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TI'S EUREKA DAB SOLUTION POWERS BREAKTHROUGH DAB RADIO PRODUCT FOR MAYCOM
Maycom Launches TI-Powered DAB Radio at CeBIT 2002, March 13-20 (Booth # IT-Hall25-E15)
HOUSTON (March 5, 2002) -- A low cost Eureka digital audio broadcast (DAB) radio receiver solution from Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE: TXN) has enabled the industry's first portable DAB radio for Korea-based Maycom Co., Ltd. TI's digital baseband and analog chipset powers the unique DAB radio and will be used in future Maycom digital radio products. Maycom will launch the digital radio at CeBIT 2002, March 13 - 20 in Hannover, Germany, in Booth # IT-Hall25-E15. (See www.ti.com/sc/drmaycom.)
http://focus.ti.com/docs/pr/pressrelease.jhtml?prelId=sc02030
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DIGITAL RADIO : OVERVIEW
One of the final bastions of analog processing on the planet, radio, is about to enter the digital revolution. Not since the advent of the transistor radio (also pioneered by Texas Instruments ) has radio seen such a radical change in reception and transmission technology. This follows other analog to digital transformations such as CDs, cell phones, still cameras, etc. Like these examples, the change in radio will have far reaching implications.
Today, radio is ubiquitous: it affects how we live, work, and play. It is a non-intrusive device and remains part of our daily lives. However, the radio we know today will change with the use of DSP technology.
There are two standards at the forefront of this revolution. Eureka-147 is broadcast in several European countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany and France. It is also found in Asia in such places like Singapore and Taiwan. In the US, the proposed standard is IBOC (In Band On Channel).
Whether your end-equipment takes the form of an automotive digital radio, a clock radio, Eureka portable radios, or PC digital radios, continue on in this site to find out more about this exciting market.
http://focus.ti.com/docs/apps/catalog/overview/overview.jhtml;$sessionid$SHDDJMJQP4LE5QC1JAKRVQQ?tem...
Date:8/30/2002 2:20:36 PM
Post #of 32095
Combined MP3, DAB walkman products should hit the market in the second half of next year, Coppisetti said.
Digital Radio Comes Back to Earth
FCC to evaluate IBOC standard
By Steven Fyffe -- Electronic News, 10/15/2001
A digital radio circuit board from Texas Instruments Inc.
As the In-Band On-Channel (IBOC) standard for terrestrial digital radio moves into the approval phase in the United States and other digital radio efforts ramp up in the rest of the world, semiconductor companies are positioning themselves to grab a piece of what could be a massive market.
Texas Instruments Inc. is thinking big.
"Today we have AM and FM radio," said Naresh Coppisetti, business manager for digital radio at TI (nyse: TXN). "Just like cell phones and cameras--all that is going digital. The move from analog to digital transmission must happen. We know that. If you agree with that, then why not be involved early in the transition?
"More than 300 million radios are sold each year worldwide. It is the second or third largest volume market after cell phones," he said.
And the similarities to the cell phone market don't end there. Like the fragmented cell phone industry, proponents of digital radio have split into different standardization camps across the world.
Europe and Canada have adopted the Eureka 147 Digital Audio Broadcasting standard, and Asia looks set to climb on board as well.
As usual, the United States' spectrum squeeze has forced the country to take a different tack. Columbia, Md.-based intellectual property (IP) company iBiquity Digital Corp. is building its business on the hope that the U.S. market will rally around its proposed IBOC standard, which is set to be sent to the Federal Communications Commission for final approval early next year.
On top of these standards, XM Satellite Radio Inc. launched its proprietary service in select U.S. markets in late September, and rival Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. is expected to launch its own service soon.
iBiquity has recruited a strong roster of chipmakers to its cause, including TI, Philips, STMicroelectronics and Agere Systems.
Those four allies have split into two main factions based on their historical design strengths and customer needs. "There are two basic design approaches," said Ben Benjamin, co-chief operating officer of iBiquity. "There is the typical DSP approach that gives a shortend product realization time because you can upgrade the software. Then there is the ASIC approach that optimizes the chip size and gives you somewhat lower cost, but it is less flexible for changing feature sets."
Eindhoven, Netherlands-based Royal Philips Electronics and Geneva-based STMicroelectronics Inc. are both working on drop-in ASIC chipsets so car radio OEMs can take out the current chip and slot the new one in without having to drastically modify the whole radio design, Benjamin said.
"It takes a while to put a new design into a dashboard, and that is one way to get around it--fitting a new IC into an existing footprint."
Car radios are the first big target for chipmakers in the digital radio market, Benjamin said. Philips and STMicro are hoping their strength in auto electronics will translate into a first-mover advantage in terrestrial digital radio.
"Sixty percent of Americans spend 21 hours a week listening to the radio in their car," Benjamin said.
Allentown, Pa.-based Agere Systems Inc. and Dallas-based TI are attacking the market from a more purist DSP angle. While ASICs are traditionally cheaper in high volumes, TI believes its experience in the cell phone market will help make its DSPs cost competitive.
"We were able to do it in cell phones, why can't we cost reduce the thing and be a real player in the DAB market?" Coppisetti said. "Cost is everything if you want it to be a mass market. We are playing very well in the cell phone market, and it is very similar to digital radio."
In Europe, TI currently sells a baseband processor, based on its C5000 core, bundled with 12 other analog components for $15 to $17.50. Other components are needed to make a functioning digital radio, including an RF chip, memory and passive components. But TI claims OEMs can manufacture digital radio boom-boxes, using the licensable reference design it developed with London-based RadioScape Ltd., for less than $200.
According to market research firms, consumers should be willing to pay for the better-quality sound and limited data-casting capabilities of IBOC terrestrial digital radio when the price comes within $100 of conventional analog radio, Benjamin said.
In contrast to satellite digital radio, which will offer around 100 channels nationwide for a monthly subscription, terrestrial digital radio in the United States will be free, piggybacking on the current AM-FM system.
"We see terrestrial radio as largely a local phenomenon," Benjamin said. "Most people use it because they can get information, entertainment and local advertisement."
TI is also exploring the possibilities of combining a portable digital radio with an MP3 player, Coppisetti said.
"A digital walkman would be very easy," he said. "MP3 decoding can be done on the same chip as the baseband. We think that the convergence of MP3 and DAB is going to be a powerful proposition for consumers. You have MP3 instead of a cassette, and you can record DAB music onto a flash card.
"TI is very uniquely positioned in this convergence because of the programmable nature of our baseband processor," he said.
Power consumption is the major technical hurdle to creating the all-in-one digital walkman, Coppisetti said. "Our target is to run the walkman on two AA batteries," he said.
Combined MP3, DAB walkman products should hit the market in the second half of next year, Coppisetti said.
Tin--i see nothing about the classic CHD1500 being "voice-nav"; please try to stay on topic!!! LOL
PS--my vote it its an edig clone and emiglobal is more willing to have it look like an IPOD clone and run the risk of getting sued based on the functionality differences.
2/13/03 E DIGITAL CORP (EDIG.OB)Quarterly Report (SEC form 10-Q)
Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
THE FOLLOWING DISCUSSION INCLUDES FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS WITH RESPECT TO THE
COMPANY'S FUTURE FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE. ACTUAL RESULTS MAY DIFFER MATERIALLY
FROM THOSE CURRENTLY ANTICIPATED AND FROM HISTORICAL RESULTS DEPENDING UPON A
VARIETY OF FACTORS, INCLUDING THOSE DESCRIBED BELOW AND UNDER THE SUB-HEADING,
"BUSINESS RISKS." SEE ALSO THE COMPANY'S ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K FOR THE YEAR
ENDED MARCH 31, 2002.
General We offer engineering services to leading electronics companies to create portable digital devices that can link to PCs, the Internet and other electronic devices. We market our services and technologies to Original Equipment Manufacturers ("OEMs") with a focus on developing digital music, voice, and video players/recorders using the latest in digital storage media (a device used to store data) and technology. OEMs are business customers that license or purchase our products or our technology to embed in their own products. We offer complete reference designs (working, full-featured designs sometimes implemented as prototypes that can be customized to a customers' preferred look and feel or branded and sold as they are, according to the customer's wishes) and technology platforms (basic working technology that can be developed into a finished consumer product, or incorporated into an existing consumer product design) for private labeling by OEMs. We may sometimes integrate our OEMs' unique or proprietary features and/or technology into new products for their product lines. We focus our marketing efforts on OEMs in various digital processing markets including digital music, dictation equipment, consumer electronics, digital image and video and other electronic product markets. We have relationships with ISO certified manufacturing facilities in the United States, Malaysia, Taiwan, China, Singapore, and Korea. The ISO, or International Standards Organization, creates uniform, measurable quality standards used around the world. They measure, judge, and certify companies based upon compliance with stringent standards applicable to their industry. We have expertise in developing, performing and overseeing manufacturing processes. We license technology and offer manufacturing supervision, documentation and quality control services to our OEM customers. Services offered include custom hardware, firmware (an instruction set programmed into a chip which determines the product's functionality and user interface), software development, technology platform development, product design, manufacturing services, fulfillment services, warranty services, and licensing of our patented file management systems. Our revenues may result from the sale of products, fees from engineering services, industrial order fulfillment, technical support services, warranty services and/or design services. In some cases, we rely on outside subcontractors to perform services including manufacturing, testing and certification, industrial design, and assembly. In December 2001, we announced plans to brand and sell our own line of digital audio products for consumers. The first product in this program is a digital audio player named MXP™100, which incorporates our MicroOS™ 2.0 and VoiceNav™ technologies into a handheld digital music and voice recorder/player. This product which was launched on our website store on November 2, 2001, incorporates a proprietary PC software interface program designed and developed by us, called "MXP Music Explorer," that allows users to download MP3 and Windows Media™ files from their PC's hard drive to the portable player. The MXP-100 player uses either Microdrive™ storage media from IBM or CompactFlash™ storage media from SanDisk. In November 2002, we announced plans to refocus our business and marketing strategy on OEM opportunities and deempahsize the production and marketing of our own branded products. The decision to move away from marketing and selling our own branded products was driven by (i) slow payment terms by retailers, (ii) large working capital requirements, specifically inventory, (iii) extremely competitive and price sensitive market for consumer electronic goods in the United States; (iv) low margins and (v) the need for high level of sales and marketing expenditures. Directly related to our consumer product sales plans, in December 2001, we signed a three-year agreement with APL Direct Logistics, a custom fulfillment partner, for product distribution, fulfillment, and support services. Under the multi-year agreement, APL Direct Logistics is to receive our product inventory in their distribution center in Hebron, Kentucky, and fulfill orders directly to consumers. These orders come from our secure online store, which has been established at http://www.edigital-store.com. Orders also may come from our partners, from other online sales sites, from other distributors, from resellers, or from retail stores. This agreement includes provisions for APL Direct Logistics or a subcontractor to provide call center support to answer consumer questions about our "e.Digital" branded products and non-branded products marketed by us and to take orders by phone when necessary. The agreement requires certain minimum payments to APL Direct Logistics and is for a term of three years, terminating December 31, 2004. In September 2002, we notified APL that we were terminating the agreement. In order to reduce our monthly overhead expenses, we have brought in-house all of the fulfillment, distribution and support services that previously had been handled by APL. At September 30, 2002, approximately $51,922 of finished goods inventory was held at APL Direct Logistics' facilities. In the quarter ending December 31, 2002, APL drew down on $129,925 of the letter of credit and sold our inventory, with a value of $51,992 to reduce our obligations to APL. After applying $21,668, the balance in the prepaid freight management at APL, at December 31, 2002, we believe that the total amount due to APL is $78,392 and have recorded this amount as a current liability. Settlement of this liability may be either more or less than the amount recorded in the consolidated financial statements and accordingly may be subject to measurement uncertainty in the near term.
