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MSN realtime-I don't get it, what's wrong here. Any idea Milplease or Sent?.
Real-Time Quote
Time of last trade: 11:43:00 AM Eastern.E Digital
Last 0.43 Bid 0.42
Change unch Ask 0.44
Volume 192,300 Bid/Ask Size 5000.00 X 5000.00
Here's what I see now Sent.
E Digital
Last 0.44 Bid 0.42
Change +0.01 Ask 0.44
Volume 169,000 Bid/Ask Size 5000.00 X 5000.00
USB 2.0 is 480 nbps and Firewire is 400 mbps.
Good idea dougal. The more potential press, the better.(eom)
Samsung Yp-910GS Brochure-a pdf
http://www.samsungyepp.com/pdf/yp910gs.pdf
Interesting Andy Grove comments
Grove: Competitive Crisis Looms In U.S.
Lisa DiCarlo, 10.10.03, 9:28 AM ET
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Andrew Grove is depressed.
The chairman of Intel (nasdaq: INTC - news - people ) says that the United States is facing a competitive crisis that puts the country is danger of losing its lead as the world's most innovative technology provider.
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"I'm here to be the skunk at your garden party," Grove told a group of about 150 beltway types gathered here for the Global Tech Forum, hosted by lobbying group Business Software Alliance.
Why is the U.S. waning? Grove says it's because of offshore outsourcing, lack of federal support of sciences education and a "ho-hum" telecommunications infrastructure. "We've lost more than 500,000 tech jobs in the last two years to foreign competitors."
Indeed, many U.S.-based companies are either thinking about or have already sent white-collar jobs outside the country. Companies can often cut costs and boost productivity dramatically by hiring skilled labor in India and other countries. Much of that work lately has involved software development and professional services.
It is this area where Grove fears the U.S. will lose technical leadership and market share. As proof, he said that the U.S. market share for steel and semiconductors has dropped precipitously over the years.
"Is software and services next? It's a very valid question and it would be a miracle if it didn't happen," Grove said.
To pull off the miracle Grove is going to need help, and he knows it. "We must fight protectionism here and abroad, double our productivity and raise the hurdles for intellectual property litigation. We must rally around this goal."
That might be tough, given that companies aren't ignoring the cost benefits of going offshore. In a morning session at the conference, the chief executive of Internet Security Systems (nasdaq: ISSX - news - people ), Thomas Noonan, expressed what could be a widely held belief: "[Offshore outsourcing] is a train we've got to get on and drive or it's going to run over us."
How can the industry rally against offshore outsourcing of jobs when there is such a difference of opinion?
Grove says he's been there before, particularly in the 1980s when American semiconductor companies were getting the tar kicked out of them by the Japanese. "This is a democracy. Debate is good."
Grove is also depressed about the state of sciences education in the U.S., which could eventually put the country in the position of relying on others for innovation.
"More than 50% of graduate students are foreign nationals," says Grove, who says the U.S. needs to attract foreign talent "with appropriate immigration policies." Grove himself emigrated from Hungary in 1957 and went on to co-found Intel in the late 1960s.*
Carol Bartz, chairman and chief executive of Autodesk (nadsaq: ADSK - news - people ), made the point that many foreign students who earn science degrees in the U.S. end up returning to their countries, taking their expertise with them.
Grove says that the U.S. government should invest more to attract and retain talented students. After all, the U.S., he points out, has committed more than $60 billion in subsidies and aid to farmers, oil and steel companies and airlines. "One billion a year [to promote science education] would help us reach this goal."
Phillip Bond, undersecretary for technology at the U.S. Department of Commerce, in a brief interview, disagreed with Grove's gloomy outlook. "Education is one of the administration's top priorities [and] we are committed to bringing talent here."
That may be true, but it's worth noting that one of the tasks of the Commerce Department's technology group is to study foreign competitors. That includes warning against advancing or surpassing U.S. capabilities, which could prompt some federal funding to relevel the playing field. One example: the U.S.-funded development of Cray (nasdaq: CRAY - news - people ) supercomputers several years ago, after Japanese companies built what was then the fastest, most advanced computer in the world.
