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wmw--why do you call them new and why do you call them sku??
USB Breaks Free of the PC
In the world of connectivity, the PC often acts as the messenger that brings in data and relays it to other devices, but this might not always be the most efficient method of data transmission. A new specification, USB On-the-Go, will effectively eliminate the role of the PC as a go-between. A mini connector will enable devices to negotiate directly with each other to determine which will act as the host.
Compared to other peer-to-peer standards such as 1394 FireWire and the Bluetooth wireless protocol, USB On-the-Go has compatibility on its side, with the 500 million devices already supporting USB. Nonetheless, David Murray, vice president of marketing at TransDimension, the Irvine, Calif., maker of USB chipsets and software, believes that the specification will coexist with other peer-to-peer standards. "You might have a cell phone that has both Bluetooth and USB to talk to a Bluetooth headset and to talk to a keyboard to type in e-mail," he envisions.
USB On-the-Go's main drawback is that it supports only a rather slow data throughput of either 1.5Mbps or 12Mbps, whichever speed is optimized for the task at hand. Though faster than Bluetooth, which tops out at 720Kbps, it's nowhere near FireWire's 400Mbps or even USB 2.0's data rates.
Still, the sacrifice in speed might be a necessity. "The full speed of USB 2.0, which is 480Mbps, draws too much power," explains Murray, who is a member of the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) subcommittee on USB On-the-Go. "Because we're targeting On-the-Go to go into very small battery-powered devices, we cannot afford the power."
USB On-the-Go is still in development and will be presented soon to the USB-IF board. If the board does as expected and approves On-the-Go this summer, the new technology probably will be available in consumer products by the end of the year. It already has earned the backing of such companies as Ericsson, Palm, Hewlett-Packard, Intel and Microsoft.
The appearance of Microsoft and Intel on this list indicates that even traditionally PC-centric companies are lending their support to the specification. But Alex Slawsby, an analyst at market-research firm IDC of Framingham, Mass., believes that some PC manufacturers will raise an eyebrow at a specification that seeks to eliminate the PC's role. "Any initiative that moves away from a PC-centric space will meet with some reaction from PC vendors and from locations that are standardized on PCs," he predicts. On the other hand, Murray points out that the PC will still be needed for countless tasks such as editing photos taken on a digital camera.
Slawsby agrees that the broad utility of the new technology will win over its detractors. "But it looks like something that's going to be hard to stop," he predicts. — John Frederick Moore
Texas Instruments Power-Efficient DSP Is First to Achieve USB 2.0 Full-Speed Certification, Providing Proven Solution for USB Connectivity
HOUSTON (October 11, 2001) -The power-efficient, peripheral-rich TMS320C5509 DSP from Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE: TXN) has achieved Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 full-speed certification from the USB Implementers Forum, Inc. (USB-IF) compliance program, providing designers of DSP-based personal and portable appliances a proven solution for USB connectivity. The certification allows designers of hand-held multimedia products with USB 2.0 full-speed specification ports to achieve full USB data transfer speeds of up to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) and seamless interoperability with other USB compliant devices. http://www.dspvillage.ti.com/c5509promo2
Compliance means that USB products are built to match the description in the USB specification, so that devices designed with the C5509 DSP USB connection will be interoperable with other USB compliant devices from other manufacturers- saving design time, money and additional testing. Compliance testing exists to help manufacturers measure how well their products match the USB specification.
"The C5509 is the first TI DSP to pass all testing requirements for USB 2.0 full-speed certification, achieving USB compliance only one month after submission," said Christine Wu, C55x product marketing manager at TI. "As the need for USB connectivity in portable appliances grows, TI's systems expertise and experience allow us to integrate the USB chip technology into the DSP. This provides a proven USB 2.0 full-speed connection for direct access to the host platform, such as a PC, set-top box or digital media center."
The C5509 DSP, the second member of the award winning low-power TMS320C55x™ DSP generation, maintains code-compatibility with the industry leading TMS320C54x™ DSPs, and features a new architecture that delivers the power-efficient performance and dedicated on-chip peripherals required for hand-held multimedia applications such as digital imaging devices, personal video cameras, personal medical, biometric identification systems and security devices.
TI's C5509 DSP incorporates functions that would otherwise need to be enabled by external devices, reducing board space, parts count and overall product cost. This integration combined with the inherent power efficiency of the C55x™ DSP improves battery life up to 70 percent and allows the end product to offer more features in a smaller footprint.
The C5509 DSP is supported by the most complete, field-proven development platform in the industry - eXpressDSP™ real-time software technology. This easy-to-use suite of software and tools features the Code Composer Studio™ Integrated Development Environment (IDE); the DSP/BIOS™ real-time kernel and a large and growing range of application software compliant to the TMS320™ DSP Algorithm Standard from TI's nearly 500-member third-party network. In addition, TI provides a USB module support library that is built upon the C55x Chip Support Library, a component of Code Composer Studio v2. This USB Chapter 9 compliant example serves as a framework for USB application development, making it easy to program and configure the USB peripheral and is downloadable for the web.
The C5509 DSP augments TI's existing portfolio of USB 2.0-compliant products including peripheral and hub devices. TI offers USB 2.0 solutions, which provide superior functionality and versatility, encompassing the entire USB 2.0 operating range, including low, full and high-speed operation. For more information on TI's USB peripheral and hub portfolio, go to http://www.ti.com/sc/usbsolutions.
Availability
Samples of the TMS320C5509 DSP are available today in 144-pin LQFP (part number: TMS320VC5509PGE) and 179-pin MicroStar BGA™ (part number: TMS320VC5509GHH) packages. Full production is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2002 at a price of $18 (10,000 qty). The C5509 DSP evaluation module (EVM) is available from Spectrum Digital (http://www.spectrumdigital.com/), a TI third party, for a limited time at $995. C5509 DSP overview and technical training are available at http://www.ti.com/sc/docs/training/training.htm
More information about the C5509 DSP, as well as the C55x DSP generation, can be obtained at http://www.dspvillage.ti.com/c5509promo2.
edig and set-top boxes-
Doc42av $$$$$ 24 Jan 2002, 11:13 AM EST Msg. 888287 of 888342
Talked to RP yesterday. Everything he said we already know about(Dataplay, MTV, Auto, bundling, and all else from shareholder letter). The only new info dealt with set-top boxes. He said most of EDIG'S work with set-top boxes involves the software and the interface that will enable users to quickly download content to portable devices. So we have something else to look forward to! Anyway, things look awesome and what a Spring it should be. Cheers
=========================================================
Doc42's post re tele conf w/ RP and edig's involvement with STBs comports with my understanding as well--but what the heck does it mean--more Putnam doublespeak spewing out one more carrot to chew on; possibly, but let me suggest you chew on the following and see if this helps answer the question: What's up Doc?
=========================================================
USB On-The-Go: P-to-P Communications in Mobile Devices
Kosta Koeman and David Murray -- Electronic News, 8/27/01
USB On-The-Go (OTG), a supplement to the USB 2.0 specification, adds further functionality to USB specifically for portable devices and post-PC products, including mobile phones, PDAs, cable set-top boxes and home gateways. OTG enhances USB by adding the features necessary to accelerate adoption of USB into these classes of products. These features include smaller connectors, lower power provisions and the ability to interconnect devices directly to one another. In order to achieve direct communication between devices, implementation of some level of host functionality is required. USB OTG will allow entire classes of products, typically able to connect only to PCs, to connect directly to one another and exchange information. Consumer products such as digital cameras, printers, mobile phones, PDAs and MP3 players are among the list of such devices. USB OTG brings USB capabilities to a market that is forecast to represent more than 1 billion devices by 2003.
To get an idea of the types of products that are going to incorporate USB OTG, look no further than the list of companies helping to develop the specification. These include companies that ship products to consumers and corporations as well as the solution providers that will make USB OTG a reality with connectors, cables, embedded controllers and software. The list includes Advanced-Connectek (Acon), Aten, Cypress Semiconductor, Ericsson, Hewlett-Packard, Imation, InSilicon, Intel, Lumburg, Maxim, MCCI, Microsoft, Motorola, NEC, Nokia, OnSpec, OPTi, Palm, Philips, Qualcomm, SoftConnex, Texas Instruments, TransDimension and Tyco Electronics.
Why "On-The-Go"?
One of the first questions about the USB OTG initiative is simply, "Why USB On-The-Go?" when there are other point-to-point options available, such as IEEE 1394? First, USB provides an inexpensive infrastructure for connecting peripherals to a PC. Also, when operating at 12Mbits/sec.—or full speed—the power required for transmitting a signal is low. By using a popular standard such as USB and enhancing the specification to allow for point-to-point communication, the method of transmitting data between two directly connected peripherals is maintained.
But the real reason that USB OTG is so compelling for these products is that they can now connect to the more than 900 million (and growing quickly) USB-enabled products shipped so far. In contrast, IEEE 1394 is ideal for consumer electronics and other products that require high-bandwidth connections such as digital video cameras that lack the low-power requirements of mobile phones and other handheld portable devices. However, it is important to note that USB OTG devices may transmit data at the 480MHz signaling rate, but due to power requirements, most portables with power constraints will likely only transmit at the 12MHz signaling rate, which is sufficiently fast for most of their applications.
As devices such as mobile phones become more and more intelligent, they increasingly need a connection with other devices. USB On-The-Go is a perfect fit as it allows the mobile phone to be controlled by the PC, and if the user is mobile or on the road, it allows the phone to communicate with other peripherals with the same low-power, inexpensive connection.
Another common question regarding USB OTG is, "What about the PC?" USB OTG does not diminish the PC's role in the digital world. In fact, the role of the PC is enhanced. Even though more content is generated away from the PC, ultimately it is the PC or a server that must process or handle the generated content at some point. USB OTG simply allows for the exchange of that data while in a mobile environment.
Though USB has proven to be an excellent means for connecting devices to a PC, there are several instances where manufacturers of handheld products needed connectivity prior to USB OTG.
Since no suitable standard existed, the solution for manufacturers was to adopt proprietary solutions. This has resulted in an increasingly fragmented market in which products with different propriety solutions could not connect and could not be updated to connect together.
USB OTG now provides the solution with a common interface to unify this market. By updating the firmware of a USB OTG device, new products and product types can be supported. This will result in decreasing obsolescence, increased interoperability of devices and increased consumer confidence and demand for these products.
As the finishing touches are being put on the USB OTG specification, many mobile and post-PC product manufacturers are designing the functionality into their next-generation products. Although USB is known as one of the most successful technologies introduced in recent years with more than 900 million units shipped to date, USB products such as PDAs and mobile phones, which include the enhanced OTG functionality, have the potential to dwarf even those numbers very quickly.
=====================================================
DIGITAL APPLIANCE MANUFACTURERS TURNING TO EMBEDDED
INTERCONNECTIVITY TO JOIN POST-PC ERA COMMUNICATIONS
Chip Implementations of USB “On-the-Go” Specification Enables Shift
IRVINE, Calif., January 16, 2001 – Not too long ago, the rallying cry of
information technology was “A computer on every desk.” After that milestone was
achieved, mobile computing raised the question, “Who wants a desk?” Today, there’s a
growing chorus of anticipation for “Who needs a computer?”
Many businesses and consumers who have joined the mobile society view the
PC as nothing more than a necessity to connect their hand-held digital appliances to
databases, peripheral equipment and other appliances. If all products that are now
“slaves” to the PC could incorporate the essential PC connectivity in their own design,
there would be no need for the host. That concept is rallying the industry to embark on
the Post-PC Era.
If the Post-PC era is equated to embedded microprocessors, 95 percent of
processor chips already go into non-PC devices such as automotive systems, peripheral
equipment and digital appliances, according to International Data Corporation, an
industry research firm. If mobility is the measure, there are some 300 million mobile
appliances on the market, including cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs)
and portable MP3 players to name a few examples. Either way, embedded and mobile
systems are getting more and more intelligent.
- more -
Digital Appliance Manufacturers Turning To Embedded
Interconnectivity To Join Post-PC Era Communications…/Page 2
But embedded systems and mobile devices have one thing in common that
places them on this side of the frontier – they must connect to a PC or network server to
exchange data. The bridge anxiously sought by digital appliance manufacturers is
independent interoperability in both wired and wireless solutions.
One of the most promising allies of manufacturers is the USB Implementers
Forum (USB-IF), a non-profit organization founded by leading companies with a vested
interest in PC technology to develop specifications for the universal serial bus. The
original achievement of USB-IF is a common interface specification for PC and
peripheral manufacturers to use for connecting virtually any number of peripheral
devices to a PC without internal interface cards or the hassle of configuration setups.
Now the USB-IF is working on a specification called USB On-the-Go for direct
connectivity between mobile devices and peripheral equipment. Examples of On-the-Go
implementations would be connecting a digital camera to a photo printer or a PDA to a
smart phone via USB ports on all devices.
Translating the new specification to silicon is one of the tasks assumed by
TransDimension Inc., Irvine, Calif., a company founded in 1997 to develop embedded
interconnectivity solutions for intelligent mobile devices and post-PC appliances. One of
the major system-level issues of eliminating the PC from the loop focuses on the logic
for controlling input/output operations, according to David Murray, vice president of
marketing.
The USB architecture of the PC Era is based on a desktop system or network
server “hosting” all of those peripheral devices in a master-slave relationship so they can
work together. So what do the slaves do when the master goes away? They become
masters as well, according to the TransDimension solution, which is currently embodied
in the first embedded USB host controller chip already selected by a number of major
household-name manufacturers. In the long run, the master-slave issue will be
transparent to users, but at the device level it will be negotiated by a protocol that is part
of the USB On-the-Go specification.
Both the master and the slave part of the relationship are standard in the USB
- more -
Digital Appliance Manufacturers Turning To Embedded
Interconnectivity To Join Post-PC Era Communications…/Page 3
specification as standalone units. The master part of the relationship, which is the most
difficult of the two, has been approved by the USB-IF and has enabled TransDimension
to safely commit its design to silicon. The dual role master-slave specification is still in
the final stages of approval.
TransDimension is a member of the On-the-Go committee and is poised to
implement dual role functionality with master-slave negotiation intelligence in its chip
early this year, based on the committee’s scheduled adoption of a specification early this
year. Although there are chip products on the market today with both master and slave
functionality, they pose a significant risk to manufacturers of mobile equipment intended
to interconnect via the USB specification, Murray noted.
“Chips that are not compliant with the On-the-Go specification will be a real
nightmare for OEMs by this time next year,” Murray said. “Major manufacturers of
peripheral equipment and mobile devices are driving the USB On-the-Go effort and are
sure to adopt it, creating compatibility issues for those who make the leap too soon.”
Murray is quick to point out that chip design is more than just USB compliance,
and there are many other factors for equipment manufacturers to consider. “There are
major architectural and software differences between PC-centric and embedded
solutions, and the former is far too complex to consider as a model for the latter,” he
says.
The PC, for example, uses a PCI (peripheral control interface) bus to mediate
CPU and universal serial bus functions under overall control of the Windows operating
system. TransDimension’s USB controllers eliminate the PCI and talks directly to the
CPU via real time operating systems developed specifically for embedded applications.
Another part of the solution is a USB connector shrunk to embedded chip dimensions
and capable of switching between master and slave roles.
For wireless applications, the company is embedding Bluetooth firmware with its
USB host controller, another industry first. Bluetooth is a consortium of mobile phone,
portable computer and chip companies formed to develop a voice/data wireless
- more -
Digital Appliance Manufacturers Turning To Embedded
Interconnectivity To Join Post-PC Era Communications…/Page 4
connectivity standard. Among three standard interfaces, USB is the one preferred by
the Bluetooth consortium.
While anticipating the USB-IF to complete the dual role On-the-Go USB
specification, TransDimension is exploring new applications for its host controller
technology, Murray said. One leading candidate is the familiar TV set-top box, which will
soon be not so familiar according to manufacturers who envision it as an Internet
gateway and controller of networked home appliances other than a television set.
“The set-top box is a perfect example of an On-the-Go lifestyle in which you have
a number of devices that can periodically use digital TV as a non-PC display, such as a
digital camera, WebCam, scanner, printer, game controller, MP3 players or CD mass
storage,” Murray said. “It doesn’t necessarily take anything away from the home PC, but
it provides a flexibility of location and big screen experience.”
Until TransDimension delivered its embedded USB host controller in silicon,
there was no viable solution for Post-PC manufacturers of host devices. The embedded
implementation is so different that it re-defines the state of the art for interconnectivity,
according to Murray.
Other high-priority applications can be determined from the list of active
participants in the USB On-the-Go committee, which includes Ericssen, Qualcomm,
Hewlett-Packard, Kodak, Imation, Palm Computing, NEC, Intel and Microsoft, in addition
to TransDimension.
“As a supplier to equipment manufacturers, our two years of development work
will reach its full impact on consumers starting next year when a new generation of USB
and Bluetooth-enabled products reach the market,” Murray said. “There is a lot of
argument about what will become the centerpiece of the Post-PC Era, but from our
perspective it can be anything as long as it offers interconnectivity to everything else.”
About TransDimension
Headquartered in Irvine, California, TransDimension is a privately held company
founded in 1997 to develop and market embedded and mobile connectivity solutions
- more -
Digital Appliance Manufacturers Turning To Embedded
Interconnectivity To Join Post-PC Era Communications…/Page 5
based on USB and Bluetooth technologies. TransDimension's product lines include
patent-pending ICs, IP cores, software stacks and development tools that enable direct
wired and wireless interconnectivity for I/O and a wide range of applications and mobile
devices that until now have required an indirect means, such as a PC host, of
exchanging data. More information about TransDimension can be found at
http://www.transdimension.com.
# # #
IBM, Motorola And Vodafone Research Mobile Device Management To Deliver Enhanced Services To Customers
Industry Leaders Combine Mobile Services, Mobile Telephony And Technology Management Strengths To Simplify The Provision Of Mobile Devices To Customers
LONDON, UK--(INTERNET WIRE)--Jan 24, 2002 -- IBM UK, Motorola Inc. and Vodafone Group Plc ("Vodafone") today announced their collaboration to research Device Management technologies as a means to deliver enhanced mobile services to customers. IBM, Motorola, and Vodafone will be testing Device Management services on GPRS and 3G networks to enhance customers' experience and minimise the cost of service delivery and support.