In May 2002, we signed a strategic development agreement with Digitalway Co., Ltd., ("Digitalway") of Korea. Under the agreement, we will co-develop and market advanced digital audio players for the consumer market. The products will be branded by e.Digital and marketed in the United States and Canada. The products will be branded by Digitalway and marketed in Asia and other territories. The new products developed under the agreement will be also branded by e.Digital and marketed in Europe. On May 31, 2002, we announced the first products resulting from this agreement, the Odyssey 100, Odyssey 200, and Odyssey 300. In July 2002, the products became available for sale. All of these portable MP3 player products use embedded Flash-memory technology with a SmartMedia card expansion slot for optional storage media upgrades. The Odyssey 100 is an extremely compact MP3 player with very efficient power management, providing up to 31 hours of playback time on a single AA Alkaline battery. The Odyssey 200 incorporates an FM tuner and a digital voice recorder. The Odyssey 300 features direct MP3 encoding, allowing users to plug in their personal CD player and encode MP3 files directly to the Odyssey 300 without the use of a computer. It also incorporates a digital voice recorder, FM tuner, and FM recorder. The Odyssey products include software to interface with PC and Mac platforms to organize and upload/download files. In October 2002, we announced a partnership with Aircraft Protective Systems, Inc. ("APS") to develop and market a portable, hard disk drive-based In-Flight Entertainment, or IFE, system under contract for a leading U.S. airline. The agreement specifies that we will manufacture and sell the customizable digital video player through APS. The agreement includes provisions for non-recurring engineering ("NRE") fees to be paid by APS to us for design services plus licensing fees and royalties. To date, we have received $50,000 in payments under this agreement with respect to NRE fees only, of which $50,000 has been deferred at December 31, 2002. In December 2001, we signed a strategic alliance agreement with DataPlay, Inc. ("DataPlay") of Boulder, Colorado. The agreement specifies that we will provide engineering and technology development to DataPlay, specifically to incorporate DataPlay's removable digital media and micro-optical engine into a variety of portable products. The agreement also states that DataPlay will refer OEM customers to us for product design, technology integration, and application development around DataPlay's technology. This agreement includes provisions for non-recurring engineering ("NRE") fees to be paid by DataPlay to us for design services and specifies that we will collect royalties from OEM customers on certain DataPlay-enabled products. To date we have received $335,000 in payments under this agreement with respect to NRE fees only, which have all been recorded as revenue. In September 2002, DataPlay announced that it had filed for protection under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code and accordingly, we wrote off $20,914, the total amount due from DataPlay at September 30, 2002. In December 2001, we signed a royalty-bearing licensing agreement with Hong Kong manufacturer Musical Electronics, Ltd. ("Musical"). Under the agreement, Musical licensed technology from us for use in Musical's OEM products. The agreement calls for Musical to pay us licensing fees as well as per-unit royalties. On December 3, 2001, Musical announced that its first product, the Classic XP3, created under their licensing agreement with e.Digital, would be sold through Circuit City, a national consumer electronics retailer. To date, we have received $17,736 of licensing revenues and have recognized a total of $17,736 as revenues under this agreement. In addition, we have received $50,000 with respect to NRE fees, of which $31,666 has been deferred at December 31, 2002. In March 2002, we announced that we had entered into a Development and Manufacturing Agreement with Eclipse by Fujitsu Ten ("Eclipse"), a car stereo company. Under the agreement, e.Digital will receive NRE fees for design and development services, as well as revenues for the manufacture and delivery of Eclipse-branded audio products. Specifically, the agreement states that e.Digital will provide Eclipse with engineering services to integrate file management and compressed audio management technology designed by e.Digital into an advanced automotive audio system. Eclipse refers to their automotive audio system as an "infotainment" platform because it includes not only a radio and CD Player, but also may (i) connect wirelessly to the Internet to download music or other data, (ii) store, organize, retrieve, and play back data, including digital audio files, from a hard disk drive, (iii) connect wirelessly to a user's home personal computer while parked in the driveway for purposes of downloading and/or uploading music or other information, (iv) record radio signals to a built-in hard disk drive as they are received and (v) recognize the driver's voice commands to perform a variety of operations. Prior to entering into the Development and Manufacturing Agreement, we had collaborated with Eclipse for several months to develop and deliver state-of-the-art automotive OEM and aftermarket infotainment systems integrating the latest digital audio, voice recognition, data storage, video, and wireless Internet technologies for sale under the Eclipse brand name. The first system was unveiled at the 2002 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. To date, we have received $55,000 under this agreement with respect to NRE fees only, of which $15,000 has been deferred as of December 31, 2002
In April 2002, we announced a strategic collaboration with DivXNetwork, Inc. ("DivX Networks") of San Diego, California. DivX Networks created and markets a motion picture compression format (the DivX™ codec, a leading standard for MPEG-4 video distribution) that is used for storing, playing back, and streaming motion pictures over the Internet. Over 50 million users worldwide have downloaded the DivX codec and the format is frequently used for distribution of news, information, and entertainment by corporations and video producers including major motion picture companies. Under the agreement we are working with DivX to jointly develop and market a range of consumer electronics devices that play back DivX video. To date, we have received no revenues from this collaboration. In July 2001, we signed a royalty-bearing licensing agreement with Bang & Olufsen Multimedia A/S ("Bang & Olufsen"), a premier European electronics, telephony and audio/video manufacturer. Under this licensing agreement, we customized and provided Bang & Olufsen a MicroOS™ based custom product platform for use in their branded music product line. To date, we have received $75,000 under this agreement with respect to NRE fees only, of which $45,706 has been deferred as of December 31, 2002. The first product developed under our licensing agreement (the BeoSound 2 digital audio player) became available to consumers in the United States and Canada in late June 2002, and in European markets a few weeks later. Bang & Olufsen sells their branded products through exclusive retail stores worldwide. To date, we have received $52,335 of licensing revenues and have recognized a total of $52,335 of revenues under this agreement. We designed, developed and produced a digital voice recorder and computer docking station for the medical industry pursuant to a January 1997 development and supply agreement with Lanier Healthcare, LLC ("Lanier"). These products represent the Cquence Mobile portion of Lanier's Cquence line of products for the medical industry. The Cquence line is an integrated medical document management solution that manages medical documents from creation, completion, distribution and retention. Cquence Mobile offers healthcare providers a mobile digital dictation unit and computer interface with a number of new advanced features. The Lanier agreement provided that we would supply and deliver product to them through December 2001. In May 1999, we commenced production, through a subcontract manufacturer, and in June 1999 commenced initial limited customer deliveries pursuant to purchase orders. The supply agreement provided for rolling six-month requirement forecasts and three-month advance orders. During the quarter ended December 31, 2002, we delivered $nil of products to Lanier, compared to $64,681 for the quarter ended December 31, 2001. In October 2001, we satisfied our contractual commitment to deliver of product to Lanier and, to date, have received no additional purchase orders. Our agreement with Lanier has not been renewed and we expect no additional sales. We incurred operating losses in each of the last three fiscal years and for the six months ended December 31, 2002 and these losses have been material. We incurred operating losses of $5.2 million, $5.9 million, $3.9 million and $2.6 million in the nine months ended December 31, 2002 and fiscal years ended March 31, 2002, 2001 and 2000, respectively. At December 31, 2002, we had a working capital deficit of $1.9 million. Our monthly cash operating expenses have been reduced from approximately $500,000 at March 31, 2002 to approximately $275,000 at December 31, 2002. However, we may increase expenditure levels in future periods to expand our OEM revenue opportunities and continue advanced product and technology research and development. Accordingly, our losses are expected to continue until such time as we are able to realize licensing, royalty, sales, and development revenues sufficient to cover the fixed costs of operations. We continue to be subject to the risks normally associated with any new business activity, including unforeseeable expenses, delays and complications. Accordingly, there is no guarantee that we can or will report operating profits in the future. Since March 31, 2002, we have experienced significant losses and negative cash flow from operations. The Company's current working capital is sufficient to fund operations for the next two months. Our current operating plans, including our plans to market to OEMs, require additional funds which may take the form of debt or equity financings. There can be no assurance that any additional funds will be available to our company on satisfactory terms and conditions, if at all. Our company's ability to continue as a going concern is in substantial doubt and is dependent upon achieving a profitable level of operations and, if necessary, obtaining additional financing. Management of our company has undertaken steps as part of a plan to improve operations with the goal of sustaining our operations for the next twelve months and beyond. These steps include (a) controlling overhead and expenses ; (b) expanding sales and marketing to OEM customers and markets and (c) raising, if necessary, additional capital and/or obtaining third party financing.
On February 6, 2002, we filed a "shelf" registration statement on Form S-3, No. 333-82272 (the "Registration Statement") to sell up to 20,000,000 shares of common stock. The Registration Statement was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 29, 2002. On April 31, 2002, we sold 2,830,189 shares of common stock for gross proceeds of $1,500,000, and utilized $300,000 to reduce the principal amount due under the 5% SP Note, $15,000 to reduce accrued interest due under the 5% SP Note, and $5,105 for offering expenses. On June 7, 2002, we sold 2,105,264 shares of common stock for gross proceeds of $800,000, and utilized $250,000 to reduce the principal amount due under the 5% SP Note and $1,000 for offering expenses. On December 3, 2002, we sold 425,532 shares of common stock for gross proceeds of $200,000 and utilized $195,000 for working capital purposes and $5,000 for offering expenses. On October 2, 2002, we sold 455,000 shares of common stock for gross proceeds of $182,000, and utilized $150,00 to reduce the principal amount of the Unsecured Notes and $32,000 to reduce accrued interest due under the Unsecured Notes. On November 1, 2002, we sold 455,000 shares of common stock for gross proceeds of $138,500 and utilized $138,500 for working capital purposes. On November 18, 2002, we sold 445,000 shares of common stock for gross proceeds of $133,500 and utilized $133,500 for working capital purposes. On November 27, 2002, we sold 450,488 for gross proceeds of $92,350 and utilized $92,350 for working capital purposes. On December 24, 2002, we sold 555,263 for gross proceeds of $105,500 and utilized $105,500 for working capital purposes. On January 14, 2003, we sold 678,947 for gross proceeds of $129,000 and utilized $129,000 for working capital purposes In July 2002, we issued Unsecured Promissory Notes ("Unsecured Notes") for gross cash proceeds of $1,050,000 to certain investors to finance various purchase orders and accounts payable. The Unsecured Notes originally matured sixty days from issuance, commencing December 1, 2002. The interest under the Unsecured Notes accrued at a rate of 24% per annum simple interest and was payable in one installment on the maturity date. We have entered into a forbearance agreement with the investors through and including December 31, 2002. On December 30, 2002, we issued 397,104 shares of Common Stock in consideration for all accrued and unpaid interest. As at December 31, 2002, accrued interest totaled $nil [March 31, 2002 -- $60,491]. On December 30, 2002, each of the note holders agreed to convert the unpaid principal balance totaling $1,050,000 of the Unsecured Notes into 105,000 Series D stock. On August 2, 2002, we issued 360,000 restricted shares of Common Stock to a director for gross proceeds of $120,000. The restricted shares of Common Stock do not have any registration rights. On December 11, 2002, we issued a 15% Unsecured Promissory Note ("15% Unsecured Note") for gross cash proceeds of $750,000 to an individual. The 15% Unsecured Note, under the original term, was scheduled to mature on February 11, 2004 and payable $50,000 each month, with a final payment of $35,801 on February 11, 2004. We entered into a forbearance agreement with the noteholder through and including December 31, 2002. On December 30, 2002, we issued 137,273 shares of Common Stock in consideration for all accrued and unpaid interest. At as December 31, 2002, accrued interest totaled $nil [March 31, 2002 -- $nil]. On December 23, 2002, the holder of the 15% Unsecured Note agreed to (i) extend the maturity date of the 15% Unsecured Note from February 11, 2004 to May 31, 2005; (ii) reduce the monthly payments from $50,000 to $7,500 through December 31, 2003, representing the monthly interest on the 15% Unsecured Note and (iii) $50,000 payments each month, beginning January 31, 2004. Results of Operations Nine months ended December 31, 2002 compared to nine months ended December 31, For the nine months ended December 31, 2002, we reported total revenues of $1,698,794, a 3.9% decrease from total revenues of $1,768,429 for the first nine months of fiscal 2002. Product revenues for nine months ending December 31, 2002 were $1,438,810, a 12.2% increase from product revenues of $1,282,554 for the nine months ending December 31, 2001. Product revenues for the nine months ending December 31, 2002 consisted almost entirely of sale of portable digital audio players, which we launched during the 3rd and 4th fiscal quarter of 2002, while approximately $309,319 of product revenues for the nine months ending December 31, 2001 consisted of sale of portable digital audio players. The balance of the sales for the nine months ending December 31, 2001 consisted almost entirely of product shipment to Lanier. The loss of Lanier as a customer has had a material adverse impact on our results of operations. Based on our experience with the purchasing and payment history of our customers, we began, in the quarter ending June 30, 2002, to recognize revenue from products sold to most of our retailers as they ship product to their customers rather than when we ship products to the retailers.
Service revenues for the first nine months of fiscal 2003 were $259,985 compared to $485,874 for the comparable period of the prior year. The timing and amount of service revenues is dependent upon a limited number of projects. At December 31, 2002 we had $107,078 of deferred revenue from development contracts which will be recognized based on the terms and conditions of each agreement. We are increasing our focus on internally developed technology to be offered to OEM customers in order to speed adoption of our technology and enhance our future revenues. For the nine months ended December 31, 2002, we reported a gross loss of $1,234,378 compared to a gross profit of $116,685 for the first nine months of fiscal 2002. Cost of sales for the nine months ended December 31, 2002 consisted of $2,810,761 of product costs and $122,411 of service costs, consisting mostly of research and development labor being funded in part by OEM development agreements. Although we do not anticipate any significant future contract losses, we cannot guarantee that we can maintain positive gross margins in the future or with future customers. Gross profit as a percentage of revenue decreased from 6.6% to (72.7%), due primarily to start-up costs relating to the launch of our branded products, the write-down of inventory by $600,551 related to slow moving and obsolete products, price reductions on our branded products and the APL Direct Logistics' costs. At the present time, warranty costs are not significant. We generally sell our branded products with a six-month manufacturing warranty, while the contract supply agreement on Lanier products provided a twelve-month manufacturing warranty. Total operating expenses (consisting of research and related expenditures and selling and administrative expenses) for the nine months ended December 31, 2002 were $3,987,581, as compared to $3,987,248 for the nine months ended December 31, 2001. Selling and administrative costs aggregated $2,873,264 for the first nine months of fiscal 2003 compared to $1,907,253 in the prior period. The $966,011 increase in selling and administrative costs resulted primarily from the following: increase in personnel and benefit costs of $621,633, an increase of $230,911 in professional fees, including $185,050 representing the value of stock options issued to a consultant, an increase in customer service costs of $27,113, an increase in advertising and promotional items of $92,557, offset by a decrease in outside public relations expense of $112,940 and a decrease in the use of outside consultants by $51,648. We anticipate quarterly selling and administrative expenses to decrease as we focus more on OEM opportunities and deemphasize selling and marketing our branded products. Research and related expenditures for the nine months ended December 31, 2002 were $1,114,317, as compared to $2,079,995, for the nine months ended December 31, 2001. The $965,678 decrease in research and development costs resulted primarily from a decrease in the use of outside consultants and temporary labor of approximately $191,866, a decrease of approximately $199,533 of materials and supplies and a decrease of $466,640 in personnel and benefit costs resulting primarily from personnel who have moved from the research and development department into the sales and administrative departments. Research and development costs are subject to significant quarterly variations depending on the use of outside services, the assignment of engineers to development projects and the availability of financial resources. We reported an operating loss of $5,221,959 for the nine months ended December 31, 2002 as compared to an operating loss of $3,870,563 for the nine months ended December 31, 2001. The increase in operating loss resulted primarily from the gross loss for the nine months ended December 31, 2002 as compared to a gross profit for the nine months ended December 31, 2001. We believe, but we can not guarantee, that our strategy of investing in OEM developments with supply or royalty provisions will provide positive margins in future periods. The timing and amount of product sales and the recognition of contract service revenues impact our operating losses. Accordingly, there is uncertainty about future operating results and the results for the three months are not necessarily indicative of operating results for future periods or the fiscal year. We reported a loss for the first nine months of the current fiscal year of $5,851,781 as compared to a loss of $3,899,537 for the prior year's first nine months. For the nine months ended December 31, 2002, we incurred interest expense of $713,067 as compared to $111,747 for the comparable period in the prior year due to the increase in the average principal debt balance outstanding during the nine months ending December 31, 2002. The loss available to common stockholders for the nine months ended December 31, 2002 and 2001 is $5,851,781 and $3,925,870 respectively. Included in the loss available to common stockholders for the nine months ending December 31, 2002 and 2001 is accrued dividends of $nil and $26,332, respectively on the Series C stock. Three months ended December 31, 2002 compared to three months ended December 31, For the three months ended December 31, 2002, we reported total revenues of $643,420, an 8.7% increase from total revenues of $592,155 for the quarter ended December 31, 2001. Product revenues for the quarter ended December 31, 2002 were $559,762, a 22.9% increase from product revenues of $455,379 for the quarter ended December 31, 2001. Product revenues for the quarters ended December 31, 2002 December 31, 2001 consisted almost entirely of sale of portable digital audio players, which we launched during the 3rd and 4th fiscal quarter of 2002. The increase in product revenues was the result of increased units sold, offset by reductions in unit prices.
