complete solution that offers the latest user interfaces and applications and IBM's VisualAge(TM) Micro Edition Java technology. A key feature of IBM's Java technology is that it enables new applications and services to be added and enhanced remotely without inconveniencing consumers.
Motorola is also using IBM Embedded ViaVoice(TM) Multiplatform Edition for voice recognition and text-to-speech capabilities. IBM's ViaVoice enables drivers to use voice commands, as an alternative input to faceplate controls, for accessing information such as weather, news and sports, select a favorite radio station or other iRadio system applications.
``The iRadio system is helping automakers bring a whole new class of innovative safety, security, convenience and entertainment features to drivers and passengers,'' said Marios Zenios, corporate vice president and general manager, Motorola Telematics Communications Group. ``The combination of Motorola's engineering integration capabilities and IBM's innovative software solutions and technology will help to shape a product that dramatically changes the concept of the car radio.''
``By using IBM's ViaVoice and VisualAge software the Motorola iRadio system will have tremendous flexibility and functionality -- two attributes that will help make iRadio a winner in the Telematics marketplace,'' said Friedrich Christeiner, IBM general manager, automotive industry. ``It's a pleasure for IBM to join with Motorola in offering auto makers and their customers an exciting new kind of driving experience.''
Commercial availability of the Motorola iRadio system will begin in early 2001. Automotive products incorporating iRadio technology are expected to be available in vehicles within 18 to 24 months.
Motorola's iRadio system is an example of the DigitalDNA technology that Motorola incorporates into all of its products. DigitalDNA is chips, systems and ideas that help smart companies create smart products.
MP3.com cozies up to big labels
By Gwendolyn Mariano
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
April 24, 2001, 4:15 p.m. PT
Internet music provider MP3.com said Tuesday it will market an up-and-coming band for music company EMI Recorded Music as it seeks to become a promotional vehicle for the big record labels.
San Diego, Calif.-based MP3.com said U.K. band Starsailor has agreed to provide MP3.com with exclusive content as part of its deal with EMI:Chrysalis. MP3.com said it will promote the band's new CD single, "Good Souls," in the United Kingdom and provide a track not available on the CD.
MP3.com has been humming a new tune in its quest for profits. Once primarily known as a place where unsigned artists could improve their chances of being discovered, the company is cozying up to record labels and promoting headline acts.
"It's a natural progression," said P.J. McNealy, an analyst at research firm Gartner. "There's more money to be made working with the majors--plain and simple--and also it's a validation of their previous work."
MP3.com said its deal with EMI is its first promotion with a major record label in the United Kingdom, although it has inked similar marketing agreements with other labels in the United States.
Early this year, the company promoted vocalist Dido in the United States through its targeted e-mail marketing service, dubbed singleserving.
MP3.com Chief Executive Michael Robertson said the company maintains a profile of its 50 million members, including information about where they live and the style of music they like, and sends out e-mails to targeted groups of music listeners about particular artists. Singleserving also streams a full-length radio edit of musicians' singles, encoded in MP3 format.
"We really look at ourselves as being a promotional vehicle for bands," Robertson said. "It just so happens that three years ago only the small, independent bands were really the ones who wanted to use the Internet in a proactive way, but obviously the major records have significant marketing and promotion budgets...it's really important for us to work with them and get a part of those marketing dollars."
Under the deal with EMI, Robertson said MP3.com will add Starsailor's album to its Beam-it service, which allows an individual to place a collection of already purchased music in a My.MP3.com account. Robertson said the company is also promoting the band via a Web page.
"What's unique here, is you're combining what up until now has been two separate worlds," Robertson said. "There's been the online digital world, and there's been the offline physical CD world. What we're doing with the promotion is...melting those two worlds into one experience."
3G Delay Not An Issue for New U.S. Mobile Services
By Yukari Iwatani
CHICAGO (Reuters) - While Japan delayed its initial rollout of advanced mobile phones with instant Web links and picture-perfect video, the U.S. faces even bigger hurdles that mean it won't have 3G services for two years or more.
As Asia and Europe gear up to offer third-generation (3G) mobile phone services, U.S. wireless operators are still focused on stitching together a truly national network with enough antennae just to cover existing callers.
Third-generation wireless services run on high-speed networks that give consumers access to the Internet, data, video and music. These networks can carry voice and data more than 40 times faster than current 9,600 bit-per-second speeds.
Beyond complaints about calls being cut off, the United States faces tough transitions to offer 3G services that Asian and European operators plan to deliver by this year or next.
Hurdles include airwave allocation issues, competing technical standards, and choices consumers have in the ways they connect to the Internet.
``People are going to compare their wireless Internet experience with their PC (personal computer) experience,'' Kirk Parsons, a telecom services analyst at research firm J.D. Power and Associates, said of the ho-hum American attitude to 3G.
The difference boils down to how U.S. consumers expect relatively unencumbered access to Web sites and e-mail via computers. By contrast, a large and growing percentage of international consumers rely on mobile phones for Net links.
``(Wired) Internet penetration is below 10 percent in Japan versus more than 50 percent in the U.S.... Wireless handsets are the primary tool in Japan to access the Internet,'' said Knox Bricken, a wireless analyst with research firm Yankee Group.
Patchwork Of Airwaves, Technologies
The U.S. communications industry finds itself in the unusual role of follower rather than leader when it comes to mobile services.
Unified national and international standards in Asia and Europe have given these regions an edge, leaving U.S. mobile operators to wait and learn from the experience of services such as NTT DoCoMo (news - web sites) Inc in mobile phone-crazy Japan.
Chief among the U.S. obstacles is the Federal Communications Commission (news - web sites)'s (FCC (news - web sites)) inability to free up radio airwaves needed for digital voice and data networks. These are flooded with traffic from older analog services, the military, local wireless providers and satellite broadcasters.
``Right now, the FCC has not proposed an acceptable plan for the freeing up of required spectrum,'' said Ray Jodoin, principal analyst for market researcher Cahners In-Stat Group.
3G networks that can handle instantaneous video require big, contiguous blocks of radio spectrum that do not exist yet in the fragmented world of U.S. frequency allocation, which caters to everyone from ham radio hobbyists to seafarers.
Even if the government frees up spectrum, wireless service providers will still have to spend huge sums to win new airwave licenses, adding to ballooning debt burdens on many providers.
Overseas, companies spent $108 billion bidding on national licenses in Europe alone, leading many investors over the past year to question if 3G services will ever yield enough revenue to justify the cost. By contrast, Japan, where mobile competition remains limited, awarded 3G licenses at no cost.
The United States also must contend with three conflicting technologies used in existing second-generation mobile phone systems that were allowed to develop over the past decade, when much of the rest of the world settled on a single standard.
Still, while airwave conflicts may delay fully national 3G services in the United States, some carriers such as number four U.S. operator Sprint PCS Group say they are positioned to advance to 3G using existing radio spectrum.
Sprint PCS, as well as Verizon Wireless, the largest U.S. wireless carrier, are expected to see relatively smooth transitions to new networks because they have chosen to use U.S.-invented ``code-division'' technology from wireless tech firm Qualcomm Inc
But rivals Cingular and AT&T Wireless Group Inc, the nation's second- and third-largest wireless firms, face difficult, two-stage transitions to build advanced new networks as well as bring these into line with global standards. Cingular is a joint venture of BellSouth Corp and SBC Communications Inc, two broad-based U.S. operators.
This harder road could eventually pay off by allowing them to benefit from mobile advances under way in Europe and Asia. But the near-term trade-off is an enormous ``backward compatibility'' problem for existing Cingular or AT&T phones.
Transitional phones could require bulkier components to make them work with both existing and future 3G systems, putting them at a temporary disadvantage, said Jane Zweig, chief executive of wireless consulting firm Shosteck Group.
Allure Of Mobile Internet
Yankee's Bricken said there is less need in the United States for mobile Internet access because most customers have access from home or at the office to Net-connected computers.
Millions of consumers have installed high-speed Internet connections at home cable and phone lines. Millions more use office computers with high-speed Web links. The fastest mobile services now under development offer far less speed.
Handheld computers from Palm, Compaq's iPaq, Sony's Clie or the Blackberry two-way pager give millions more direct Web access or allow them to download Internet information every time they reconnect the devices to their PCs, analysts said.
Once networks are built and computer preferences are overcome, the United States needs new software applications and innovative programming to draw third-generation customers. U.S. developers will have to learn to work with smaller screen sizes instead of simply transferring PC Internet methods to phones.
``U.S. content providers for the wireless network really need to begin thinking outside of the box,'' Bricken said. ``It's a whole new way of thinking.''
Mobile 'Killer' 3G Applications Remain Hidden
By Reed Stevenson
TOKYO (Reuters) - The hunt for the elusive application that will propel super-fast 3G mobile phones into the future will take longer due to Japanese mobile giant NTT DoCoMo (news - web sites) Inc.'s decision this week to delay a commercial launch.
Front-runner DoCoMo, which had promised the launch of 3G or third-generation services at the end of May along with a camera-equipped video conference cell phone, says full commercial services will now begin four months later on October 1.
But that isn't stopping speculation about what the 3G wireless platform will be able to do, thanks to lingering hype from last year's telecoms party, which ended up with European telecoms carriers pouring more than $108 billion into 3G wireless licenses only to see their shares tumble by about a half.
``What we are doing right now is trying to spread the delivery of digital information. One way to do this is to send games, images and music and other such digital information (over mobile phones) online,'' DoCoMo President and Chief Executive Keiji Tachikawa said earlier this month.
A single application -- the ``killer app'' in tech parlance -- is often crediting with driving demand for a particular product, and the race is already on to find the best way to make use of 3G's ability to send and receive information at least five to 25 times faster than current second-generation (2G) speeds.
The most commonly identified application for 3G phones is the nearly ubiquitous prototype video phone with a camera on top, which will let phone users see each other during conversations.
While that may make full use of 3G's transmission speed and advanced chips, DoCoMo has been careful to play down expectations, predicting instead that the most common use for the 3G phone may be nothing more than as an electronic wallet.