Device Management is the generic term used for technology which enables service providers to:
- Configure mobile devices on behalf of the end user (from the
point of sale onwards)
- Monitor and troubleshoot service performance
- Install or upgrade device software
Device Management will ensure customers enjoy a "pay and play" experience with immediate access to their chosen services and upgrades, without having to physically visit a Customer Support Centre.
Service providers and enterprises will also benefit by reducing the major cost streams associated with customer support and administration.
The widespread deployment of Device Management capabilities has clear benefits for all parties: consumers, enterprise customers, manufacturers and service providers. To this end, IBM, Motorola and Vodafone recognise the importance of a standardised approach. The three companies are members of 3GPP, TMF and SyncML Initiative Ltd, the latter of which will publish a comprehensive set of mobile industry specifications for device management in the first quarter of 2002.
"Today's wireless devices and network services extend beyond voice communications to a vast array of mobile data solutions. To promote widespread adoption of these solutions, Motorola has been committed to developing and commercially deploying platforms supporting industry standards such as SyncML for mobile data management," said Ralph Pini, chief technical officer of Motorola's Personal Communications Sector. "Moving to a standards based approach to mobile device management is the next logical step for our industry and we are pleased to work with Vodafone and IBM to accelerate the adoption of Device Management."
Motorola is developing SyncML-based handsets and wireless solutions that will incorporate Device Management capabilities. During its trial with Vodafone and IBM at the SyncML Congress, the companies will demonstrate these new capabilities via a prototype Motorola mobile phone.
"One of the draw-backs today to the mass roll-out of data services has been the lack of common standards for Device Management. With this in mind, it's crucial to the future success of the mobile industry that high-level standards are developed now. Our collaboration efforts with Motorola and Vodafone, two renowned and highly respected innovators, also reflects IBM's commitment to the mobile/ wireless industry," said Jon Prial, Vice President of Marketing for IBM's Pervasive Computing Division.
IBM is developing User/ Device Management solutions incorporating Tivoli Device Management Technology, integrating with WebSphere Everyplace Server and running them on IBM eServer pSeries servers to support these standards.
Prof. Michael Walker, Vodafone Group R&D Director, said: "With the increasing complexity of the wireless world, we cannot expect our customers to configure their own mobile devices. We need to be able to identify potential problems before they happen and supply the latest software updates to increase levels of customer satisfaction. Device Management will enable Vodafone to provide our customers with innovative services with minimum inconvenience. This will really enhance the Vodafone experience for our customers."
Fujitsu Ten supplies AM/FM/cassette players to Honda, Isuzu and Toyota models and is followed by Visteon Automotive Systems and Alpine Electronics as the only suppliers in this category to achieve quality scores above industry average. Mitsubishi Electric supplies AM/FM/cassette/single CD players to Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth, Jeep, Mitsubishi and Volvo and is followed by Fujitsu Ten and Visteon Automotive Systems with above-average quality within this audio configuration. The study includes eight receiver/playback configurations, yet only two meet the J.D. Power and Associates award criteria of 20 percent market penetration.
fujitsu ten + isuzu connection:
Onkyo-Major customers include:
Delphi Delco (GM) Lucent
Fujitsu Ten (Toyota) Toshiba
Fujitsu Ten (Isuzu) Sony
Nissan Sharp
Daimler-Chrysler Philips
Clarion Motorola
Alpine (Honda)
http://www.onkyo-america.com/profile.html.
http://www.fujitsu-ten.co.jp/release/1997/1020-1e.html.
the question of course is the correlation/integration of the eclipse and the monet, if any.
sge/moxa-- fujitsu ten--toyota monet connection:
1997 FUJITSU TEN (NEW ZEALAND) LTD. established.
Started delivery of the world's first 1-din 6-disc CD changer to Toyota Motor Corp.
Construction of the factory of FUJITSU TEN de MEXICO, S.A. de C.V. completed.
Nakatsugawa Technical Center constructed.
Construction of the factory of TIANJIN FUJITSU TEN ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. completed.
Obtained international environmental management system standard IS014001 certification.
Marketed 2-Din AVN, an integrated car navigation and audio-visual system.
Began supplying MONET (Mobile Information Network) control modules to Toyota Motor Corp.
Started supplying CTI(Computer Telephony Integration)taxi dispatch systems.
Is Japan the Telematics Leader?
This page was last updated on Wednesday, December 5, 2001
MINNEAPOLIS - December 5, 2001--The Japanese auto manufacturers have been notably absent in telematics efforts in the USA and Europe. Hence, there is an assumption that the Japanese auto manufacturers are behind the curve in telematics. ``This assumption is wrong,'' says Phil Magney, co-founder and principal analyst with Telematics Research Group. ``In Japan, the major auto companies have numerous ongoing telematics programs and they are leaders in experimenting and developing future telematics systems. Furthermore, the Japanese auto manufacturers are leveraging the strengths Japan has in consumer electronics and IP-based cell phone deployment,'' adds Magney.
Current automotive telematics efforts in Japan are mostly focused on navigation and real-time routing, according to Concept Telematics, a new report published by Telematics Research Group. ``Navigation and real-time traffic are the most useful telematics applications in Japan due to the high density of autos,'' says Dr. Egil Juliussen, co-founder and principal technology analyst with Telematics Research Group. ``Japan has 500 autos [in-use] per square mile versus 58 per square mile in the USA. This higher density is a primary factor in the country's deployment and use of navigation and traffic information,'' adds Juliussen.
The following table is a summary of current and near-term telematics-related efforts in Japan
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 1: Current Telematics Systems in Japan
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Company Telematics Focus
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Toyota Monet Navigation & traffic, email, web &
information, Internet portal
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Toyota G-Book Improved Monet system (Mid 2002 launch)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Toyota & NTT Helpnet SOS service, Safety & security
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Nissan CompassLink Navigation & traffic, concierge. To be
enhanced in near-term.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Honda Inter-Navi TSP & Internet portal
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Mazda Telematics Center Navigation & traffic, safety & security
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sony MobileLink Navigation & traffic
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Daimler-Benz ITGS Navigation & traffic, news, weather & flight
information
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Japan Government VICS Traffic & routing info via radio, radio
beacons & infrared beacons
(Auto needs VICS receiver)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Japan's VICS (Vehicle Information & Communications System) is a government-backed traffic information system that started 10 years ago. VICS is at the low-end of the telematics scale, but the VICS information is a killer application for telematics in Japan where there are over 3M VICS-enabled vehicles in use. Meanwhile, the number of telematics-enabled vehicles in Japan used for other types of content (i.e. Internet, live operator) has topped 0.5M, and surpasses 4M when all navigation systems are included.
At the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show last month, a significant number of concept vehicles were focused on telematics or included advanced telematics functionality. The next table is a summary of concept vehicles with telematics systems that were shown at the Tokyo Motor Show.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 2: Japanese Concept Telematics Systems
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Concept Vehicle Focus
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Toyota Will VC G-Book service, ITS initiatives, Internet
portal, m-commerce
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Toyota POD Current telematics services, adaptive
functions, X-by-wire
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Daihatsu Town Use IT Telematics & auto function integration,
auto-specific TM
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Nissan Ideo (Nissan's Integrated auto control, telematics,
"Human Net Vehicle") navigation & web functions on panoramic
display
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Nissan ITS 2003i Advanced navigation, user IF, display & LBS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Nissan Nails Advanced cell phone docking station
(3G phones)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Nissan Crossbow 3D navigation, TM & auto function
integration, 4 mobile GPS devices
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Honda Dualnote Integrated auto control, telematics,
navigation & web functions on 3 displays
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Honda Unibox CCD cameras, radar, heads-up display,
rear-view mirror/display
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Mazda Secret Hideout Entertainment content via Bluetooth linked
Futuristic concept auto cell phone
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Suzuki Covie Navigation & traffic, web, email, content &
link to home/office PCs, personal ID
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Mitsubishi Space Liner X-by-wire, instrument display, drop-down
notebook PC
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Mitsubishi SUP PDA w/camera & key-chain PDA
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Mitsubishi CZ2/CZ3 Tarmac Radical instrument cluster
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subaru WX-01 Navigation, email & web content
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subaru HM-01 Full function telematics features
----------------------------------------------------------------------
GM/Suzuki e-Cruze OnStar brand, telematics functionality, PDA
synchronization
----------------------------------------------------------------------
These telematics concept vehicles demonstrate how important the Japanese auto companies view telematics technology. Here are some key points about Japan from Telematics Research Group:
- Japan's OEMs lead the industry in the conceptualization, and design prototypes of their telematics systems.
- Japan's OEMs and suppliers have introduced creative user interfaces and devices used to control and communicate with their vehicles.
- Japan's OEM's have established branded Internet portals providing navigation, travel and lifestyle content to users.
- Navigation and routing are still the ``killer app'' for telematics in Japan but the boundaries are expanding to content services.
- Japan's cell phone industry is influencing vehicle telematics through the promotion of personalized (i.e. mobile phone-based) telematics.
More information and detailed profiles are available in Telematics Research Group's new report called ``Concept Telematics--Japan 2001''. The report is available for $695. For more information go to www.telematicsresearch.com.
Contact:
Telematics Research Group, Minneapolis
Editorial Contact:
Phil Magney, 952/935-0400
952/935-0405 (fax)
pmagney@telematicsresearch.com
Toyota Displays Demo Consumer Vehicle With Network Service at Tokyo Motor Show
October 29, 2001 (TOKYO) -- The 35th Tokyo Motor Show opened to the media on Oct. 24 at the Makuhari Messe.
Until the last show held in the fall 2001, the show centered around commercial vehicles, but this time the exhibition is focused on passenger cars and motorbikes.
The motor show is displaying prototypes and concept cars that make use of new technologies. The show is open to the public from Oct. 27 through Nov. 7, 2001.
Toyota Motor Corp. is displaying the "WiLL VC" vehicle that can use the G-BOOK, a new network service Toyota is planning and an in-car terminal exclusive for its use.
The G-BOOK is a service designed to let users download contents on networks and to play them over the vehicle-exclusive terminal. Contents to be provided include real-time traffic information, shopping and restaurant information, entertainment information like music and karaoke pieces, games, and news. The service is expected to be available some time in 2002.
There are two ways of content downloads. Users can turn to wireless communication that uses the bandwidth alotted for mobile phone service.
Or, users can download information by inserting a SD memory card into the E-TOWER kiosk terminal (photo above, the left to the car) located in convenience stores and the like.
The display comes with a 6.5-inch wide liquid crystal panel with a touch-panel feature. It also comes with features designed to read out contents in artificial voice and a speech recognition device that comprehends the driver's speech and responds in an artificial voice.
Toyota appears to market in the near future the WiLL VC vehicle, the third model of the "WiLL" brand, an attempt of cross-industry branding marketing activities. But Toyota said it is still in a development stage whether or not the WiLL VC will come with the G-BOOK exclusive terminal.
http://www.nikkeibp.asiabiztech.com/wcs/leaf?CID=onair/asabt/moren/151325
January 8, 2001 iRadio Makes Debut at CES
Las Vegas – Motorola unvelied it’s iRadio with a commercial launch at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. This new technology, however, is about a year away from hitting 12-volt retailers and the consumer market. Original Equipment Manufactures will not be adding iRadio until 2003 or 2004, said Mike Bordelon, Motorola’s vice president of telematics.
“We’re going to offer iRadio to the commercial radio companies this year,” he said. “I can’t say who, but we’re working with big names in the aftermarket.”
The iRadio is an in-vehicle platform that combines entertainment location-based information, navigation, emergency calling and communication into one complete, driver-friendly system. Drivers will be offered a full range of service levels from basic to premium packages, much like ordering cable television. A personalized Webpage will enable the iRadio system to be configured anywhere drivers and passengers have an Internet connection – at home or in the office. Users can access their personal profile from multiple vehicles and support multiple profiles in one car. As and end-to-end solution, Motorola’s iRadio system includes a Java computing platform, an automotive application framework and the latest user interfaces and applications.
Motorola had on display two prototypes of iRadio, double-Din and single-DIN, which resemble some of today’s conventional radios. IRadio units will come complete with voice recognition and text-to-speech technologies, including an embedded hands-free phone system. Additionally, iRadio system’s major components and hardware, including wireless and voice and data, Global Positioning (GPS) technology, automotive-grade software and other components embedded into the vehicles’ Telematics Communication Units, which will be sold separately and as part of a package. Lower-end packages, which will not include the telematics unit, can utilize Motorola’s Smart phone, which utilizes the same software as the telematics unit and can play through the speakers of the vehicle.
Testing of the iRadio is expected to begin early this year. And Motorola has already partnered with top aftermarket manufactures to begin development of this new technology. Motorola has also teamed up with operating system providers, such as QNX. Several content providers have also signed up to participate in consumer testing, including infoUSA.com, WeatherBank, SRDS, Reuters NewMedia, TheStreet.com and SportsTicker.
Car Technologies of the Future: Telematics and Alternative Fuels Lead the Way
In the field of new car technologies two of the main areas of development over the coming year will be telematics and alternative fuels. While technological advances are being made in other areas such as drive-by-wire, powertrains and safety, telematics systems and green fuel alternatives are becoming two of the most dynamic areas in terms of new R&D investment in the auto industry. In telematics new developments in navigation and information systems are beginning to filter down into the mass market from luxury cars. Progress in commercialisation of alternative fuel-engined vehicles has been slower, however, with inadequate fuel supply infrastructure and the high cost of the technology required to reduce emissions the main obstacles to progress.
Telematics: Automotive Technology of the Future
Vehicles today are being transformed by high-tech wireless applications known as telematics. Telematics is a branch of information technology that deals with the communication transmissions between the car and its environment. Vehicle uses of telematics include navigation and traffic-information systems, collision-avoidance systems and mobile communications gear, although more sophisticated devices undoubtedly lie on the horizon.
Telematics Application Major Suppliers Mass Market?
Voice Recognition Visteon, Delphi, Denso and a number of smaller specialist suppliers. Found in Jaguar S- and X-Types and Nissan 2002 Infiniti Q45, but unlikely to reach the mass market for some time because of technical challenges.
Navigation Systems Bosch, Siemens, Motorola, Aisin Seiki, Harman International, Johnson Controls and Denso. On-board navigation systems are already on the market. More advanced systems, such as General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), will start to become available in 2002.
Wireless Internet Connection Motorola, Bosch and Siemens. Motorola's iRadio system using GPRS is likely to appear in premium luxury cars in 2003.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) OEMs including General Motors, Ford, PSA Peugeot-Citro‘n, BMW and Fiat. An option on most luxury cars and becoming more common on mass market vehicles.
In-Car Entertainment Delphi, Siemens, Harman International and Visteon. DVD playbacks are about to be installed as original equipment in multi-purpose vehicles in the US; MP3 players are also becoming widely available.
A number of problems still exist. In the development of telematics systems the rise in the number of devices and gadgets used in the front seat causes serious concerns over driver distraction. There are also a number of technical problems which have not yet been overcome, including the increased electrical demands of high-tech components and limits to the amount of technology a car can receive.
Luxury Car Options
Most telematics systems are initially introduced into the automotive sector as options on top-end luxury cars. If the applications are successful and affordable, they are then gradually introduced into the automotive mass marques. It is therefore useful to look at the telematic technology in three newly-launched luxury cars - the BMW new 7-Series, the Jaguar X-Type and the new Mercedes SL.
BMW 7-Series: The new 7-Series, launched at the Frankfurt Auto Show (Germany) in September 2001, features the BMW ASSIST telematics service, which provides automatic emergency calls in the event of an accident, a breakdown service, real-time traffic information and mobility-related inquiry services. It also offers a new system, iDrive, which is intended to simplify the growing number of control functions in the car. The gearstick has been moved and instead the space under the central console is used for the iDrive controller, which is similar to a computer mouse. The driver uses the controller to select a number of entertainment, climate control and navigation options, which are displayed on a small video screen in the central console.
Jaguar X-Type: Jaguar first introduced voice recognition technology in its S-Type in 1999. In June 2001 US component supplier Visteon announced that it had developed the next generation of voice technology for the new Jaguar X-Type. The voice technology interfaces with the car's navigation system, allowing the driver to activate and use the system hands-free. It will allow interaction with teletext functions, car telephone use and climate control, while allowing drivers to keep their eyes on the road. Current Jaguar models also feature a satellite navigation system on an LCD screen on the console, which provides information on locations such as places of interest, hospitals and petrol stations.
Mercedes SL: The new Mercedes SL provides the option of a number of driver assistance systems including TELEAID automatic emergency call system, COMAND control and display system, and an electronic tyre-pressure monitor. Mercedes has also started a Portal which will allow drivers a wide range of services including detailed route planning with up-to-date traffic and weather reports, personalised diary, e-mail messaging and comprehensive news service, as well as search, transaction and booking functions. The Portal is designed for use with Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and WAP-compatible phones. For optimal in-car use the Portal services are linked to a remote navigation system, telephone operating system and the PDA address book.
Wireless Vision of the Future
Applications which seem likely to appear with increasing frequency in non-luxury cars include on-board navigation systems - which will continue to become more sophisticated - and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems. General Motors (GM) established a fully-owned subsidiary, OnStar, for its CRM system in 1997. Considered to be the North American leader in CRM, OnStar had over 1.5m subscribers in September 2001 and is estimated to be growing at a rate of 5,000 subscriptions per day. OnStar offers a wide range of safety and security services - such as accident assistance, remote door unlocking and stolen vehicle tracking - as well as a package of premium services, including concierge and information/convenience services and route support. Personal calling and virtual advisor features are also available in 71 US cities. In 2002 OnStar will be available in nearly all new models of eight GM marques.