Service revenues for the quarter ended December 31, 2002 were $83,658 compared to $136,776 for the comparable period of the prior year. The timing and amount of service revenues is dependent upon a limited number of projects. For the quarter ended December 31, 2002, we reported a gross loss of $105,844 compared to a gross loss of $305,090 for the quarter ended December 31, 2002. Cost of sales for the quarter ended December 31, 2002 consisted of $725,300 of product costs and $23,964 of service costs, consisting mostly of research and development labor being funded in part by OEM development agreements. Although we do not anticipate any significant future contract losses, we cannot guarantee that we can maintain positive gross margins in the future or with future customers. Gross profit as a percentage of revenue improved from (51.5%) to (16.5%), due primarily to start-up costs relating to the launch of our branded products and the APL Direct Logistics' costs incurred in the quarter ending December 31, 2001. At the present time, warranty costs are not significant. We generally sell our branded products with a six-month manufacturing warranty Total operating expenses (consisting of research and related expenditures and selling and administrative expenses) for the quarter ended December 31, 2002 were $1,139,825, as compared to $1,454,976 for the quarter ended December 31, 2001. Selling and administrative costs aggregated $829,003 for the quarter ended December 31, 2002 compared to $868,433 in the prior period. The $39,430 decrease in selling and administrative costs resulted primarily from the following: decrease in outside public relations and consultant expense of $108,201, a decrease in professional fees of $90,057, offset by an increase in personnel and benefit costs of $107,244, an increase in insurance expense of $35,545 and an increase in bad debt expense of $27,630. We anticipate quarterly selling and administrative expenses to decrease as we focus more on OEM opportunities and away from selling and marketing our branded products. Research and related expenditures for the quarter ended December 31, 2002 were $310,822, as compared to $586,543, for the quarter ended December 31, 2001. The $275,721 decrease in research and development costs resulted primarily from a decrease in the use of outside consultants and temporary labor of approximately $38,864, and a decrease of approximately $233,239 in personnel and benefit costs resulting primarily from personnel who have moved from the research and development department into the sales and administrative departments. Research and development costs are subject to significant quarterly variations depending on the use of outside services, the assignment of engineers to development projects and the availability of financial resources. We reported an operating loss of $1,245,669 for the quarter ended December 31, 2002 as compared to an operating loss of $1,760,066 for the quarter ended December 31, 2001. The increase in operating loss resulted primarily from a smaller gross loss for the quarter ended December 31, 2002 as compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2001, as well as decreased operating expenses. We believe, but we can not guarantee, that our strategy of investing in OEM developments with supply or royalty provisions will provide positive margins in future periods. The timing and amount of product sales and the recognition of contract service revenues impact our operating losses. Accordingly, there is uncertainty about future operating results and the results for the three months are not necessarily indicative of operating results for future periods or the fiscal year. We reported a loss for the quarter ended December 31, 2002 of $1,439,760 as compared to a loss of $1,864,553 for the quarter ended December 31, 2001. For the quarter ended December 31, 2002, we incurred interest expense of $208,721 as compared to $111,147 for the comparable period in the prior year. The loss available to common stockholders for the quarter ended December 31, 2002 and 2001 is $1,439,760 and $1,864,553, respectively. Liquidity and Capital Resources At December 31, 2002, we had working capital deficit of $1,931,328 compared to a working capital deficit of $2,543,657 at March 31, 2002. We had $230,918 of working capital invested in inventory at December 31, 2002. Cash used in operating activities for the nine month period ended December 31, 2002 was $3,896,695 resulting primarily from the loss for the period of $5,851,781, a decrease in accounts payable of $555,866, offset by a decrease in inventory of $679,304, a decrease in accounts receivable of $452,742, the issuance of stock to vendors of $563,346, the issuance of stock as payment on accrued interest of $254,246 and the value of stock options issued to a consultant of $185,085. During the nine months ended December 31, 2002 we purchased $90,583 in property and equipment. For the nine months ended December 31, 2002, cash provided by financing activities was $3,719,689 resulting primarily from $3,271,851 proceeds from issuance of shares of Common Stock, $1,800,000 proceeds from the issuance of the Unsecured Notes and the 15% Unsecured Note and proceeds of $47,838 from the exercise of stock options, offset by a payment of $1,400,000 on the 5% SP Notes. For the nine months ended December 31, 2002, net cash and cash equivalents decreased by $180,135.
At December 31, 2002, we had net accounts receivable of $126,167 as compared to $618,509 at March 31, 2002. This represented approximately 18 days of revenues. During the quarter ending December 31, 2002, we increased the allowance for doubtful accounts by $39,600. The decrease in receivables resulted from collections during the quarter ending December 31, 2002. In addition, beginning in the quarter ending September 30, 2002, we began to offset accounts receivable with deferred revenues for most of our retail customers, which had the impact of lowering our reported accounts receivable balances. Receivables can vary dramatically due to the timing of product shipments and contract arrangements on development agreements. At December 31, 2002, we had cash and cash equivalents of $265,084. Other than cash and cash equivalents and accounts receivable, we have no material unused sources of liquidity at this time. We have no material commitments for capital expenditures or resources. Based on our cash position and assuming (a) continuation of existing OEM arrangements and (b) currently planned expenditures and level of operation, we believe we have sufficient capital resources for the next two months. However actual results could differ significantly from management plans. The actual future margins to be realized, if any, and the timing of shipments and the amount and quantities of OEM shipments, orders and reorders are subject to many factors and risks, many outside our control. On February 6, 2002, we filed a "shelf" registration statement on Form S-3, No. 333-82272 (the "Registration Statement") to sell up to 20,000,000 shares of common stock. The Registration Statement was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 29, 2002. On April 31, 2002, we sold 2,830,189 shares of common stock for gross proceeds of $1,500,000, and utilized $300,000 to reduce the principal amount due under the 5% SP Note, $15,000 to reduce accrued interest due under the 5% SP Note, and $5,105 for offering expenses. On June 7, 2002, we sold 2,105,264 shares of common stock for gross proceeds of $800,000, and utilized $250,000 to reduce the principal amount due under the 5% SP Note and $1,000 for offering expenses. On December 3, 2002, we sold 425,532 shares of common stock for gross proceeds of $200,000 and utilized $195,000 for working capital purposes and $5,000 for offering expenses. On October 2, 2002, we sold 455,000 shares of common stock for gross proceeds of $182,000, and utilized $150,00 to reduce the principal amount of the Unsecured Notes and $32,000 to reduce accrued interest due under the Unsecured Notes. On November 1, 2002, we sold 455,000 shares of common stock for gross proceeds of $138,500 and utilized $138,500 for working capital purposes. On November 18, 2002, we sold 445,000 shares of common stock for gross proceeds of $133,500 and utilized $133,500 for working capital purposes. On November 27, 2002, we sold 450,488 for gross proceeds of $92,350 and utilized $92,350 for working capital purposes. On December 24, 2002, we sold 555,263 for gross proceeds of $105,500 and utilized $105,500 for working capital purposes. On January 14, 2003, we sold 678,947 for gross proceeds of $129,000 and utilized $129,000 for working capital purposes In July 2002, we issued Unsecured Promissory Notes ("Unsecured Notes") for gross cash proceeds of $1,050,000 to certain investors to finance various purchase orders and accounts payable. The Unsecured Notes originally matured sixty days from issuance, commencing December 1, 2002. The interest under the Unsecured Notes accrued at a rate of 24% per annum simple interest and was payable in one installment on the maturity date. We have entered into a forbearance agreement with the investors through and including December 31, 2002. On December 30, 2002, we issued 397,104 shares of Common Stock in consideration for all accrued and unpaid interest. As at December 31, 2002, accrued interest totaled $nil [March 31, 2002 -- $60,491]. On December 30, 2002, each of the note holders agreed to convert the unpaid principal balance totaling $1,050,000 of the Unsecured Notes into 105,000 Series D stock. On August 2, 2002, we issued 360,000 restricted shares of Common Stock to a director for gross proceeds of $120,000. The restricted shares of Common Stock do not have any registration rights. On December 11, 2002, we issued a 15% Unsecured Promissory Note ("15% Unsecured Note") for gross cash proceeds of $750,000 to an individual. The 15% Unsecured Note, under the original term, was scheduled to mature on February 11, 2004 and payable $50,000 each month, with a final payment of $35,801 on February 11, 2004. We entered into a forbearance agreement with the noteholder through and including December 31, 2002. On December 30, 2002, we issued 137,273 shares of Common Stock in consideration for all accrued and unpaid interest. At as December 31, 2002, accrued interest totaled $nil [March 31, 2002 -- $nil]. On December 23, 2002, the holder of the 15% Unsecured Note agreed to (i) extend the maturity date of the 15% Unsecured Note from February 11, 2004 to May 31, 2005; (ii) reduce the monthly payments from $50,000 to $7,500 through December 31, 2003, representing the monthly interest on the 15% Unsecured Note and (iii) $50,000 payments each month, beginning January 31, 2004.
We are actively seeking equity financing and intend to use proceeds from equity sales for working capital and to repay the 15% Unsecured Note. If we are unable to secure equity financing, we will attempt to renegotiate the terms of the 15% Unsecured Note. There can be no guarantee that we will be able to raise additional equity and/or renegotiate the terms of the 15% Unsecured Note with the noteholder. We require additional capital to finance future developments and improvements to our technology. Should additional funds not be available, we may be required to curtail or scale back staffing or operations. Failure to obtain additional financings will have a material adverse affect on our company. Potential sources of such funds include exercise of outstanding warrants and options, or debt financing or additional equity offerings. However, there is no guarantee that warrants and options will be exercised or that debt or equity financing will be available when needed. Any future financing may be dilutive to existing stockholders. Future Commitments and Financial Resources We have entered into a three-year fulfillment, storage and freight management agreement with APL Direct Logistics ending on December 31, 2004. As part of this agreement, we provided APL Direct Logistics with a letter of credit amounting to $144,724 ($nil at December 31, 2002) and prepaid $90,000 to APL Direct Logistics for inbound and outbound freight management services which will be drawn down upon submission of invoices from APL. We also paid APL Direct Logistics $14,000 for initial integration and implementation expenses. In June 2002, we made a payment of $35,000 to APL Direct Logistics as an additional prepayment for freight management. Under the agreement, our minimum monthly commitment, which includes call center support, is approximately $46,000. In September 2002, we notified APL that we are terminating the agreement. At September 30, 2002, approximately $51,922 of finished goods inventory was held at APL Direct Logistics' facilities. In the quarter ending December 31, 2002, APL drew down on $129,925 of the letter of credit and sold our inventory, with a value of $51,992 to reduce our obligations to APL. After applying $21,668, the balance in the prepaid freight management at APL, at December 31, 2002, we believe that the total amount due to APL is $78,392 and has been recorded as a current liability. Settlement of this liability may be either more or less than the amount recorded in the consolidated financial statements and accordingly may be subject to measurement uncertainty in the near term. The accrued lease liability reflects management's best estimate of amounts due for matters in dispute. Settlement of this liability may either be more or less than the amount recorded in the unaudited items consolidated financial statements and accordingly may be subject to measurement uncertainty in the near term. In the future, if our operations increase significantly, we may require additional funds. We also may require additional capital to finance future developments, acquisitions or expansion of facilities. We currently have no plans, arrangements or understandings regarding any acquisitions. In December 2000, we entered into a three-year sublease agreement expiring on July 31, 2003. We are occupying approximately 13,000 square feet with aggregate monthly lease payments of $15,967 inclusive of utilities and costs. The aggregate monthly lease payments increased to $16,606 beginning August 1, 2002. As of December 31, 2002, the total operating lease obligation under the lease for office space is $116,242. Business Risks This report contains a number of forward-looking statements that reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial performance. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results or those anticipated. In this report, the words "anticipates," "believes," "expects," "intends," "future" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned to consider the specific and substantial business risk factors described above and in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2002 and not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained herein, which speak only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements, to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date hereof.
General Motors' Telematics Strategy
With Internet access becoming more mobile, car manufacturers have a great opportunity to receive additional revenue with in-vehicle Internet access, according to Gartner Group, Inc. General Motors announced its Telematics strategy that will ultimately offer Internet access in cars for the first time. The company will increase the breadth of its satellite-based OnStar communications service through the "Virtual Advisor" and the offering of the "Infotainment'' system in selected Cadillac models.
Beginning in the fall of this year, the "Virtual Advisor" will allow drivers to perform voice-activated personal calling and give them access to Web-Based information like stocks, sport and traffic news. The ``Infotainment'' system will be able to read e-mails to the driver, display the e-mail text on a screen and offer download capabilities to a handheld computer. In addition, the "Infotainment'' system will offer navigation support and an advanced audio system. To ensure vehicle safety, both the OnStar "Virtual Advisor'' and the ``Infotainment'' systems will be voice controlled.
Continuing to set industry standards in utilising innovation to distinguish its vehicles from other luxury cars, Cadillac selected the Communiport Infotainment PC radio that offers a full map turn-by-turn navigation system, e-mail, Internet access, voice memo and integrated hands-free telephone and address book. Infotainment PC is powered by the Microsoft Windows CE® operating system. The Communiport system is commanded by voice recognition and features text-to-speech technologies to read messages or e-mails. In addition, the system includes an Infrared Data Adapter (IrDA) port to exchange information with hand-held devices like personal digital assistants. The system includes a compact flash slot to expand memory and hot keys to instantly access frequently used features.
this is a couple of years old--Cadillac put this on hold; i always thought edig was involved in this
Posted by: richardosborne
In reply to: None Date:2/11/2003 9:01:29 AM
Post #of 30636
Confirmation on HD100, received from the International Sales Department. No answer to other questions.
Dear Mr. Ricahrd,
Thanks for your inquiry on our Hard disk player, Hdd100.
As you know, it is same to Oddissey1000 from e-digital in U.S.
We, digitalway is the manufacturer of this product moreover we sell it whole market excepting America.
If you want to know further information, Do not hesitate to contact me.
Thanks.
Best regards,
Jongwon Seo
mpio-PEROS Gmbh / Digitalway Co., Ltd.
=======================================
Addr : Am Gleis 1, 92521, Schwarzenfeld
Tel : +49-9435-5407-23
Fax :+49-9435-5407-40
Mobile : +49-160-3515694
E-mail : jwseo@digitalway.co.kr
=======================================
www.mpio.co.kr / www. digitalway.co.kr / www.peros.de
'iPod-alike' announced
By Macworld staff
DigitalWay has launched an MP3 player that's "startlingly similar" to Apple's iPod.
The device even uses scroll-wheel navigation.
The £299.99 (inc-VAT) product is called the hd100 personal digital jukebox. It includes a digital voice recorder and an FM radio (with 12 pre sets). The hd100 also features VoiceNav speech recognition technology, so the unit can locate a track simply by saying its name.
The MP3 player carries a 20GB hard disk and uses USB 2.0 to connect to PCs or Macs - so Mac OS X 10.2 is required. It can handle both MP3 and Windows Media Audio (WMA) formats. Like the iPod, it also doubles as an external hard drive and offers up to eight minutes skip protection.
Other features include a built-in microphone and voice recorder, playlist support, and a programmable EQ. Modes include: normal, shuffle, repeat and intro modes.
The consumer-orientated gadget lets users look through the tracks using a centrally located monochrome LCD. It ships with a carrying case, collapsible stereo headphones, a stereo adaptor cable and universal adaptor.
Audio output is a minimum 50mW, its dimensions are 73.5-x-111.5-x-27.6mm and it weighs 0.2Kg. Apple's iPod measures 60.96-x-101.6-x-18.2mm and weighs just under 0.2Kg.
The manufacturer assured Macworld it is working to make the unit Mac compatible, with support for iTunes. The hd100 is currently scheduled to ship at some point in March and will be distributed by H2. Pre-orders can be made at www.ihavetohave.it.
Motorola rival wins ruling on patents' limits
By Christine Tatum
Tribune staff reporter
December 24 2001
A ruling by federal District Court Judge Matthew Kennelly has given tiny Vosi Technologies Inc. stronger footing in a patent dispute with tech giant Motorola Inc.
Kennelly's ruling, issued Friday, defines the language in three Vosi patents on recording devices in cars. The decision could be crucial in the small Costa Mesa, Calif., company's effort to wrangle millions of dollars in licensing fees and royalties out of hardwaremakers and automakers.
Motorola sued Vosi in June, asking Kennelly to define the patents' terms to sharply limit their scope. The judge instead defined the patents more broadly to include an array of communications at the heart of the burgeoning automotive-control-technology industry known as telematics.