Grove says it's wrong to assume that low-skilled jobs being outsourced now won't eventually work their way upstream to more critical tasks. When that happens, the U.S. could lose its edge. The People's Republic of China, he said, had stated a goal in 2001 to produce more world-class engineers.
"Do we have the national will to take productive action? When the problem becomes obvious, it will be too late--and the outcome will be too depressing, even for me."
*An earlier verison of this story inaccurately stated that Grove had emigrated in the 1930s.
Med.rare-Interesting-good find.(eom)
When you think of Orygun Gal, the very last word anyone would ever think, in any world, would be "stupid". Just have another cup of coffee, that usually does the trick for me.
Lois-Look down a little lower. The 8th is the date of this alert.
When: Thursday, Oct. 9,
9:00 - 9:30 a.m. EDT (6:00 - 6:30 a.m. PDT
Great find Murgirl. Sounds like Eclipse coming soon.(eom)
Thanks Gern-Looking good.(eom)
We have a few of these here. This is why they do what they do. They say good things about a particular stock at times and they say bad things about the same stock at times, depending on whether they want the price higher that day or lower that day. Basically, they are all losers.
Will Day Traders Ever Learn? 90% LOSERS
There's nothing like a 60% return in less than a year -- as we've seen from the Nasdaq -- to make some people think they've got the Midas touch. Yes, the day traders are back. It seems like some people never learn.
According to Tuesday's edition of The Wall Street Journal, brokerage firms such as Ameritrade (Nasdaq: AMTD), E*Trade (NYSE: ET), and Fidelity Investments are reporting an increase of trading volume. The spike is huge -- trading activity in September was as much as 30% higher than in August.
To attract this lucrative business, many of the brokerages are lowering commissions for customers who make between 108 and 250 trades a year, depending on the company.
When we say ''lucrative,'' we emphasize that this is lucrative for the brokers, not the traders. Even during the bull market of the '90s, only 11.5% made a profit, at least according to a study by the North American Securities Administrators Association.
According to managers of day-trading firms cited in a Washington Post Magazine article published during the bull market, about 90% of day traders ''are washed up within three months.'' David Shellenberger of the Massachusetts Securities Division has noted that ''Most traders will lose all of their money.'' A principal of a day-trading firm even admitted that ''95% [of day traders] will fail in the first two years.''
The Journal article says the volume is still well below the pre-bear market activity, and that traders seem to be holding onto shares a bit longer than they did three years ago. A USA Today article on the comeback of day trading says today's traders are more disciplined, and most still keep their day jobs. (Both articles say that day traders prefer other labels, such as ''active trader'' or ''semi-professional trader,'' which is like calling someone with a drinking problem a ''moderate alcoholic.'')
The resurrection of day trading is a disturbing development, especially when coupled with the increasing use of margin. The risk is great for everyone involved, yet the reward goes to very few. The short-term movements of a stock, or the overall market, are impossible to predict.
We leave you with these words from the Securities and Exchange Commission: ''Day traders typically suffer severe financial losses in their first months of trading, and many never graduate to profit-making status. Given these outcomes, it's clear: Day traders should only risk money they can afford to lose.''
More Fool News
Look For High-Speed USB 2.0s
May Wong, 10.03.03, 3:39 PM ET
It seems every gadget maker is hopping on the Universal Serial Bus.
USB, as it is commonly known, has emerged as a standard for all the cables and software drivers that connect computers with anything digital, from CD burners and MP3 players to keyboards, scanners and cameras.
But not all USB connections are equal, and products that flaunt the latest version, USB 2.0, aren't necessarily as speedy as consumers might expect.
While a growing number of devices feature USB 2.0, some actually transfer data at the slower speed of its predecessors. Also, there's a significant difference between ``full-speed'' and ``hi-speed'' USB 2.0.