Alternative Fuels: Competition Heats Up to Find the Green Answer
The second major area for development in new technology over the next year will be the development of alternative fuels towards a commercially viable standard. With increasingly stringent emissions legislation being introduced in the world's major auto markets, the race to find practical and economical green alternatives is heating up. The main areas of development have centred on hydrogen, fuel cells, liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and hybrid technology as alternatives to the traditional gasoline and diesel engines. Major automakers such as GM, Toyota and Honda are increasingly tying up with other automakers, government bodies, research companies and businesses in order to form partnerships to develop new technologies faster and at lower cost.
Hydrogen
German car-maker BMW is at the forefront of pursuing hydrogen as a more environmentally friendly alternative fuel to gasoline or diesel. BMW sees hydrogen as a more feasible alternative in the long term than fuel cells, because it allows better car performance and is compatible with current internal combustion engines. It also gives off zero emissions and performs on a comparable level to conventional gasoline-powered vehicles. BMW launched the world's first fleet of hydrogen-powered vehicles in its 7-series concept car line and will launch a new trial version of the vehicle in 2002.
Alternative Fuel How it Works Major Suppliers Mass Market?
Fuel Cells Hydrogen is extracted from gasoline or methanol and then combined with oxygen to produce electricity which is stored in the fuel cell. Ballard Power Systems, GM, Ford, DaimlerChrysler, Honda, Toyota Not likely until 2010 at the earliest. Raw material costs are high and storage of hydrogen remains a problem.
Hydrogen Liquid hydrogen is used as an alternative fuel to gasoline or diesel in the traditional internal combustion engine. BMW To take at least five or six years. Is a realistic long-term alternative to fuel cells as is more compatible with current internal combustion energy technology and gives better car performance. Problems remain as regards storage and provision.
Hybrid Powered by an internal combustion engine combined with an electric motor. Toyota Now on the market in the Toyota Prius. Problems remain with price premiums stemming from technology needed to run two motive sources. Less likely long-term solution as vehicle emissions remain a problem.
LPG As hydrogen can be used as a direct alternative to gasoline or diesel in conventional internal combustion engine. Not applicable. All vehicles can be converted for use. Now on the market, although cars need to be converted for supply. Most likely alternative fuel solution in the short term because of compatibility with internal combustion engines.
Fuel Cells
Canadian companies such as Ballard, Hydrogenics and Quantum Technologies are becoming increasingly prominent in terms of the development of fuel-cell systems. Towards the end of 2001 Ballard acquired part of the research and development operations of Ford and DaimlerChrysler. The two operations, XCELLSIS and Ecostar, are now fully integrated into Ballard, thus the Canadian fuel-cell developer will have the opportunity during 2002 to expand on its production capabilities and manufacture complete fuel-cell propulsion systems that can be fitted into vehicles. Although Ballard will no longer depend on Ford and DaimlerChrysler to provide the technology to harness the power from the fuel-cell stack, the acquisition is likely to encourage closer integration between Ballard and the two automakers.
Ballard commercially launched its Nexa (TM) power module towards the end of 2001. This has marked a significant turning point in the development of fuel-cell vehicles, for it is the first time that a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel-cell system is to be produced in large quantities. The Nexa (TM) power module, which is to be used in various products as well as in fuel-cell vehicles, is small in size and operates quietly, yet manages to generate up to 1,200 watts of unregulated DC electric power. Since the only by-products emitted by the power module are heat and water, the Nexa (TM) is likely to be of great significance during 2002, in terms of the development of zero-emission fuel-cell cars. As the Nexa (TM) is equipped with an extended back-up of power generation, vehicles operated in this way will be capable of longer run-times than battery-operated vehicles.
A further development in this field which is likely to be of significance during 2002 is Ballard's newly advanced fuel-cell platform called the Mark 902. Launched in October 2001, the platform enables power to be supplied at an improved density, while at the same time lowering costs. This is the fourth variety of transportation fuel-cell platform that Ballard has launched so far. Since the power output of the Mark 902 can be scaled between 10kW and 300kW it can be used in a range of vehicles, including passenger cars, and thus opens up various opportunities for Ballard's vehicle partners.
Liquid Petroleum Gas
Because of the varying number of fuel stations equipped to supply liquid petroleum gas (LPG) it is generally currently restricted mainly to commercial vehicle fleets. Consumers are reluctant to convert their cars to LPG because of the additional cost burden of installation and the fear of loss in resale value. Few cars are currently sold as being equipped for LPG usage, with the recently launched Toyota Crown being one of the exceptions. LPG also has a higher fuel consumption rate than gasoline. As a cleaner fuel it is the most likely option for drivers in the short term, however, as it is compatible with the internal combustion engine and produces less pollutants, as well as being easy to supply and store.
Hybrid
Hybrid engines offer a short-term solution to the pursuit of alternative fuels but they are only in essence a halfway house as they still give off CO2 emissions. The Toyota Prius is the market leader in hybrid technology but its sales have suffered because of its higher cost when compared to competitor models powered by conventional fuels. Hybrid technology has proved itself to be a more practical option than most other alternative fuels by its successful launch onto the market. In the long term, its expense and the fact that it is only a half-answer to the search for the future green motor vehicle will stand against its use in the mass market.
Industry Remains Split Over Long-term Solution
Advances in alternative fuels are currently hampered by the lack of consensus over which direction to pursue. Fuel-cell developments are fragmented, with the majority of major car-makers pursuing gasoline-derived hydrogen and DaimlerChrysler favouring its methanol-based model. Long-term developments are further fractured by BMW's pursuit of hydrogen as a better model for zero-emission vehicles rather than fuel cells because of its better driving performance. The main solution in the short term is likely to centre on LPG, provided governments can encourage reluctant consumers to make the switch from conventional fuels by supplying sufficient fuelling infrastructure and tax incentives to make vehicle conversions.
Where Next for the Car of the Future?
Over 2002, telematics and alternative fuels will remain at the forefront of new technological developments. With increasing government demands on reducing vehicle emissions, the need for the development of commercially viable alternative fuels is set to become progressively more urgent. As drivers spend greater amounts of time in their cars due to traffic congestion, advances in telematics are also becoming more important, with drivers demanding equivalent levels of connectivity in the car as they would have at home or in the workplace. New advances in telematics will continue to appear on the market at a far faster rate than in alternative fuels where developments are hampered by a lack of consensus over the best solution in the pursuit of green vehicles.
Toyota to Develop In-Vehicle Information Terminals
Toyota Motor has announced that it intends to develop an in-vehicle information terminal by mid 2002
which will enable drivers to access a range of services. The terminal will access a service called
G-
Book
, which will utilise a 3G wireless cellular network connection to access news, music and
information services as well as email, navigation information and communication services. The
solution will use speech recognition technology for hands free operation and will incorporate Toyota's
own
Gazoo
internet portal. Other companies are being invited to contribute content for the new
service
FROM SATELLITE DIGITAL RADIO TO ADVANCED SAFETY FEATURES, IN-CAR ELECTRONICS CONTINUE TO EVOLVE AT WARP SPEED.
"Infotainment" is one of the new buzzwords in the auto industry. Combining information and entertainment, it reflects the growing array of in-car electronics systems being offered to car buyers and owners. With a wide choice of navigation, driver-assistance systems, rear-seat entertainment, satellite digital radio, and other types of electronic systems, the modern car has come a long way from the era of AM/FM radio. Here's a look at the latest products and services.
Digital radio
Satellite digital radio is almost a reality. Two competing companies—Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio—have placed satellites in orbit, which will allow them to offer this subscription service in the near future. But compatible radio systems are just beginning to enter the market and neither service is currently broadcasting on a commercial basis.
Broadcasting in a digital format means higher fidelity, CD-quality sound, and virtually no interference. Satellites allow the companies to provide coast-to-coast reception, which means that drivers will be able to travel anywhere within the lower 48 states--even in remote areas--and receive the same programming they would get at home. XM's service will cost about $10 a month. While Sirius had previously announced that its monthly subscription price would also be about $10 a month, the company is now citing a figure of $12.95 a month. Subscribers will receive about 100 channels of various music genres (many commercial-free or with minimal commercial time), as well as existing news, sports, weather, talk radio, and other programming. To help ensure reliable reception in major metropolitan areas, where buildings could block the satellite signal, both companies are using a series of repeaters, which pick up the satellite signal and retransmit it around the local area.
Numerous audio-equipment manufacturers have or are expected to release compatible AM/FM/satellite-digital radios. These include Alpine, Blaupunkt, Clarion, Jensen, Kenwood, Panasonic, Pioneer, and Sony. The lowest-priced models are expected to begin around $200. In addition, there will be various ways of adapting existing radios to receive the digital signal.
Several automakers will be also be offering compatible radios in selected 2002 models, although which car you buy may determine which service you'll be able to receive. BMW, Ford Motor Company, and DaimlerChrysler, for instance, will be installing Sirius-compatible radios, while GM, Honda, Isuzu, and Suzuki will be installing XM-compatible units. According to Sirius, radios that are compatible with both services are about four years away.
Digital has another advantage over conventional AM and FM bands. The digital signal has enough extra bandwidth to allow the simultaneous transmission of other data. Many satellite digital radios, for instance, will show the channel, song title, and artist on the unit's display. Other information that could be shown are traffic advisories, weather updates, news headlines, sports scores, stocks quotes, and, yes, advertising. Some upscale models will have color LED displays, which will be able to show the CD cover of a song being played and other types of graphic information. One long range idea: A "Buy" button will allow in-car occupants to immediately buy tickets, CDs, and other products.
While the primary focus of the satellite broadcasting is on use in the car, a removable XM-compatible digital audio receiver from Sony, which retails for $299 to $399, depending on the model, can be used in either the car or the home. This unit is about the size of a radar detector and fits into a docking sleeve. Depending on the model, it can be connected directly to most auto and home audio systems, or can transmit the signal through a cassette adapter or FM modulator. Separate docking sleeves are needed for car and home operation.
While digital radio will come from the sky first, within two years, many conventional land-based stations are also expected to begin broadcasting digital signals. Compatible radios--different from those for satellite reception--will be needed to receive them. The company that has developed the technology, iBiquity Digital, estimates that nearly all AM/FM radio stations will be converted to digital over the next decade. But the stations will also broadcast in AM or FM, allowing listeners to upgrade to digital at their own pace. Once digital becomes a widespread form of free local broadcasting, the key advantages of the national satellite systems will be their coast-to-coast reception range and proprietary programming.
Rear-seat entertainment
Rear-seat entertainment systems are one of the fastest growing segments of the in-car electronics market. They're now available on uplevel minivans from Ford, DaimlerChrysler, GM, Honda, and Toyota, as well as from a number of aftermarket manufacturers. Depending on the system, rear passengers can watch videos, play video games, or listen to a different audio source from front (and sometimes other rear) passengers. Many systems now incorporate wireless headphones.
Some companies are taking wireless technology even further. Amtel International, for instance, recently introduced a portable system that uses wireless components. Its video player, which plugs into a standard 12-volt outlet, transmits the video and audio signals wirelessly to an LCD monitor (with built-in speakers) that straps onto a headrest. The monitor's rechargeable battery is claimed to last from two to three hours.
Panasonic recently introduced the industry's first in-dash DVD audio/video player. Integrated into an AM/FM radio, the unit is capable of playing CDs and audio DVDs as well as DVD video discs for rear-passenger entertainment.
Navigation systems
There's now a broad range of GPS-equipped navigation choices on the market, ranging from full-featured systems with in-dash monitors to less expensive portable units. The more advanced systems use DVD discs, which include detailed mapping of the entire continental U.S. on one disc (by contrast, CD-ROM-based systems can require as many as 10 discs to cover the same area). DVD systems are now offered by Acura, Honda, and Lexus.
Portable navigation units provide some of the key functions of an in-dash system but are transferable between vehicles. Some units are designed to be used both in and out of the vehicle; they can be used as an in-car system while driving to a destination and then taken out and carried by hand. Garmin and Magellan offer several models. Some of Garmin's units enhance this capability by allowing various types of maps to be downloaded from a desktop computer, giving the unit the ability to display detailed local road maps as well as topographical maps for off-road travel. Magellan's new GPS Companion attaches to a Palm V or Vx , or Handspring Visor personal digital assistant, allowing the handheld computer to act as a navigation device.
Driver-assistance systems
Telematics is probably still a strange word to most drivers, but it's the industry term for cellular-based, GPS-equipped driver-assistance systems. GM's OnStar system ($199 to $399 a year, after one year of service that's included in the vehicle's price) is now available in over 35 GM models, including vehicles by Saab. Other brands, such as Acura, Audi, and Lexus, are also now offering OnStar in selected models. In addition, Mercedes-Benz offers a similar system called TeleAid, and Lincoln is expected to unveil one called Wingcast.
With this type of service, a 24-hour manned assistance center provides a driver with a range of convenience and security services. One of the most attractive features is automatic emergency response. Following an accident involving air bags, the system automatically calls the center for aid--even if the driver is unconscious. The center can then notify emergency-response personnel and help direct them to the vehicle's location. Other benefits include personalized directions, the ability to track the car's location if stolen, and the ability to remotely unlock the doors by cellular signal.
OnStar also offers an optional service called Virtual Advisor, which provides subscribers with e-mail capabilities and allows them to download a personalized selection of news stories, sports scores, stock quotes, and weather reports. Wingcast will offer a similar service. Both are voice interactive, which means that the driver uses verbal commands to access information and the system "reads" it back.
Motorola's new iRadio combines audio, navigational, and popular telematics features into one system, while breaking new technological ground. Using hands-free, voice-recognition technology, the iRadio can provide common navigation functions, such as verbal turn-by-turn route guidance and the ability to search for specific points of interest--such as gas stations, restaurants, stores, and so on--as well as real-time traffic and weather information. But unlike conventional navigation systems that rely on equipment mounted in the vehicle, the iRadio uses "off-board" navigation. When the driver enters a destination, the system communicates wirelessly with an out-of-car computer, which calculates the appropriate route and transmits the information back to the car. Addresses can also be entered through infrared beaming from a PDA. This approach requires less hardware in the vehicle, and it ensures that the information will always be up-to-date. The downside: The driver must have a good cellular signal in order to communicate with the offboard computer.
The iRadio also includes a hands-free cellular phone, emergency calling, and other OnStar-like telematics services through a 24-hour assistance center, and the ability to access e-mail and download stock quotes, sports scores, music, and books on demand. Motorola, however, wouldn't be offering the iRadio for retail sale; it's being targeted at automakers and aftermarket car-audio manufacturers. It's expected to cost between $350 and $650, depending on the services ordered.
Miscellaneous products
New audio systems are merging conventional and computer-generated audio formats, with the ability to play CD-R and CD-RW discs as well as MP3 files. Sony also recently showed an audio unit that can play new 5-hour long-play minidiscs, and one that will accept Sony's MemoryStick, which allows the transfer of data from a desktop computer.
A new line of radios by Eclipse are capable of being voice-controlled, allowing a driver to operate it through verbal commands.
ClickRadio goes dark. John Madison, Steve Hicks and
Bobby Lawrence invested in the innovative 40-channel
music service just four months ago. But FMQB reports
ClickRadio has now laid off its entire workforce. That means
CEO Madison and Senior VP Charlie Kendall are out.
Believe it or not, ClickRadio’s demise is part of the
September 11 damage: FMQB says its third round of
funding “went up in smoke inside Building 7 of the World
Trade Center.” Many terminated staffers may get some
disaster-relief aid. ClickRadio’s business model was unusual:
It promised to avoid long downloads for music by
“caching” music on the hard drives of its registered users.
http://media.radcity.net/zmst/daily/msd102201.pdf
Although New York-based ClickRadio (http://www.clickradio.com) hasn’t launched yet, it's still making some pretty big deals and creating headlines. When the company first unveiled itself in February 2000, its goal was to launch an interactive music service that lets listeners customize the music they're listening to.
ClickRadio will accomplish this goal by offering a mix of streaming and caching. ClickRadio caches and plays music locally on a user's hard drive, and as people rate the music, the cache is updated with new music and deletes songs they hate. Users can also see lyrics, track info, artist bios, links to artist sites and other information for each song. Additionally, the caching implementation means that users can listen to music without being connected to the Internet. Music will be CD-quality and will avoid the "net congestion" problems of streaming.
ClickRadio's strategy is to license music from the big music labels. Earlier this year ClickRadio announced deals with Universal Music, BMG, and last week it made a deal with Warner. That leaves just Sony and EMI left to bargain with. Most likely, ClickRadio is waiting until it brokers deals with the last two labels before it officially launches. According to a spokesperson, ClickRadio will go live this Fall.
=====================
clickradio also used epac
i strongly suspect edig was involved in the development of clickradio
======================
sorry to say that clickradio recently became another dead dotcom
clickradio is a dead dotcom
http://www.fuckedcompany.com/comments/html/16225296087-
In July, 1999, a S.D. newspaper article gives some inkling about the edig/intel project:
e.Digital
POWAY -- Someday soon, people may be able to harvest news articles, e-mail and other bits of text off the Internet and listen as this information is read aloud from portable devices.
The first steps toward that ambitious goal are happening here, inside the offices of e.Digital Corp. Giant chipmaker Intel is paying the Lilliputian Poway company for research and development costs aimed at making new speech-to-text, text-to-speech gizmos. The project, which began last year but stalled when the companies dumped a third-party technology partner in favor of another unnamed firm, remains hush-hush. The companies won't even reveal drawings of what the device looks like.
Still, Skip Matthews, a senior project development manager for Intel's Memory Components Division, coyly hinted at the project's capabilities. "What if you had a device that could read The Wall Street Journal to you while you're in your car?" he said, declining to elaborate.
===========================================
Command Audio Launches World's First Audio-on-demand Service at Arizona Auto Show
People in Phoenix can now hear what they want, when they want
Phoenix, Arizona - November 25, 1999 - Phoenix auto show-goers are the first people in the country to experience a revolutionary new wireless audio service called Command Audio. Command Audio's audio-on-demand service enables listeners to hear what they want, when they want. With Command Audio, mobile listeners can choose from hundreds of popular programs taken from TV, magazines, newspapers and radio - all now available in audio form. Command Audio's wireless audio-on-demand service launches at the Arizona International Auto Show, which runs from Thursday, November 25 through Kid's Day on Sunday, November 28.