Tachikawa said such entertaining features would eventually give way to practical use: ``Eventually, it is our hope that micropayments will all be made through mobile terminals.''
Still At-Large
With more than 22 million users browsing the Web on DoCoMo's 2G-based i-mode service, Japan is still the prime testing ground for any kind of application.
``I think the rest of the world will be slow to adopt some of the advanced features,'' said Ray Jodoin, principal analyst for consultants Cahners In-Stat Group.
``I have seen, fondled, held and used one of their beta tests for (3G) and I found that it was stunning.''
Although 3G seems to be capturing the attention of analysts abroad, many in Japan had never expected 2001 to be the year of 3G. Instead, they had been saying since late last year that 2001 would be the year of Java.
Java, a versatile programming language that allows i-mode users to download mini-programs such as games or to boost the security of online transactions, was introduced in handsets January and has been a runaway hit with more than two million sold.
For now, it appears that video- and music-based entertainment will be competing head-to-head with mobile banking and financial transactions to claim the title of ''killer application.''
Considering that e-mail is often called the Internet's killer application, it is not so much the technology but the applications that matter in the mobile marketplace. ''This is nothing more than a platform,'' said Kazutomo Robert Hori, president of wireless content provider Cybird Co. Ltd., as he held the latest i-mode handset model.
In Japan, where there are often more people staring at their mobile phones than talking into them, the killer application still appears to be, in the end, e-mail
Sorenson Media Announces Sorenson Broadcaster for Windows
The Leading Streaming Application for the Macintosh Platform is Now Available for Windows
SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 23, 2001--Sorenson Media Inc., the leader in video compression and high-quality Web streaming services, Monday announced the release of Sorenson Broadcaster for Windows -- the first of its kind for Windows.
Sorenson Broadcaster enables Windows users everywhere to easily and affordably stream video and audio using Apple's QuickTime.
Sorenson Broadcaster for Windows, currently in beta, can be used to stream live events or archive events to a local drive for later use. The simplicity of the product lowers the technical expertise required so virtually anyone can become a personal Webcaster.
``We are pleased to bring the leading streaming application on the Mac platform to Windows with the release of Sorenson Broadcaster for Windows,'' said Jim Sorenson Jr., chief executive officer of Sorenson Media. ``The release of this product demonstrates Sorenson Media's commitment to enable people anywhere to easily stream quality Web video.''
Sorenson Broadcaster provides users with pre-defined settings that allow them to start broadcasting in minutes without extensive knowledge of codecs or streaming architectures.
After installation, users plug a digital or analog camera into their capture device (PCI board, IEEE1394, USB, etc.), launch the program, use the default settings or their customized settings for audio and/or video, output an announcement movie, distribute the announcement, and start broadcasting. Viewers are able to watch any broadcast from a QuickTime player on Windows or Mac OS.
Sorenson Broadcaster for Windows includes encoding support for Sorenson Video 3, Sorenson MPEG-4, Sorenson Video 2, H263, H261, and Motion JPEG, as well as audio encoding support for IMA, QDesign, and Qualcomm.
Pricing and Availability
Sorenson Broadcaster for Windows is being previewed at NAB Las Vegas and will ship in the Summer of 2001. Pricing has not yet been established. To purchase product, go to www.sorenson.com or call 888/767-3676.
About Sorenson Media
Sorenson Media was founded in April of 2000 to provide streaming media solutions that enable people anywhere to easily stream quality Web video.
Sorenson Media is the recognized leader in video compression and streaming services that empower people to more expressly entertain, educate and communicate over the Web. With these innovative tools and services, Sorenson Media is in a unique position to drive mass-market adoption of Web streaming.
With the City Companion the city is your oyster
DaimlerChrysler Services/Mobility Management develops wireless mobility service jointly with IBM
A field trial of the City Companion mobility service recently carried out by DaimlerChrysler Services/Mobility Management gives you an idea of what the future holds in store for mobile people in urban areas. The Web- and WAP-supported City Companion fulfills a wish that is very much in keeping with the times: the desire to make a stay in the city both attractive and efficient. In a city organizer, topical tips about movies, shows, the arts or eating out are linked dynamically with mobility information services such as navigation aids or parking data so as always to be able to offer the user a customized program choice.
The new service is mainly designed with business people in mind, but it keeps tourists, locals and young people reliably informed and can be accessed via the latest mobile media, WAP and the Web, and will soon be available via in-car navigation systems. Kids On their mobile end-user device, be it a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, a notebook or an organizer, users will be able to find out how, for instance, to make their way from A to B as fast and with as few hindrances as possible. They can also draw on information about interesting places and events in the city and will always know where the action is. The "nearby" function supplies users with special information about their immediate neighborhood, such as the nearest pharmacy or filling station, Italian restaurant or bank cash point.
IBM has played a leading role in the project's technical development and implementation. From the concept study and prototype implementation, via setting up the infrastructure and system architecture to realization of the first working product, IBM's e-mobile experts have made an active contribution to the new solution. In addition, IBM is working on the further development of the first product release, including further or new development of a variety of service features and cross-functions, such as locating a multistory car park that is handy for the hotel the user has chosen. They also include city highlights, city navigation, a city organizer or sending SMS messages.
Developing the mobile assistant was prompted by the potential of a new generation of wireless transmission technologies such as UMTS with their enormous bandwidths suitable for exchanging large quantities of data. The prototype system is based on the latest technological standards such as Java, XML and (Extended Mark-up Language) DB/2., IBM has also been entrusted with setting up the infrastructure, including ISDN dial-up nodes, a Nokia WAP gateway, a specially developed SMS gateway, the connection to an external Internet provider via CISCO routers and the implementation of IBM Web servers and IBM WebSphere application servers. IBM input also includes setting up a system architecture to manage the services, designing and implementing an extensive data model for the content of the services to be offered and devising a potential porting of the system to other cities.
After just one year's development the City Companion is due to be taken into service in the second quarter of 2001.
IBM at CeBIT 2001:
IBM presents under the motto "e-business: future ready" their company at CeBIT 2001 from 22. to 28. March. This year mobile e-business and the future of e-business are the thematical topics. On about 3900 square metres exhibition area IBM shows innovative products and solutions to these topics. The main stand 4G2/5D2 in hall 1 includes on its own an area of 1510 square metres there IBM presents examples and demo points with Wireless Scenario, Business Intelligent Solutions, Customer Relationship Management and Pervasive Computing. The division IBM Software exhibits at stand D28 in hall 2 together with Tivoli and IBM Business Partners: 1000 out of a total of 1900 square metres here are disposable for the 95 IBM Business Partners; the total IBM software portfolio and solutions for internet start-ups of IBM NetGen are presented on the remaining area. In hall 21, stand C40, the division PLM presents their CAD solutions and Product Lifecycle Management solutions. For more details please visit us at http://www.ibm.com/industries/automotive
Firepad Brings Streaming Video to Palm PDAs
Dan McDonough, Jr.
January 19, 2001
Firepad said its new software is the first to offer streaming video access to Palm OS users.
Firepad, Inc. has released its FireProducer streaming video server for Internet-connected Palm OS-based personal digital assistants (PDAs). The company said the server can display color video at up to 25 frames per second, depending on a user's Internet connection speed.
According to the company, FireProducer is the only server with such streaming video capabilities.
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Any Connection Works
FireProducer can stream video over any type of TCP/IP network connection -- analog or digital, wireless or wired. The software can be used with a desktop computer as well as with an enterprise-grade server system. The system works on Palm and Handspring PDAs -– and other Palm OS-based handhelds -- without any hardware upgrades, Firepad said.
Firepad said it partnered with Vingage Corp. to integrate FireProducer into the Vingage Video Server, an Internet Protocol (IP) video management and delivery system. EncodeThis! and Loudeye have partnered with Firepad to provide video encoding services for the FireViewer format.
Other Technology Advances
Earlier this month, Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT) and PacketVideo Corp. jointly announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, that they plan to offer full-motion video and audio content for mobile devices, including PDAs, wireless phones and laptops.
According to Motorola, the companies will combine technologies to help developers design streaming media applications -- including news clips, sports highlights, movie trailers and video e-mail -- for Java-enabled wireless devices.
Motorola and PacketVideo said they plan to deliver these features using the Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME), which will be supported in a future release of Motorola's multiple communications handset for iDEN networks. This spring, Motorola plans to release its iDEN phones, which combine features of a Web-ready digital wireless phone, a text pager and a two-way radio.
Just for Palm
Firepad said that what makes its new software unique is its focus on the Palm OS. Other programs' advanced capabilities are available only for Windows-based Pocket PCs or Windows CE-enabled PDAs, according to the company.
Firepad said corporations now can view documents, images and video stored on enterprise intranets over any type of connection using its FirePublisher Enterprise Server and FireProducer.
what was it Skip M said about the WSJ?
April 24 12:53 PM ET
OnStar To Offer Financial News
DETROIT (AP) - Subscribers to General Motors Corp.'s OnStar service soon may be able to hear in-vehicle financial news from The Wall Street Journal's online edition, under a partnership announced Tuesday.
Beginning next month, users of OnStar's Virtual Advisor service may access the Wall Street Journal Online's audio news through OnStar's handsfree, voice-activated Virtual Advisor service.
The deal's terms were undisclosed.
Available content from the online partner will include a review of the market's top headlines and hourly business updates, among other things complementing OnStar's existing alliance with Fidelity Investments.
In February, GM and Fidelity unveiled their alliance to provide in-vehicle stock quotes and financial information through Virtual Advisor. That service eventually will be expanded to let Fidelity clients retrieve account balances and do wireless trading.
The Wall Street Journal is published by Dow Jones & Co.
RIAA wins in Net radio dispute
By Reuters
April 23, 2001, 9:30 a.m. PT
LOS ANGELES--The record industry has scored a win with the U.S. Copyright Office, which published a ruling Monday that radio broadcasters are not exempt from licensing royalties when they simulcast their programs on the Internet.
The decision, published in the Federal Register on Monday, was cheered by Webcasters. They sided with the Recording Industry Association of America as part of their crusade to clarify what they say are gray areas of copyright law, which are impeding their efforts to provide entertainment on the Web.