An industry group behind the USB standard is partly to blame for the muddled jargon, though it is trying to clear up confusion by issuing official logos and labeling guidelines for manufacturers.
These are only guidelines, however. Ultimately, the labeling and any fine print that either informs or misleads the public is still up to individual companies.
Some do a better job than others. For USB, truth in labeling may not arrive until device makers see how many customer complaints they get after the holiday season, said Richard Doherty, analyst with The Envisioneering Group.
First introduced in 1996, the USB standard allows instant communication between a computer and myriad devices with a new small plug as an alternative to two older formats.
Unlike the older ``serial'' or ``parallel'' ports, a single USB connection with a hub can handle multiple devices simultaneously. USB is also ``hot swappable,'' which means users no longer need to reboot their computers when they want to plug or unplug their USB-enabled devices.
USB 2.0, a successor to the popular USB 1.1 standard, started appearing in mid-2001 and is now being built into almost all new personal computers. Meanwhile, the number of digital devices compatible with USB 2.0 is expected to quadruple from last year to more than 151 million shipped worldwide in 2003, according to market research firm In-Stat/MDR.
USB 2.0 offers greater bandwidth and a data transfer rate of up to 480 megabits per second - 40 times faster than the 12 Mbps maximum of USB 1.1.
That improved performance is behind much of the USB 2.0 hype now found in retail stores.
The words ``USB 2.0,'' ``ultrafast,'' and ``super hi-speed'' are prominently displayed on products and signs all along the aisles of external hard drives, CD burners, media card readers, scanners, digital cameras, or USB hubs and adapter cards.
But USB 2.0 doesn't always mean ``40x faster.''
The creators of USB 2.0 - a team made up of Intel (nasdaq: INTC - news - people ), Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ), Hewlett-Packard (nyse: HPQ - news - people ), the former Compaq Computer, Agere Systems (nyse: AGR.B - news - people ), NEC (nasdaq: NIPNY - news - people ) and Royal Philips Electronics - made the standard fully backward compatible so it would work with the gadgets people already own.
That's why USB 2.0 actually encompasses three speeds: the original USB speed of 1.5 Mbps, aka ``low-speed USB''; 12 Mbps, aka ``full-speed USB'' or USB 1.1; and 480 Mbps, aka ``hi-speed USB.''
Some manufacturers have confused consumers by using the USB 2.0 label for products that don't necessarily support its fastest data transfer rates.
Furthermore, some devices, such as keyboards, only need the 1.5 Mbps data rate to work. And the flash memory used in many cameras and so-called keychain drives is, like many USB 2.0 consumer printers, far slower than USB 2.0's top speed.
Devices that actually do process large chunks of data at as much as 480 Mbps include CD burners and newer hard drives.
There's an additional consideration in buying USB 2.0 products.
Your computer needs to have a USB 2.0 port. Many computers built before 2002 can handle no more than USB 1.1, and are limited to 12 Mbps.
The chairman of the USB Implementers Forum, Jeff Ravencraft, says users have not flooded product makers with complaints about misleading labels: ``There may be some confusion, but I can't say there's a lot.''
But some members of the trade association acknowledge that the industry's message could have been clearer.
``We were trying to portray that USB 2.0 is faster and backwards compatible. What came out of that was the faster message, and the common usage became USB 2.0 means faster speed,'' said Dan Harmon, a product marketing manager at Texas Instruments (nyse: TXN - news - people ).
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. Provided By Pinnacor
OT-Sony Is Back In Handheld Action
Arik Hesseldahl, 10.03.03, 10:00 AM ET
NEW YORK -
Sony's TJ35 handheld
With all the action in the handheld computing space of late--the fall cycle of model upgrades is now in full swing--it was only a matter of time before Japanese electronics giant Sony got into the act.
Sony (nyse: SNE - news - people ) is quickly becoming one of the most important players in the Palm camp. It's so dedicated to the Palm platform that it even bought a stake in the newly independent PalmSource, the software company behind the Palm operating system that recently spun out of Palm (nasdaq: PALM - news - people ) itself.