===========================================
Subscribers to the Command Audio service
can listen to The Wall Street Journal
==========================================Motorola and Command Audio Partner to Bring Audio-on-demand to the Car
Motorola makes strategic investment in Command Audio; Command Audio will provide audio-on-demand service for leading worldwide supplier of telematics systems
Schaumburg, IL and Redwood City, CA - January 10, 2000 - Motorola and Command Audio Corporation, creator of the world's first audio-on-demand service, have joined forces to advance Motorola's innovative telematics initiative by incorporating the Command Audio(tm) audio-on-demand information and entertainment capabilities into the next generation of automotive telematics systems. With these systems, drivers will experience a seamless in-car integration of the Command Audio audio-on-demand service with telematics' communications, navigation and information systems. The companies also announced that Motorola has made a substantial strategic investment in Command Audio.
Command Audio's audio-on-demand service will be integrated into Motorola's iRadio?, a revolutionary concept in in-vehicle information and entertainment. The latest addition to the company's telematics platforms, iRadio was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
============================================
The possibilities for on-demand interactive audio are endless but they all involve giving consumers choice, control and personalization.
A variety of media content such as television, print and radio can be produced and delivered via digital networks for on-demand consumption at the listeners' convenience. Programs are broadcast to receiver devices where they are cached for playback. Consumers can select the programs they want to receive using an Electronic Program Guide and have full control over how and when to listen. They can instantaneously scan from story to story within programs, hear only relevant stories, pause, skip, or save programs for later listening. Content is automatically updated whenever the latest edition becomes available.
============================================
e.Digital is scheduled to unveil a new automotive stereo product based on the company’s MicroOSTM 2.0 technology. The compact HDD-based design is the core of a complete, integrated automotive infotainment system developed with Eclipse by Fujitsu Ten and licensed for sale under the Eclipse brand name. Known as the MP-3 Changer, the system uses e.Digital’s VoiceNav speech recognition interface to simplify use and promote safe operation while driving. The MP-3 Changer also introduces the first ever (Patent Pending) Write Behind capability for post signal music/information capture.
=========================================
In a conversation I had w/ RP in August 2000, RP mentioned that edig working with companies to develop caching;
as many of you know I have long contended that edig has played a part in the development of Motorola's iRadio
MP3 meets Car Audio: Empeg Mark II in-dash Car MP3 Player
http://www.anandtech.com/audio/showdoc.html?i=1321&p=4.
note the use of intel strongarm and 2 IBM travelstar drives
further note the following re the drives caching system:
The drives also spend quite a bit of their time spun down due to a very efficient caching system that we’ll talk about later. Since the empeg is a hard drive based unit running Linux, the question of boot time is an obvious one. Thankfully, the combination of the 4200 RPM, a minimal Linux configuration, and a system board designed for quick boot times, the empeg is ready to go in about 5 seconds after turning it on.
Samsung Taps Cirrus Codec Chip For PVR/DVD Player
By Mark Long -- e-inSITE, 1/22/02
Samsung Electronics has developed a combination Personal Video Recorder (PVR)/DVD player based on the CS92288 MPEG Audio/Video Codec chip that has been incorporated into Cirrus Logic's Encore reference design.
The Cirrus CS92288 codec enables PVR viewing control features, including the ability to pause and replay live broadcasts. In addition, the codec has been designed to enable consumers to control the tradeoffs between video quality and storage demands.
"By combining the features of a DVD player and a PVR into a single device, Samsung's new low-cost set top box represents a new category of appliance that makes good sense for consumers," said Kathleen Maher, Editor-in-Chief at Jon Peddie Research in a prepared statement. "A platform, such as the Encore reference design from Cirrus Logic, provides designers with compelling product options for consumers who are interested in these new features but who absolutely demand ease-of-use in their consumer appliances."
Cirrus' CS92288 codec offers both audio and video real-time encoding and decoding in a single, highly integrated device. It also supports the MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 digital-video standards as well as Dolby Digital and MPEG digital-audio standards. The codec also can enable high-quality video recording in real-time over a wide range of bit rates, depednign on the specific requirements of the application. In addition, the company's Encore reference design includes the required chips for enabling digital recording and playback ina fully integrated design package that includes all the hardware, software and support required for product development.
Nokia Takes Digital Music Wireless
By Dan McDonough, Jr.
Wireless NewsFactor
January 18, 2002
The music service being piloted in Finland is available for users of a Nokia 5510 phone and Nokia's Music Player accessory.
Nokia (NYSE: NOK) has entered a partnership with Elisa Communications to offer mobile digital music services to Elisa's wireless subscribers in Finland. The music service is available for users of a Nokia 5510 phone and Nokia's Music Player accessory.
The companies launched the mobile music service via Elisa's online music store, where users can download music to their computer, and then upload it to one of Nokia's mobile devices.
Upon making a first-time music purchase at the Web site, customers will get an application called the Emma Player that lets them manage and transfer music tracks between a mobile device and a PC.
Nokia said the service is a pilot program for examining ways to distribute music to mobile devices. Financial terms of the agreement between the two companies were not disclosed.
Payment Options
Another feature of the Emma.fm music service is that customers will have a few different ways to pay for the tracks they choose. The typical online payment methods -- Internet banking and credit cards -- will be supplemented with the option of having the balance added to a user's mobile phone service bill.
This new venue for music sales is capturing the attention of those in the music industry, because it represents another potential source of revenue from licensing -- with nearly no overhead to manufacture CDs or other devices.
"This kind of distribution of music is one of the most potential areas of growth," said Wemppa Koivumaki, managing director of record company EMI Finland. "This trial should generate vital information and experience in this new area of business for all record companies involved."
Not the Best Test
"With this service, we are piloting a new business model. We believe that mobile music will be an important area of digital services and that customer convenience is key," said Ilkka Raiskinen, vice president of Mobile Applications and Services for Nokia Mobile Phones.
Still, this pilot may not be the best model.
Nokia's devices for this service are not so typical -- which may make the pilot for this program a bit less than scientific. The 5510 device looks more like a bulky gaming device with a full keyboard rather than a phone. And Nokia's Music Player is an add-on device that doubles as both a digital music player and a hands-free kit for Nokia phones.
Also, the service only has launched in Finland, Nokia's home base. A good test of the service would allow a broader range of users -- using many different devices -- to have access to the mobile music service.
But Nokia is on the right track in concluding that mobile music services is an area primed for serious expansion. After all, mobile music has been a priority for millions of people since Sony invented the Walkman. Thus, a market based on giving people more convenient ways to listen to music on the go should have huge prospects for growth.
Emblaze Systems And Samsung Networks Complete Successful MPEG4 Compliance Interoperability Tests
NEW YORK, NY--(INTERNET WIRE)--Jan 21, 2002 -- Emblaze Systems (LSE:BLZ - news), a developer of carrier-class, scalable solutions that facilitate the deployment of complete commercial multimedia services over any wireless network, today announced the successful conclusion of an MPEG4 compliance interoperability trial with Samsung Networks, a leading company developing networks and terminals.
The Emblaze technology is standard-based and, as such, interoperable with any 3GPP compliant device or infrastructure. Members of the 3GPP standards committee include, amongst others, Motorola, Nokia, Ericsson, and Samsung. Emblaze was recently named as the most interoperable MPEG4 standard compliant solution in recent interoperability tests in Zurich. Also, as Chairman of the packet switched streaming activity group of the IMTC, Emblaze is fully committed to interoperability and to driving the standards in this market. The success of this trial reaffirms the Emblaze strategy of ensuring maximal interoperability and signifies a major step for both Emblaze and Samsung.
The trial was conducted in order to determine interoperability of the Emblaze wireless media platform with Samsung CDMA2000 1X network to enable Samsung to transmit multimedia content. The content was provided by Emblaze and the devices used were PC, Compaq iPAQ and Samsung SPH X2000.
According to Eli Reifman, CEO Emblaze Systems "Wireless multimedia services are just around the corner. The key carriers and handset manufacturers have already decided to launch MMS services and color handsets during 2002 and 2003. All this enormous investment in global infrastructure deployment will be useless if all servers and platforms are unique and proprietary. Each company has its own interpretation to MPEG4 and Emblaze is part of the multi-national force driving standards and interoperability so the entire globe will be ubiquitous in formats and service. Samsung, of course, is one of the leaders in the cellular market both on the handset as well as the infrastructure side. We are happy to enhance our already fruitful relationship with them to the carrier class equipment side."
About Emblaze Systems
Founded in 1994, Emblaze is listed on the London Stock Exchange (BLZ) with corporate headquarters in Israel, US headquarters in New York, and representative offices worldwide including Los Angeles, London, Seoul and Tokyo.
Emblaze Systems (formerly GEO Interactive Media) develops commercial mobile multimedia solutions for wireless carriers, ISPs, content providers and handset manufacturers. With a product line ranging from wireless media platforms to MPEG-4 video ASIC semiconductors, Emblaze offers carrier-class, scalable solutions that facilitate the deployment and implementation of complete commercial media services over any wireless network.
The Emblaze platform encompasses live and on-demand encoders, powerful streaming servers, content and asset management, system integration, billing interfaces and a wide range of media applications.
For more information, please visit: www.emblaze.com
About Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in digital convergence technology, semiconductors, and the consumer electronics industry. The company is the world's largest producer of CDMA mobile phones, memory chips, TFT-LCDs, and monitors and the fifth-largest manufacturer of mobile phones.
Samsung plays an important role in telecommunications providing a wide variety of products and services, developing and manufacturing infrastructure systems for wireless and fixed networks as well as CDMA, GSM and TDMA handsets. It also provides optical fibers and access networks that would be the core of the Information Super Highway.
Samsung Electronics employs approximately 66,000 people in 46 countries. The company consists of four main business units; Information & Communications, Digital Media, Semiconductor, and Home Appliance Businesses. For more information, please visit the web site, www.samsungelectronics.com
Pampered at the Wheel
High-Tech Vehicles Act as Nannys to Drivers on the Road
By Alec Klein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, January 21, 2002; Page A01
Bob Sullivan will be driving his indigo 2001 GMC Yukon, and there will be that inevitable moment when he'll want to dazzle his date sitting next to him. So, he'll whisper sweet nothings -- to his truck.
"Make dinner reservations," he'll tell it. Or, "buy movie tickets." Sometimes, he'll offer a demonstration: "Lock the doors." Then, automatically -- shoo-shunk.
"It's a great way to impress the chicks," Sullivan said.
For people who can afford it, it's the latest status symbol: Cars, using voice-recognition software and cell-phone lines linked to customer service representatives standing by 24 hours a day, respond to your whim and circumstance.
Leading the pack is General Motors Corp.'s OnStar service, which has been installed in 36 of its 54 models and has nearly 2 million subscribers, some who choose the no-frills, emergency-roadside package, others who shell out more dough for the full-treatment: the mobile concierge.
Suddenly, the car is becoming butler, nanny and executive assistant -- all wrapped in a hurtling piece of metal. When you lock yourself out of your car, the service can send a signal to your car's computer to open the door. If you crash and your air bags deploy, help is automatically called. For a little extra, it can furnish sports scores, stock quotes and other information.
Call it evolution on wheels: People used to listen to the radio in their cars, then along came the mobile phone. Now the intelligent car. It's got the brain of a computer. It's wired like a cell phone. It's tracked by Global Positioning System technology, the kind of satellite program used by the military to drop smart bombs on evil doers.
What once seemed the realm of science fiction now is something automakers call telematics. "Kind of like the Jetsons," said John Niles, president of Global Telematics, a Seattle policy-research firm. "This is all Jetsons stuff."
But GM and a host of other automakers scrambling to enter this emerging market are still working out the kinks.
Wireless connections are sometimes spotty in moving cars, customers said. The service can cost $800 a year, a steep price for those who figure they can do a lot of the same things with an inexpensive cell phone, such as calling for help.
And then there is a brewing debate over driver distraction. Safety advocates say people should not be multi-tasking in their cars. But automakers say people do it all the time, such as when they listen to a compact disc or an audio book. A GM study last year concluded that of the 8.1 million calls from OnStar customers from 1996 to 2000, only two drivers had accidents while they were using the service.
Wireless Presence
Sullivan, 32, is one of the converts. When he walked into a showroom in July, the senior help-desk analyst for the Chubb Institute, a technical career school in Parsippany, N.J., had no idea what he was about to get into.
Immediately, he swooned over his soon-to-be leased Yukon. It was not just the body. He liked what he saw inside, too: OnStar came with a blue "on-off" switch next to the glove compartment. There was a microphone near the rear-view mirror. The GM service, including hardware and the first-year subscription, was built into the sticker price.
Sullivan tried it out. While driving, he pushed the blue button. "It goes, 'doo-doo-doo-doo, connecting to OnStar,' " he recalls. "Someone comes on and says, 'Welcome to OnStar. How can I help you, Mr. Sullivan?' "
It was a real human voice.
"When they said 'Mr. Sullivan,' I said, 'Wow. Call me Bob.' "
Then came the test. "Where am I?" he asked the truck.
"You are on Route 80 West in Denville, New Jersey."
Two weeks later, he opted for the "Luxury & Leisure" subscription package, which comes with personal concierge services and costs $69.95 a month. The basic version, which includes stolen-vehicle tracking, remote-door unlocking and emergency road-side assistance, is $16.95 monthly. The hardware must be factory-installed because it is integrated into the vehicle's electronics.
GM does not disclose revenue or earnings from OnStar. But officials said the business model was inspired by some successful companies, like AOL Time Warner Inc., with monthly Internet subscriptions that offer a steady revenue stream, not to mention a healthy dose of loyal customers.
Such as Sullivan, who does not use the service only to impress the ladies. Hungry on his way home from work, he will ask a concierge to place a pick-up order at his neighborhood Chinese restaurant for his usual chicken and broccoli and an egg roll. At Yankee Stadium, during last season's baseball playoffs, he could not remember if he had locked his Yukon's doors, so he called OnStar to check them. And when he is simply bored on the road, he will call a customer-service representative, a disembodied voice in his truck.
The conversation, Sullivan says, is basically aimless chatter to fill the empty space. It goes something like this: "How you doing?" he says. "Blah, blah, blah. The guy in front of me is driving like an idiot."
Safety Component
For Patricia Swanson, 37, the service is about safety. On Labor Day weekend in 1999, Swanson, her husband, her two children and her mother were driving along a remote country road in north central Iowa on their way to a parade when a van rammed into their new Chevrolet Venture, propelling it into a ditch where it rolled over two and a half times before coming to a rest upside down.
Her husband, Don, sitting in the driver's seat, was okay. But Swanson's mother was unconscious, hanging upside down from the front passenger seat. Swanson, who was thrown from the van, was also unconscious and her legs were pinned under the van. Her two small children, then 4 and 7 years old, were dangling, held by their seat belts, but they were alert.
There was nothing in sight -- just tall fields of soybean and corn. The moment the side-impact air bag deployed, a cell-phone signal was automatically sent to OnStar, at a command center in Detroit, where information about the car owner, and where the automobile had landed, popped up on a screen, prompting a customer-service rep to call for help. A remote voice in the Chevy van informed the family that someone was on the way. Police arrived within about five minutes.
Swanson had a separated shoulder, three broken ribs and four teeth caved into the palate of her mouth. Her mother also had a broken rib. Without the satellite tracking system, help would have eventually arrived, Swanson believes, but it would have taken more time, if only because her husband wasn't familiar with the area.
"It would have been difficult for my husband to explain our location," she said.
With that kind of safety feature, GM is leading drivers into this brave new world. The service took awhile to catch on, and it's still small financial potatoes for automakers, analysts reckon. But it's gaining critical mass. In 1996, when GM launched the service, about 1,000 customers signed up in the United States and Canada, the two markets where it's available.
Last year, that number climbed to nearly 2 million -- more than a third of GM cars and trucks sold in North America -- from the Chevy minivan to high-end models like the Saab and Cadillac. Other automakers are adopting the GM service, including Honda Motor Co.'s Acura and Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus.
Mercedes-Benz and BMW use a similar service offered by a small outfit called ATX Technologies Inc. of Irving, Tex., which counts about 350,000 subscribers. Meanwhile, rivals such as Ford Motor Co., which is using ATX's technology in its Lincolns and Jaguars, are racing to introduce their own version.
Privacy Concerns
When Peter Cassat, 38, bought his 2000 GMC Yukon XL, he liked the idea of the automatic safety feature. Cassat, a Washington lawyer, worries about his two children, Paige, 5, and Emma, 7, and his wife, Libby, who drives them to school in Annapolis every day.
"All these things conceptually are very attractive," he said.
But they never used the service. It occurred to him that in an emergency, they could very well use a cell phone to call for help. Another GM bill didn't make sense to him. "I don't think it's price competitively yet," he said.
So he didn't renew his OnStar service.
As a lawyer specializing in media and information technology, Cassat also has a conceptual problem with the service: mobile privacy.
"They basically can track where you are," he said. "That has interesting privacy ramifications."
Now that automakers can track drivers' every movement on the road, some, like GM, are considering profiting from that information by selling it to third parties, who could then target products and services at consumers.
Imagine, for example, using the service to look for the closest service station and getting an ad for Exxon, probably in the form of a recorded voice over the car's speakers.
For now, however, GM and other telematics experts said they were not convinced that people are ready to be inundated with advertisements while they drive, radio promotions notwithstanding.
But the automakers are cooking up some other newfangled features. GM is launching a pilot program in the Detroit area that would give drivers the ability to remotely control home doors, lights, security systems and even the thermostat.
Not only that, the car would allow you to answer the front door when the doorbell sounds. The buzzer would alert OnStar, which would contact you through a wireless phone connection, allowing you to use an intercom to ask "Who's there?"
You can be home even when you are not.