"We are gratified the U.S. Copyright Office agreed with our position. They reached the right conclusion as a matter of law and sensible policy," said Hilary Rosen, chief executive of the RIAA, which represents major record labels BMG Entertainment, EMI Recorded Music, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group.
"This is an important right for artists and record companies. We look forward to working with the broadcasters for a smooth transition into this marketplace," she added.
The ruling could potentially affect millions of dollars in licensing fees, according to industry sources. Rates will be determined sometime in 2001.
The decision related to whether the Copyright Office would extend an exemption--allowing radio stations to broadcast entertainment without paying royalty fees--to the Internet.
In March, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) filed a suit against the RIAA insisting that broadcasters should not be subject to paying royalties for their Internet simulcasts.
The NAB was not immediately available for comment, but in the past has said that broadcasters would suffer "substantial hardship" if forced to pay royalties to artists and producers for streaming their programming.
The Copyright Office's review of the matter came at the urging of the RIAA and Digital Media Association (DiMA), an alliance of 75 digital media companies including Amazon.com.
Jonathan Potter, executive director of DiMA, said the decision was a boon for Webcasters.
"It's now a level playing field between radio broadcasters and Webcasters at least with respect to the Web," Potter said.
The Copyright Office on Friday issued another ruling relating to a dispute in the marketplace between Webcasters and record companies about whether some types of personalized radio falls under the category of interactive services.
Earlier this year, DiMA petitioned the Copyright Office to initiate a rule on the licensing status of consumer-influenced music programming over the Internet. In its petition, DiMA sought a declaration that "consumer-influenced" Webcasts qualify for statutory compulsory licenses rather than individual licenses.
The Copyright Office declined to initiate a rule making proceeding, according to Steven Marks, senior vice president of business affairs for the RIAA.
"The Copyright Office has agreed with us that the marketplace is the proper forum to address licensing issues regarding personalized radio," he said.
Potter, however, and other digital media companies asserted the decision was a victory for Webcasters because the Copyright Office acknowledged that certain consumer-influenced Webcasting falls within the statutory licensing requirements.
According to one Webcasting executive: "This was a bigger win that we even hoped for because the Copyright Office said there was no need for rule making because these services already are considered eligible for the compulsory or statutory licenses."
Envivio introduces MPEG-4 application suite
with InterTrust digital rights management
Integrated business rules editing in Envivio Broadcast Studio and
full digital rights protection in EnvivioTV™ protectAV digital rights
in broadband environments
Las Vegas, Nevada, Date: April 22, 2001 — Envivio's MPEG-4 application suite: Envivio Broadcast Studio (for MPEG-4 authoring), Envivio Media Server (MPEG-4 streaming multimedia) and EnvivioTV™ (multiplatform MPEG-4 viewing software), are the first MPEG-4 applications to support Intellectual Property Management and Protection (IPMP) and InterTrust Technology Corporation's digital rights management technologies. Envivio is using is using InterTrust's DRM technology to protect AV content from being shared without the owner's authorization in a broadband environment. Envivio will be demonstrating this powerful implementation of digital rights management at NAB 2001, booth e2950, in the E-Topia area at the Sands Exhibition Hall.
With this announcement, Envivio establishes a number of 'Firsts' for streaming media digital rights management:
• First MPEG-4 player (EnvivioTV) to utilize IPMP
• First MPEG-4 player to be InterTrust certified
• First MPEG-4 company to present protected standards based streaming
• First multimedia player in the world to protect discrete objects in a stream
• First multimedia authoring tool (Envivio Broadcast Studio) to integrate InterTrust DRM
Envivio has integrated aspects of InterTrust's DRM technology in all of its products. Envivio Broadcast Studio can specify specific levels of protection and business rules for each individual media object in an MPEG-4 file. Envivio Media Servers can dynamically alter distribution and consumption rules for each MPEG-4 object, allowing for optimized revenue maximization and media control. Finally, Envivio enables persistent media protection, whether from a MPEG-4 stream or local file. In every instance, Envivio's implementation of the InterTrust DRM technology matches InterTrust's proprietary technology with the MPEG-4 media protection (IPMP) standard ensuring compliant MPEG-4 media files.
"Envivio is specifically focused on understanding and exceeding the expectations of professional broadcast and cable operations organizations," said Alexander Hoag, COO of Envivio. "Industrial strength digital rights management from the industry's leaders is a key part of our strategy, and InterTrust certainly meets that requirement. We're very pleased with the security, flexibility and power of the DRM technology, and believe InterTrust will be a valuable partner in offering world class products and services to our customers."
"Envivio is at the vanguard of MPEG-4 technologies and related professional broadcast solutions," said Talal Shamoon, EVP of Business Development at InterTrust, "As the demand for streaming media continues to grow, InterTrust has the opportunity to deliver innovative methods for applying DRM technology in the context of an international, open standard. Envivio is a key partner for InterTrust in serving the needs of broadcasters, content developers and cable operators worldwide."
eastech products and scheduled availability:
ET300R
Portable MP3 Player with Belt Clip(Exclusive, Only Open for Japan Market)
ET301
MP3 Internet Audio Player with Digital Voice Recording
ET310
MP3 Portable Digital Player with USB interface
ET310S
MP3 Internet Audio Player Speaker
ET311B
MP3 Internet Audio Player with 32MB Flash Memory on Board
ET312
MP3 Internet Audio Player with USB Interface
ET320F
MP3 Internet Audio Player with FM Remote and Docking Station
ET350E
Encodable MP3 Player(PC-Free MP3 Player)
ET611
25-Second Anti-Shock MP3/CD Player
ET611M
MP3 Audio Player with 100-Second Anti-Shock System(June Available)
ET621
MP3 Audio Discman with Built-In Charger
ET621M
Multi-Format MP3 and CD Player with Built-In Charger(June Available)
ET700
Personal Jukebox (USA Exclusive)(July Available)
ET701
Personal Jukebox Supports MP3/WMA with 5 G plus HDD Format (July Available)
http://www.v2gsol.globalsources.com/gsol/owa/asol_showroom.display?in_prod_id=ALL&in_org_id=8801...
Radio Free Virgin Distributing Through 'Net-Connected Stereo
Through a new agreement with ZapMedia, online music service Radio Free Virgin will distribute its programming to Internet-connected home stereos developed by Harmon Kardon. Harmon licenses technology from ZapMedia for the DMC100 system, which plays MP3s, CDs and DVDs. The DMC100 includes a 30GB hard drive, and web browsing and email access capabilities. The hardware will include a button connecting users to streamed music from Radio Free Virgin (RFV), which comprises at least 40 genre-based channels. Other ZapMedia content partners include Amuznet, Muze and Movieflix.com. Earlier this month, RFV, which is part of Richard Branson's Virgin Entertainment Group, added a feature to its web-based music player with which users may record streams of copyrighted music. The company is confident the application "falls within the fair-use provisions" of copyright law, according to RFV General Manager Zack Zalon.
Satellite radio orbits for profit
By Paul Bond
LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) --- The dueling satellite radio companies need to rein in previous expectations, but they are still poised to create thriving new businesses that will challenge terrestrial radio, a new report suggests.
In a research paper titled "Satellite Radio: Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car," Webnoize Inc. estimates that 19.1 million Americans will subscribe to either the XM Satellite Radio or the Sirius Satellite Radio service by 2005, representing 9.3% of the adult population in the United States.
The study contradicts earlier estimates touted by the satellite radio industry. Various sources had predicted such lofty numbers as 42 million subscribers by 2005, 43 million by 2007 or 49 million by 2012.
But report author Ric Dube said even the diminished numbers represent $2.3 billion in subscriber revenue -- more than enough to ensure the success of both companies.
Sirius and XM each intend to provide 100 channels of satellite radio, mostly to American motorists who pay a $9.95 subscription fee.
Sirius and XM have, in their own ways, been lowering expectations for this year. For example, Sirius said it will line up no more than 20,000 subscribers by year's end, down from a previously expected 100,000.
Delays have been mostly attributed to problems getting working radios into stores, a delayed launch of an XM satellite and slow negotiations with automakers, who are balking at turning satellite radios into standard equipment.
Webnoize, a news and research firm focusing on digital media, also predicts $570 million in ad revenue generated annually by the two satellite radio companies by 2005. Sirius and XM will offer some commercial-free channels and some with about six minutes of commercials per hour. Traditional, terrestrial radio features about 22 minutes of ads per hour.
Dube said he derived the $570 million figure by comparing satellite radio subscriber estimates with terrestrial radio listenership. About 82% of adult Americans listened to terrestrial radio in 1999, and the industry generated $3.2 billion in ad revenue, he said.
Dube suggests that the slower consumer adoption predicted for satellite radio might encourage content suppliers to strike better deals with the two satellite radio companies, such as receiving a bigger share of ad revenue or even a cut of subscription fees. Advertisers wishing to reach a nationwide, affluent audience are especially suited for satellite radio, Dube said.
In the final analysis, Dube and the report are upbeat about satellite radio's prospects.
"It's terrific for consumers," he said. "They get CD-quality sound, the signal ignores geography, the amount of choice is unprecedented, and it's affordable. For anyone who spends a lot of time in cars, it's a worthwhile proposition."
Investors in Sirius include Ford Motor Co., DaimlerChrysler and venture capital firms. Investors in XM include Clear Channel Communications, Honda, General Motors, DirecTV and venture capital firms.
"Satellite radio is too often lumped in with the dot-bomb phenomenon," Dube said. "It is new media, but it has far more in common with cable TV than the Internet. There's a lot of major investors who expect a return on their money."
April 23 CNN To Convert Videotape Library
LAS VEGAS (AP) - CNN will convert its vast videotape library to digital over the next five to seven years at a cost of $20 million.
Using a newly designed and engineered digital asset management system, the project will put CNN's videotape archive online, providing better protection for CNN's footage from the past 21 years, and making it more easily accessible to journalists and the public worldwide.
The joint IBM and Sony Electronics system is helping change the way CNN stores and distributes content and marks the beginning of a transformation of CNN's traditional news production methods from analog to digital, the companies announced Monday at the National Association of Broadcasters convention.