Motorola is the dominant supplier of hardware to auto manufacturers, putting telematics into new vehicles. Technology like General Motors' OnStar, which dials emergency roadside assistance when an airbag deploys, is expected to become a standard feature, Forrester analyst Dan Garretson said.
Motorola's strategy is to use its cellular and global positioning technology for everything from tracking stolen cars to unlocking doors. That explains why Motorola wants to limit the patents to Vosi's original product--essentially a car phone answering machine.
However, Kennelly said the patents cover a device capable of recording far more than just a human voice, opening the door to an array of data transmission, including e-mail and digital music files.
"Nothing in the claim itself limits the function ... exclusively to voice communications and ... Motorola's attempt to read in such a limitation is improper," Kennelly wrote.
With the terms defined, Motorola is still confident that it can prove its iRadio, Timeport and VC120 systems do not infringe on Vosi's patents, company spokeswoman Jennifer Weyrauch said. "Judge Kennelly's ruling ... will greatly assist Motorola in defending against Vosi's charges of patent infringement," she said.
Motorola also asked the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office to take another look at Vosi's patents. The office granted the hearing earlier this month after discovering a previous patent it had not considered before awarding the Vosi patents, Weyrauch said.
"Motorola believes all of the Vosi patents will be found invalid," she said.
Motorola is "grasping at straws" to avoid paying the licensing fees it has owed Vosi since the two companies started corresponding in 1999, Vosi spokesman Richie Naggar said.
Motorola gave Vosi permission to use its source code to adapt Vosi's technology to work in conjunction with Motorola cell phones.
Vosi claims that Motorola dissected the resulting product, called the VosiCello, and tried to design around it.
"It took us three years and $3.4 million to get to this point," Naggar said. "We've done the work, and we're going to reap the reward."
Both companies are due back in court Jan. 3.
Pretrial hearings are expected to continue Monday as Motorola Inc. and Vosi Technologies prepare to take their patent claims to court. The tiny Costa Mesa, Calif., firm is accusing the Schaumburg firm of using patented technology to build Motorola's iRadio. Motorola denies the accusations and wants Vosi's patents declared invalid.
April 15, 2002
White Paper: Reconfigurable Vehicles
The following table shows the revision history for this document.
Date Version Revision
11/19/01 1.0 Initial Xilinx release.
The Xilinx In-Car Multimedia Solution
We predict the heart of the reconfigurable multimedia platform will be a Xilinx
programmable logic device. The common platform approach enables one PCB to be
produced for all customers -- with the only change being to the style, shape, and color
of the interface to satisfy the need for product differentiation.
Xilinx is the leading provider of complete and innovative programmable logic
solutions. Our products help minimize risks for manufacturers of in-car electronic
equipment by shortening the time required to develop products and in taking them to
market. You can design and verify your proprietary circuits in Xilinx PLDs
(programmable logic devices) much faster than you could by using traditional
methods, such as ASICs and ASSPs. Xilinx builds programmable ICs, develops
software, IP (Intellectual Property) cores, and other tools to provide complete
solutions to our customers. We also provide application support and design services
to customers developing their own proprietary designs.
To "drive" the in-car digital convergence revolution, Xilinx recommends the
Spartan-II FPGA family and the CoolRunner and 9500XV CPLD families. The Xilinx
CPLD families are qualified to the automotive temperature range parameters. The
Spartan-IIE FPGA family is based on the very popular Virtex family. Spartan-IIE
extends the legacy of the Spartan series, with more gates, better performance, and
enhanced features. The Spartan-IIE family offers digital delay locked loops,
programmable I/Os, on-chip block memory, and densities up to 300,000 system gates.
These features and densities, coupled with enhancements to software and an
increased number of available IP cores, provide a reduced time-to-market and
increased time-in-market at a much lower cost. Xilinx also has a range of IP cores such
as memory controllers, system interfaces, DSP, communications, networking, and
microprocessors.
Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB), Radio Data broadcasting Systems (RDS), and the
Traffic Message Channel (TMC) are set to change car stereo systems as we are
witnessing massive innovations toward telematic applications. Until recently,
analogue radio signals, such as FM, have been subject to numerous kinds of
interference between the transmitter and the radio. Mountains, high rise buildings,
and atmospheric conditions can cause these problems. DAB uses these effects as a
reflector creating multi-path reception conditions to optimize receiver sensitivity.
Since DAB always selects the strongest regional transmitter automatically, the in-car
receiver will always be the focal point of incoming radio signals. DAB is broadcast on
terrestrial networks and is received using a small non-directional stub antenna. The
reception is CD-like quality without the annoying interference or signal distortion.
DAB is not only able to carry audio but can also carry text, pictures, data, and video. In
this application, time to market and price is a key factor when selecting components to
perform such tasks as decoding the incoming data stream. Xilinx CPLDs are an ideal
fit in this product as they are low cost and easy to design with. By completing a design
in the Xilinx WebPACK™, software designs can be input, simulated, and programmed
into a device in a matter of hours.
Passenger entertainment and on-board interactive information systems are just
around the corner. Newer vehicles will have multiple display terminals, and personal
audio sets will become available for passengers.
Although DAB/RDS systems are starting to be very popular in Europe, they are not in
demand yet in other regions. Video and gaming systems are starting to ship in
significant numbers in Japan, but not in other regions yet.
These new multimedia products are thought to have the effect of entertaining
passengers and reducing driver interruption, allowing these solutions to be marketed
as new entertainment, convenience, and safety systems. Some of the latest
technologies, such as DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), are already finding their way into
the in-car entertainment market. DVD players are replacing CD-ROM (Compact Disk
- Read Only Memory) players in car navigation systems, mostly being used to replay
prerecorded video, interactive video games, and other such high-density software
titles. The evolution of in-car entertainment continues at the same pace as
development in consumer entertainment markets.
Motorola has designed and developed a new in-car Internet radio prototype called
iRadio, a revolutionary concept for in-vehicle information and entertainment via
wireless Web access.
iRadio will enable drivers to capture music on demand, listen to real time traffic
reports, download audio books, access voicemail, receive the latest news and weather
reports, get updated stock portfolio information, and access Email. These off-board
mobile multimedia features will be delivered wirelessly via Web access, satellite,
digital cellular, and FM sideband technologies.
A number of infotainment system manufactures are designing Multi-Media Platforms
(MMPs) that integrate functions such as DVD, DAB radio, MP3 player, and other
functions. The MMP is a building block for future enhancements and technological
advancements for in-car infotainment. Many of these platforms are based on FPGA
technology to allow for future growth and enhancements and also accommodate new
standards and interfaces. These platforms have the potential to be updated and
upgraded in situe to provide new emerging audio and visual pleasures such as MP3
audio.
Car safety is one of the primary concerns in the automotive industry and we have seen
over the years the addition of airbags, seat belt pre-tensioners, side impact beams, and
other structural enhancements. We are now seeing the emergence of car driver
assistance systems to augment the more "physical" safety enhancements. The latest
car driver assistance system is based around a video processing system located in the
rear view mirror and dashboard of the vehicle. The system processes data from both
inside and outside the car. It analyzes erratic road movements or leaving the lane if the
driver has fallen asleep and automatically corrects and brings the car to a gentle stop.
The system also analyzes outside light levels compared to road conditions, such as
curves, and adjusts the headlamp luminosity and direction accordingly. This driver
assistance system also measures distance to the car in front and if an accident is
imminent it will ensure activation of the airbag systems. The distance sensors can also
aid when parking your vehicle. Xilinx FPGAs are ideal for implementing complex
imaging and DSP functions and have been used in car driver assistance systems.
Choosing how large your hard-drive, how much RAM you require may soon be as
common as choosing what color your vehicle will be in the list of car options. It is
predicted that the AutoPC will become an integral part of the make up of your vehicle
by integrating all audio, visual, internet connection, cell phone, and navigation
functions into one small PC; which will fit into the dash board where the typical car
radio usually fits.
This addition to the average family car will enable an office on the move along with
playing DVDs for the rear passengers and downloading the latest MP3 file to pipe
through to your car speakers. This addition will allow you to purchase items
advertised on the radio by reading your credit card details and authenticating it via
the dash mounted smart card reader, dialing up the appropriate website from details
provided by the RDS function of your radio, and then transacting an on-line purchase
via wireless internet connection.
Internet traffic is doubling every 100 days so it is conceivable to imagine this
technology migrating to standard in-car equipment very soon. At Visteon, Ford's auto
electronic business, a Pentium and Microsoft CE based Information; Communications,
Entertainment, and Safety (ICES) platform contains numerous features. It includes a
CD player for audio, a DVD player for movies (displayed via a LCD screen), a cellular
telephone, Internet access for e-mail and information, and a global positioning system.
The company plans to add MMX features in its second generation system. For safety
purposes and to keep the driver's attention on the road all system commands are
voice-activated.
A similar system was developed at GM's Delphi subsidiary. GM worked closely with
IBM, Sun Microsystems, and Netscape to come up with a system that offers essentially
the same tools and features as the Visteon unit. GM and IBM took the client-server
approach in their system development. In a prototype, the car (client) was connected
to a satellite, which provided access to the Internet and geo-graphic positioning. Data
was beamed at a rate of 400K baud from a satellite to an antenna built into the roof of
the test car. Digital audio from an Internet broadcast was beamed at the rate of 80K
baud, producing CD-quality sound.
IBM also is working on a system for Mercedes-Benz in which an embedded PowerPC
chip performs as a server, and other electronic systems -- climate control,
entertainment, information, and communication units -- are the clients.
Typical services offered are:
• Entertainment -- audio CDs, DVDs, games, etc.
• Communications -- Internet access, cellular phone, GPS navigation, IR link to
PDA/laptop
• Information -- news, weather, traffic, email, engine diagnosis, etc.
• Navigation -- route finder, map, etc.
All under voice control, commands given verbally and feedback from the unit in
digitized voice.
Some of the major in-car audio system designers are producing their own version of
the AutoPC that fit into the dashboard. These multi-functional in-dash systems are
available as aftermarket products, but will be installed as standard or optional features
in high-end vehicles beginning in late-2001 or 2002. As the price of electronic systems
declines, they will be placed in mid-priced cars and eventually, all vehicles.
Because the AutoPC is designed to fit into the space usually occupied by the standard
audio system the electronic design has to be highly integrated. Many manufacturers of
these products are looking to system-on-a-chip technology but with short time-scales
to meet consumer demand. FPGAs lend themselves very well to this environment
having the ability to absorb interface logic, decoding, encoding, and Digital Signal
Processing (DSP) functions. Ball Grid Array (BGA) packaging techniques allows many
millions of system gates to occupy very little space on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB).
FPGAs can offer a great advantage over ASIC equivalents by reducing time to market
and can by upgraded in-dash using Internet Reconfigurable Logic (IRL). IRL can be
used to great advantage in this fast moving area as the Internet connection is already
there in the AutoPC. If the hardware needs to be upgraded to implement new
functions or standards, then this is achieved by Internet based FPGA reconfiguring.
http://www.xilinx.com/publications/products/sp2e/wp_pdf/wp153.pdf" target="_new">http://www.xilinx.com/phttp://www.xilinx.com/publications/products/sp2e/wp_pdf/wp153.pdf
Posted by: D.inkie
In reply to: None Date:2/10/2003 8:00:36 PM
Post #of 30548
A Programmable Reference Design for Personal Music Players
By Mark Long -- e-inSITE, 2/10/2003
Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector has announced a new programmable reference design for portable audio applications that is based on the company's SCF5249 audio controller. The ready-to-build reference design is available under a partnership agreement between Motorola and Nan Shan, China-based Arrow Optek.
"Our reference designs can help manufacturers get started today in developing the products consumers will be enthused to see at their favorite stores during the 2003 holiday season," said Motorola's Digital Audio, Radio and Telematics director of marketing John Hansen in a prepared statement.
The audio reference design, which is based on Motorola's ColdFire architecture, includes schematics, an applications note and source code for customizable modules. Combining the music decoding capability of a DSP with the file system management capabilities of a microcontroller, the single-chip reference design reportedly can boost battery life from approximately 30 hours to an anticipated battery life of nearly 40 hours in portable applications.
Motorola claims to have achieved the breakthrough in power performance through its development of highly optimized software code with the ability to dynamically change the core operating frequency depending upon the level of performance needed at any given moment. In personal music player applications, the SCF5249 offers support for a variety of decoder formats, including CD-ROM, Flash and hard drive. In addition, the reference design also supports the MP3, WMA (Windows Music Access) and AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) music formats.
The SCF5249's file management and music decoders operate from a single ColdFire 32-bit core that provides support for multiple decoder formats and multiple file formats. The deign also gives end-users the ability to "drag and drop" to place music on a disc without wasting disc space, claims the company. An integrated synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) controller is also on tap for giving fast access to external memories. In addition, a flash media interface is available for use in portable product applications where audio files are stored on multimedia cards and compact flash cards.
The SCF5249 is available under a pricing structure that begins at under $10 each in 10K quantities. The Arrow Optek reference design is also available for immediate delivery.
Airport Amenity: DVD Rentals
September 24, 2000
(J.D. Biersdorfer)
The New York Times -
Air travelers, faced with a flight where the entertainment options consist of miniature pretzel packets and etched versions of movies that were bad to begin with, can now literally take matters into their own hands at some airports. InMotion Pictures offers rentals of portable DVD (digital video disk) players and movies to airline passengers.
Less than two years old and based in Jacksonville, Fla., InMotion Pictures currently has outlets in the airports that serve Portland, Ore., Seattle, Denver, San Jose, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Philadelphia and San Diego, with kiosks planned for more locations including Atlanta, Orlando, Cincinnati and La Guardia Airport in New York by the end of the year.
Unfortunate souls trapped in the terminal while waiting out long flight delays are also potential customers. The company's kiosks are open up to 16 hours a day (varying by location) and the rental price ranges from $10 to $12.50 a day for rental of a battery-powered, portable DVD player for a round-trip flight. The fee includes one movie rental a day plus earphones and an AC adapter.
The cost is the same for customers who rent a player, film disk, and set of earphones for use in the airport or for a one-way rental (only available if their destination is an airport that also has an InMotion Pictures store).
Extra movies can be rented for $4 a title, and additional earphones may be obtained for $2.50.
Travelers already toting their own portable players or laptop computers equipped with DVD drives can also just rent movie disks, which cost $5 for a five-day period.
Reservations and more information on using the service can be found on the Web at www.inmotionpictures.com or by calling (877) 383-8646.
The DVD format, in which a high-quality, digitized copy of an entire feature film can be transferred onto a disk the size of an audio CD, is rapidly becoming a popular format for home entertainment. Portable DVD players, some of which are about the size of a hardback book when closed, now feature bright color screens that average between five and seven inches of diagonal viewing space as well as Dolby Digital sound.
InMotion Pictures keeps a hefty list of films available to rent with the players. "We have about 200 different titles," says Barney Freedman, a co-founder of the privately held company. The films offered range from popular hits like "The Sixth Sense" to artier far like "Being John Malkovich," plus a selection of comedies and family and children films.
Seat-back video screens and multiple movie choices are becoming more prevalent on airlines including US Airways and Virgin Atlantic, especially on long-haul flights, American, for one, is even lending personal DVD players in first and business classes, also on long flights.
But Mr. Freedman feels there is indeed room for the service his company provides, in spite of some airlines' increased efforts in this area.