High-End High-Tech at San Jose Auto Show
By KPIX - Sue Kwon
Bob Martinez is looking for a new family car -- and he has more than 400 new vehicles to choose from at the San Jose Auto Show.
The theme this year appears to be high-end cars with high-tech features -- like the SC-430 Lexus convertible.
It has a DVD-based navigation system, complete with a touch-screen map. There's also a nine-speaker stereo system. The cost: $61,000.
That's twice as much as the 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer. But this vehicle still has a DVD entertainment system, in addition to a feature on the rear-view mirror that acts a lot like a flight attendant call button.
"You have a person reading you your email," said the Chevy representative. "It also has a concierge who can get you concert tickets or make dinner reservations."
If life is more simple, a Toyota RAV-4 may be more your speed. It runs up to 78 miles per hour on electricity. For $42,000, you can even program it to warm your seats while it's charging up.
Even more affordable is the Dodge Gem. It's $7000-$9000, and it's all electric. You can take it off-road, but the catch is, you can't take it on the freeway.
Anyway, Bob is looking for something a bit bigger, with the most important feature of all.
"Something with reliability," Martinez said. "That's it for me: reliability."
The Auto Show runs through Sunday at the San Jose Convention Center.
From Barrons:
Wave Theory
Will the ripple in technology spending turn into a swell?
By Eric J. Savitz
Attention Must Be Paid
Audiences crowding into the multiplex cinemas of Mountain View and Santa Clara, California, are witnessing the return of a Silicon Valley phenomenon that had faded away. Along with the previews, they're once again being treated to big-screen help-wanted ads for engineers. It's one more hint that the two-year tech swoon has bottomed.
Investors have been anticipating this for months, last week's skittishness notwithstanding. Since hitting a three-year low on September 21, the tech-dominated Nasdaq 100 has gained 41%, and the closely watched Philadelphia Semiconductor Index has surged 49%.
The indexes have been propelled by modest but tantalizing evidence that the worst is behind us. Memory-chip prices have been increasing. Fourth-quarter personal computer sales were better than anticipated. DVD players, digital cameras and game consoles from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony enjoyed robust sales. And there's growing buzz about wireless computer networking, next-generation cell phones and digital media, such as music, video and photography.
The next wave of technology spending lies ahead, and the fate of the American economy depends to a large degree on how quickly it develops. The outlook is more for a ripple than a tsunami. The double-digit growth rates of the late 1990s will be replaced this year by a spending increase in the low single digits. But things will gradually get better throughout 2002. And there will be significant growth in some key sectors, such as security, storage and integration of big corporate software programs across the Web.
Other areas, notably telecom equipment and semiconductor manufacturing equipment, are destined for more rough sledding. But if the economic recovery arrives on schedule in the next quarter or two, a pickup in tech outlays could gain momentum in the second half, setting the stage for better days in 2003 and beyond.
Mark Zandi, chief economist at Economy.com, says the primary determinants of corporate capital spending all should improve incrementally this year. For 2002, Zandi sees corporate earnings bottoming, the initial-public-offering market for stocks picking up a bit and factory utilization gradually improving from the current moribund levels. While he's not expecting a boom year, Zandi thinks we've got the ingredients in place for a modest uptick in spending.
Other data suggest the same thing. A November survey of more than 1,000 information technology professionals, conducted by Gartner and Soundview, found technology budgets expected to grow 1.5% in 2002. Others offer higher 2002 estimates. Forrester Research, for example, sees 2% growth, and Giga Information Group sees 4% growth.
Compaq Computer Chief Executive Michael Capellas is even more optimistic. He sees 6%-7% growth in information technology spending this year. But he warns that buyers will be far more cautious than in the bubble years. "Now it's about bulletproofing the infrastructure, stabilizing the baseline." Capellas told Barron's. "Buyers are asking, 'How do I get more from what I have, tie systems together, improve reliability and sustainability.' I don't see a lot of interest in new large-scale projects."
Looking further out, forecasters have a cheerier view. Forrester expects 9.7% growth in IT spending in 2003, with a return to double-digit growth in 2004, driven by wider availability of broadband and wireless Internet access. A similar, if more modest, forecast comes from UBS Warburg: 6% revenue growth for tech companies in 2003, 10% growth in 2004.
Just as past technology waves have been driven in turn by mainframes, minicomputers, personal computers and the Internet, so too will the next wave be built on a new wave of products and services. So far, however, there's no single clear-cut driver, no readily available buzzword, no killer application.
The elements for the next wave are beginning to emerge, nonetheless. At home, at work, everywhere we go, we will be connected to the 'Net. We're heading toward anytime, anywhere wireless computing. The PC isn't going away -- killing off technologies is surprisingly hard to do. But we'll increasingly use a range of other devices to communicate, create and work. Established companies like Microsoft and Apple Computer -- and new ones like Moxi Digital -- have made heavy bets that computing will more often be done away from traditional desktop PCs and laptops.
For investors awaiting the turn, patience and agility will be required, as the punk economy is keeping a lid on capital spending. Tom Mangan, head of Arthur Andersen's advisory service for chief information officers, says corporate tech buyers, once willing to take the long view, now demand quick returns on investments in new technology. "Right now," Mangan says, "ROI is king."
Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan echoed the same sentiment in a speech in San Francisco earlier this month. "When capital spending eventually recovers," he said, "its growth is likely to be less frenetic than that which characterized 1999 and early 2000, when outlays were boosted by the dislocations of Y2K and the extraordinary low cost of capital faced by many firms."
The numbers tell the tale. From 1992 through 2000, according to Forrester Research, communications equipment shipments measured in dollars increased 185%, while software investments expanded 201% and semiconductor shipments grew 237%. In that same span, nominal GDP grew just 62%. Meta Group Chief Executive Dale Kutnick notes that over the past six years, the percentage of corporate revenues spent on information technology has increased 50%, a trend that will not likely continue at the same pace.
Indeed, some think it could take as much as two years for the next wave to gain momentum. Pip Coburn, technology strategist at UBS Warburg, sees some big trends coming: the switch from PCs to handheld devices, the emergence of a myriad of Web-based services for businesses and consumers, the chip industry's move to larger, more efficient silicon wafers, and the shift from narrowband communications to broadband, among others. But he warns that the odds that more than one or two of those taking hold before 2004 are small. "This is not just about waiting for the economy to turn," Coburn wrote in a report this month. "We are facing the end of numerous dramatic secular trends which are fading before new ones develop."
In some areas of technology, things will continue to get worse before they get better. For instance, chipmakers continue to slash their capital budgets, which means continued difficulties for the semiconductor equipment makers, such as Applied Materials and Novellus (see "Intel Sneezes"). Just last week Intel announced that it would cut capital spending this year by 25%, to $5.5 billion. Goldman Sachs expects a 20% slide in semiconductor industry capital spending this year, after a 38% slide in 2001; Lehman Brothers foresees a 30% drop.
The picture is equally grim for makers of telecommunications equipment, as carriers continue to suffer from a glut of bandwidth. Mark Wolfenberger, tech strategist at Credit Suisse First Boston, expects a 30% drop in capital spending by carriers. Sprint, for instance, says its 2002 capital spending budget will be down 40% from last year.
Soundview's Arnie Berman, pointing to recent earnings warnings from equipment makers like Lucent Technologies, Juniper Networks and Ciena, and service providers like Sprint and Qwest Communications, observes that "the trough in telecom spending is even deeper than most observers expected."
Nor is telecom equipment the only area where budget-cutting rules the day. Many segments of the economy are planning to reduce IT spending. Of 21 industry sectors tracked by Meta Group, just seven -- including, ironically, the telecom industry itself -- expect to spend more on technology this year (see chart above).
Despite the new-found religion of return on investment, the biggest growth this year will come in a category that does little to boost earnings: security. Arnie Berman, technology strategist at Soundview Technology, says the dominant question being asked by IT mangers has switched from "Which of these new projects can we do without?" to "What do we need to do to keep our business safe no matter what?"
Often an afterthought, security has taken center stage in the wake of the September 11 terror attacks, the recent anthrax scare and ongoing fears over worms, viruses and hackers. Security budgets are ballooning. J.P. Morgan estimates IT security spending will grow 43% this year.
Of course, investors have been onto this trend for months now. Stocks like Check Point Software, Internet Security Systems, Symantec, RSA and Network Associates have all doubled or better from their September lows. It's not hard to see why: There will be strong demand this year for a range of security products and services -- firewalls, anti-virus, intrusion detection, network scanning, even biometric security systems using face and fingerprint recognition.
With a finger to the wind, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates last week announced a major shift in strategy for the software giant, which emphasizing security above all. In an e-mail to employees, he wrote that security is now "more important than any other part of our work."
Disaster-recovery planning should also get a boost in 2002, for obvious reasons. The leading player is SunGard Data Systems, which recently acquired Comdisco's rival disaster recovery unit. IBM is the only major competitor. Berman asserts the real beneficiary of new spending on disaster recovery planning will be the providers of hardware needed to set up duplicate data centers -- companies like Cisco Systems, EMC and IBM. Compaq's Capellas notes that security concerns have boosted sales of his company's storage systems and high-end computers, including the pricey fault-tolerant systems sold by the division that used to be Tandem Computers.
Another hot sector this year is data storage. There's a particular buzz about networked storage -- centralizing information rather than having it all over the network. Andersen's Mangan says there are both economic and security reasons for doing that. Concentrating operations into fewer data centers means fewer facilities, reduced headcount and fewer points of network vulnerability.
But the picture is complex. EMC, the sector's long-time leader, has come under assault from a host of new competitors big and small. According to IDC, a market research firm, Compaq has become the worldwide leader in disk storage revenue, as well as terabytes sold and units shipped. There's also evidence that venture capitalists' affection for storage has created an over-populated market. Capellas confirms that storage pricing has come down "dramatically." Even so, there is opportunity for storage software providers to help companies manage their capacity more efficiently. EMC, it's worth noting, has been refocusing on software.
Another hot theme is Web integration services -- the push to provide Web links to big corporate software applications, like those from SAP, Seibel, i2 and PeopleSoft. Precursor Group, a Washington-based research boutique, asserted in a recent report that businesses will "spend a large share of their IT budgets on software to integrate the expensive platforms they have built," so that they can "capture the promised productivity."
Similar motivations will propel the outsourcing trend -- Giga expects 10%-20% growth there, boosting the fortune of companies like EDS, Accenture and Computer Sciences that can operate large corporate technology departments.
The focus on outsourcing should also help the contract manufacturers, though it's probably a bit early to call for a turnaround. Companies like Flextronics, Solectron and Jabil Circuit suffered mightily in 2001 as key customers cut orders for PCs, cell phones and the like in the face of reduced demand. Solectron, for instance, reported that revenues for the quarter ended November 30 plunged by $2.5 billion, or 44%, to $3.2 billion, from a year earlier.
The lower revenue reflects weak end-markets, rather any weakening of the outsourcing trend, however. Indeed, cost pressures could actually accelerate reliance on outside manufacturers. IBM, for instance, this month farmed out PC production in Europe and the U.S. to Sanmina-SCI, shedding 900-plus workers in the process.
In the meantime, though, contract manufacturers must contend with the fact that PC demand this year will likely remain soft. Optimists note that corporate America is due for a major PC replacement cycle. In the past, companies have tossed their old hardware every three years, and many PCs were purchased in 1999 ahead of Y2K. But few new applications require additional processing power. So expect the cycle to stretch out.
On the consumer side, PC sales beat expectations in December, driven by aggressive pricing. But there's little reason to expect a boom. Hopes that the introduction of Windows XP would trigger a spending boom have so far not panned out, though Microsoft says sales have met expectations. Compaq's Capellas expects a slight uptick in overall PC units this year, but a 3% drop in revenues for the sector as prices fall. Giga has a gloomier view, anticipating 10% drop in PC revenues this year.
Even without strong growth in PC sales, worldwide semiconductor sales should grow modestly in 2002, up 6% according to the Semiconductor Industry Association. One reason for that is a shifting inventory picture. Last year many companies focused on reducing chip inventory; now some manufacturers apparently fear they've gone too far, and are stocking up again. That's one reason DRAM prices have tripled over the last two months.
Ultimately, higher end-market demand for PCs, cell phones and other tech goods will be needed to keep the chip industry growing. Nonetheless, Soundview's Berman figures inventory restocking could help chip sales for another six months or more. Taking capacity out of the system will help as well. It is certainly a factor in the memory sector, where both Toshiba and NEC plan to exit the commodity DRAM business. And Micron Technology, the No. 2 maker of memory chips, is in talks to some of the chipmaking assets of Korea's Hynix Semiconductor, the No. 3, which would likely result in the closure of some chip plants. Capellas, for one, thinks that the elimination of some chipmaking capacity, combined with higher sales in the second half, could set the stage for some component shortages in late 2002.
And while spending on telecom equipment is weak, there are some promising areas elsewhere in networking. One of those is voice-over-IP, or the use of the Internet and corporate data networks to carry voice calls. Both Merrill Lynch and UBS Warburg list IP, or Internet protocol, voice technology as a hot trend for 2002. Meta agrees, noting that this is the year voice over IP emerges from the early adopter phase. The logic of voice over IP is simple: It is cheaper to run a single corporate network that can carry voice and data rather than separate networks for each.
Meanwhile, Capellas and others think 2002 will mark the start of big growth in wireless networks, both in homes and offices. Capellas, in particular, expects wireless home networks and the new "media servers" from Microsoft, Apple and others to link together speakers, cameras, printers, DVD players and other consumer electronics components. Says Capellas: "This is real, it will be the next big killer app: the integration of content distribution."
Leading the way in the wireless networking arena is a standard called 802.11 ("The Next Big Thing," November 12, 2001). And it's not just for consumers: Andersen's Tom Mangan says he's seeing increased use of wireless local area networks in offices, allowing for more flexible office configurations and work habits. Mangan notes, though, that companies need to be careful to address the additional security issues raised by wireless connections.
The evolution of wireless networks ties in to the fortunes of two other key sectors, cell phones and handheld computers.
In the near-term, the cell-phone sector faces daunting challenges. It's a maturing market. Analysts say 2002 will be the year when cell phone replacement sales will top sales to new users; Sprint last week said fewer new wireless customers than expected signed up in the fourth quarter, and Wall Street has been slashing expectations for the wireless service providers. Analysts at Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers and ABN Amro have all reduced their ratings on the sector over the last two weeks, battering stocks like Ericsson and Nextel.
For the makers of cell phones to prosper, wireless providers will have to come through on upgrades to the new technologies known as 2.5G and 3G, since they'll require new phones. So far, few places have new networks.
But the new technology is coming, and new services will follow. UBS Warburg, for instance, is hot on a technology called multimedia messaging services, or MMS, which involves sending video or audio messages over handheld phones. According to UBS, the technology will launch in some European and Asian markets this year; it's already available in Japan. By 2003, UBS says, every phone market-leader Nokia makes will be MMS-enabled.
Mark Anderson, a hedge-fund manager who also pens the Strategic News Service, a weekly technology newsletter, thinks 60% or more of the one billion outstanding cell phones will be replaced over the next 24 months. UBS expects handset sales this year to grow 10%, to 430 million units, and another 16%, to 500 million, in 2003. That's up from about 390 million last year and 408 million in 2000.
After a disappointing 2001, handheld computers should grow substantially; UBS projects 26% unit growth in the handheld market this year, with 90% growth in 2003. The old standalone personal digital assistants from Palm, Handspring, Compaq and others are evolving into much richer tools, with wireless networking ability that gives them full e-mail and Web access -- plus cell phone capability. Palm will introduce new hardware this year, and Research in Motion will offer a new version of its popular BlackBerry device that includes a cell phone.
That said, don't be surprised if the big winners in handhelds turns out to be the familiar duo of Microsoft and Intel ("Knockout Blow," November 12, 2001). UBS Warburg expects that Compaq and Hewlett-Packard, which make handhelds based on Microsoft's PocketPC operating system, will both pass Handspring in market share this year. And while Palm is expected to remain the market leader, UBS expects that the firm's market share will continue to erode. Intel, which makes the StrongARM processor used by PocketPC-based handheld makers like Compaq, HP, NEC, Casio and Toshiba, will also benefit.
Consumer electronics stores are hopping. Expect DVD and digital camera sales to remain strong. Also, this will be a huge year for the videogame business, thanks to the recent introduction of Microsoft's Xbox and Nintendo's GameCube, which are taking on Sony's PlayStation 2. All three boxes have been selling well; UBS Warburg sees a combined 72 million consoles being sold this year, nearly twice last year's total.
The sector still has a few drivers coming, including the introduction later this year of the Xbox in Europe and Asia and the GameCube in Europe. And both Sony and Microsoft are expected to roll out networks for their consoles, allowing gamers to compete head-to-head, surf the Web, check e-mail and download new games.
No question, the most innovative products in technology right now target consumers, rather than businesses -- think Apple's table-lamp shaped new iMac, the media server from startup Moxi, the new videogame consoles and the more powerful handheld devices. Microsoft, for one, seems positioned to play a key role in all of these categories, and could be a big winner this year.
To really succeed, however, tech companies need robust corporate spending -- and another cycle is coming. As Alan Greenspan continues to preach, technology offers businesses the chance to enhance returns. Slowly, as the economy improves, and the last excesses are wrung out of the late 1990s spending glut, the cycle will begin anew. And as this next wave builds, investors who position themselves carefully are likely in for a profitable, if sometimes treacherous, ride.
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Attention Must Be Paid
Technology investors face a conundrum. On the plus side, there are signs that demand for technology goods and services has bottomed, and the economy seems poised for recovery. The negative side, however, is that tech stocks have already staged a furious run that anticipates a robust recovery -- leaving them vulnerable to almost any disturbance, as last week's market demonstrated.
The technology sector of the Standard & Poor's 500 index closed last year at nearly 46 times consensus 2002 profit estimates, which are admittedly depressed. This level of valuation relative to earnings has not been seen since the height of the bubble. Steve Milunovich, technology strategist at Merrill Lynch, concluded recently that 70% of tech stocks are overvalued based on consensus 2003 estimates. Jimmy Chang, chief technology strategist at U.S. Trust, is blunter. "The fact that we've hit bottom is no justification for paying outrageous valuations," he snaps.