The newly designed system will digitize, catalog, store, distribute, and retrieve more than 120,000 hours of archived material.
``For CNN, the resulting system will reduce operational costs and provide greater opportunities to increase revenue by leveraging our digital assets across multiple platforms,'' said Gordon Castle, CNN senior vice president of strategic digital systems research and development.
As the system is phased in, CNN users and, later, external, public users will have access to digital video, audio, graphics and text files from their desktop.
CNN, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc., extends to 15 cable and satellite television networks; three private place-based networks; two radio networks; 15 web sites; CNN Mobile and CNN Newsource
April 18 An end to recharging for mobile phones
By ZDNet Germany staff, Special to ZDNet
Casio will be among the companies demonstrating PDAs and mobile phone based on new fuel and solar cell technologies that will make recharging a thing of the past.
• Virus Alerts & Solutions
• Special FREE Software
• Download MP3 music
German researchers are developing new types of power cells that could mean mobile phones will never have to be recharged at the mains again.
Casio, Siemens and other manufacturers of phones and PDAs are already building prototype devices that use the new power cells, developed at the Department for Energy Technology at the Fraunhofer-Institute -- Germany's answer to MIT.
The plan is to replace rechargeable batteries in mobile devices with a miniature version of the hydrogen fuel cell used to power electric cars, and recharge it with a super-efficient solar cell built into the devices.
Until now, the tiny amount of space available in a mobile phone or PDA was too small to allow integration of fuel cells and solar cells, Fraunhofer researchers told ZDNet. And it is a race against time: as mobile electronic devices shrink in size and increase in functionality, they draw more power. Manufacturers of solar cells meanwhile continue to raise the efficiency of their products -- some have achieved an efficiency of almost 25 percent -- but they are still much too expensive for the mass market.
The power of the sun
Now researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute's Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg, Germany, have managed to find a way of combining these hitherto conflicting factors.
Their high-performance solar module, which is due to have its first public showing next week in Hanover, Germany, is integrated in the lid of a Casio palmtop, and makes the device completely autonomous of external electrical supplies.
"The decisive factor," said Dr Christopher Hebling, head of the Micro-Energy Technology group at the ISE, "is that the device can run on solar power alone even under low lighting levels. At a normal workplace, you have only three percent of the brightness of summer sunshine. Even down to a level of one percent, the electrical voltage provided by our solar module remains virtually constant; in conventional cell types it would have long since broken down."
The high output rating of over 35 milliamps per square centimetre in direct sunlight is attributable to the solar module's special design.
"The fourteen individual cells of single-crystal silicon overlap like roof tiles," said Hebling. "In this way, the cells make optimum use of the limited available space, and achieve an efficiency of more than twenty percent."
The surfaces of solar cells with such a conversion efficiency are coated with an electrically insulating layer of silicon oxide or nitride. This non-conducting material needs to be removed again at specific points to allow attachment of the electrical contacts -- a previously complex and expensive process.
Again, the Fraunhofer researchers have arrived at a new solution: a special laser zaps away the coating from the designated contact points. Such innovations have enabled the researchers to reduce the total number of process steps by eighty percent, making the solar cells cheap enough to become a viable alternative to other sources of energy.
The solar cells will be on show at the Hanover Messe Industrial Fair in Hall 18. In Hall 7, meanwhile, the Fraunhofer Department of Energy (news - web sites) Technology is due to show the first functioning micro fuel cell for use in smartphones and PDAs. Four Germans at the Fraunhofer Department based in Plymouth, Michigan, have developed what what they call a series-ripe gas cell system. Like solar cells, this system offers attractive advantages compared to rechargeable batteries: significantly higher storage capacity, long lifetime, flat and variable designs, and extremely low self-discharge.
Visitors to the fair will see the fuel cell powering a camcorder. The cell has an output of ten watts with a voltage of eight volts, is hardly larger than a matchbox and combines a polymer membrane fuel cell with a hydrogen storage unit. Longer operating times can be achieved by fitting a larger storage unit. Fraunhofer first demonstrated this with a laptop at the Hanover Trade Fair in 1998. Among the development-partners for this prototype were Siemens PC Systems (now Fujitsu Siemens) and Aventis.
Chronology of Certain Events
Related to Xybernaut, Inc.
4/1/93
Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. is named chairman and CEO of IBM.[0] At the time IBM’s revenue through partners, excluding PC sales, was in the single digits. “When I got to IBM, it was clear to me that the company had not crossed the cultural chasm to allow us to deal with you on a level of trust that any real partner would expect. So we had to change some things . . . . I had come to IBM with certain biases. One of them was a predisposition towards partnerships -- not as a business necessity, but as a way of life. I was fresh off experiences at two companies that essentially had no direct sales force. Everything moved through third parties. So it was hard for me to imagine doing business any other way.”[1]
4/19/94
U.S. Patent Offices Grants Ed Newman, et al. Patent # 5,305,244 for Hands-free, user-supported portable computer.[2]
1996
“In 1996, [IBM] made some commitments to [it’s partners.] We wrote them down. We called them the Business Partner Charter. [T]he specific commitments were important, but . . . the Charter was really a statement of intent. It was a declaration about a new era of consistency and integrity in our partnerships.”[3]
1996
Xybernaut, Inc. IPOs.
1/21/99
Wearable Computers Cited by Gartner Group as one of ten technologies to watch in 1999 and beyond. Wearable computers will be monitored closely by the manufacturing industry in the next two years, according to Gartner Group forecasts, and then find utility in a number of other industries thereafter'' (i.e. in 2001).[4]
1/99
Federal Express begins pilot project with XYBR “aimed at developing, testing and purchasing the mobile wearable computer best suited to Fed Ex's requirements.”[5]
Spring 1999
IBM conducts initial field trials of 6 wearables, ''Immediately'' goes back to drawing board to design ''deployable'' wearable; IBM then commences second set of field trials testing 100 devices in 12 companies.[6]
7/16/99
Xybernaut announces that it will not extend terms of warrants set to expire on 7/19/99, thereby eliminating 5.8 million shares of possible dilution.[7]
10/28/99
Dyncorp places first large order for wearables - $2.8MM beginning immediately and to be completed by 12/31/00; DynCorp says, ''We see this initial order as the first step in implementing wearable computing technology across a broad spectrum of business applications.''[8]
11/4/99
XYBR announces advanced discussions with IBM ''on a variety of potential joint activities in wearable computing, including production, licensing, development of future generation products, marketing, sales and development of supporting technologies.''[9]
11/9/99
MA IV wins Design and Engineering Award 2000. ''In time there will be as many manufacturers of wearable PCs as there are makers of desktop, laptop or handheld computers,'' said Steve Ditlea, Popular Mechanics. ''But they'll all be building on the accomplishment of the Xybernaut MA IV, which we rate the first PC that's truly ready-to-wear.''[10]
11/15/99
MA IV wins grand price at Japan's Comdex for ''Best PC Product.''[11]
12/2/99
IBM Global Finance extends Xybernaut a $4 million credit facility.[12]
12/20/99
Details emerge on IBM's wearable PC-to be more of a service offering than just a product offering; ''For now, IBM will experiment with specialized vertical markets, such as stock trading, manufacturing and health care, where a wearable PC makes the most sense;'' ''Wireless access to the internet and corporate networks is integral to IBM's plans for the wearable PC and other EON devices;'' EON, per IDC, is ''crucial for IBM to successfully jump-start its beleaguered Personal Systems Group.''[13]
1/1/00
IBM been airing commercial of man in park using wearable. Commercial is shown during major sporting events such as the NFL playoffs, World Series and later the Grammy's. IBM is confirmed to have spent $20,000,000 in first wave of displaying commercial.
March 2000
IBM Field Trials End ''generally considered to be a success by the people who funded them;'' IBM hopes tests will “lead to a product that ultimately satisfies the customer.''[14]
3/30/00
XYBR acquires Selfware in exchange for 400,000 shares of XYBR. CEO of Selfware states at time: ''Our employees and shareholders have enthusiastically aligned themselves with Xybernaut, because we believe strongly in Xybernaut's prospects, market leadership and strong intellectual property position.''
5/12/00
XYBR signs agreement for IBM to design, develop and manufacture the computer portion of Xybernaut's next generation of wearable computer systems.[15]
5/15/00
XYBR & Texas Instruments sign agreement to ''to develop and seek opportunity to market solutions that fully utilize TI DSPs for Xybernaut's mobile computing products.''[16]
8/29/2000
Xybernaut, Inc. listed on NASDAQ.[17]
10/3/00
Bell Canada, IBM Canada and Xybernaut(R) Launch World's First Large-Scale Market Trial of Wearable Computers - ''As IBM extends e-business to all kinds of wireless devices, it is important for us to collaborate with key players in the industry like Bell Canada and Xybernaut,'' said Shahla Aly, Vice President, Telecommunications and Wireless, IBM Canada Ltd. Together we will be at the forefront of implementing wireless mobile computing within Canada.''[18]
11/18/00
At Comdex 2000, George Tatomir of IBM “indicated that IBM believes that wearable computing is ready for prime time, and IBM is also ready to embrace Xybernaut technology as a valuable part of IBM’s international mobile business solutions. He stated that IBM looks forward to working in partnership with Xybernaut . . .. Barring some unforeseeable reversal of fortune, of all the companies this writer saw at Comdex 2000, Xybernaut appears to be the most likely to grab the brass ring as the next household name in computing. The future is there for it to win, or lose.”[19] George Tatomyr, of IBM Corp., stated, ''We believe that 2001 is the kickoff point for wearable PC prominence in the mobile marketplace. We are excited about our relationship with Xybernaut and things are moving extremely well between our two companies.''[20]
11/28/00
Dell Online on Wearables: “Now, the next wave of computing promises to go even further by putting computers in our clothes and on our bodies. ''Wearable computers will play increasingly important roles in people's lives. They offer practical solutions in the workplace and for consumers,'' explains Francine Gemperle, a design researcher at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which boasts one of the nation's leading wearable computing labs. Already, says Gemperle, wearables are making waves in an array of industries, including aerospace, automobile manufacturing and the military. And, over the next few years, consumers are likely to use these computers in their cars, on airplanes and while walking down the street.”[21]
Cisco on Wearables: “In the future, wearable computers are likely to rule. Stitched into our clothing or strapped onto our belts, they will put us in touch with our data and other people, anytime, anywhere.”[22]
12/00
XYBR begins to ship $1MM order for use in FedEx Express Aircraft Operations Division.[23]
12/31/00
In FYE 2000, IBM’s revenue through partners grows 20%. Fully one third of IBM’s total revenue of $80+ billion is contributed by business partners. Regarding inventory financing for partners, “Last year it was $28 billion. Our assets in this area grew by more than 30 percent last year. Now, what’s the plan for this year? It’s a plan without a cap. You bring us credit-worthy deals, and you’ll get the funds to support your business and your customers.”[24]
1/8/01
XYBR & Hitachi announce that they will cooperate to explore business opportunities in the field of Wearable Internet Appliances (WIA). “Xybernaut Corporation will assist those companies to explore the business opportunities of WIA. Microsoft Corporation demonstrated the prototypes during 2001 CES at booth number 626.” WIA is expected to cost $1,700.[25]
2/5/01
At IBM's new ''collaboration center'' IBM demonstrated a ''miniaturized wearable PC, currently being OEM’d for Xybernaut. The wearable was linked to an IBM Thinkpad and Net Device over an Ethernet 802.11b wireless LAN. The miniaturized wearable is slated for release in June . . ..''[26]
2/7/01
Speech by Terry Mosey, President of Bell Ontario, to Economic Development Council of Ontario: ''At Bell Ontario, we're experimenting with mobile information by equipping 19 of our service technicians with wearable computers. The big advantage of these devices is that they place complex technical information in the technician's hands right at the service site. This saves time, improves customer service, and ensures that we operate an even higher quality network.''