"When their options aren't available or don't appeal," he said, "we can provide the entertainment."
Entertainment value lightens notebooks' extra costs
by Alan Zisman (c) 2002 First published in Business in Vancouver , Issue #671 September 3-9.2002 High Tech Office column
While computer sales haven't been particularly impressive of late, sales of portable computers have remained relatively robust, now accounting for almost 24 per cent of worldwide PC sales. People, it seems, like having computers they can tote around with them.
Certainly, I'm always seeing notebook computers being operated in airport terminals and during flights, and even on BC Ferries. What they're being used for may be questioned, however. On a recent trans-continental flight, I casually spied on the dozen or so notebook computer users. One person was obviously doing work. Most of the rest, however, were using the expensive, presumably employer-supplied technology to watch DVD movies in preference to the in-flight entertainment.
Most of today's notebooks fall into one of three broad categories. Desktop replacement models are relatively heavy, with large screens: 15-inch or even larger 16-inch models from Sony and Toshiba, with a full complement of drives and connectors, commanding a high-end price. Ultralight models promise less: small screens and short battery life, leaving behind drives and connection ports in an effort to minimize weight. Ultralight pricing demonstrates that less can cost more.
Most models fall somewhere in the middle, weighing between two and three kilograms, with a 13-inch or 14-inch screen, CD-ROM, CD-RW, or DVD drive. Within this value-priced category, higher-end models will offer more connection options, including built-in Ethernet networking and maybe Firewire and wireless connectivity.
Notebooks are more expensive than equivalent desktop computers. Moreover, there are hidden costs. Like theft. Notebooks remain thief-magnets. Budget $50 to $100 for a lock, and perhaps investigate signing on with Vancouver-based Absolute Software's Computrace service, which sets up your notebook (PC only) to phone home if stolen, reporting its whereabouts. And make sure you have a good backup strategy, and use it. Your data is probably more valuable and all too often harder to replace than the actual hardware. It's also not covered by insurance.
Compared to desktop computers, notebooks are harder and more expensive to expand. Try to anticipate your future requirements when buying. A year ago, I bought a new PC notebook thinking that while it lacked on-board Ethernet, I could easily use the network card I already owned in its PC Card (or PCMCIA) slot. But now I would also like to be able to use fast external Firewire drives and other devices with it, and I've found, to my regret, that it's hard to get both Firewire and Ethernet networking cards plugged in at the same time. I should have paid a little more. (Apple's notebooks, including its lower-end iBook, totally lack PC Card expandability but make up for it by having virtually all the connection options one could want already built in.)
Because portable computers are, well, portable, they get bumped and sometimes dropped. Even with the best of care, things tend to go wrong at a far higher rate than with desktop computers. Hinges crack, hard drives fail, and screens smash. And because notebook parts are relatively non-standard, repair costs are high. It costs almost as much to replace a notebook's screen as to buy a new notebook.
Brass Ring chief information officer Andy Cooper says notebook users needed support 10 to 20 times as frequently as desktop users. Notebooks have half the lifespan of their desktop counterparts, Cooper added.
Many business users think they want a notebook computer in order to take their work home. Given the higher purchase and maintenance price of portable computers, a less costly strategy may be to provide employees with a computer for home as well as for work, and spring for a high speed Internet connection with a virtual private network secure link to the office network.
Of course, then you'll be stuck watching whatever movie is playing on your flight.
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TRAVELERS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT TRAVEL FOR 2003, NEW AMERICAN EXPRESS SURVEY SHOWS
Despite Continued Economic Slowdown, 91 Percent of Travelers Expect to Maintain or Increase the Pace of Travel Next Year; Only 9 Percent See Drop
A Year After September 11th Terror Attacks, 88 Percent Feel Safe Flying
Yet Many Say Airline Service Has Declined
Global Survey of Corporate Travelers Reveals Technology Plays Important Role in Staying Productive On the Road
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEW YORK, October 9, 2002 -- A new survey of 1,400 business travelers across the world reveals that, despite the global economic slump, the vast majority expect to maintain or increase their current business travel levels over the next year.
The new American Express International Business Traveler Survey, released last week, also shows that most globe-trotting business travelers harbor no fears about travel safety, although many report a decline in service in air travel over the past few years.
"True road warriors, those who travel across the globe, apparently are not slowing down," said Mark Webb, senior vice president, American Express Global Business Partnership, the group that services the company's largest corporate customers. "They have issues with service on the road, but technology tools have helped them become much more productive."
In the survey, frequent corporate travelers who had taken at least one international trip were polled via telephone in August 2002 on a variety of their business travel practices and habits. Respondents were from 14 countries in four global regions, Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia/Australia. On average, the respondents took 8.5 trips within the past year. (Please see below for more survey methodology.)
More Trips Ahead, Say Many Travelers
The American Express survey revealed that 91 percent of respondents expect to either maintain or increase their business travel schedules during 2003. Specifically, more than one-third (35 percent) see the number of trips increasing slightly or significantly, while 56 percent plan to maintain their current level of trips into next year. Only 9 percent expect their international travel to decrease.
More than half of Latin American business travelers (51 percent) are confident that their travel will increase, followed by 39 percent of North Americans, 33 percent of Asian/Australian respondents and 29 percent of Europeans.
On the other hand, 11 percent of Europeans foresee some level of decline in their business travel. In both Asia/Australia and Latin America, 8 percent see a drop, followed by 6 percent from North America.
The new American Express survey also reveals that most business travelers around the world feel safe while traveling.
A clear majority, 88 percent, said they feel very or fairly comfortable about their safety and security when flying. But 12 percent are not very or not at all comfortable.
In North America, nearly all respondents (97 percent) said they felt safe to some degree. Europe followed closely, with 95 percent of those polled responding this way.
"Experienced travelers have seen stepped-up and stricter security measures for air travel," said Webb. "And, to boost the confidence of employees who don't feel safe, travel managers are giving out more advisory information on security and services, for example, making sure they know how to access help when out of the country."
Eighty-nine percent of Latin American respondents reported feeling very or fairly secure in flight, while 79 percent of Asian and Australian business travelers felt secure. In addition, in the survey, 62 percent of respondents noted that they consider having 24-hour travel support and services anywhere they travel very or quite important. A majority of respondents in each global region, with the exception of Europe, consider emergency travel services important - with Latin Americans (73 percent) more in favor of it than others.
Level of Service Declines, Say Some Travelers
Not surprisingly, many international travelers have high standards in what they expect from suppliers.
In the survey, 45 percent feel that airline in-flight service has remained the same from two years ago. But nearly one-third (29 percent) of the world's travelers find that the in-flight experience has diminished over that time frame.
Meanwhile, 24 percent said service has improved, and 2 percent weren't sure.
A look at results within each global region shows that in both Australia/Asia and Europe, most polled said service has remained the same from two years ago. But a majority of respondents from North America, 55 percent, and the largest proportion from Latin America, 46 percent, have seen a noticeable decline in service. Additionally, over one-third (37 percent) of European respondents think it's grown worse.
Among those who saw an improvement in cabin service, the largest proportion (37 percent) was from Australia/Asia.
While a considerable number were troubled by airline service, only a tiny proportion of respondents felt the same about the standard of hotel accommodations. Just 4 percent said accommodations have worsened over two years, with 35 percent noting they've improved and 60 percent saying they've stayed the same. One percent were unsure.
A majority in all regions said the standard of hotel accommodations have stayed the same, while 43 percent of travelers from Asia/Australia and 40 percent from Latin America noted an improvement from two years ago, compared to 27 percent from North America and 24 percent from Europe.
Staying Productive a Problem, But Technology Helps
By far, the biggest issues international travelers have relate to the loss of productivity while on the road. However, portable technology, such as laptops and cell phones help many stay on top of their workload.
In the survey, 54 percent of travelers feel that travel delays are the worst aspect of business travel. In the next largest response, just over 16 percent said falling behind in office work was their biggest gripe. Those from the Asia/Australia region (57 percent) were most likely to gripe about travel delays, while being away from their offices bothered North Americans the most, 22 percent of whom cited this inconvenience.
Meanwhile, more than 11 percent cited airline service as the worst aspect of business travel, and another 10 percent felt that jet lag was the greatest hardship. The smallest proportion of those polled, over 8 percent, said a poor accommodation was the most unpleasant factor when traveling.
Among all others, Latin Americans are most apt to complain about airline seating and service (16 percent), as well as jet lag (15 percent).
For many business travelers, technology is helping boost productivity while on the road.
The practice of going online or checking emails while away from the office is popular among business travelers. Overall, 71 percent access the Web or check email daily, while 16 percent never do and 13 percent do less than three times per week.
Among those who do check, most monitor from one to two times daily, while about 20 percent are the most conscientious - checking emails three times or more every day.
Regionally, among all respondents, Latin Americans, followed by North Americans and Asians and Australians check email most frequently each day, according to the survey. On the other end of the spectrum, Europeans are most likely to ignore waiting emails, as 22 percent said they never check.
Separately, in another question, access to email while on a trip was considered very or quite important by 75 percent of travelers. Conversely, 25 percent said electronic communication was not very or not at all important.
In another perspective on the value of technology for business travel, when asked which single amenity travelers would keep while in flight, 31 percent said a laptop. Only on-board entertainment, cited by 38 percent polled, was more popular. Another 20 percent chose on-board email or Internet access, while 7 percent picked a telephone. Four percent were unsure.
Most North American business travelers (42 percent) can't do without a laptop in flight, while Europeans are about split in their regard for laptops (32 percent) and in-flight entertainment (31 percent). Most of those from Latin America and Asia/Australia also favor in-flight entertainment.
The survey also shows that the vast majority of travelers consider cellular phones a premier on-the-road communication tool. Asked how key it is to have access to mobile phones while traveling, 81 percent said very or quite important. Only 19 percent said not very or not at all important.
Although a majority of respondents in each region value mobile phones, they won praise mostly from Asian/Australians and Europeans, with 87 percent and 86 percent, respectively, citing their importance.
Not all technology is fully embraced by international business travelers, however.
There is a significant split in attitudes among world travelers about the usefulness of voicemail on the road. A majority (54 percent) said access to voicemail while traveling was not very or not at all important, versus 44 percent who said it was very or quite important. Two percent were unsure.
In a big lead over others, 72 percent of North Americans said access to voicemail was important on some level, while 70 percent of Latin Americans are of the opposite opinion.
About the American Express Survey
The American Express International Business Traveler Survey was conducted by The Practice, an independent market research firm based in London. In the survey, 1,400 business travelers representing Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, Sweden, Taiwan, the UK, and the USA were interviewed via telephone in August 2002.
In the survey, 100 business travelers from each country participated.
To qualify, interviewees must have completed at least one business trip outside their home country over the previous 12 months. On average, these travelers took about 8.5 business trips last year.
SEPTEMBER 29, 2000 ASIAWEEK
Showdown on Flight SQ1
Pioneer's portable DVD player takes on in-flight entertainment. Is there deliverance from drivel in the sky?
By YASMIN GHAHREMANI
Ilike flying. Not the airport hassles and all that taxiing but the part where you're up in the air, with the fasten-seatbelt sign off and your seat reclined. Nestled there between strangers and forced to sit still for hours at a time, it can be the most relaxing part of a trip -- especially if you can sink into a good movie.
That's a big if, of course. You have to be in a seat where you can see the screen and the airline has to show something worth watching. I was on an Aeroflot flight once from Beijing to Moscow, next to a guy who kept lighting up in the no-smoking section. Desperate for mental if not physical escape, I thought I'd lose myself in a film fest. But there was only one English movie for the nine-hour flight. It was the dopey 1989 hit Look Who's Talking. This was in 1999. I considered suing Aeroflot for crimes against humanity.
Okay, so that's an extreme example. But when I was planning my recent vacation to Bali, I thought I'd find out if it's feasible to insulate yourself from any such air disasters that might crop up in the future. Having heard about the line of portable DVD players on the market, I took the Pioneer PDV-LC10 for a spin to see just how realistic an alternative it is to in-flight entertainment.
The player is about the size of a slim notebook (19 cm long, 14 cm wide and about 3 cm thick), with a nickel hydrogen battery that fits neatly inside. Together with the battery it weighs about 1.2 kg, and I brought the credit-card-size remote, the AC adapter, charger and manual, adding another half-kilo or so. That's manageable, if not comfortable. Unfortunately the kit doesn't include a case so I carried the items loose in my shoulder bag.
As this was my maiden DVD flight, I rented the movie made for format: The Matrix. I'm not usually a sci-fi fan, but I did it in the name of good reporting (and with a leather-clad Keanu Reeves in mind). Adding three more movies to fill out my one-week trip, the rental bill, including overdue charges, set me back a whopping $57.
On Singapore Airlines, of course, the entertainment is free. And I have to say, the carrier represents the best of what airlines offer in coach today. Each seat-back has its own video screen, and there are a dozen or so movies to choose from. But the only ones I deemed bearable were Where the Heart Is and The Rock. As I was still a slave to the airline schedule, I missed the first few minutes of The Rock. With all the dimly-lit action on the glare-filled screen and the muffled audio, I was lost. So I switched to the easier-to-follow Heart, a formulaic feel-good flick that I was happy to join in late. In fact, I couldn't wait for it to end.
When it finally did, I pulled out the DVD player. (To my disappointment, there were no stares of envy from my cabin-mates. But this is Asia and people are used to seeing gadgets I guess.) Using the PDV-LC10 is intuitive. You press a button to open the disk compartment, close it, plug in the earphones and then follow the on-screen menu using arrow keys situated on the base. You can skip forward or backward to a scene, add subtitles in Spanish, French or English, and zoom in on the picture.
I hit play and realized how people who wear glasses must feel when they first put their specs on. The picture was as sharp as a knife, and the seven-inch screen is considerably larger than that of the seatback theater. Soon, the CD-quality sound-track transported me into Keanu's world. My hands began to sweat. I rejected all offers of rubber chicken, completely riveted by the movie. When it was over, I still wanted more. There were interviews and production clips to peruse. After all, that's why people go digital, right? Sadly, not on a portable. The 3.5-hour battery bit it soon after the 2.5-hour movie ended.
For that reason, the LC10 doesn't make sense on long-haul flights unless you buy a spare battery or two. Especially when you consider that at $1,000, the machine costs three times as much as a regular DVD player and the same as some computers. An expensive microchip and active matrix liquid crystal display are to blame for the cost. Low worldwide demand for these items keeps them pricey. But Timon Kong, a general manager for Pioneer in Hong Kong, says the target market is enthusiasts who want to show off. "Money is second. They want the newest model, even if they don't use all the features."
For the rest of us, it's hard to justify buying a portable player. Sure, you can plug it into your TV at home, but it's the portability you're paying for. If you travel a lot for business, you'd be better off adding a DVD drive to your laptop. You won't get as good a picture -- the screen on the LC10 is designed for entertainment, so it's brighter and shows contrast better than laptop LCDs. But at least you won't have to buy and carry around another piece of equipment. Otherwise, stick it out through those airline episodes of Friends and save your money for another vacation.
2/7/2003 Anticipation builds for in-flight broadband Net access
CHICAGO (Reuters) -- Travelers are cheering the long-awaited news that real-time Internet connectivity is now available from an airline seat -- even if it is just a test on one regularly scheduled flight. But will the airline industry's unprecedented economic malaise imprison this development for the time being, shelving it after scattered tests instead of making it a commonplace service?