Chang contends the recent rally was driven by portfolio managers underweight in tech stocks who fear lagging their peers. "The more the stocks rally, the more people fear missing out," he says. "No one has any conviction in the prices they're paying."
So what's an investor to do?
For one thing, reset expectations. David Readerman, growth stock strategist at Thomas Weisel Partners in San Francisco, doesn't expect tech spending to return to the levels seen in 2000 until 2003. And even then, he thinks there is little chance of getting back to the average 12% growth in IT spending seen from 1995 to 2000. But stocks are acting like the recovery will come sooner. "There is a gap between analyst-modeled numbers and what the market is saying," he says.
Chang, despite his caution, has a few suggestions. Microsoft, he says, should flourish even in a weak PC environment, given its many new initiatives in areas off the desktop, such as the Xbox gaming console and PocketPC operating system for handheld computers. Chang also likes outsourcing plays, like Computer Sciences and EDS.
Readerman has plenty of picks for the long haul, based on the belief that wireless, video conferencing, distributed computing and streaming media will be important trends this year. His picks include chipmakers Analog Devices, Broadcom and Intel; Sanmina-SCI, a contract manufacturer, and KPMG Consulting. In the telecom sector, he likes Nortel Networks and Sprint PCS.
Roger McNamee, of Integral Capital Partners, in Menlo Park, California, says he's feeling "constructive" about tech stocks, though he has no great hopes for first half earnings. "It's hard to imagine the technology market just runs from here without any stumbles," he says. "December and March quarter numbers will be terrible, and June won't be any great shakes."
McNamee sees the biggest promise in consumer technology. But traditional blue chips, such as EMC, Cisco Systems and Intel are not on the list of his biggest bets. "The big guys are going to produce underwhelming growth," he says. "In the second half of the 'Nineties, you could ride the big franchises. Great stocks and great companies were synonymous. Temporarily, the linkage has been broken."
Among McNamee's current holdings are a pair of disk-drive component makes, Read-Rite and Hutchinson Technology. Those would appear to be well-informed choices, given that he's a partner in Silver Lake Partners, which owns the disk-drive maker Seagate Technology. He's also bullish on the contract manufacturer Flextronics. And his bets on the security trend are ISS and Symantec.
Mark Anderson, a hedge-fund manager and newsletter editor based in Friday Harbor, Washington, is another Microsoft fan, based on optimism about PC demand, as well as the software giant's potential in non PC-devices. As a bet on wireless, Anderson likes Vodafone and Nokia. He's also keen on Samsung, the Korean electronics giant, which he thinks can be a leader in handhelds. And he's bullish on Dell.
Merrill's Steve Milunovich, while no optimist on tech spending, also likes Dell, in anticipation of a PC upgrade cycle. In chips, he picks Maxim and Microchip Technology; as a wireless play, he's fond of Qualcomm. And in networking, Milunovich recommends Extreme Networks and Riverstone Networks.
-- E.J.S.
Posted by cksla on RB Post #598121
IBM-SPEECH RECOGNITION-HANDHELDS AND AUTOS
Almaden director seeks a 'delightful' revolution
By Charles J. Murray
EE Times
(01/24/01, 9:26 p.m. EST)
The work surfaces in Robert Morris' San Jose, Calif., office are cluttered with computing devices: two desktop PCs and four notebooks, as well as a pager, a cell phone, a pair of Think Pads and a Palm computer that Morris carries when he travels.
The director of IBM's Almaden Research Center is quick to show visitors that all six of his computers are connected: When one machine receives an e-mail, the other five quickly chime in, letting him know that they, too, have gotten the message.
"Pervasiveness means that when you walk into a room, you're walking into a computing environment," Morris said. "The user should have an experience — it should be easy to obtain information and easy to participate in that environment."
This glut of computing devices is proof that Morris practices what he preaches. As vice president of personal systems for IBM Corp. and the holder of a PhD in computer science from UCLA, Morris is a firm believer in the future of pervasive computing.
Intertwined with pervasiveness is ease of use. Morris' definition of "easy" hinges on the concept of a human-computer interface so transparent that users barely know it's there. The company is working on a variety of such interfaces, including so-called "attentive" techniques that watch a user's eye movements and facial expressions, as well as autonomous systems that communicate with one another via Bluetooth, IEEE-802.11 or infrared methods.
IBM engineers around the globe are also stepping up efforts to bring speech recognition and handwriting recognition to the fore, for use in handheld devices and automobiles. Morris believes that such efforts will serve as the key to acceptance of pervasive computing.
"To start a revolution in computing, you've got to have an ease-of-use breakthrough," Morris noted. "If you don't have that, your new technology is not a revolution. It's just a pain."
Indeed, Morris insists that all of computing's major revolutions were prompted by breakthroughs in ease of use. Batch computing, for example, was displaced because time-share computing was simpler, he said. Similarly, personal computers replaced time-share because of ease of use, and browsers brought the Internet to millions for the same reason.
"Ease of use is more fundamental than engineers give it credit for," he said.
Morris and other IBM executives don't pretend to know how the shakeout of today's computer products will affect current human-machine interfaces, such as the mouse and keyboard. But he foresees two potential paths for future computing devices. The first path results in a single winner — a universal device, such as a multifunction Internet phone — that does it all. The second involves a variety of devices — handhelds, desktop units, laptops, tablet PCs. In that scenario, Morris believes, all devices coexist, and all are capable of talking to one another.
In either case, the company's engineers are preparing for a future of simpler interfaces. At the Almaden facility, they have already developed an alternative to the "Qwerty" keyboard (so named because Q-W-E-R-T-Y compose the top line of letters on the left-hand side of all conventional keyboards). IBM's new technique is designed to address the problems of typing with a stylus on a tiny, handheld, virtual keyboard. The solution consists of a collection of hexagonal keys, with the most commonly used combinations of letters located in the middle, around the space key. Less commonly used letters are placed farther from the center.
IBM engineers say that their new keyboard reduces the distance a user's hand travels between letters and therefore speeds typing time on cellular keyboards by about 50 percent.
"This design is not optimized for two hands," said Barton Smith, a research-staff member at IBM Almaden. "It's designed for one tap."
Engineers at the Almaden facility are also working on a potential future in which the human-machine interface will involve intelligence. In an internal project known as Blue Eyes, they've created so-called "attentive computers" that use cameras to watch a user's eyes and facial expressions, and then infer his or her desired actions.
Attentive computing may serve as the ultimate user interface because it enables a machine to make decisions and take action on its own. An attentive computer, for example, might recognize that a user is in an important conference, and hold all e-mail messages until that conference has ended. Or it could make a decision to interrupt the user and deliver an urgent phone call.
Ultimately, such techniques hold promise for the disabled, who could access a computer interface through eye movements. Attentive computing could also serve as an aid to effectiveness in so-called "smart houses," which up to now have struggled with voice commands.
"Part of the problem with smart houses is that they don't 'know' when you're talking to them," said David Koons, a research engineer at IBM Almaden. "The vocabulary is often too broad for the system to understand. But by using attentive computing, you can narrow the context of your commands, and the computer has a better chance of understanding you."
Engineers say that the same concepts can also be applied to such devices as Internet-enabled telephones. "There's no reason your cell phone can't 'know' that you're sitting in an opera house and that it's supposed to be quiet," Smith said.
If the future holds a variety of devices, however, IBM engineers know they will need to put more development effort into such technologies as voice and handwriting recognition. Those systems enable computing companies to meet diverse needs for diverse users, ranging from rush-hour drivers to customers in cultures where pictographic languages are the norm.
IBM engineers are working on those technologies at the company's Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., as well as in its research labs in New Delhi, India, and Beijing. "The pen [interface] is even more important in China and India than it is here," Morris said. "Today, there's not a good keyboard for those languages."
Although handwriting-recognition technology may still be years away from optimal performance, Morris said that pen interfaces are here today. Users can now employ pen technology to capture their own handwriting and store it as such, without the need for software to transcribe it into typed copy. "If we can electronically capture the ink, then we won't need handwriting-recognition technology right now," Morris said.
But speech has technological hurdles to cross before it can qualify as a revolution, he said. Today's best speech systems typically operate at accuracy levels slightly above 90 percent, said Morris, and they won't improve until engineers make breakthroughs in system intelligence.
"To get much higher than 90 percent accuracy, you actually have to understand the speech, not just the words," he said. "So the only way we're ever going to achieve 100 percent accuracy is by building domain knowledge."
Such breakthroughs could eventually constitute the missing ingredient to bring pervasive computing into the mainstream, Morris said. "In the end, we have to make the computing experience natural," he said. "Also, over and above being natural, it has to be delightful. Ultimately, the only way you'll start a revolution is to create a delightful computing experience.
The blockdiagram of the Rio Player shows four main parts. First, the MP3 decoder which is located under a metal casing, so you can not see it on the pictures, it is an MAS3507D from Micronas / Intermetall. Second the CPU, an OTP version of NEC's µpD78P064. This CPU is contolling the userinterface and in my opinion does the file-structure management in flash memory. Third part is the flash memory which is consists of 4 8MByte chips KM29U64000 from Samsung and an optional flash memory card. The last chip is an A40MX04 FPGA from Actel. This chip is responsible for address decoding, controlling the PC-Interface and implementing all logic functions in the Rio.
Rio PMP300 unofficial Technical Specifications
Posted: 5/29/00 Program for E-applicances
John East
President and Chief Executive Officer
Actel Corp.
Sunnyvale, Calif.
A rapidly expanding consumer communications market being fed by the Internet. A cry for more and more bandwidth feeding the deployment of wireless and optical networks. And a burgeoning number of new e-appliance products to serve all of it.
What could be more opportune for the field-programmable gate array (FPGA) industry? Not only are those factors at play, but there are others:
- High-growth, rapidly evolving standards and a planned six-month-long product obsolescence.
- Breakneck time-to-market pressures for end-product manufacturers and diminishing support from gate-array ASIC suppliers, their traditional component sources.
- Quickly filling silicon foundries.
- Reductions in silicon process geometries that are helping enable FPGAs to approach price parity with ASICs.
We are seeing only the tip of the iceberg.
As an industry, FPGA and other programmable logic device providers continue to have considerable success supplying small to moderate volumes of devices to telecom infrastructures and datacom networks. But the e-appliance market demands the rapid delivery of very inexpensive, preprogrammed chips in very large quantities, not the prototype or pre-production volumes with which we are conditioned to contend.
But change is in the wind. Who would have thought five years ago-when a large order for us was 5,000 pieces-that we would be seeing orders today from a single customer for a single design of a million units? Perhaps only a few of us could have ever imagined two years back that Actel would have already shipped well over one million units just to applications in the MP3 player market. Heck, three years ago, who'd even heard of MP3?
It is human nature to resist change, but there are times when change is healthy and good. At Actel, we have recently made a change in our product development effort by adopting a market-solutions strategy. It has helped us identify the vertical markets we will serve, including e-appliances, and has caused us to become more proactive in those markets.
The opportunity for FPGA houses to both significantly contribute to the growth of the Internet appliance infrastructure and to benefit from it is very real. Similarly, the opportunity to succeed as an industry requires us to better understand the market needs of our new consumer-oriented customers and to adjust our thinking to correspond to their volume requirements and just-in-time demand.
read this and have a good laugh:
IBM and MP3? Maybe
by Jennifer Sullivan
April 3, 1999
Rio users sick of listening to the same few songs by Tricky during their commute may be getting some relief. At least three companies are considering using IBM's microdrive as a component in portable MP3 player devices.
"There are at least three different companies we are working with at the design level to ... evaluate [the drive's] functionality" in "MP3 type" portable player products, said John Osterhout, program director in IBM's storage systems division.
Osterhout wouldn't say which companies IBM was working with, how big they were, or when (or if) the products would roll out. But he said that any products using the microdrive won't hit shelves until "the middle of this year."
IBM's microdrive -- unveiled last September -- allows for much more data to be stored in a small drive the size of a matchbook. This could give a boost to the memory capabilities of all kinds of handheld computers, cellphones, PDAs, and portable player devices. The microdrive could hold up to six hours of CD-quality music in a music playback device, or 300 hefty novels in an e-book, or 1,000 compressed photographs in a digital camera.
MP3 is a widely used audio compression format that offers near-CD quality and is used for distributing files over the Internet. To date, the major music industry labels haven't embraced the format, which is also handy for pirating music.
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Read more MP3 Coverage.
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The Recording Industry Association of America is creating its own open specification for a technology platform with an emphasis on security, to be released at the end of the year.
The existing Diamond Multimedia Rio MP3 player is the subject of a lawsuit filed by the RIAA against Diamond last October. The RIAA accuses the Rio of ruining the marketplace for digital distribution online. Diamond countersued last December, saying the Rio player is protected by the First and Fifth amendments.
Osterhout wouldn't comment on IBM's potential liability around such an MP3 player product. "Basically, we are neutral to all manufacturers of all types of products. We are certainly encouraging to make a number of things possible from a technical standpoint. We are not there to fight the legal battles."
"There are a number of companies looking at [the portable MP3 player market]," said Osterhout. "Once you create a new category like this, suddenly the consumer electronics companies come out of the woodwork."
IBM was privately showing a Rio with a Microdrive backpack at CES 2000
Auto PC, Round Two
(Report From Consumer Electronics Show 2000: Page 2 of 2 )
By Chris Herrera
2000
In This Article
Report From Consumer Electronics Show 2000
Auto PC, Round Two
Microsoft also announced the second generation of the Auto PC at CES. The first thing you will notice about the new Auto PC is the larger LCD display. It offers the same applications the original Auto PC did and adds GPS moving map support as well as DVD support for reading the data for the maps. Both Clarion and Visteon demonstrated second generation Auto PCs at CES.
MP3 comes into its own
It seemed like everywhere I looked, MP3 players were being demonstrated. I saw many designs for MP3 players including some very interesting ones:
Casio MP3 Watch
Yes, now you can plug in your headphones into the Casio MP3 watch to listen to music anytime you want. The watch is a little larger than the company's standard watches and offers four hours of continuous play. The MP3 watch is charged and music is added via the included cradle. Also, users can remove the headphone jack when they are not listening to music. This makes the MP3 watch waterproof.
Diamond Rio With MicroDrive
I was surprised to see a Diamond Rio with an IBM MicroDrive in the IBM suite. It looks like it is about the same size as the Rio 500 and it runs on a couple of AA batteries. This was an improvement on the existing MP3 player that made it even more flexible.
Ten Hours Of MP3 Music In The palm Of Your Hand
I2go.com offers the Ego MP3 player that is designed to work in your car. It supports two CompactFlash type II slots so you can store your music on IBM MicroDrives or standard CompactFlash cards. Each MicroDrive is 340 Mbytes of storage, which is approximately five hours of MP3 music. The MP3s can be transferred using USB or directly on the CompactFlash card. It also displays the song title and has previous/next song support as well as play and stop. I was surprised to hear it could be used as a portable MP3 player since it runs on 2 AA batteries. You can expect it to play for about six to eight hours with a standard CompactFlash card or about an hour with the IBM MicroDrive. The unit is available from the company's website, and ranges from $189 (without flash) to $699 with the MicroDrive.
Gadgets In The Home
Everywhere I went at the show, vendors were demonstrating their ideas of the houses of the future. I saw LCD televisions in every room of the house including the bathroom. Even Microsoft was demonstrating its products this way. Clearly, the vendors all believe our appliances need to talk to each other. I wonder how many homeowners really want this type of connectivity.
Summary
Overall, CES provided a unique look into new gadgets that are coming in the future. I found it very interesting to see one-of-a-kind devices like the Panasonic microwave oven with a Secure Digital card slot, and headphone jack for playing MP3s. I was also surprised to see the HDTVs were showing the football games and people were stopping to watch the game. The manufacturers were demonstrating everything from televisions, speakers, and CD players to digital cameras and PDAs. This is definitely a unique show for purchasing agents and retailers to learn more about the type products to offer consumers.
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Chris De Herrera, Microsoft MVP for Windows CE, operates a leading Web site on Windows CE, CEWindows.NET. He also writes for Enterprise Solutions for Windows CE, and Handheld PC magazine.
Page 2 of 2
Test Drive: IBM Microdrive
By Colin Duwe
(11/13/00)
IBM 340MB Microdrive
List Price: $299
Check Latest Prices
Folks who own MP3 players and digital cameras are painfully aware that the flash memory cards those devices use don't hold enough data and cost too much. Most current MP3 players come with 64MB of memory, enough for about an hour of music at standard compression levels. Megapixel digital cameras can easily snap shots that are 2MB or 3MB each and come with only 4MB or 8MB storage cards. That's why techies of all stripes hailed the arrival of the IBM Microdrive as the solution to the storage woes of portable digital devices.
What's a Microdrive?
These Microdrives are 1.7-by-1.4-inch hard drives that can hold 170MB, 340MB, or 1GB, depending on the model. They fit into standard Type II CompactFlash slots that are found on digital cameras, PDAs, and a couple MP3 players. Theoretically, you could take days of MP3s with you or snap hundreds of photos. But because a Microdrive actually spins a tiny disc, it uses much more power than a traditional CompactFlash memory card, and battery power is precious in portable electronic devices. So we put a 340MB Microdrive to use in a variety of gadgets to see how it worked under real-world conditions.
Standalone MP3 Players
Unfortunately, the Microdrive didn't work well in our tests of two MP3 players that use CompactFlash cards. One, the RCA Lyra, didn't accept them at all. The other, the i2go eGo, accepted the Microdrive but had to be plugged into either a wall outlet or a cigarette-lighter jack because of the extra juice the Microdrive demands. S3 claims that a Microdrive "backpack" will be available for its Diamond Rio 600, but until it actually materializes, MP3 aficionados are almost out of luck.