3/6/01
Ed Newman on panel discussion following opening remarks of John Chambers of CSCO at Global Internet Summit 2001. With Mr. Newman on panel are representatives of Teligent Inc., Metromedia Fiber Network Inc. and Qualcomm Inc.[27]
3/20/01
Waldorf presentation, Bell Canada representative says, ''''Where are we today? My managers were overwhelmed with the excitement . . .. We're very excited, very passionate about what we've seen in the wearable technology. We're excited about where we're going to head with it as well. We're going through our last few rounds of wrap up for our pilot programs, and then we will present it across the entire executive team at Bell Canada and the BCE families. We are getting continuous hits from our different organizations saying, 'boys we want to get on board with this because we see this as being a huge winner.''[28]
4/18/01
USA today article states: ''In May, Xybernaut, IBM and Texas Instruments will unveil a jointly developed wearable computer for commercial use. Perhaps by Christmas, Xybernaut and Hitachi might introduce a consumer wearable computer.'' [29]
Now
XYBR's web page now states that on 5/30-31 ''IBM, Texas Instruments and Xybernaut will use the ICWC 2001 forum to launch the next generation of wearable computing and communicating - the Mobile Assistant V Series.''[30]
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[0] http://www.ibm.com/press/prnews.nsf/html/bios_lgerstner.html
[1] http://www.ibm.com/lvg/0227.phtml
[2] http://164.195.100.11/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netah... ,305,244%27.WKU.&OS=PN/5,305,244&RS=PN/5,305,244
[3] http://www.ibm.com/lvg/0227.phtml
[4] http://www.xybernaut.com/public/press_99/pub_prss_60.htm
[5] http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010403/2173.html
[6] http://www.ecnmag.com/ecnmag/issues/2000/09012000/ec09th02_.asp
[7] http://www.xybernaut.com/public/press_99/pub_prss_34.htm
[8] http://www.xybernaut.com/public/press_99/pub_prss_16.htm
[9] http://www.xybernaut.com/public/press_99/pub_prss_15.htm
[10] http://www.xybernaut.com/public/press_99/pub_prss_13.htm
[11] http://www.xybernaut.com/public/press_99/pub_prss_09.htm
[12] http://www.xybernaut.com/public/press_99/pub_prss_07.htm
[13] http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-1501451.html?tag=rltdnws
[14] http://www.ecnmag.com/ecnmag/issues/2000/09012000/ec09th02_.asp
[15] http://www.vnunet.com/News/1101184
[16] http://www.xybernaut.com/public/press/pub_prss_24.htm
[17] http://www.xybernaut.com/public/press/pub_prss_36.htm
[18] http://www.bce.ca/en/news/releases/bc/2000/10/03/1661.html
http://www2.software.ibm.com/casestudies/swcsenet.nsf/a4c44ffe1972ddc885256687006a51f7/1a736fd26cddf...
[19] http://www.canadacomputes.com/v3/story/1,1017,4707,00.html?tag=81&sb=122
[20] http://www.electronichouse.com/news112100xybernaut.html
[21] http://www.dell.com/us/en/dhs/browser/article_0011_hip_1.htm
[22] http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/750/iq/gen/new/cut/gen_new_cut_0006/gen_new_cut_0006_4.shtml
[23] http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010403/2173.html
[24] http://www.ibm.com/lvg/0227.phtml
[25] http://pd.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=Articles&Subsection=Display&ARTIC...
[26] http://www.zdnet.com/sp/stories/news/0,4538,2681816,00.html
[27] http://www.idg.net/crd_idgsearch_467387.html?sc=66156749_115283
[28] http://www.agoracom.com/agora/nonmemforum/msgreview.asp?id=88248&refid=88242&orig=88242
[29] See also, http://www.localbusiness.com/Story/0,1118,WAS_733408,00.html
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday /
[30] http://www.cvent.com/EventManagement/InvitationTemplates/Center.asp?eCode=iblliriilbiiieblihrilobiiy...
"Zapmedia, Inc. And Samsung Electro-Mechanics Form Strategic Relationship"
Samsung Electro-Mechanics to manufacture, brand and distribute new entertainment convergence product based on ZapMedia's ZapStation Hardware Reference Platform
ATLANTA - Feb. 21, 2001 - ZapMedia, Inc., a leading Atlanta-based media convergence technology company, and Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd. (SEMCO), a constituent member of the Samsung Group, have announced a strategic relationship to manufacture a Samsung-branded product based on ZapMedia's ZapStationTM Hardware Reference Design, the conduit to ZapMedia's entertainment service.
Enabled by ZapMedia's patent-pending ZapStation Hardware Reference Design, ZapMediaEngine software and the ZapMedia Entertainment Portal, the Samsung-branded CD/DVD digital entertainment product (Samsung ZapStation) will allow consumers to access a wide range of digital entertainment through their television or stereo without the need for a computer. Under the arrangement, SEMCO will manufacture, brand and distribute ZapMedia's current ZapStation Hardware Reference Design which includes a 30Gb hard drive that can store up to 30 hours of video and up to 10,000 songs, a digital audio jukebox featuring Windows Media Audio and MP3 formats, CD and DVD player, CD ripper, internet browsing, e-mail and versatile broadband or dial-up service access.
"We are very pleased to be working with SEMCO to bring another ZapStation design to the market," said Eric Hartz, CEO and president of ZapMedia. "SEMCO plays a significant role in the consumer electronics industry and retail market, speeding ZapMedia's vision of delivering ZapMedia's digital entertainment service to consumers through their TV, stereos and the Internet." Added Jeff Ayton, Chief Marketing Officer, "It is exciting to see our technology poised to begin the new era of convergence in home entertainment." "SEMCO and ZapMedia's relationship bolsters the delivery of digital entertainment to a broad consumer base in the near future."
Through the Samsung ZapStation, Powered by ZapMedia, consumers will be able to access the ZapMedia Entertainment Portal, which delivers a wide range of entertainment options in a user-friendly format. Users can access premium content such as news, finance, and sports from USA TODAY, audio from MP3.com and media from a variety of video content providers.
"ZapMedia's technology and services and SEMCO's history of innovation and design excellence creates an ideal business alignment," said Mr. Kim, Ho-Kon, Managing Director of Samsung Electro-Mechanics. "We are excited to use our manufacturing, branding and distribution expertise to bring the future of home entertainment products and services to consumers." Samsung will also manufacture, brand and distribute ZapMedia's next generation hardware platform.
As a member of the Samsung Group, SEMCO maintains manufacturing facilities throughout Korea and five overseas plants in Portugal, China and Mexico. SEMCO manufactures, markets and distributes over 50 kinds of devices and components. The Samsung branded ZapStation design will be manufactured and assembled in Korea.
About ZapMedia.com, Inc.
ZapMedia, Inc., based in Atlanta, is a privately held convergence technology company bringing customized entertainment to consumers. With ZapMedia's co-branded products and services, consumers of all ages can access movies, music, video and the Web, as well as play CDs and DVDs through their existing televisions and stereos. The ZapMedia ecosystem, developed in-house, consists of the ZapStation hardware reference design (device), ZapMediaEngineSM (software), ZapAccessSM (service) and the ZapMedia Portal. For more information about ZapMedia's products and services, visit the web site at www.zapmedia.com.
About Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd., based in Suwon, Korea, started out in 1973 as a maker of electronic parts and has played a key role in Korea's electronics industry ever since.
The people at Samsung Electro-Mechanics are proud to represent Korea's largest producer of parts and components and are now standing tall on the world stage, continuing to develop and supply the parts and components that are essential for market-leading finished products.
April 23, 2001 Dropping Hard-Disk Costs Let Jukebox Makers Sell for Less
The low cost of hard-disk storage is allowing manufacturers of MP3 players such as Creative's Nomad Jukebox to seriously undercut makers of Flash memory-based devices...
anyone copy this article from webnoize?
The new shape of mobile communication
By Ana Orubeondo , InfoWorld Test Center
Smart phones promise to replace the mobile phone and wireless PIM with a single device boasting enough processing power to run third-party applications and provide access to corporate databases. Are they the handhelds corporate users have been waiting for?
GLOBAL SHIPMENTS of handheld computers are expected to increase dramatically during the next three years, as Palm, Windows CE devices, and other handhelds become increasingly popular not only with consumers but also with corporate users who want a handy way to access e-mail, to manage contacts, and to consult calendars. But handhelds aren't merely becoming more common, they're also becoming more powerful.