But will the airline industry's unprecedented economic malaise imprison this development for the time being, shelving it after scattered tests instead of making it a commonplace service?
Maybe not, according to some industry observers who believe the carriers still need to lure their best business travel customers not only with competitive prices but with service that differentiates them and promotes repeat trade.
"I see Internet connectivity as a way of enhancing revenue yield -- it probably has a life of its own" despite uncertain times, says Phil Roberts of Unisys R2A Transportation Management Consultants.
Making it available should "attract the high yield business customer. It's a market share decision driven by technology," he adds, and one that could be pursued even by a carrier in bankruptcy if it can demonstrate the investment at least pays for itself.
"Product competition has to be matched," adds Paul Biederman, a professor of airline and travel management at New York University's School of Professional Continuing Studies.
Because ticket prices on some routes are often pretty much the same, "the only competition out there has to do with product content, and if one company makes a breakthrough, the others have to match it."
The first test of live, real-time airborne broadband Internet access on a regular commercial flight began in January aboard Lufthansa's daily service between Frankfurt, Germany, and Washington's Dulles airport -- flights LH418 and LH419 -- using a Boeing 747-400. Every first-class and business-class seat is equipped with an Internet plug-in (as well as a power plug) and scattered seats in economy class have the same.
For the three-month test the airline has on board 50 laptops it will hand out for anyone not carrying their own who wants to try the connection. The technology, under development for several years, comes from Connexion by Boeing. Data streams to and from the airplane in flight via satellite.
"My first thought was 'now there's another chance for not getting relaxed travel (with) no phone or e-mail,"' said Ulrich Hoffmann, sales director for Bericap GmbH, a German-based manufacturer of plastic caps and closures, who was on board the first flight where the service was offered.
But he said he figured he could always disconnect if he wanted peace.
"With new technology, when you try it the first time, very seldom it starts to work from point zero. But this worked immediately. It was absolutely fantastic," he told Reuters from his office near Wiesbaden.
He said he communicated with his company's internal system and with a customer and "it worked perfectly." One passenger on the plane sent an e-mail to a fellow passenger "and it arrived in four minutes," he added.
Hoffmann said he would consider the service valuable for taking care of critical situations that arise, particularly during long flights that must be addressed quickly, and that he would be willing to pay a premium for the service. Right now, he said, it would give airlines offering it a "competitive edge" in attracting business.
One of the airline's executives reported that the service has been so popular that some fliers have eschewed their usual trans-Atlantic nap in favor of surfing the Web.
During the test the service is free, but Lufthansa says it envisions eventually charging passengers 30 to 35 euros (about $30 to $35) per flight leg. The product is designed to make money, with the airlines paying Boeing an up-front fee to install the hardware and sharing some of the ensuing passenger fees with the aerospace giant.
The Lufthansa test will be followed by a similar one later this year on British Airways. Japan Airlines and Scandinavian Airline Systems have said they would deploy some long-range flights with the technology in 2004.
Connexion officials have said they hope to ultimately install the service on some 4,000 jets -- about a third of the world's commercial fleet -- over the next 10 years. How much it costs to retrofit a plane for the system has not been disclosed.
At one point American, United and Delta had planned to invest in Boeing's Connexion venture, but dropped out when bad economic times hit. Boeing has said they may still become customers for the service in the future.
A competing in-flight technology, from Seattle-based Tenzing Communications, has also had some deployment primarily for e-mail and short messages. Rather than real-time connectivity, it operates by sending bursts of data back and forth from the ground to the plane.
The company, in which Boeing rival Airbus owns a 30% stake, said last year that it too was developing a plan to add live broadband satellite connectivity to its product.
the more things change the more they remain the same:
And the seasons, they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on a carousel of time
We can't return, we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game.
February 7, 2003 Convergence Still The Watchword At IDF
By Mark Hachman
Intel will continue to push computing and communications closer together when the Intel Developer Forum kicks off later this month.
"It should be a great time," said Pat Gelsinger, a senior vice-president and chief technology officer for Intel.
For the last few years, the IDF conference has stood as a showcase for Intel's vision of the computing landscape. Part stage show, part hardscrabble technology seminar, the fall and spring forums have served as one of the few venues at which Intel executives have discussed their future plans.
Gone are the days when hordes of rabid reporters quizzed Intel's memory gurus and DRAM executives over their decision to use Rambus memory; these days designers hear the distant thunder of fundamental architecture revisions, like PCI Express. As usual, Intel will present two perspectives, executives said: a narrow look at technologies die in the next few months, and a broader vision of what's to come in subsequent generations.
What to expect: the news
When IDF begins on Feb. 18, attendees should expect hard information both on the Springdale and Canterwood PC chipsets, Gelsinger said, which will bump up the PC's front-side bus to 800-MHz. Canterwood is a version of the Springdale chipset with support for DDR 400 memory and integrated graphics, according to sources and published reports. And while Intel won't be making any formal discussions of a "HyperThreading 2", IDF presentations will discuss the future of threading, Gelsinger confirmed, most likely the road to two or more "virtual cores" inside an HT-enabled processor.
"We always have like 80,000 chipmunks working really hard… to get this stuff off in two weeks," Gelsinger quipped. "We're predicting the positive conclusion of all of that work."
In addition, Intel will present new information on its 90-nm processors, specifically Prescott, the next-generation Pentium 4 core, and especially Dothan, the mobile version.
Chief executive Craig Barrett, in fact, will highlight the 90-nm process in his keynote, emphasizing that Intel's manufacturing prowess has left the company a generation ahead of the competition, and tying that to new products and services. The emphasis on manufacturing leadership will be an important subtext at the show, Intel executives said.
"The focus for the company will be to invest and innovate in new technologies while the industry recovers," Gelsinger said.
Rambus will formally launch its Redwood PC interconnect at the show, according to a company spokesman, but Gelsinger said Intel didn't plan any specific announcements.
"No, that's a standard denial," Gelsinger replied, when asked to clarify if Intel would use the technology regardless of any announcements.
The rundown
Vice presidents Louis Burns and Anand Chandrasekher, general managers of the desktop and mobile platforms groups, respectively, will highlight the "client day", treating the desktop, mobile, and handheld platforms as variations of the same device.
Although Intel's Banias processor and wireless Centrino platform is due next month, Intel will try to shift the audience's focus back to mobile technology, rather than on the product-specific speeds and feeds of the Banias, said Don MacDonald, director of mobile marketing at Intel, in a January interview.
"One of things we're looking at in our presentations is rather than just talking about the technology, is emphasizing the end value of those technologies and capabilities," Gelsinger said.
A discussion of Intel's wireless efforts will be anchored by Gadi Singer, vice-president of wireless communications and computing and general manager of Intel's PCA components group. Singer will discuss the Manitoba, an "Internet on a chip" combining Intel's XScale core, Intel's StrataFlash memory, and a baseband chipset using the Intel Micro Signal architecture, originally due to be shipped during the second half of 2002.
"The impact is that these create a new generation of products which in turn creates a new user mode," Singer said.
The laconic Mike Fister, senior vice-president and general manager of Intel's Enterprise Platforms Group, will share the stage with Sean Maloney, executive vice-president and general manager of Intel's communications group on Thursday. Following Fister's updates to the 2003 and 2004 Xeon and Itanium product lines, including details on the lower-power "Deerfield" Itanium, Maloney will announce new products in the communications space, including new network processors. Intel executives will also discuss Intel's transition plans to PCI Express, Gelsinger said.
Finally, Gelsinger will get a day to himself on Friday to discuss Intel's research activities. Gelsinger will present updates on the "Radio Free Intel" wireless initiative, including roaming and software-defined reconfigurable radios and "precision biology", mixing electrical engineering and chemistry to detect the makeup of proteins or even DNA.
"It's way cool stuff," Gelsinger said. "All of those biology and chemistry courses you slept through in college -- it brings that back to the fore."
IDF will also include two new panels, one of which will focus on the legal and political elements of developing new technologies, such as allocating spectrum for new wireless technologies. The other will concentrate on the practices and pitfalls of research.
===============================
E.DIGITAL CORPORATION ISSUES PRESIDENT'S NEWSLETTER
SAN DIEGO, CA - January 31, 2000
....
Final Thoughts
I believe that the current portable Internet products industry is at the same point in its growth as the wireless phone industry was approximately seven years ago. We are just beginning to see markets develop for portable products converging voice, music, video, and text data. Our goal is to make e.Digital a standard in millions of Internet-related digital products. The Internet-enabled handheld revolution has begun and e.Digital is positioned to participate in the rewards of this revolution this year and for years to come.
Sincerely,
Alfred H. Falk
President and CEO
CLEARLY--LED ZEPPELIN HAS FOUND THE STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN!!
gern/doni/gil--the only reason i brought up the past b/c i thought there was some mention that edig's product could be incorporated into legacy versions; if so, i wonder what the quantity/quality of eclipse commanders there are already out in the marketplace--it doesn't sound like too many based upon what i posted earlier
GIL-i certainly hope you are right but i still see nothing about factory installed; in fact, what you quote talks about "upgrade" which to me sounds like aftermarket
while i do not wish to make a big thing of this, i do believe it is a big thing
btw, i'll give you my email in a private reply
best to you
cksla
From: Old One Eye (velasquj@rohan.sdsu.edu)
Subject: Re: LOOKING FOR DEALERS W/ECLIPSE 9002 COMMANDER EXP
View this article only
Newsgroups: rec.audio.car
Date: 2000/04/10
Man, I could tell you stories about this thing. How the tech support guys route
around from parts, to service and back again if you need to order another mike.
How they designed it to use a relay that doesn't work on 12 volts (so you have
to make a trip to the shack to buy parts).
How it won't work with the top down.
How its not nearly as nice as any of its competitors. How the voice recognition
leaves a bit to be desired.
How we don't sell one unless we find a customer that wants one and absolutely
cannot be talked into ANYTHING else.
How it was nice seeing the Big Cheese rep Vinny raising its voice at the
bad boy like it was a spoiled child to try and get it to work.
And thats I have to say about that.
Juan
AUTOtronic wrote:
> I am looking to talk this weekend to dealers on the IML who have had experience
> selling and installing the Eclipse 9002 Commander. I would like to get some
> firsthand, in-the-trenches feedback from dealers and installers.
>
> If you can help, e-mail me your contact information. Please include a work and
> home phone number if possible. You can reach me Saturday at 714/342-8223.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Richard Truesdell
> Editor at large, Mobile Electronics magazine
of course we then have to live with fact rather than fantasy:
CES 2001: High-Tech Car Toys
Last updated: 2002-03-19
"I just flew in from the Coast, and boy, are my arms tired."
Welcome to Las Vegas, home to lounge lizards, table stakes, and really bad one-liners.
In what is becoming an annual rite, we once again made the trek to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas to check out the latest electronic widgets for the car. While this year's show lacked some of the excitement of last year's affair, with fewer cutting-edge announcements and perhaps a hangover from the plunging fortunes of the NASDAQ, the overall mood was cautiously optimistic. And there were still plenty of new toys to dazzle would-be electronics wizards.
Advertisement
We've identified 10 categories from this year's show that are of particular interest to anyone who drives a car.
1. Digital Satellite Radio: This technology was all the rage at last year's show, but was a bit more subdued at this year's get-together. Don't get us wrong: there was plenty of frenetic activity at both booths (XM Radio and Sirius Radio), but it lacked the punch of last year's CES. The reason? Neither company's system is operational. In fact, one of the biggest busts of the show was an XM Radio gambit that turned into a major PR snafu. You see, XM Radio hasn't yet launched its first satellite, while their rival Sirius Radio already has three in orbit (not operational, but airborne nonetheless and in test mode). To correct this competitive disadvantage, XM Radio had scheduled its first satellite to launch during the show, on Monday, January 8, amid much hype. Unfortunately, through no fault of their own, the launch was scrapped at the last second due to technical difficulties, leaving XM officials with egg on their faces.
When operational, digital satellite radio will offer up to 100 stations of programming for the low monthly fee of $9.95. Coverage will be nationwide, so you can listen to the same program in New York or California or anywhere in between. For more on this coming technology, see our article Digital Satellite Radio: 100 Channels and Everything On.
From our perspective, Sirius Radio has it all over XM Radio. Sirius has announced exclusive signings of artists such as Sting and BeBe Winans, and has also pushed forward with marketing alliances with the House of Blues, the Discovery Channel, A&E and others. Nonetheless, aftermarket radio manufacturers have been reluctant to commit to full-scale production of satellite-compatible radios for either service. The automotive industry's response has also been more sluggish than anticipated, although vehicles from Ford, BMW and DaimlerChrysler have begun to roll off the line with compatible systems.
As with any new technology, it will take time to work the bugs out, but this is a format whose time will eventually come. XM and Sirius Radio officials promise an operational system by the second quarter of 2001. We'll take a wait-and-see attitude, and keep you posted.
2. Mobile Computing/Telematics: Microsoft showcased their new Car.Net framework at the show. Based on the company's Windows for Automotive v.3 operating system (similar to the OS used in the Palm Pilot and other related products), the company appears to be positioning itself long-term for the car environment. Car.NET serves as the umbrella under which will eventually fall all sorts of telematics applications, such as in-car e-mail, navigation, Internet access, multimedia and the like. Although the technology isn't quite there yet (mainly because of voice-recognition limitations; see below), this was the first shot fired across the bow by the Redmond, Wash.-based software giant. We'll be writing a full-length Innovations article on Car.NET in the coming weeks, so check that column around the first week in March.
Another major player in this arena, Clarion, has backed off considerably from its position at last year's show. The reason? Concerns about safety. In the past 12 months in-car devices have come under increasing scrutiny both inside and outside the automotive industry. With people still dying from distracted motorists on cell phones, do we really need one more device in the cabin?
The aftermarket industry, with Clarion leading the way, seems to have rethought its position. Whereas last year's show found Clarion officials extolling the virtues of in-car e-mail and Internet access, this year's CES heard nary a peep on these topics. Of course, industry officials always want to put a positive spin on their change in direction. According to Richard Frank, PR rep for Clarion, "In the last year, Clarion has discovered that the marketplace is more interested in fun." Translation: We don't want lawsuits connected with our equipment.
In fact, Clarion, which developed the original Auto PC (designed in conjunction with Microsoft), has given its entire in-car computing line a facelift, renaming it Joyride. This represents a significant change for the company and almost certainly reflects mounting concerns within the aftermarket about the safety ramifications (and possible legal liabilities) associated with such in-car devices. This year's show found the tone much more cautious regarding telematics.
3. Voice Recognition: Much of the holdup in the telematics area can be attributed to unreliable voice-recognition software. Although Microsoft, Visteon, Eclipse and others displayed voice-recognition systems at the show, most of these manufacturers admitted that the technology is not yet up to par. Even the Eclipse Commander II, a leader in this category prominently displayed at the show, is still not ready for prime time. Until voice recognition becomes much more reliable and consistent, we're unlikely to see advances in the improvement of telematics. A fully functional system looks to be three to five years away.
No. 361, October 1999 Japanese Companies in the US
http://www.jei.org/Archive/BR99/361x/361_JinUS_Transport.html.