Pocket PCs
As a workaround, we popped the Microdrive into the CompactFlash sleeve on our Compaq iPaq H3650 Pocket PC. We were quite happy with this setup until we tested the battery time. Without the Microdrive, we were able to coax almost 7 hours of MP3 playback out of the iPaq, so long as we kept the screen turned off. Playing music off the Microdrive, we got just 3.5 hours (again with the screen turned off and no other applications running). That's fine for a short daily commute, but when we took the Pocket PC on an hour-long flight and played solitaire while listening to music stored on the Microdrive, the batteries died not long after we landed. It's pretty tough to justify the expense of the Microdrive, considering how much it limits your ability to use your handheld, but it sure is nice to have all that storage.
Palm OS users face less of a dilemma. The TRGpro, with no ability to play MP3s, supports the Microdrive, so users can store massive databases on their handheld. While battery life is probably reduced, it wasn't noticeable in our short test period. For those who need it, the Microdrive works like a charm in the TRGpro.
The inside of a Microdrive shown beside a quarter.
Digital Photography
Digital photographers know all too well how inconvenient it is to not have enough storage. But the Microdrive is almost not an issue, since few cameras support it. Most of the cameras we had in the lab had the thinner Type I slot or other storage types such as SmartMedia or Sony's Memory Stick. The Olympus E-10 will work with the card, but because of the high failure rate, Olympus doesn't recommend it.
All is not lost, though. Canon's $999 PowerShot G1 worked perfectly with the Microdrive. Powered by a monstrous lithium-ion battery, we filled the tiny hard drive with more than 200 2,048-by-1,536-pixel resolution images with the LCD display and the flash turned on. When we had exhausted our shutter finger, the battery indicator still showed a full charge. We were quite impressed.
Should You Drive?
Considering the rather high price of a Microdrive--a 340MB unit runs about $250 in stores--we recommend it only to serious photographers with large wallets. Just be sure that it works with your camera. We'll mention Microdrive compatibility in future camera reviews. Also, be sure your camera has the battery power to work with it. Any camera that can shoot more than 1,000 shots on a single battery charge in the CNET Labs' battery test should do fine. In the right camera, the Microdrive is a dream.
Colin Duwe is an associate editor for CNET Consumer Electronics.
IBM Microdrive Technology and MP3 May See a Future Alliance
April 6, 1999
At least three companies are considering using IBM's microdrive as a component in portable MP3 player devices. This may spell relief for Rio users frustrated by listening to the same few songs during their commute due to the limited capabilities of their devices.
According to John Osterhout, program director in IBM's storage systems division, "There are at least three different companies we are working with at the design level to ... evaluate [the drive's] functionality in 'MP3 type' portable player products."
Mr. Osterhout added that, "There are a number of companies looking at [the portable MP3 player market]. Once you create a new category like this, suddenly the consumer electronics companies come out of the woodwork."
MP3 is a widely used audio compression format that offers near-CD quality and is used for distributing files over the Internet. The major music industry labels haven't yet embraced the format, because it may facilitate the pirating of music.
Osterhout didn't specify which companies IBM was working with, their size, or when the products would be launched. He did forecast that any products using the microdrive won't hit shelves until "the middle of this year."
The capabilities of IBM's microdrive, which was unveiled last September, allows for much more data to be stored in a small drive the size of a matchbook prompting companies to develop ways to utilize the technology in their products.
For example, the microdrive could hold up to six hours of CD-quality music in a music playback device, or 300 hefty novels in an e-book, or 1,000 compressed photographs in a digital camera. All varieties of handheld computers, cellphones, PDAs, and portable player devices could get a boost in storage capabilities by using the drive.
However, an alliance with the MP3 Player may see IBM embroiled in legal battles like those facing Diamond, the manufacturer of a digital MP3 recording device called Rio. The existing Diamond Multimedia Rio MP3 player is the subject of a lawsuit filed by The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) against Diamond last October. The RIAA accuses the Rio of ruining the marketplace for digital distribution online. Diamond countersued last December, saying the Rio player is protected by the First and Fifth amendments.
Osterhout wouldn't comment on IBM's potential liability around such an MP3 player product. He explained that, "Basically, we are neutral to all manufacturers of all types of products. We are certainly encouraging to make a number of things possible from a technical standpoint. We are not there to fight the legal battles."
For their part, the RIAA is creating its own open specification for a technology platform with an emphasis on security, to be released at the end of the year.
Wired News 4/3/99
IBM ships the world's smallest hard drive
IBM 340 MB Microdrive™ targets digital cameras, hand-held PCs and personal audio players
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
San Jose, CA . . . June 17, 1999 . . . IBM announced today it has started shipping the IBM 340 megabyte (MB) Microdrive™ , the world's smallest* hard disk drive, to its initial key customers.
Launching the Microdrive is a strategic next step in the growth of IBM's original equipment manufacturer (OEM) technology business. In the last few months alone, the company has announced $28 billion worth of OEM technology deals. These agreements include the sales of storage components to other companies.
Now, IBM announces its next major OEM technology move -- its entrance into the small form factor storage arena, with a number of companies receiving shipments of the Microdrive. These companies include: Casio; Compaq Computer Corporation; Clarion Sales Corporation; RioPort Division of Diamond Multimedia Systems; Eastman Kodak Company; Hitachi; IBM Personal Systems Group; Minolta; Nikon; Samsung; SANYO Electric; and Trimble. The companies are expected to integrate the Microdrive into their digital devices or offer it as a separate storage option.
The manufacturer's suggested retail price of the Microdrive kit, including a 340 MB Microdrive, PC Card adapter and field case, is $499 (U.S.). IBM Microdrive family of 1" disk drives will be available in Japan and the U.S. in retail stores by early summer.
The Microdrive has a disk platter the size of a large coin and weighs less than a AA battery. The new device can hold: 1,000 digital photographs compressed; six hours of near CD-quality audio; 300 hefty novels; or the equivalent of more than 200 standard-size floppy disks. IBM Microdrive uses high-performance, time-proven hard disk drive technology to store information. The drive has a much lower cost-per-megabyte and holds more content than alternate small-format storage technologies.
With its small size and industry-standard removable format, IBM's new Microdrive is considered an ideal storage solution for pervasive or "go-anywhere" computing applications.
The Microdrive has been designed for use in digital cameras, hand-held, companion and notebook PCs.
"The IBM Microdrive is a great storage option for users who want to expand the rich capabilities of their Windows CE-based devices," said Roger Gulrajani, group product manager, Windows CE, Microsoft Corp. "Customers can now store even more rich content such as digital images, audio, documents, and additional third-party applications which enhance the power and versatility of these companion devices."
Since the introduction of Microdrive technology last year, new applications have emerged including Global Positioning Systems (GPS), wearable PCs and personal audio players.
"Supporting the Microdrive in upcoming generations of our Rio digital audio devices will provide our customers with high-capacity MP3 storage in a portable environment," said David Watkins, president of the RioPort Division at Diamond Multimedia. "The IBM Microdrive will allow future Rio customers to store several hours of CD-quality music or hundreds of hours of spoken audio."
The Microdrive allows digital photographers to take more photos before having to pause to download the stored images. Photographers can also take much higher resolution "megapixel" photos at more economical costs.
"We are excited about and supportive of the new IBM Microdrive," said Peter Jameson, director of Digital Capture, Kodak Professional. "We believe our customers, especially photojournalists and other deadline-driven professionals who use the Kodak Professional DCS 520 or DCS 620 digital cameras, will welcome the Microdrive family of 1" disk drive's small size and light weight, high-capacity storage capability and cost-per-megabyte ratio."
IBM Microdrive fits into the industry-standard CF+ Type II slot that has become increasingly popular in the digital, hand-held devices markets. Microdrive also can be used in a PC Card Type II slot, using a PC Card adaptor.
For more information about IBM Microdrive products, go to http://www.ibm.com/storage/microdrive or call 1-888-426-5214.
IBM's hard disk drives for servers, desktop PCs, portable PCs and hand-held appliances received more than 20 awards worldwide in 1998. Also in that year, IBM had more data storage-related patents issued in the U.S. than any other major data storage product manufacturer. The company invented the hard disk drive and shipped the first drive in 1956.
IBM Microdrive specifications
Capacities: 340 or 170 MB
Average seek time: 15 ms
Power requirements: CF+ specification (3.3V/5V +- 5 % at 500 mA)
Length: 1.68 inches (42.8mm) x width: 1.43 inches (36.4mm) x height: .19 inches (5.0mm)
Weight: 16 grams
Areal density: 5.04 billion bits per square inch
Disk platters: One
Media transfer rate is 22.6-45.2 Mb/sec
Sustained data rate: 1.8 MB/sec (min)/3.0 MB/sec (max)
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* This claim is based on shipping products.
All trademarks are property of their respective owners.
IBM,Rio and Dataplay Partnership: posted by wm wallace on RB
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/students/pop/20musi.html
Hey, Walkman: Time to Face the Music on a Chip
By MICHEL MARRIOTT
Less than two years ago, the first handheld MP3 player was introduced, at a time when downloadable digital music was still a mystery to just about anyone who wasn't a college student or a basement-bound techie.
That first player, the Rio 300 PMP, has now spawned its third generation, the Rio 600, as sleek and curvy as its predecessor was boxy and bland. And it is only one of a new wave of consumer-friendly digital players, aimed not at the early adopters, the tech-hungry minority who will buy anything as long as it is shiny and showy and it beeps, but at the mass market, the rest of the gadget buyers, the ones who do not like a complicated instruction booklet.
The goal is nothing less than overtaking the cassette player and the CD player as the standard for listening to music on the go.
"The critical fact in the technology market right now is tailoring the product to consumer interests, rather than acting as if consumers' lifestyles and listening habits can be made to adapt to a singular device," said Mike Reed, vice president of marketing for S3's Rio division. The new mantra among consumer electronics executives and designers is ease of use, ease of use, ease of use.
Designers at the newly founded Nike Techlab, a sort of Skunk Works for Nike Inc., in Beaverton, Ore., called the approach "simplified logic."
And audio-player designers say they are reworking software as well as trying to improve the hardware, particularly the quality of the sound (still, on average, too tinny) and its volume (in most cases not yet approaching that of a common CD player) and storage (a paltry hour of music using the MP3 format and about twice that using the newer Windows Media Audio format). But for a few exceptions, they have a way to go.
For now, the players still depend almost exclusively on personal computers as a way to download digital music, which makes the audience smaller than that for tapes or CD's. But 45 million American households have personal computers, according to Forrester Research, so there are a lot of potential customers.
Legal issues about copyright still plague the downloading of music from the Web. But the industry is coming to terms with the idea that downloadable music will increasingly be a fact of life for consumers, and it is working with computer and electronics companies to develop better ways to offer music online that also protects copyright.
EMI Recorded Music announced earlier this month that it is releasing some of its songs using Liquid Audio, a digital format seen by many as being one of the more secure in the industry.
And the makers of digital players are developing not only new hardware, but also new forms of memory and new systems that do not depend on personal computers for getting the music.
Forward Concepts, a research company in Tempe, Ariz., forecasted that the market for portable digital players will swell to 15 million in 2003 from a projected 3 million users this year. And young people view downloadable music as just another way to listen to what they want to hear. In a survey this spring by eBrain Market Research, a service of the Consumer Electronics Association, 57 percent of consumers 15 to 21 years old said they had played MP3 music files. Among those who had listened to MP3 music, most, according to the survey, found its sound comparable to that of a typical stereo.
So far, the appeal of personal digital players has rested on several factors: small size (the Sony VAIO Music Clip is slightly larger than a hefty fountain pen); completely skip-proof music playback; and the user's freedom to put any combination of songs on them. All of that can be done without cassette tape, compact discs, minidiscs or audio DVD's whirling away inside of them.
The new players, due this summer and early next year, share those features and add new ones.
Prices range from about $170 to $300. And some are so simple to use that they would not require extensive thumbing through a voluminous operating manual to learn how to turn the thing on. (That's once you get the music downloaded from the Web or copied from CD's.)
The flattened-egg-shaped audio player called the Personal Sport Audio (PSA) Play, the result of a collaboration of the Nike Techlab and Rio, has its controls -- play, stop, forward and back -- on its smooth face with symbols for key functions so highly raised that users can press them through the fabric of their pockets.
Curtis Milander, marketing manager for the Nike Techlab, calls the approach blind design.
"You don't have to look at it to operate it," Mr. Milander said. The PSA Play is scheduled to be available later this summer.
The MiniJam by InnoGear, scheduled for release Aug. 1, is packed into a small module that plugs into a Handspring Visor handheld computer. Once in place, the device is ready to store and play MP3's.
Engineers at PortalPlayer, a Santa Clara, Calif., developer of audio hardware and software, say they are building systems that will allow portable players to record digital music directly from a source, like a CD player, without the need of a computer.
Currently, almost all portable digital players must be plugged into a computer that either downloads music in a compressed format like MP3, which is the most popular, or the computer can translate music from CD's into a format like MP3, a process called ripping. The files are then copied and moved to the memory of a portable player.
"What we are saying is that with our technology, all you have to do is press the Record button on a player," said Michael J. Maia, vice president of marketing for PortalPlayer.
In the future, said Ron Boire, senior vice president of portable audio for Sony Electronics, personal digital players may be equipped with BlueTooth technology, an international standard that would allow devices like computers, electronic organizers and mobile phones to exchange information using radio waves. It would let consumers wirelessly load music into their players.
"The goal is to make the technology as seamless and transparent to the user as possible," Mr. Boire said.
S3's Rio said it shipped 500,000 players between November 1998, when the first Rio player was introduced, and February 2000. By the end of this summer, Mr. Reed said, that figure is expected to double.
But industry executives and others who follow the industry agree that if portable digital audio players are going to find a mass market -- customers other than those between the ages of 16 and 24 -- the players are going to have to offer mass appeal.
The first stumbling block -- storage -- is being tackled on several fronts.
Practically all portable players store music on solid state memory chips, including Compact Flash, Smart Media cards and Sony's Memory Sticks.
While solid state memory chips are small, run noiselessly and are reliable, they are also expensive and appear to be growing more so as demand begins to outstrip supply, manufacturers say.
One frustrated executive at an American consumer electronics manufacturer said he had traveled to Asia in an unsuccessful search for a company that could make and then sell the hardware components for a digital audio player to his company for $1. The reason? Much of the cost of a player, which is passed to consumers, is consumed by the cost of memory.
A digital player with memory that costs less than $100 has eluded the marketplace.
Most players are sold with 32 megabytes of embedded, often called "onboard," memory. A 32-megabyte memory card costs about $100. And the rule of thumb is that a player, like Samsung's Yepp player, requires about a megabyte of memory for every minute of recorded MP3 music (at near-CD-quality sound).
Recording more music requires more memory for storage, and the cost starts to climb steeply, said Craig Rathbun, the worldwide director of Clik technology for Iomega, maker of disk-based removable storage devices like the popular Zip and Jaz cartridges.
The 32-megabyte memory cards used in audio playersare "essentially $100 half-hour albums," Mr. Rathbun said.
Iomega is taking a different approach by adapting its Clik drives to digital audio players so that they may use the 40-megabyte Clik disks to store and play music.
Clik disks are not solid state and introduce moving parts into the players. But they are cheaper than solid state memory, Mr. Rathbun said.
A 40-megabyte Clik disk can cost as little as $10. They are also rugged, Mr. Rathbun said, as he held a handful of the half-dollar-size Clik disks, each containing a different genre of music.
This month, the first digital player using Clik technology, the Rave MP 2300 by Sensory Science, reached the market. Iomega officials said seven players with built-in Clik drives by other manufacturers -- including one by Iomega itself -- are expected to be available before the end of the year.
Rio is exploring alternatives to expensive, solid-state flash memory for storing music in its players.
Currently, the Rio 600, which is the first player to seamlessly play music encoded in the MP3 or Windows Media format, comes with 32 megabytes of memory. A more feature-laden Rio 800 is expected later this summer, with 64 megabytes of included memory.
Rio has also taken a novel approach to the question of expanding the storage capabilities of its audio players. Earlier models like the Rio 300 and Rio 500 use, as most players do, a slot in which an expansion memory card can be inserted, boosting the player's overall capacity to play more music. But such designs are limited, making it difficult to add more than a 64-megabyte card to the 32 megabytes already built into the player.
The new Rio players are designed with what its engineers call a backpack. It is a slip-off and slip-on back that contains the player's memory and power supply. The Rio 600, which costs $169, comes with a backpack with 32 megabytes built in and a single AA battery to power the unit.
An additional 64-megabyte backpack comes with a rechargeable battery. And Rio, in partnership with I.B.M., will soon release a backpack that will house a 340-megabyte I.B.M. Microdrive. Also in development is a Rio backpack equipped with a new 500-megabyte drive by DataPlay.
While executives at S3's Rio division said they were not ready to discuss the cost of the backpacks with the minidrives, they said the emerging memory technology helps to make their new Rio players "future-proof."
And because the disk-based storage devices spin only to retrieve a song before playing it from small embedded memory, they do not greatly tax battery life or make players more susceptible to skipping when moved or bumped.
"I think we are turning the corner with the release of the Rio 600 and other products in the family," Mr. Reed said. He said Rio is preparing to expand beyond the youth market.
S3's Rio division, as well as a number of other consumer electronics companies, is also preparing to release a line of home-based digital audio players that resemble conventional stereo components.
The newly released SongBank SL CD Memory System by Lydstrom not only plays and records CD's, but can also convert them into a digital format and save them on the $800 machine's hard drive.
"When you look at the ways that people listen to CD's today," Mr. Reed said, you can pretty much count on us to replace that CD technology in the future with our technology."
Actel Targets e-Appliance Consumer Applications With New, Low-Cost 'eX' Programmable ASIC Family
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Sept. 11 -- As part of a new strategy to target vertical markets, Actel Corporation today announced "eX,'' a programmable ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) product family aimed at the emerging e-Appliance market of Internet-related consumer electronics. This market includes such products as MP3 Internet recorders/players, digital photography, cable and xDSL modems, personal digital assistants and digital set-top boxes. Actel has already shipped over one million units of its MX FPGA family to MP3 manufacturers.