This week Sony announced two midrange handhelds, the TJ25 and TJ35, which, at $200 and $250, respectively, are priced just right for the upcoming holiday season.
Both have displays of 320 pixels by 320 pixels and are less than half an inch thick. They also have Sony's Jog Dial controller that is intended to make navigation around the Palm menus easier with one hand. The TJ35 has an integrated MP3 music player and a handwriting recognition program called Decuma Latin, as well software for viewing documents created in Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ) Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
Both have a 200-MHz processor, the i.MXL from Motorola (nyse: MOT - news - people ). The TJ25 has 16 MB of RAM memory; the TJ35 has 32 MB. Both also have slots that support Sony's Memory Stick Pro storage devices, which come in capacities as high as one gigabyte. The handhelds will be available later this month, and Sony is taking preorders for them now at its Sonystyle Web site.
Sony's Clie video recorder
Also, in following up on a device we noted here last month, as we expected, Sony announced the PEGA-VR100K for the U.S. market after first unleashing it in Japan. Don't remember that name? It's the gadget that records TV shows to a Memory Stick which can then be played on a Sony Clie.
The shows are recorded in MPEG-4 video, and are formatted specifically for the Clie's small screen. A one-gigabyte Memory Stick could hold as much as four hours of video, which is enough to capture one of the Lord of the Rings movies for portable viewing, though we suspect watching something that long would challenge the batteries of even the most robust Sony Clie.
The recorder itself is about the size of a VHS video tape and connects directly to a TV or cable box via coaxial cable. You can even program it to record shows ahead of time, just as with a regular VCR. It's hitting stores in the U.S. this month with a retail price of $300.
Gern-Great story for DivX and those associated with them. Things are looking better all the time. Thanks.
Orygun Gal-Nice to see you. Not sure about the song you are thinking of, but I think we are in for a rise in more ways than one.
Nanoscience Story
Get Ready For The Age Of Nanotechnology
John Teresko, 10.02.03, 5:36 PM ET
IndustryWeek Magazine
Nanometer structures will foster a revolution in information technology hardware rivaling the microelectronics revolution begun 30 years ago." -- The National Science and Technology Council
We are entering the Nanotechnology Age, an epoch more significant than any preceding age identified by any one material such as stone, bronze, iron or silicon. Nanotechnology's ability to work at the molecular level changes our ability to use all materials.
Almost ironically, this enabling technology will once more refocus our attention on information technology, including machine control and sensors. The reason: Nanotechnology is becoming a big part of the next generation of electronics, data storage, and the facilitator of new ways of doing computing, says Clayton Teague, chief of the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Md.
That view is affirmed by R. Stanley Williams, HP Fellow and director of Hewlett-Packard's Quantum Science Research Labs in Palo Alto, Calif. While noting that the power efficiency of computing has improved by a factor of a billion from the ENIAC computer of the 1950s to today's handheld devices, Williams says that fundamental physics indicates that it should be possible to compute even another billion times more efficiently. "That would put the power of all of today's present computers in the palm of your hand," Williams says. "That says to me that the age of computing really hasn't even begun yet."
His assertions are supported by research in molecular electronics that made HP (nyse: HPQ - news - people ) an IW Technology of the Year winner for 2002 (Technologies Of The Year -- Molecular Electronics). HP's strategy is to reinvent the integrated circuit with molecular rather than semiconductor components.
IW's award recognized HP's demonstration of the highest-density electronically addressable memory reported to date. The laboratory demonstration circuit, a 64-bit memory using molecules as switches, occupied a square micron of space. That's an area so tiny that more than 1,000 circuits could fit on the end of a strand of a human hair.
The bit density of the device is more than 10 times greater than today's silicon memory chips. It combined, for the first time, both memory and logic using rewritable, non-volatile molecular-switch devices. The lab fabricated the circuits using an advanced system of manufacturing called nano-imprint lithography, essentially a printing method that allows an entire wafer of circuits to be stamped out quickly and inexpensively from a master.