FUJITSU TEN LTD.'s Torrance, California marketing unit has released a mapless vehicle navigation system. The voice-interactive Eclipse Commander uses speech-recognition and interactive technologies from PRONOUNCED TECHNOLOGIES, LLC of Reseda, California that allow drivers to enter commands by voice. The system determines a route by asking the driver a series of brief questions. It then retrieves route information from NavTech-brand digital map CDs supplied by NAVIGATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. of Rosemont, Illinois. Travel directions are both heard through the stereo system and displayed. The voice capabilities of the Eclipse Commander, which costs $300 without the CD player, can be used to dial cell phones, control vehicle electronics and operate a vehicle's audio system. Fujitsu Ten is projecting sales of 800 Eclipse Commanders a month.
===========
hopefully F10 was close in its projections with potential installation of edig's product into legacy EC.
gil--WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO GET IT? THE ECLIPSE COMMANDER IS AN AFTERMARKET ITEM!!! TENDERLOIN IS CORRECT. FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE, HARMAN'S PRODUCTS ARE GOING IN THE FACTORY BUILT NEW CARS. JUST B/C TOYOTA OWNS A % OF F10 DOES NOT MEAN TOYOTA IS PUTTING THE ECLIPSE PRODUCT INTO ITS NEW ASSEMBLY LINE CARS. THE ECLIPSE PRODUCT HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE 1999/2000 AND TOYOTA HAS NOT DEIGNED TO PUT IT INTO ITS NEW CARS AS OF YET.
Pronounced Technologies and Eclipse by Fujitsu Ten Team Up to Launch New In-Vehicle Voice-Interactive Control Systems
Patented Voice-Interactive Technology Enables Hands-Free Control of Radio, Phone, Etc.
RESEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 13, 1999-- Pronounced Technologies has entered into an agreement with Eclipse(TM) by Fujitsu Ten(TM) to supply the voice-interactive operating software for new versions of the Eclipse Commander in-vehicle voice-interactive computers.
These Eclipse Commander computers will consist of a command module connected to an Eclipse CD player and will allow for voice command of audio controls, cellular phone operation and several in-vehicle electronics, with the flexibility for further expansion.
Pronounced Technologies' voice-interactive software will communicate directly with the Eclipse Commander model 9002. This command module connects to E-COM (Eclipse Commander)-ready CD players (models 5506, 5504 and 5443) and interacts with the task-specific software, equipping each system with speaker-independent voice command of the following: audio system controls; cell phone integration; and on-board vehicle electronics such as window operation and alarm setting.
These interfaces make the Commander models the first audio systems with complete voice control of audio and phone functions. Optional voice-interactive navigation system software is available at an additional cost.
The voice-recognition chip used is a high-quality engine that features a complex spell-checking system, rejection of out-of-vocabulary words, and high-noise robustness. It also enables the in-vehicle systems to respond to different voices (speaker independent), regardless of variable speech patterns, dialects, etc. Pronounced Technologies' chip reacts to voice commands in virtually real time, responding at a rate of 250 milliseconds.
``Our agreement with Eclipse by Fujitsu Ten marks a significant achievement in the consumer electronics market by applying speech recognition technology to audio systems and transforming them into fully functional in-vehicle computers,'' said Zaya Younan, president and CEO of Pronounced Technologies.
``Pronounced Technologies has refined its voice-interactive chip and software to control almost any in-car function through the stereo or CD player. Now car audio manufacturers are able to make the next generation upgrade to their existing audio systems by simply integrating our voice-interactive operating software for added features at a minimal cost,'' Younan added.
``The new Eclipse Commander models will be an extension of our existing navigation-ready Commander models,'' said Ray Windsor, vice president of marketing for Eclipse by Fujitsu Ten. ``By integrating Pronounced Technologies' voice-interactive chip and software into our products, we're able to respond to consumers who wish to control their radio, phone and other electronics through voice commands, but don't necessarily need a navigation system.''
All Eclipse Commander voice-interactive systems will be available late April at car audio and consumer electronics specialty retailers.
Pronounced Technologies is a leading developer and manufacturer of speaker-independent voice-interactive products and software, designing the world's first easy-to-use and low-cost voice-interactive mobile navigation system, enhancing the safety and convenience of consumers. The company's management and engineering team focuses on the development of consumer applications for their patented voice-interactive technology.
Pronounced Technologies is located in Reseda.
Eclipse by Fujitsu Ten is a manufacturer of mobile audio components for OEMs and aftermarket applications and motoronics for OEMs. Eclipse, the aftermarket brand of Eclipse by Fujitsu Ten, is a full line of award-winning high-performance mobile audio products including CD players, cassette decks, amplifiers and speakers. Eclipse products are distributed exclusively through the specialty retail channel of distribution.
Eclipse by Fujitsu Ten is based in Torrance, Calif.
============================================
I would be glad to have you prove me wrong; please point to anything that indicates the eclipse commander will be put into new off the assembly Toyota products other than you're wishful speculation.
ECLIPSE BRINGS SAFETY AND CONVENIENCE TO CONSUMERS THROUGH
THE ECLIPSE COMMANDER
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
News Summary
Eclipse Commander's voice-operated navigation system makes it the only completely hands-free navigation product on the market.
Company Contact
Eclipse by Fijitsu Ten
19600 South Vermont Ave.
Torrance,
California 90504
Tel: 310-767-4207
Fax: 310-767-4355
Url: http://www.eclipse-web.com
PR Contact
Sheryll Siazon
Freaner & Associates
710 13th Street, Studio 100
San Diego, California 92101
Tel: 619-849-9445
Fax: 619-849-9457
ssiazon@freaner.com
Torrance , Dec. 21, 2000 -- With all of the new gadgets and fun toys available for vehicles today, only one manufacturer can provide both entertainment value and safety features consumers want. Eclipse by Fujitsu Ten presents the Eclipse Commander: a voice-activated Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) Navigation and voice-control system for the electronic functions of any vehicle. It's more than just fun - it's safe and convenient for drivers and their passengers to use. That's right - passengers too.
With speech recognition technology, the Commander will pick up a command from any person sitting in the vehicle. Developed in conjunction with Pronounced Technologies, the world's premier voice recognition software, the Eclipse Commander recognizes English with any North American dialect. It's speaker independent and requires no training to operate.
That's just the basics - check out its main features:
The Eclipse Commander allows for advanced voice interactive GPS Navigation, voice control of the Eclipse radio/CD player, complete hands-free control of hand-held cellular phones, and voice control of vehicle options such as windows or power trunk release. All designed with the ability to accommodate future advancements.
Who wouldn't enjoy the convenience and ease of not having to stop at a gas station for directions? The Commander can route a driver to the destination with turn-by-turn directions. With the GPS option, there's no need to inform the Commander of a starting point - it knows that too! It can pinpoint the vehicle's precise location, even if the driver is lost! If the driver makes a wrong turn, the Commander immediately informs and asks for the needs of a new route. It allows a driver to avoid freeways and take alternate routes in case of road closures or traffic. The Commander means never having to worry about getting lost again.
A driver could be driving in an unfamiliar area and in need of a gas station or a hospital. Without the Commander, a driver would have to rely on other people, wasting precious time looking for someone who can be trusted to help, at the same time risking a chance of getting wrong directions. The Commander can route a driver to virtually anywhere. It can route a driver to police stations, shopping centers, ATM's, restaurants and many more. How's this for a feature: the driver and passengers can choose from a list of over 30 different types of food…Mexican, Japanese, Persian, Seafood, Italian, etc. and the Commander will then route them to the nearest or if they prefer the second (or third, fourth…) closest restaurant of their choice.
With the safety of its consumers in mind, Eclipse designed the Commander so that the user can communicate with it purely by voice, so there are no visual distractions. "Virtually all navigation systems today require the driver to look at a small display monitor located on the center dash; but not the Commander,' says Bill Heinlein, National Sales Manager for Eclipse by Fujitsu Ten. The Commander's voice-operated navigation system makes it the only completely hands-free navigation product on the market.
How about changing a radio station, switching CDs in the changer, repeating a disc
or turning up the volume…all by voice? All of the audio controls once handled manually will all be done verbally. Options such as rolling up a window, opening the sunroof, or shutting a garage door can also be added. Any electronically operated feature in the vehicle can hook up to the Commander, giving the driver full control, without ever taking a hand away from the wheel.
The Commander can also be connected to a cellular phone for complete hands-free operation. With new laws and regulations arising at both the state and local levels, the Commander's
hands-free cell phone interface will be very useful in avoiding traffic tickets. The Commander accepts verbal input of phone commands such as dial, redial, answer, hang up, store and look up. There will no longer be the need to keep one hand on the phone with the other on the steering wheel and no more looking away from the road to dial.
"The Eclipse Commander lets drivers keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road,' says Bill Heinlein, National Sales Manager of Eclipse by Fujitsu Ten. "All you have to do is drive and the Commander takes care of everything else while you enjoy the superior sound quality of Eclipse car audio.'
The Eclipse Commander is designed for use with a choice of five E-COM AM/FM CD Players (model 55060, 55040, 55430, 54420 and 54410). The complete Commander (including Voice Control and Navigation software) and CD player package starts from $790 MSRP*. Eclipse optional hands-free cell phone adapter, model 9820N, is sold separately at $200 MSRP*.
Eclipse by Fujitsu Ten advances the art of audio systems technology for the aftermarket in-car electronics industry. Across the country, Eclipse products are sold exclusively
through authorized retailers with the training and experience necessary to install and service Eclipse products including the Eclipse Commander, in-dash DVD player, in-dash CD changers, CD tuner/receivers, cassette tuner/receivers, CD changers, power amplifiers and speakers.
For more information on Eclipse products, visit our Web site at www.eclipse-web.com or call 1-800-233-2216.
*Prices do not include labor for installation.
===============
wonder how many eclipse commanders have been actually sold in the past?
aus-you stated that you read this on the edig website re the O1000 manual--but i do not see that manual posted there!
Wall Street Pines for Tech Recovery
Sat Feb 1, 7:24 AM ET Add Technology - Reuters to My Yahoo!
By Herbert Lash
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Something funny is happening on Wall Street. Companies are slashing their capital spending budgets due to a dicey economic outlook, yet tech stocks have shown some light on hopes of a recovery in technology spending.
The tech-laced Nasdaq Composite Index has lost ground since the new year's rally peaked two weeks ago. But its drop has been less than that of the Dow Jones industrial average and runs counter to its usual wider swings than the Dow.
There are several reasons this could be happening:
** The Nasdaq -- which was once over 5,000 -- has been battered the worst in the past three years and the rest of the stock market might just be catching up;
** Tech spending has all but disappeared in the past three years. Eventually, people will need new computers;
** Investors often feel the need to buy something, and the bull market in the late 1990s was a tech-driven phenomenon. Some may think now is the time to get ahead of the next rally.
Behind the tech stock push are hopes the bear market has bottomed and expectations information technology will pick up at the end of the year, or by early 2004, as companies replace equipment bought during the year 2000 build-up.
"My sense from everything you read is the rate of decay has slowed. The news hasn't been getting incrementally worse," said Donna van Vlack, director of trading at Brandywine Asset Management, which oversees $7 billion. "How many shipwrecks have you seen? The world's not going to be in hell forever."
But the bet on tech may be dead wrong, as some say the bear market, the deepest since World War II, isn't over yet.
"The watchword is spend as little as possible," said Erick Maronak, research director at NewBridge Partners, about corporate IT spending. "We're past things deteriorating quarter after quarter, but the issue is when will companies return to revenue growth?"
Many tech shares shot up 40 percent to 60 percent after the Nasdaq hit multiyear lows in early October, on hopes the rout in technology had run its course. Worries the latest rally will be just another in a series of bear market bounces has made some investors question the likelihood of a tech recovery.
"There's an inability to reconcile what we saw in stocks (during the October rally) with the fundamentals," Maronak said. "At this point, given all the head fakes investors have bought into, they're being a little leery."
TECH DREAMS
After three years of decline on Wall Street, and with warnings of a fourth down year, investors can be forgiven for not buying into the call for a tech recovery.
But rising revenue forecasts can easily be found on Wall Street, even though many companies have said they will not provide forecasts this year because the economic outlook is clouded by a possible war with Iraq.
SG Cowen said on Wednesday that it recently spoke to a high-level official at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. Federal IT spending budget is expected to increase 20 percent in 2003, up from a 5 percent increase last year, the brokerage said.
Cisco Systems Inc. (NasdaqNM:CSCO - news) is expected to be the primary beneficiary, said SG Cowen analyst Christin Armacost.
Getting a handle on how much companies will spend is difficult because of particular company needs and the wide spectrum of what can be bought.
UBS Warburg said it expects global wireless capital spending of about $68 billion in 2003, though it said its estimate could be reduced after AT&T Wireless Services Inc. (NYSE:AWE - news) announced on Wednesday spending would be slashed almost 40 percent to $3 billion.
U.S. Bancorp Jaffray said even the most optimistic forecasts for PC components call for barely half the 17 growth range of several years ago when Y2K spending was on a tear.
"Many observers, justifiably so, see this as a largely saturated market hamstrung further by a worldwide economic slump," said Bancorp Jaffray analysts Ashok Kumar in a report.
VALUATIONS STILL TOO HIGH
To be sure, technology earnings will increase 31 percent in 2003, following a 22 percent decline last year, said Ed Yardeni, Prudential Securities' chief investment strategist.
The view is in line with Wall Street consensus, Yardeni said, and though it seems high, it will only put the sector back to what its earnings were in 1995, he said.
"I'm not real enthusiastic about tech," Yardeni said. "Overall, I think this is going to be a distressed sector for awhile. You can have an earnings rebound, but not enough to justify current valuation multiples."
On a 12-month forward-earnings basis as of January, tech stocks were trading at price-to-earnings ratios of 30, whereas prior to 1998 they traded at about 16, he said.
Tech will continue to be a trading vehicle, sparking great rallies that last a few weeks, only to give back most of their gains, Yardeni said. Since the Nasdaq peaked in March 2000, there have been seven rallies that turned out to be duds.
"We have to get over this tech obsession," he said. "We have to get on with life."
Digital Music Fans Get a Break in Europe
Only commercial piracy is criminal under European Commission proposal, to industry's chagrin.
Joris Evers, IDG News Service
Friday, January 31, 2003
The European Commission has presented a draft directive that punishes copyright infringement for commercial purposes, but leaves the home music downloader untouched, infuriating the entertainment industry.
The proposed directive is meant to harmonize intellectual property rights enforcement laws in the 15-nation European Union (EU). It aims to strike "a fair balance" between interests of right holders and the opportunities the Internet offers to consumers, according to Commission documents.
Advertisement
Criminal sanctions apply only when copyright infringement is carried out intentionally and for commercial purposes, the Commission said.
A consortium of industry groups, including representatives of the tech industry as well as music companies, declared the proposal "inadequate."
They still have time to lobby for tougher sanctions. The Commission's draft directive has to pass the European Parliament and the European Union's Council of Ministers before it is officially adopted.
Directive Highlights
Peer-to-peer file-sharing services that encourage copyright infringement and make money from advertising are commercial, according to the Commission. "That is illegal and should be stopped," the Commission said. Examples of such file-sharing services are Kazaa and Morpheus.
Even though the individual is let off the hook, the Commission uses strong words to condemn piracy and counterfeiting, which is also part of the draft directive. The Commission estimates over 17,000 jobs are lost annually through piracy and counterfeiting in the EU.