By featuring low cost, low power, a small footprint and the ease of achieving performance specifications during the design process, the eX family is expected to help Actel continue its dominance of the logic integration market for consumer and e-Appliance applications. The combination of eX with simple-to-use Actel software tools results in faster design turns and a rapid time-to-market capability. The Actel eX family also adds the benefits of high design security and a small, single-chip form factor.
"We are using Actel devices in a ground-breaking digital imaging product for the consumer e-Appliance market,'' stated Douglas Howe, chief marketing officer at Silicon Film Technologies, Inc. of Irvine, California. "Actel has been right there with us throughout our development phase, and their nonvolatile FPGAs being used in our first offering have proven to be well-suited for this application's low power and small footprint requirements. We would certainly expect that a new Actel family specifically targeted at the high-volume, e-Appliance market will be very popular.''
The eX family will consist of three devices: the eX64, eX128 and eX256 with system gate densities of 3,000, 6,000 and 12,000, respectively. The eX line will offer a streamlined feature set clearly differentiated for this market. The eX line also adds a low-power sleep mode for extra battery power savings, a critical concern for most e-Appliance applications. The single-chip eX solutions will be very competitively priced compared to the total cost of multiple CPLDs, low-density gate array ASICs or two-chip FPGA alternatives. The new family is being fabricated at UMC in a 0.22-micron process and will be available in three speed grades.
"We think high-performance, low-power FPGAs offering their inherent fast time to market for as low as $2.25 each in high-volume will get this emerging market's attention,'' said Anita Weemaes, product marketing manager at Actel. "We have already had considerable success with our MX and SX-A products in this space and should be able to extend our influence with a device family targeted at this market.''
Design Support, Availability and Price
The eX128 in a 64-pin TQFP is available today in pre-production volume. Production release of Actel's Designer place-and-route tool in R1 2000 software supporting eX64 and ex128 designs in TQ64 and TQ100 packages is available now. Software and package support for the eX256 device is expected in October. The company plans to add support for chipscale packages later this year. 100,000-unit volume pricing for eX devices will begin at $2.25 for the slowest speed grade eX64 part in a 64-pin TQFP package.
Actel has expanded its low-cost FPGAs with the addition of the 2.5V eX series. The company has had some success with its low-cost 5V MX series, especially in MP3 players. The eX series is targeted at similar Internet-related consumer applications.
The advantages of the antifuse eX device over SRAM-based FPGAs are that they are a single-chip solution and provide design security. Its disadvantage is that it is one-time programmable. The MX and eX series compete with the SRAM-based Spartan family from Xilinx and the ACEX series from Altera.
The eX family is basically a version of Actel's SX-A devices modified to reduce power and lower production costs. In addition, two new devices, the eX64 and eX128, were added at the low-density end. The primary changes were the addition of a power down mode, which is also present in Spartan II parts, and the elimination of the PCI-compliant I/Os.
Like most of Actel's other families, the eX contains different combinatorial and register cells. Like the SX and SX-A, the eX contains twice as many combinatorial as registered cells. The company claims very high performance for the devices with internal speeds of 330MHz and system speeds of 240MHz, nearly the same performance as that for the SX-A.
Actel seems to be concentrating on the very lowest end of the density range. The largest eX device has about the same logic capacity as the smallest devices in the ACEX and Spartan families. Both the ACEX and Spartan families contain embedded memory blocks and the Spartan II devices contain DLLs and I/Os that can be programmed to meet different signaling standards. None of these features are present in the eX family.
The company is targeting CPLDs as well as ASICs for these low-cost applications. It claims comparable performance and lower power dissipation than CPLDs. Benchmarks run by Actel shows that its eX256 consumes half as much power as Xilinx's CoolRunner XCR3256XL at frequencies up to 110MHz.
The eX128 is sampling now and the other two members are expected to be released before the end of the year. Actel also plans to make these parts available in 0.8mm ball pitch BGAs. The first will be an eX256 in a CS180 package, also due to begin sampling before the end of the year.
DSP with FPGAs
The future of Digital Signal Processing is here now...
Andraka Consulting Group has been using it for years
FPGAs offer an opportunity to accelerate your digital signal processing application up to 1000 times over a traditional DSP microprocessor.
Microprocessors are slow.
Digital signal processing has traditionally been done using enhanced microprocessors. While the high volume of generic product provides a low cost solution, the performance falls seriously short for many applications. Until recently, the only alternatives were to develop custom hardware (typically board level or ASIC designs), buy expensive fixed function processors (eg. an FFT chip), or use an array of microprocessors.
FPGAs accelerate DSP
Recent increases in Field Programmable Gate Array performance and size offer a new hardware acceleration opportunity. FPGAs are an array of programmable logic cells interconnected by a matrix of wires and programmable switches.. Each cell performs a simple logic function defined by a user's program. An FPGA has a large number (64 to over 20,000) of these cells available to use as building blocks in complex digital circuits. Custom hardware has never been so easy to develop.
Performance up to 1000x.
The ability to manipulate the logic at the gate level means you can construct a custom processor to efficiently implement the desired function. By simultaneoulsy performing all of the algorithm’s subfunctions, the FPGA can outperform a DSP by as much as 1000:1.
DSP performance is limited by the serial instruction stream. FPGAs are a better solution in the region above the curve.
* Actual performance gains depend on algorithm efficiency, clock rates, degree of parallelism and other factors. Typical gains lie between 10:1 and 1000:1
FPGA DSPs are flexible,
Like microprocessors, many FPGAs can be infinitely reprogrammed in-circuit in only a fraction of a second. Design revisions, even for a fielded product, can be implemented quickly and painlessly. Hardware can also be reduced by taking advantage of reconfiguration.
Highly integrated,
The programmable logic in an FPGA can absorb much of the interface and ‘glue’ logic associated with microprocessors. The tighter integration can make a product smaller, lighter, cheaper and lower power.
Competitively priced,
FPGAs are a generic product customized at the point of use. They enjoy the cost advantages of high production volumes. There are also none of the NRE charges or fabrication delays associated with ASIC development..
And get you to market on time.
The FPGA’s flexibility eliminates the long design cycle associated with ASICs. With FPGAs there are no delays for prototypes or early production volume. Design revisions are easily implemented, often taking less than a day. The devices are fully tested by the manufacturer, eliminating production test development.
So why isn’t everyone using FPGAs for DSP?
Lack of experience using these devices for intense computational applications.
Algorithms developed for microprocessors can be difficult to translate into hardware.
Immaturity of design tools for FPGA based DSP design
Success of an FPGA DSP design is heavily dependent on the experience of the designer, not only in implementing designs in FPGAs, but also in tailoring algorithms for hardware efficiency.
FPGAs in Wireless Networking
by
Ashwin Jeyapalasingam
under the supervision of
Prof. Ian Page
Introduction to Wireless Networking
In the last few years, developments in wireless networking have been phenomenal. Rapid advances in technology have helped to bring mobile communication to the hands of the consumer. Mobile phones are increasingly popular and the Internet and WAP (wireless application protocol) are now household terms. Statistics have shown that 1 in 6 people in the UK and 1 in 15 people in the world owns a personal mobile phone.
There is a demand for wireless networks both at home, the workplace as well as in telecommunications. At homes, consumers currently require wireless solutions to avoid having to deal with complicated wiring or installation of phone jacks, etc. In the future, though, it is predicted that ordinary household devices (e.g. toaster, stove, microwave) will interact with each other. For example, if you decided to have breakfast, the grill would begin cooking the sausages and the toaster would begin toasting the bread once it received the signal from the grill that the sausages were 2 minutes to completion. Imagining wiring from all household appliances to each other is a nightmare - hence the inception of the idea of wireless technology at home. The technology must be simple to install for the consumer, easy to use and economical. It must provide bandwidth to support common home networking applications, while not compromising the security of the home. (see Bluetooth, HomeRF)
In many large corporations, wireless networking is already being implemented. With a large number of computer terminals and peripherals networked together, cabling is not always a feasible solution. Wireless networking provides the business user with mobility - a connection to the Internet and the ability to access data, wherever, whenever. Wireless LANs also allow handheld devices and notebook PCs to transmit real-time information to centralized hosts for processing. (see Wireless LAN, IEEE 802.11, HiperLAN2, VoiP)
In telecommunications, wireless solutions are becoming more and more attractive for several reasons:
Prohibitive costs in cabling over long distances, to multiple points
Speed advantages using EMF (electromagnetic frequency) waves
Large bandwidth
The biggest excitement in telecommunications this year has been the development of third-generation (3G) mobile network standards. (see Cellular networks, W-CDMA)
Technologies in Wireless Networking
HomeRF
The HomeRF Working Group (HRFWG) was formed in March 1998 to provide the foundation for a broad range of interoperable consumer devices by establishing an open industry specification for wireless digital communication. The HRFWG, developed a specification for wireless communications in the home called the Shared Wireless Access Protocol (SWAP) to suit the consumer needs of homes and SOHOs (Small Office Home Office).
The HRFWG believes that the open SWAP specification will break through these barriers by
Enabling interoperability between many different consumer electronic devices available from a large number of manufacturers, and
providing the flexibility and mobility of a wireless solution. This flexibility is important to the success of creating a compelling and complete home network solution.
HomeRF was created to provide low cost, voice and data capabilities Voice support is provided by DECT using frequency hopping in the 2.4 GHz band. For data, the HomeRF spec uses a relaxed specification of the TCP/IP support of IEEE 802.11.
Bluetooth
The development of Bluetooth began in early 1998 and was led by several telecommunications and computer industry leaders Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). The Bluetooth specification is open and royalty-free, and available to anyone who wishes to use it in their products.
Bluetooth is a low power radio technology developed to replace the wires currently used to connect electronic devices such as PCs, printers PDAs and mobile phones. It enables users to connect a wide range of computing and telecommunications devices with ease, without the hassle of cables.
Bluetooth operates in the 2.4GHz ISM (Industrial, Scientific, Medical) band. Devices equipped with Bluetooth should be capable of exchanging data at speeds up to 720kbit/s at ranges up to 10 meters. This is achieved using a transmission power of 1mW and the incorporation of frequency hopping to avoid interference. If the receiving device detects that the transmitting device is closer than 10 meters it will automatically modify its transmitting power to suit the range. The device should also shift to a low-power mode as soon as traffic volume becomes low or ceases altogether. Future revisions to the Bluetooth specification are being developed and intend extending current data rates to support applications that need higher bandwidths.
As Bluetooth penetrates the consumer market, existing products will become Bluetooth enabled. Digital modems, residential gateways, set-top boxes, and SOHO routers provide high-speed access to the Internet. The Bluetooth module when integrated to the system will enable high-speed Internet access to other Bluetooth devices.
Wireless LAN
Business Research Group predicts the worldwide wireless LAN market revenues to grow to more than $2 billion revenues by the year 2000.
The two popular wireless LAN technologies are the IEEE 802.11 and HiperLAN2. A variation of IEEE 802.11 supports data rates of 11 Mbps and a range of 100 meters, but it is most popular in the US. The HiperLAN2 is the fastest growing wireless LAN technology with a proposed data rate of 54 Mbps and a range over 150 meters. The IEEE 802.11 and HiperLAN2 standards are focussing on telecommuters, SOHOs, and hospitals to make the biggest impact.
Wireless LANs combine data connectivity with user mobility and provide a good general purpose connectivity alternative for a broad range of business customers.
IEEE 802.11
IEEE 802.11 is the standard for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). It can be compared to the 802.3 standard for ethernet wired LANs. The goal of this standard is to tailor a model of operation in order to resolve compatibility issues between manufacturers of WLAN equipment manufacturers.
There are 2 variations of IEEE 802.11: a and b.
The IEEE 802.11 standard addresses the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WLAN markets. The specification is steered by the IEEE committee and it specifies an "over the air" interface between a wireless client and a base station (access point) or wireless clients. The specification was conceived in 1990, and the final draft was approved in June 1997. Just like the the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet and 802.5 Token Ring standards IEEE 802.11 addresses both physical and medium access control (MAC) layers.
IEEE 802.11 standard is based on IEEE 802.3 standard (or Ethernet), which is a CSMA/CD technology. CSMA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access) technology is excellent for wireless where there is distributed control with listen before talking. CD (Collision Detection) is not good for wireless LANs and will not work well in an RF system, because the transmitting signal hears its own signal perfectly. Also, the radio is a much more lossy medium with a much higher packet error rate.
HiperLAN2
The HiperLAN2 is the fastest growing wireless LAN technology with a proposed data rate of 54 Mbps and a range over 150 meters.
(Unfortunately at the time of writing this report, I seem to have lost my information on the HiperLAN2)
Cellular Radio
Cellular radio is a worldwide market, with the goal of providing universal wireless voice and data access. IMT-2000 provides a global set of standards for radio network compatibility.
Since its initial market debut in 1980, the cellular mobile telecommunications market has experienced explosive growth in consumer acceptance. The first generation wireless systems were analogue cellular with standards like AMPS, ETACS and NMT. These systems primarily carried voice data, with slow digital data rates. The second-generation systems migrated towards digital cellular with standards like GSM, PDC, DAMPS and CDMA. The second-generation systems also included cordless phones and satellite communications (Iridium, Globalstar, etc). Today the mobile systems of the world are mostly digital leading to the development of global third-generation standards like IMT-2000 / UMTS. In the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), third-generation networks are called IMT-2000, but in Europe they are referred to as UMTS.
Today, there is tremendous excitement about the development of 3G (third-generation) digital wireless telecommunication systems. Two major forces are driving the development of these 3G systems. The first is the demand for higher data rate services, such as high-speed wireless Internet access. The second requirement is the more efficient use of the available radio frequency (RF) spectrum. This second requirement is a consequence of the projected growth in worldwide usage of wireless services. W-CDMA is the emerging wireless multiple access scheme for IMT-2000 / UMTS.
IMT-2000 is a flexible standard that allows operators the freedom of radio access methods and core networks to openly implement and evolve their systems depending on regulatory, market or business requisites.
3G Wireless Network Infrastructure
W-CDMA
Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) is a 3rd-generation mobile services platform, based on modern, layered network-protocol structure, similar to the protocol structure used in GSM networks. This will greatly facilitate the development of new wireless wideband multimedia applications, allowing operators to respond in a competitive market and in turn providing advanced services for users.
From the start, WCDMA has been designed for high-speed data services and, more particularly, internet-based packet-data offering up to 2 Mbps in stationary or office environments, and up to 384 kbps in wide area or mobile environments.
It has been developed and optimised with no requirements on backward compatibility with second-generation technology. In the radio base station infrastructure-level, WCDMA makes efficient use of radio spectrum to provide considerably more capacity and coverage than current air interfaces.
Wideband Packet CDMA (WP-CDMA) is a technical proposal from Golden Bridge Technology that supposedly wraps WCDMA and CDMA2000 (from the CDG Group) into one standard. The WP-CDMA proposal employs CDMA parameters that have gained wide acceptance in both Europe and Japan, raising hopes for a truly global standard for third-generation radio access to networks.
Advantages of Using FPGAs in Wireless Networking
The reconfigurability of FPGAs provides designers with the flexibility to implement fast, efficient, and cost-effective field upgrades. This is especially important in the wireless industry, where existing standards are constantly evolving. FPGA reconfigurability allows for system upgrades resulting from new system features, bug fixes, or evolving standards without an impact on hardware or board layout. This is impossible in the ASIC world thereby making the use of FPGAs a cost-effective solution. Another advantage of FPGAs is that they are in-system re-configurable enabling remote field upgrades. These features enable the next generation wireless products to be designed more efficiently.
FPGAs have architectural features that are ideal for implementing wireless systems. Architectural features, such as serial Shift Register LUTs (Look Up Table), fast adder carry chains, and efficient multiplier implementations, make FPGAs very efficient at repetitive DSP algorithm implementations and high performance wireless applications. These FPGAs often have integrated support for many I/O standards, enabling seamless interface to other devices in the system.
Some signal processing requirements go well beyond the capability of generic DSPs. With FPGAs dedicated hardware functionality can be implemented to achieve the required speeds. Also, with the multi-million-gate FPGAs, hardware functionality can be replicated to support multiple channels.
The wireless network market is very competitive and time to market is particularly important. Using FPGAs cuts down that vital time, since designers no longer have to wait out the turnaround times of ASIC development.
Systems often require multiple revisions. As a result, ASICs are not a viable platform. FPGAs provide the flexibility to implement new proprietary features/standards. It must also cater for improvements in capacity enhancement techniques and remote in-field upgrades. It is difficult to justify the high non-recurring engineering (NRE) costs associated with ASICs when developing a system for a technology that is still in development.
Conclusion
Wireless technologies have both advantages and disadvantages. Advantages include flexibility and mobility by providing the ability to access data anywhere, anytime. Wireless networks support a broad geography on any specific frequency. The biggest advantage wireless technologies bring is configuring them to augment wired technologies. However, wireless technologies usually have higher up-front costs compared to wired solutions. However, the chief disadvantage of wireless networking is that of security. 'Eavesdropping' on a wireless network is much easier because there is no physical connection. Another main disadvantage is that of narrowband interference due to reflections, but current advancements in technology have helped reduce the effects of this.
FPGAs play an important role in wireless networks chiefly because of its reconfigurability. It is a new industry with emerging standards and conventions. While this may take many years to resolve, using FPGAs allow users today to continue using the current technologies of their choice with the option of evolving without prohibitive costs. FPGAs are flexible in allowing revisions and modifications to the system to implement new proprietary features; and allow remote in-field upgrades. Another chief advantage lies in time to market. With development of new technologies every day, time to market is an essential factor. FPGAs cut down that time significantly as designers no longer have to wait out the turnaround time of ASIC development.
For these reasons and more, we predict the growing importance of FPGAs in the wireless industry will be a trend and not a fad. Viva la FPGA!
http://infoeng.ee.ic.ac.uk/~malikz/surprise2001/aj99e/article2/index.html