In fact, smart phones -- a new class of handhelds that combine a mobile phone, PIM (personal information manager)-like functionality, and even the capabilities of running custom applets and accessing corporate databases -- will be the hottest segment of the handheld market, growing at an annual rate of approximately 164 percent to top 23 million units by 2004, according to research from IDC.
Already, smart phones deliver wireless Internet access and include built-in address books, calendars, and notepads. But in the next year or two -- thanks to more memory, greater processing power, and multitasking operating systems -- smart phones will gain the capability of running more powerful, third-party applets, providing access to corporate databases and supporting interactive services such as personalized stock quotes and e-commerce transactions.
Currently, a number of vendors in the communications market are adding local intelligence (such as weather and traffic reports) and Palm-like PIM applications (including address books and calendars) to their mobile phones. But most of these merely Web-enabled phones simply take advantage of network-based applications and services.
Smart phones are much more sophisticated. Instead of relying on the wireless network for applications and services, smart phones run robust operating systems that support programmability and the integration of PIM applications and data communications capabilities, such as e-mail, messaging, and Internet-access options, in the handset.
Smart phones will also boast greater processing power and larger displays than merely Web-enabled phones, and they will be capable of running local applications and storing their own data. Nevertheless, smart phones typically will be no larger than today's mobile phones.
Technological advances and demands from mobile workers for lighter and more capable mobile devices will drive the industry toward a more softwarecentric model in the coming years. Platforms based on open standards will allow users to select their own applications and services and download them directly from the Internet. Most phones still use proprietary OSes, but we are currently seeing a migration toward industry-standard OSes, such as Symbian's Epoc, which will bring an impressive array of Java-based computing and data communications capabilities to mobile phones.
For example, by the year 2002, according to Symbian, Epoc-enabled smart phones should support group scheduling, browsing of corporate databases and intranets, and encryption-protected online purchasing, not to mention location sensitivity enabling the devices to alert users to local weather and traffic conditions. But first we'll see smart phones that attempt to put the functionality of a PDA directly into a wireless phone.
Currently, wireless data networking speeds range from 9.6Kbps to 14.4Kbps, which is adequate for text-based messages. But the 3G (third generation) technology will deliver a peak transmission rate of 153Kbps, which is 10 times faster than current wireless networks. This faster data rate will give smart-phone users the ability to access a range of high-speed, data-rich applications that will include Web browsing, streaming audio and video, and Web teleconferencing.
It's not difficult to see how smart phones will fit into the corporate landscape. Mobile workers will continue to require laptops for word processing, using spread sheets, and doing other real work on the road. But for those who simply need access to e-mail, the Web, and corporate databases, the smart phone should prove irresistible. The smart phone will also replace specialized handhelds used for inventory management and field service work.
All in all, the demand from mobile workers for lighter and more capable mobile devices, coupled with 3G technology advancements, will drive smart-phone developments that will help companies provide more efficient links between corporate data and a mobile work force.
http://www.infoworld.com/articles/tc/xml/01/04/23/010423tcsmartphones.xml
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as many of you know, i am predicting voice enabled PDAs this year with edig involvement. I found this RB post intersting:
By: daltonthedobber $$$$
Reply To: 269941 by robjgd $$$ Saturday, 21 Apr 2001 at 7:05 PM EDT
Post # of 270246
OT: robjgd; Intel is moving into the devise market. Our government has a funny view of companies that try to own too much; Ask Msft. This move will anger many companies. And as big as a name Intel is; In the marketplace it is new and unknown. They will have to put out some very unique products to gain market share. Look for VR PDA with an Intel label soon
Siemens MultiMobile
Always more! This seems to be the cry of battle of the manufacturers of cell phones. Considering the uncertainty on the times of the UMTS, the industry has decided to focus itself on the most imminent technologies, equipping maximally its own terminals in an unbridled run to reach the "all in one." As soon as the GPRS arrives, Siemens brings us a portable that not only foresees this system of data transmission, but adds, in addition, the functions of a PDA.
MultiMobile, this is the name with which the Germans have baptized their new model presented at the CeBIT in Hannover, that promises to give a shake to the market. The proposal of Siemens, aesthetically, resembles more to a normal PDA than to a cell phone: as a matter of fact it doesn't even include the keyboard to have access to the telephone functions, functions that, like the others after all, are used through the screen of a touchscreen type. If it wasn't for the small antenna it is provided with, someone could think that it is a simple PDA of old style. Keeping in mind its performances of high range, this device is suitable for executives and manager that move frequently. Not by chance its grey/sky blue colours are thought for this type of users.
For any profane users the first thing that will draw their attention will be its big coloured monitor (of TFT type with 65.000 colours) that, during the navigation in Internet, is as good as the speed of transmission allowed by the GPRS technology, in addition it supports Java. In the navigation we can use the protocol Wap or the "traditional" navigator forecast in the device; you can access, besides, the LAN net or Intranet of the firm. The Multimobile can connect with the PC (which the USB gate makes simple and rapid) and complete it to the perfection. It not by chance that it uses an operating system of Microsoft that offers an Office in miniature, a Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, Outlook and included is a reproducing MP3 (things that make it look similar to a Swiss "small knife" of the mobile telephony).
Like all the PDA worth of consideration, the Multimobile is compatible with cards of Compact Flash and Multi media type. The model foresees a Compact Flash card in endowment having 32 MB that can be replaced when the needs for bigger memory ask for it. These cards allow to transfer applications from the server to the device, widening the possibilities of it almost in an endless way. The MultiMobile is a current and tangible alternative to take into consideration. If everything goes for the best the GPRS technology will arrive, in massive way, next summer and will be the standard for a lot of time. Obviously the fact to be also a PDA doesn't make this terminal be the most compact on the market and doubts could be risen on the fact that it can replace with full title the classical, and in certain cases by now very small, cellular phone. Let's think, however, of the double function it has and of the "qualified" public it is destined to.
5 Things You Need to Know About Bluetooth and Cell Phones
By David Carnoy
(6/7/00)
What do a 10th-century Viking king and a new short-range wireless standard have in common? On the surface, not much. But a thousand years after King Harald Bluetooth left his mark on history by unifying Denmark, some bright marketing people at Ericsson thought his achievement could symbolize the unification of the consumer electronics world. They may be right. If the Bluetooth consortium--led by Ericsson and heavyweights Nokia, IBM, Intel, and Toshiba, as well as many others--has its way, a full gamut of mobile devices, including cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and notebook computers, will soon be able to communicate with one another via radio waves over a distance of up to 30 feet.
Like any new technology, Bluetooth is sure to have its fits and starts, and some of its applications will take longer to develop than others. But the electronics industry is betting heavily on the new wireless standard, and we should start seeing the first Bluetooth peripherals for cell phones by midsummer. With that in mind, here's a look at how Bluetooth will affect the future of cell-phone technology and how it may change the way you use your phone.
Move Over, Infrared
Some cell phones today have infrared (IR) ports for linking to other IR-enabled devices. The biggest problem with IR is that the two ports have to be in line with one another to transfer data. (Think of PalmPilots beaming information at each other.) The advantage of Bluetooth technology is that it allows two devices to communicate wirelessly without being in one another's line of sight. In fact, because Bluetooth is based on radio-wave technology (in the 2.4-GHz range), devices can communicate through walls, pockets, and briefcases. Plus, Bluetooth's data transfer rate is faster than IR's.
Ericsson T28 World
phone headset
Estimated Price: Less than $750
Ericsson
Available fourth quarter
Headsets and Earpieces
The first Bluetooth peripherals will be wireless headsets. Ericsson is scheduled to release a headset by July for its T28 World phone; Nokia and Motorola will follow with headsets later in the year. You'll have to attach a small Bluetooth accessory to the phone itself, then clip the headset to your ear. After you're set up, you can leave your phone in your pocket and talk hands-free, even answering your calls by clicking a button on the headset. Also, because the T28 offers voice-recognition features, you'll be able to dial as many as ten frequently used numbers by simply saying the person's name. Another bonus: because the transmission levels for Bluetooth headsets are much lower than those for cell phones, manufacturers will be able to tout the headsets' health benefits.
The PDA Connection
At its Pocket PC launch in April, Microsoft showed a Pocket PC device communicating across the room with an Ericsson T28 phone; both devices were equipped with Bluetooth receivers. Fairly soon--possibly by the end of the year--you'll be able to surf the Web wirelessly and send and receive email using your phone as a modem. True, you can do this now, using your phone's infrared port (if it has one). But the phone's IR port and the PDA's IR port have to be properly aligned a few inches apart (again, think of PalmPilots beaming). Bluetooth technology allows you to keep your phone in your pocket--or even on the other side of the room--as you surf on a Bluetooth-enabled Pocket PC. In the future, handhelds should have Bluetooth receivers built into them. However, to equip the current generation of Pocket PC devices, you'll have to buy a receiver that fits into the unit's CompactFlash card slot. Internet connection speeds will initially be slow (9.6 kbps), but as cell networks are upgraded in coming years, those rates will increase.
Wireless Synchronization
In the next six to eight months, we should see cell phones that have Bluetooth chips built right into them, and computer makers will also be building Bluetooth technology into notebook and desktop computers. If you believe the hype, by 2001, you'll be able to easily sync the phone book in your cell phone to the contact manager on your computer, as well as to the PIM on your PDA. You'll probably have to buy additional software, but at least there won't be any cables or expensive PC-connection kits to hassle with.
Far-Out Stuff
Cell-phone manufacturers have big plans for that little phone you carry. We talked with representatives from Ericsson and Motorola, and both companies are pushing the concept of your phone as a "remote control for your life." The idea is that you'll be able to someday open your Bluetooth-enabled garage door and activate or deactivate your Bluetooth-enabled home-alarm system by simply pointing at your home and keying in a PIN number on your phone. It's a few years off, so don't get too excited. But we'll have more to report in the coming months.