"There is also evidence that counterfeiting and piracy are becoming more and more linked to organized crime and terrorist activities because of the high profits and, so far, the relatively low risks of discovery and punishment," the Commission said in a statement.
"Pirates and counterfeiters are in effect stealing from right[s] holders," said Frits Bolkestein, internal market commissioner, in a prepared statement. "If we don't stamp that out, the incentives for industrial innovation and cultural creativity will be weakened."
Assessment Criticized
The music industry blasted the proposal, calling it "inadequate" and "unambitious." The criticism came in a statement issued jointly by ten organizations, including the Business Software Alliance, a technology trade group. Also voicing disapproval were the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and the Motion Picture Association.
"The proposal creates a two-tier system of enforcement where some types of piracy are acceptable and others not," the industry organizations said.
Furthermore, the Commission underestimates the size of the piracy problem and falls short of providing the legal framework to fight it, the group said. Collectively, the film, video, music, and leisure software industries in Europe claim they lose over $4.9 billion annually as a result of piracy.
The music industry also charges that the Commission fails to achieve its goal of harmonizing national laws on intellectual property rights enforcement in the European Union, instead perpetuating a patchwork of different legal measures and procedures across the EU.
db- congratulations; re Falk don't be so sure what I think because i think you have no clue what i think-- but this i do think- talk is cheap - realistically the only thing that will move this company's stock price will be sustaining, increasing revenue and then sustaining,increasing profit
but few here want to hear any criticism, constructive or otherwise, as you yourself have stated you want this site to be "basher free" and will do anything in your power to make it so- so the power of persuasion by you, LL, DABOSS and others have convinced me to change my ways, from now on after this post i will only be 110% positive.
Alex Delarge
i should note however that sentinel suggested you might take heed of the following:
here is just one example of why some have hesitated to look at this company and its PPS on a forward looking basis:
MIR talks to Robert Putnam
I sent Robert a list of questions...and he called me back. I am typing in bold a paraphrase of his answer. I ANTICIPATE from talking to Robert..that we will be hearing about a whole host of Eastech devices (Circuit City , Best Buy possible) soon, the PC Bundling of the micro drive, possibly announcements of other Dataplay devices this fall or Q1 2002) as they rev up for the 2002 launch of Dataplay.
DATAPLAY:
Are we CURRENTLY working with Dataplay on any products OTHER than music players?
yes
If so, is it a reference design, or is it for a particular OEM (i.e.
Samsung)?
yes, and yes. they have at least one reference design and they are also working OEMS (orig equip mfgrs) on non music player Dataplay devices.
JOINT MARKETING:
Are we going to have joint products for each platform or will it only be the IBM micro drive product?
IBM micro drive product is the first and big one, but we will have joint marketing programs with other platforms.
Some will have IBM and EDIGITAL branding, some just the OEM and some just edigital.
Why would a customer want to pay for the marketing for an edigital
branded product?
to build consumer demand for the product, to grow the category. They are giving us generous terms and special pricing and we are piggybacking on their marketing. F&H will be working with magazines and PR to get edigital's name out there.
Are we talking about multiple branded products (more than one OEM) that will all say "powered by e.digital" (similar to Intel inside)?
multiple products
If we have our own product, would we not be competing against our
customers?
he says we are not competing...but helping to build the category. He said only Sony wants to go solo these days.
Were we working with someone else on the IBM micro drive and they dropped out...so IBM stepped to the plate and said, let's do it together becoming not only a supplier of the micro drive but a joint marketing partner?
No...this is how it was set up with micro drive from the beginning. (remember I talked to the IBM rep at TechExpo and he said micro drive product would be out in Sept...and to remember the little guys like him (he knows I have a lot of edig stock). He said he had a shirt with the edig and IBM logo on it.)
OTHER:
Will we have a video player powered by edigital to see at this
Years shareholder meeting (we expected that last year, but it was delayed)?.
NO, WE WILL NOT HAVE A VIDEO PLAYER AT THE SHMTG...BUT THEY WILL HAVE SEVERAL MUSIC PLAYERS.
Do we have any retail customers other than B&O?
WE HAVE oems who HAVE RETAIL CUSTOMERS THAT WILL HAVE STORE BRANDED PLAYERS.
XMAS PRODUCT:
Will all non-flash products out for Xmas have Voice Nav? Or is the
Voice Nav restricted to the micro drive product?
WE WILL HAVE VOICE NAV AND "NON"
VOICE NAV PRODUCT ON THE SHELVES IN OCTOBER IN TIME FOR THE XMAS SELLING SEASON
BOTH ETAIL AND RETAIL.
HE EMPHASIZED THAT EVERYTHING AT EDIG NOW IS FOCUSED ON GETTING PLAYERS ON THE SHELVES ASAP.
Does out for Xmas mean a (flash or HDD) product release prior to Dec
25th, or retail distribution at a level where consumers can buy in time for the Xmas holiday?
EXPECT THEM ON THE SHELVES IN OCT (MID OCT) AND EXPECT NEWS TO SET THAT UP BEFORE OCT 15TH.
Does in consumers hands mean sold through "retail distribution" or
Internet orders?
BOTH ETAIL AND RETAIL. IN STORES AND ORDERING ON LINE. ON THE SHELF WAS EMPHASIZED
Will a Flash product be out by Xmas?
+++++++++++++++++++++++YES.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
OTHER COMMENTS HE MADE.
BAND & OLUFSEN WILL HAVE SEVERAL PRODUCTS OUT BY XMAS
WE ARE STILL WORKING WITH MAYCOM
WE ARE WORKING CLOSELY WITH IBM AS A PARTNER TO GET MUSIC PLAYERS BUNDLED WITH PC MFGRS FOR XMAS.
HE KEPT STRESSING HOW GOOD THE IBM PARTNERSHIP IS FOR EDIG.
=============================================================
the above was posted:
Posted by: moxa1
In reply to: None Date:9/22/2001 10:44:21 AM
Post 6562 of 28870
bmpskr--I hope every shareholder who feels a need to publicly complain has finished expressing their disappointment and dried their tears so that we can tell the difference between those and the true bashers. Let's all just keep whining and feeling sorry for ourselves, that'll do a lot of good.
All the complaining in the world posted on a message board serves NO productive purpose. Communication directly to management is the only effective method. I'm not thrilled with the failure of retail or management's reticence concerning company developments, but since I've made the choice to remain a shareholder, I will not subject others to my grievances. They will be discussed with management only, if and when I feel the need. Good luck to us all...
i don't base my investing in this company on vague dot-connecting. i need some company confirmation of some kind. It seems certain to me that there will be an OEM for the 0-1000 announced next week. RP has mentioned recently that announcements are on their way, particularly those concerning the 0-1000. i think a lot of our questions will be answered shortly...The future begins now.
db-please don't stop; you are right- THIS IS THE END OF EDIG'S GREAT DEPRESSION
The start of a new millenium for edig. I am so excited i just can't contain myself. FALK IS A GOD. I am buying more on Monday.
sent-and on a brighter note--at least we haven't shot ourselves in the b*lls!
gern-- BTW, think SAMSUNG--
Posted by: cksla
In reply to: None Date:8/4/2001 12:27:58 PM
Post #of 28801
Magiceyes is a SAMSUNG established business:
The First One Chip for Portable Multimedia Equipment Developed"
Digital Times, July 13, 2000
A domestic venture business succeeded in developing SOC(system-on-a-chip) for portable multimedia equipment and it is expected to strengthen the competitiveness of the Korean businesses in the area of non-memory semiconductor and multimedia system.
Magiceyes(represented by Cho, Myung-rae), the first venture business that Samsung Electronics established, made an announcement on July 12 that it succeeded in developing MMSP(Multimedia Signal Processor) for the first time in the industry. This solution is capable of processing audio, video and graphic data and compressing and retrieving the voice data on one chip.
Magiceyes has invested 1.5 billion won for the past two years for the development project and the chip has a built-in video processor that can encode and decode the JPEG, M (Motion) JPEG files, MP2 and MP3 decoder and 2D graphic processor. It also includes USB 1.2, IrDA 1.1, Serial and Parallel of interface and analog circuits.
Magiceyes says that except 16 bit DSP(Digital Signal Processor) it developed all the components needed to develop MMSP and with the newly developed one chip, it can save costs significantly in developing multimedia equipment and shorten the development time with three or four chips that the existing multimedia equipment require. It also added that the new chip consumes much less power than the existing products.
Magiceyes estimates that the demand for the multimedia signal processor in the world market will reach 20 million units this year and the domestic market demand for next year will 1 million and it will rise to 3 million units in the year 2002. Currently most of the processors are being imported and with the new products will replace 5-10 million imported units every year.
Magiceyes signed an MOU(Memorandum of Understanding) with a large business in Korea to supply the products and it plans to launch the mass production of the chips in August this year. It also has a plan to develop a portable entertainment player(model name: MkiVki) that includes built-in MP3 player, digital camera and TV and present the new products to the market in October this year.
Mr. Cho, Myung rae, CEO of Magiceyes said, "With the success of the development, we can bring down the production cost of portable multimedia equipment by 50% and it will become a good opportunity to sharpen our competitive edge in the area of information equipment market."
Magiceyes will also introduce a new line of products like 32 bit microprocessor, 3D graphic processor, MPEG 4 video and audio processor, and MMSP-2 in June next year.
MkiVki Visual Music Player's last sighting:
Submitted by: Fabrizio Pilato on February 25th, 2002
Source: mesdigital.com
MkiVki, as a visual music player, is the first portable equipment that enables the user to edit the image and music randomly and play them. Unlike MP3 players that can only play music, the user can view music video and, take and edit moving/still pictures so that the user can enjoy creating his or her own culture, which can appeal to the "N generation".
Features
Text processor and MP3 Play
- The user can read words while listening to MP3 music. JPEG and Motion JPEG process (up to 20 frame/sec)
- The user can watch music video while listening to MP3 music Real time caption function (up to 10 frame/sec)
- Still/moving picture storing function
- Camera module(CIS) input still screen or still/moving picture taking function
- TV tuner input, video signal caption function Voice recording function PDA function
- PIMS(Personal Information) processing function High-end 2D graphic function
- Game function (300K Polygon/sec) IrDA 4Mbps between terminals and serial port is supported
- Network game function between terminals Upload and download between terminal and PC (USB up to 12Mbps)
Specifications
Main System
- Processor : 80MHz MMSP-1 (Multimedia Signal Processor)
- Memory : 16Mb*2 SDRAM, Bulit-in 64MB NAND Flash Memory
- Aux.Storage : Upgrade with Customized Flash Memory Module
- Power : 110V/220V Free Voltage (USB port Adaptor)
- Battery: Rechargeable Li-ion (3.6V, 1800mAh)
- Battery Life : Around 10 Hours(Depends on at Audio & Video Playback Mode)
- User Interface : 4 Selection Buttons and 4 Direction Buttons
- Display : 2.5 inch Transmissive TFT Color LCD (480*234) with LED Backlight
- Size : 94.3mm x 71mm x 23.4mm (24.8mm at Battery)
- Output/Input : Serial Port, USB1.2, IrDA1.1, Stereo Earphone Jack, Built-in Speaker, Microphone
- Bundle Software Program : Multimedia Edition Program, File Management Program, Personal Information Management Program Option Module
- TV Module : T.B.D
- Digital Camera Module : CIS, 340K Pixel(VGA Resolution)
Posted by: cksla
In reply to: None Date:10/12/2001 1:29:32 PM
Post #of 28796
First MJPEG Portable Multimedia Player Launched
The era of the portable multimedia player is upon us, allowing the enjoyment of digital multimedia - movies, animation, music videos, etc - even when away from the PC.
MagicEyes, a Korean domestic venture specializing in multimedia solutions, has announced the launch of the world's first portable multimedia player supporting the Motion JPEG (MJPEG) format. The player, dubbed MkiVki, incorporates the company's own multimedia signal processor (MMSP), and enables users to make their own motion pictures. It also provides digital multimedia content like music video clips, movies, fashion and games.
MkiVki is the first portable multimedia player based on MJPEG, the company claims. "It is expected to grow fast as the next multimedia device that supports a wide range of digital contents, from digital camera to MP3 player. It also can be fixed to each user's taste with various optional functions, such as voice communication, digital camera and external large storage," said Myoung-rae Cho, CEO of MagicEyes.
Functions Available
The MkiVki incorporates an 80MHz MMSP-1 processor (Fig), a 2.5-inch LCD (resolution 480 x 234) and 32/64 Mbytes of Flash memory for MJPEG processing of up to 20fps (frames per second).
The embedded serial port supports connections with cell phones, and the high-speed USB 1.2 PC interface and IrDA 1:1 support connections to enable communications between different MkiVkis. These can occur in real time using the removable PC camera, along with the microphone and speaker. VGA still pictures can be captured at the pixel size of 340K, while VGA motion pictures can be captured at up to 10fps.
Through a graphical user interface, the MkiVki also provides PIMS processing functions, such as MP3 file playing, voice recording, and a calculator, calendar and scheduler.
A service tool bar, integrated for use with the Internet, is provided, and Webbased motion picture editing software has been incorporated.
MMSP Technology
MagicEyes, initially established by former Samsung Electronics engineers, has been focusing on system-on-a-chip (SoC) development since 1998, and finally succeeded in launching its MMSP multimedia one-chip solution last year.
The MMSP-1 includes a 16-bit DSP core, MMU, memory controller, cache controller, 2D graphics processor, LCD controller, image capture/audio/video processor, USB slave controller, IrDA controller and PLL. Interface and analog circuits are included, and the solution allows bi-directional data transfer between devices. The addition of memory and an interface terminal to the MMSP-1 is all that is required to implement a system.
"All the components on the single chip, except the 16-bit DSP, are our own developments. The MMSP-1 can reduce the development period and expenses - as well as power consumption - dramatically compared to existing multimedia devices composed of three or four chips," said a spokesperson for the company.
MagicEyes is currently working on development of the MMSP-2 chip and solution. This is targeted at supporting high-performance 3D games and motion pictures with high resolutions on low-power portable devices - 250mW, maximum. The MMSP-2 is also designed as a SoC, and includes a 32-bit CPU, graphic/video processor, sound synthesizer and communications peripherals.
With the MMSP-2, various multimedia systems can be developed by adding memory and I/O components, such as an LCD module. Key features include high-performance parallel processing bus architecture, MPEG4 CIF 30fps encoding/decoding, and JPEG/MJPEG encoding/decoding.
MagicEyes is involved in talks for further developing its MMSP series with Nokia, Hewlett-Packard and Intel. The company is also co-developing a one-chip A/V code chip for IMT-2000 along with some of the big domestic telecom companies, and is planning to establish an office in the US at the end of this year.
by Luz Park, Seoul
(October 2001 Issue, Nikkei Electronics Asia)
gern-didn't that come out 2 years ago or was just another one of the many promised products that has yet to see the light of day (in honor of upcoming Groundhog's Day):
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=155544
the most notable attempt can be MkiVki, which will be introduced in next January by Magiceyes.
MkiVki, same as a cigarette pack in size, holds the combination of 6 functions - MP3 player, digital camera, digital camcorder, TV, game player, and PDA. Customers can not only listen to the music or take still pictures but also enjoy MP3 music while watching music video or store TV or video clips.
PS--there was also going to be a Dataplay version! sigh