Wearable computer pioneer Xybernaut poised to ride next generation mobility wave
By Jeff Evans, posted Nov 18, 2000
LAS VEGAS—Xybernaut Corp. founder Ed Newman announced on Tuesday that his company, which for a decade has been the world leader in research into wearable computers, is now on the verge of large scale sales and deployment of wearable computers around the world.
With over 500 patents in wearable computing technology granted or pending, Xybernaut has the leading position in the mobile Internet computing device market, a market that normally credible analysts estimate may balloon to an unbelievable $3.5 trillion US per year in value over the next five years.
Newman stated that the company he founded is no longer just a research program. Its test deployments of Xybernaut wearable computers with dozens of Fortune 1000 companies and government agencies have proven the usefulness and feasibility of wearables, and the company will begin mass production and sales of commercial wearable computer products in 2001.
A new, improved version of the Xybernaut Mobile Assistant (MA IV) system, consisting of a 2 pound (900 g.) Pentium III/400 PC and headset will be the initial product offering.
The complete wearable system includes a head mounted audio/video display, and voice recognition input or a variety of touch or keypad input options. New wearable computers from Xybernaut will come to market regularly every four to six months.
At a press conference on the high security 29th floor of the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas, Newman, flanked by executives from IBM, Toshiba, and Bell Canada, also announced that Xybernaut has hired Tod R. Rehm to be its new President and Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Rehm, a marketing whiz who led Toshiba Canada’s notebook PC business from zero to a 58 per cent market share in Canada during the early ‘90s, has a reputation as an extremely effective, imaginative and aggressive brand builder.
Rehm also did a stint as head of NEC Packard Bell Canada in 1998-1999 before joining Xybernaut. Rehm will have the task of leading the sales effort in 2001 that will accomplish the transformation of Xybernaut from a research firm to the leading manufacturer and integrator of wearable computers.
George Tatomir of IBM, Brad Chitty of Bell Canada, and well-known technology and business author and analyst Peter Keen of Keen Innovations were also on hand to add their comments.
Tatomir indicated that IBM believes that wearable computing is ready for prime time, and IBM is also ready to embrace Xybernaut technology as a valuable part of IBM’s international mobile business solutions. He stated that IBM looks forward to working in partnership with Xybernaut. The relationship with IBM may prove to be a key to Xybernaut’s acceptance in the corporate IT market.
Chitty, the ebullient champion of Bell Canada’s large-scale trial of Xybernaut wearables by the Bell Mobile Communications Centre (MCC) in Toronto, described Bell’s experience with the prototype version of the MA IV system as universally positive.
Wearable computers, in his view, are now capable of increasing employee productivity, and providing better service to customers of the Bell telephone network.
Peter Keen, a long time observer and analyst of technology, observed that in 1984 he had predicted that the technology that would reshape the future would be wireless.
All the elements of computer, consumer electronics and telecommunications technologies are converging, but the key to true pervasiveness is mobile, wireless connectivity. Keen also believes that mobile, wireless computing is a key to increasing employee productivity in most industries. The average corporate revenue per employee in America is currently about $170,000 US per person, he says, but companies that use technology appropriately are seeing productivity per person rise exponentially.
Sun Microsystems, for example, averages $600,000 US productivity per employee per year. Wireless, mobile computers promise to be a catalyst in increasing business efficiency and productivity around the world, Keen predicts.
Keen also is convinced that the future of wireless computing has a Microsoft Windows logo on it. Despite believing that MS Windows is ‘the last revenge of the KGB,’ and frankly admitting ‘I hate Windows,’ Keen believes that the Windows software platform for all its faults is the best, most complete software platform out there, and will be the choice for mobile computing. ‘Everything will be run by Windows,’ he predicts. Xybernaut offers all flavours of Windows, Linux, and Unix support, but so far it seems as if Windows is the hands down choice of its initial customer base.
If Xybernaut plays its cards right, wearable computing won’t stay solely in the corporate niche for very long. A high-powered, wearable, wireless multimedia Windows PC has the potential to integrate e-mail, Web browsing, office software, music, audio, video, games and voice telephone on one no-compromise, affordable device. The Xybernaut MA IV has a clip on port array that allows it to connect to desktop keyboards, mice, monitors, USB devices, and thus to function as a very powerful desktop replacement PC in the home office or ‘office-office.’
Xybernaut’s stock, which has ranged as low as $1 US, climbed steadily up to the $30 US range over the last year, and at time of writing was trading at about $3 US.
Barring some unforeseeable reversal of fortune, of all the companies this writer saw at Comdex 2000, Xybernaut appears to be the most likely to grab the brass ring as the next household name in computing. The future is there for it to win, or lose.
It’ll be very interesting to see if Xybernaut can power up in 2001, and profit from its decade long ‘first learner advantage’ in wearable computing.
THE PC BEGAN IN THE LATE 1970s as a stand-alone device that was literally ''personal.'' Initially, many corporate information systems departments resisted it for three main reasons: First, it was a toy for hobbyists and not a real computer. Second, it intruded on their control of most aspects of IT decisions, and third, it threatened the integrity of the company's technology base in terms of security, standards, support needs and operations. Yet people loved PCs and were going to use them regardless of
what IT thought.
Twenty years later, substitute the personal digital assistant (PDA) for the PC. Handheld tools like the Palm Pilot, Handspring's Visor and Compaq's iPaq began as stand-alone personal tools with limited functionality - two of the first three IT concerns. Now that PDAs are
becoming able to access corporate data and synchronize information with desktops, the third concern comes into play. PDAs, Web-enabled mobile phones, wearable computers and pagers/e-mail devices, such as Research In Motion's BlackBerry, demand as major a shift in the design, operation and support of the corporate technology platform as did the networked PC. In the early 1980s, IT wasn't ready for the PC. But it must be ready for the wireless, PDA and handheld era.
As with the PC, these new tools don't fit automatically and easily into today's client/server architectures. Nor do they fit easily into the organizational processes for balancing central coordination of the enterprise platform with decentralized use. When a manager brings a Palm to
work, adds a communications link, downloads data from the Web and accesses e-mail, all the old PC ''problems'' return. But they can't be treated as problems; they must be turned into business opportunities and IT responsiveness.
The first need is for policy. It's often unclear who owns the PDA. It may well have been purchased by its owner, not the company. When the PDA is in a briefcase, it's personal. When it's synced to the office desktop, it's organizational. This demands policy, architecture and support procedures. The faster that IT moves to establish the same types of policies the company has for PCs, the better. Some principles:
1. Recommend specific products in order to discourage operating system proliferation, such as the Palm OS, Psion (mainly in multinational companies), Windows CE and BlackBerry.
2. Establish volume purchasing agreements for these products.
3. Select portal software for handhelds so that access to corporate information resources and intranets is coordinated and made secure.
4. Establish support and training upfront, so you don't find your staff becoming PDA doctors for managers and salespeople. Even simple PDAs require training when they're used to access corporate data, sync to Microsoft Exchange and connect to the corporate intranet.
5. Get ready to address the coming single-most-- complex issue for IT in the mobile commerce era as the extension of e-commerce, PDAs and handhelds:
translation software and portals. All the new devices involve the Web, but they either use particular standards for displaying Web information, or their limitations of speed and screen size require Web pages to be simplified, tweaked and reformatted. To meet users' needs here, IT must
embrace Wireless Markup Language, Handheld Device Markup Language, Voice Extensible Markup Language and the Wireless Application Protocol. And more standards will come.
IT can't view the PDA and other new wireless devices as toys, intrusions or threats to the integrity of the enterprise client/ server platform. Like the PC in the 1980s, people love these new devices and will use them
regardless of IT. They'll then be mainly tools for personal productivity.
When IT takes the lead in welcoming PDAs and adapting its architecture, services and support of them, PDAs will become the powerful next generation of organizational tools. Just as the PC did.
Keen (peter@peterkeen.com) is chairman of Keen Innovations (formerly The International Center for Information Technologies) in Fairfax Station, Va.; a senior fellow at Differentis, a European business-to-- business consultancy; and a distinguished visiting professor at the University of
Delft in the Netherlands.
Copyright Computerworld Inc. Apr 16, 2001
Publication date: 2001-04-16
Smart Cars Net Wireless Users
By Elisa Batista
2:00 a.m. Apr. 19, 2001 PDT
SAN JOSE, California -- The wireless action America is waiting for may not be in the hand, but in the car.
Forget cell phones. Americans won't be using them to browse the Internet as Asians and Europeans do, because that's what a desktop computer does best. Americans really want to surf the Web wirelessly in their cars.
At least that's what Harel Kodesh, president and CEO of Wingcast, contends.
Kodesh, who was the keynote speaker at the M for Mobile conference and as you might have guessed, heads a company that Web-enables cars, pointed out that 70 percent of mobile phone calls are made from cars.
Americans spend more time commuting in their car than the rest of the world, so what better place for Net access, right?
"Cellular engines are going to become as common as electrical motors," Kodesh said. "Car services are the mobile platform of the century."
Kodesh admits his vision won't become a reality in the next few years because it requires "deep cooperation with a car maker" to install the system. But what he's dreaming of is a car that could pretty much do anything except drive for you.
Cars equipped with sensors and voice capabilities would talk to you and turn on most features automatically, such as the windshield wipers when it rains. Kodesh showed a video demonstrating that most of these capabilities are possible today.
According to the video, "John Mason" hops in his car and drives to work. "Good morning, John," his car says. John asks his car and receives a traffic report, stock quotes and news -- verbally. The news is interrupted by a beep and reminder by the car, "Your 10 a.m. meeting has been moved to 11 a.m."
"Great," responds John. He then asks for the nearest café. His car, of course, is gracious enough to give him directions. The car also reminds him who's going to be at the 11 a.m. meeting and the topic that will be discussed.
Cell phones do play a part in the movie, but only as a means of communication with the car. John's cell phone beeps in the middle of his meeting and he receives a text message that his car has been taken outside a parameter specified earlier by John. John calls his car and alarms the driver, "Is this the valet?"
"Um, yeah." (At this point the conference audience howls.)
"OK."
John is connected every minute of the day, even when arranging his evening plans.
The Internet system in the car is completely voice-enabled, which Kodesh said could eliminate the need for legislation prohibiting drivers from using their cell phones.
But challenges still loom even with today's sophisticated technology.
"All those (interactions) take away from available attention, so the service has to be intelligent enough to delay services that may confuse the driver," Kodesh said.
At the conclusion of his presentation, one audience member asked Kodesh about people with Web-enabled cars who prefer to seek help from people instead of cars, which is possible with services like OnStar.
(OnStar customers can call in to live operators who give directions and even unlock car doors when keys are left inside.)
Kodesh acknowledged that services like OnStar's would come in handy in an emergency.
Gurminder Singh, another conference attendee and president and CEO of NewsTakes, also had reservations about voice-activated services. He finds them cumbersome to use and prefers to speak to a person.
"It's frustrating when you spend a half hour to get information," Singh said.
Motorola Cements In-Car Commitment
By allNetDevices Staff
April 19, 2001
Motorola (NYSE: MOT) said Thursday it was creating a separate unit to increase its focus on in-car telematics and communications products.
The company said it was creating the new group, to be called the Automotive Communications & Electronic Systems Group (ACES) within its existing Integrated Electronic Systems Sector group.
The company said creating a separate group will enable it to focus more on its automotive customers. It will be headed by Marios Zenios, who formerly was general manager of Motorola's Telematics Communications Group.
The new group combines the efforts of that unit with its Automotive and Industrial Electronics Group, according to the company.
Handset alliances bloom despite Mitsubishi denial
(UPDATE: Adds background on Ericsson, Sony in paras 8,9)
By Edmund Klamann
TOKYO, April 20 (Reuters) - Mitsubishi Electric, Japan's third-biggest cellphone maker, denied a report on Friday it was set to ally with Motorola, but that does not mean the industry's enthusiasm has waned for tie-ups in next-generation devices.
Business daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun said Mitsubishi Electric Corp was in the final stage of talks on a tie-up with Motorola Inc (NYSE:MOT - news) to develop and manufacture third-generation (3G) handsets, including a joint venture in North America that could be set up by the end of the year.
The Japanese electronics maker said in a statement: ``Mitsubishi Electric has had negotiations with Motorola in the past, but we are not now holding any specific negotiations.''
Such nay-saying aside, handset makers are busy forging alliances to meet the daunting challenges of 3G and an interim technology, dubbed 2.5G, that require cellphones to support high-speed Internet and data services.
Finland's Nokia , Motorola and other European and U.S. manufacturers now dominate the global handset market, but Japan leads in mobile Web connections with services such as NTT DoCoMo's ``i-mode'', and Japanese manufacturers' expertise will be sought as wireless service enters the Internet era.
``I think European manufacturers want handset models with high-level functions like Japan's i-mode,'' said Societe Generale Securities analyst Mamoru Takagi. ``The focus now for Nokia, Motorola and Ericsson is voice, but for 2.5G and 3G they'll need the sort of things that are on i-mode.''
On Thursday, Sweden's Ericsson , the world's third-largest handset maker, and Sony Corp said they were in talks about joint cellphone operations.
No more details were available on Friday, but such a deal would allow Ericsson's loss-making handset arm to tap Sony's marketing savvy in an attempt to buck a slowdown in the mobile phone market with innovative, mass-market consumer products.
Sony's funky handsets have won the respect of the Japanese market, but the group still has less than a two percent global market share.
POSSIBLE PAIRINGS
And NEC Corp , Japan's second-largest handset maker, said it found a U.S. chipmaking partner to help it start building Web-connected 2.5G mobile phones in Europe within the year. The company declined to identify its U.S. partner, but an industry source said it would be Agere Systems Inc (NYSE:AGRa - news).
The market appeared sceptical of the Mitsubishi-Motorola scenario, with Mitsubishi's shares ending the day down 0.66 percent at 754 yen, in line with a modest drop in the Tokyo market's leading benchmarks.
NEC was up 1.62 percent at 2,190 yen, while Sony fell 0.86 percent to 9,170 yen after rising 3.2 percent the previous day.
With DoCoMo, Japan's dominant mobile carrier, set to launch the world's first 3G services in Japan next month, the country's handset makers will gain early experience with the challenges of the high-speed service.
``Getting the phones right, getting the feel right -- that's where the Japanese are really going to be leading the market,'' said one European fund manager.
The global move towards next-generation wireless will also break down many of the barriers now posed by differing standards in Japan, Europe and other key markets.
But Japan's handset makers, lacking the scale, marketing structures and some of the technologies needed to succeed in Europe and other big markets, will need overseas allies.
Toshiba Corp and Siemens AG agreed late last year to cooperate on 3G cell phones, aiming to capture a 10 percent share of the global market.
Matsushita Communication Industrial Co (MCI) , Japan's biggest handset maker with the Panasonic brand, has also set a 10 percent target, nearly double its current piece of the pie, and acknowledges that it, too, will need partners.
``I think we'll need alliances with infrastructure makers and handset makers, as well as content providers,'' MCI director Osamu Waki said in an interview this week.
But with Sony now courting Ericsson and Nokia unlikely to need a partner, possible pairings are rapidly dwindling, Societe Generale's Takagi said, although he pointed to Dutch electronics maker Philips (NYSE:PHG - news) as a possible partner for MCI.
MusicNet Makes its Platform Real for Major Label Execs
by Mark Lewis
In the midst of Napster's never-ending legal drama and doubts about Duet's real progress in developing a subscription music service, RealNetworks has worked quietly for nearly a year to develop a functioning platform that it demonstrated to key industry executives this week.
Confirmed by major label sources, the demonstration suggests that Real is far closer to bringing a multi-label service to market than its competitors.
According to executives from MusicNet's major-label backers, including Bertelsmann's BMG Entertainment, EMI Recorded Music and AOL Time Warner's Warner Music Group, MusicNet's technology is operational and a sales team for the joint venture is being put in place.
Working under the aegis of RealNetworks since last June, MusicNet engineers are fine-tuning a subscription streaming platform based on Real's technology, a major label source said. Streams will be protected so that they cannot be recorded without authorization. The service will also serve downloads, but that portion will take another month to develop because engineers are pioneering a "one-click" system that won't require consumers to visit multiple sites to download a player and digital rights management software, the source said.
"The programming has been worked on for quite some time," said Jay Samit, EMI's senior vice president for new media. "It morphed out of Real's Jukebox software for downloads."
MusicNet has approximately 46 employees, 60% of whom are developers and technologists, a source at another major label said. RealNetworks has a 40% interest in MusicNet, which will be headquartered a block away from Real's Seattle headquarters, said Lisa Amore, a senior spokeswoman for RealNetworks.
MusicNet's compettiion, Bertelsmann-backed Napster and Duet from Sony Music and Universal Music Group, do not appear to be as far along in their development efforts. Napster faces an immense project of building fingerprinting technology into a new client, as well as developing a rights-accounting system that will pay copyright holders and allow independent artists to claim their works if they are being traded on Napster [see 04.19.00 Napster Adds New Fingerprinting Technology to its Full Service Mix].
Universal and Sony announced their Duet subscription streaming and download service nearly a year ago, but technology executives and music industry rivals contend that Duet hasn't made substantial progress. It remains unknown whether Universal will contribute download platform and subscription streaming technology it has commissioned or bought from various firms [see 02.23.00 Delay of Universal-Sony "Duet" Service Raises Larger Industry Questions].
Samit said the main task now facing MusicNet is to hire an executive staff and a marketing and sales team. They will target retailers such as Best Buy, portals and Internet service providers (ISPs), which will be able to set their own pricing and determine how they want to bundle the service. For example, a music retailer could offer the service for free if a consumer bought a certain number of physical CDs per month, or an ISP could offer MusicNet at a reduced cost as an add-on subscription to Internet access.
But there is talk about how MusicNet's marquis distributors -- AOL Time Warner's America Online and RealNetworks -- will price the basic service. The major label source said a range of $5 to $15 is being discussed, though distributors may offer lower prices for subscriptions to particular genres. Distributors will set the number of streaming plays and downloads a consumer receives. Downloads will only function while a consumer pays for the service.
Amore declined to state whether Real will bundle MusicNet subscriptions with its GoldPass multimedia subscription, which costs $9.95 per month and has approximately 200,000 subscribers.
Downloads will be tethered to personal computers and won't be exportable to portable playback devices. MusicNet eventually wants to add that option, but it will first have to perfect digital rights management (DRM) technology that will force devices to deny access to tracks if a consumer is no longer paying a subscription, the major label source said.
Samit has a different point-of-view on bringing MusicNet downloads to portable devices. "They'll always continue to work on the DRM for the device," he said. "It's getting manufacturers on board and putting together a technical specification so people build hardware that works with your technology."
Amore would not reveal which manufacturers Real is targeting, but said Real's alliances with Hewlett-Packard and Nokia in Europe demonstrate its commitment to place its technology with non-PC devices.
The major label source said the service could launch in July or August, depending on the time it will take to integrate the platform into distributors' web sites. Samit was more conservative, stating that the service could launch in the fall if the marketing and sales forces are in place.
Michael Collins, spokesman for MusicNet, said his firm "will make the code and platform available to partners during the summer," but it will be up to distributors to determine when they launch services for consumers.
Despite MusicNet's positive technology outlook, it's unclear if the business will offer publishing rights along with recordings -- a messy area that has had not been easy for digital music companies or the Harry Fox Agency, which administers voluntary licenses for 27,000 music publishers.
According to a statement from Real, MusicNet and its major label partners, "we [MusicNet] have or will have obtained all the publishing rights required for us to grant this service the ability to use our sound recordings."
One major label involved in MusicNet is in the process of declaring compulsory mechanical licenses for all its recordings, so that businesses licensing from MusicNet will not have to obtain publishing licenses on their own. But EMI, whose publishing division is the world's largest, doesn't plan to offer publishing rights as part of MusicNet, Samit said.
That could mean that MusicNet licensees may have to plan for additional costs and legal counsel. The landscape of mechanical royalties for streaming subscription services and time-expiring downloads is rife with controversy, lawsuits and federal proceedings.