Thus, the work at HP extends Moore's law that postulates that about every two years, semiconductor performance doubles. Williams talks in terms of extending Moore's law by 50 years. In addition HP's research also tackles Moore's lesser known law -- that the cost of a fabrication facility increases at an even greater rate.
The strategy behind HP's accumulation of patents is to have easily manufacturable products ready in five to 10 years, Williams says. He speculates that the first product could be a replacement for flash memory (a memory chip that holds its content without power) for use in high-density, portable devices.
"The question, 'When will we see the first complete nanoelectronic-based device?' is the basic competitive issue," says analyst Satish P. Nair at Frost & Sullivan's Technical Insights Division, New York. "Research indicates that the time-to-market for commercial applications of nanoelectronic-based devices is shrinking with the years."
IBM's Millipede Race
One example of the shrinking time frame is IBM 's Millipede project, research pursuing the commercial development of a nanoscale inspired data storage system. The concept combines ultrahigh storage density, terabit capacity, small size and a high data rate.
By 2005 IBM (nyse: IBM - news - people ) could be, possibly with its data storage partner Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, producing postage-stamp-sized memory cards, each of which could hold several feature films or possibly an entire CD collection, says Tom Albrecht, manager of micro and nano-mechanics at IBM's Zurich research lab.
Millipede's inspiration comes from scanning tunneling microscopy techniques developed at IBM in 1981. In this data storage adaptation, the microscope's probe functions as a surface modification tool to create small marks that store the data. The tip is heated to create tiny depressions in a polymer film.
The same probe reads the data. Since the data rate per probe is low, IBM's approach is to use an array of probes to be competitive with other technologies, Albrecht explains. He says the technique is capable of achieving data densities as high as one terabit per square inch, well beyond the limits for magnetic recording (60-70 Gb/inch).
Millipede is transitioning from a research project to a product development phase, but Albrecht admits the final plans are yet to be made on the commercialization question. "We have the majority of the components of a working system functioning, but we haven't yet operated the full system together to create a fully functional storage device. We're getting close."
Albrecht sees two possible "homes" for commercialization. "One might be in IBM's microelectronics organization, but since we recently exited the data storage components business, the other possibility might be bringing this to market through external partnerships. The former storage technology division of IBM is now part of a joint venture with Hitachi." Albrecht says the remaining possibility would be licensing the intellectual property.
IBM is still deliberating on how to architect the whole device and which sector of the overall storage marketplace to enter. "We've studied possibilities such as the hard disk drive segment, but we're closer to creating a device that is very much like solid state flash memory. We're particularly interested in creating a replacement for solid state flash storage technology."
The primary differentiators: high storage capacity and a lower price. For example, Albrecht predicts that in 2006, when solid state flash memory will cost 5 to 10 cents per megabyte, the Millipede product will be 50% cheaper. He says performance characteristics such as data rates and access time are quite similar to that of solid state flash memory.
That could put Millipede into a wide variety of portable electronic products such as digital cameras -- both still and video -- and MP3 digital audio players.
Albrecht says the potential of Millipede could bring storage densities to where individual bits are occupying spaces that are at the atomic scale. "We're not close to that yet in what we may be introducing in early products. IBM has a way to go before it exploits the full nanoscale limits of Millipede technology."
Nanotechnology In Manufacturing
Nanoelectronics is beginning to pose a new level of opportunities and challenges to the industrial world. All relate to economic survival in a world where tomorrow's technology is challenging yesterday's presumptions on products and processes. For vendors such as HP and IBM, the nanoscience response began with developing and maintaining an R&D investment strategy for what is developing into a major disruptive technology.
For other firms, the potential of major product disruptions poses a serious question: how to adapt product and process research to thrive with the age of nanoelectronics.
Some firms, such as General Electric (nyse: GE - news - people ) and Rockwell Automation, are revitalizing corporate R&D efforts with a commitment to longer-range thinking to accommodate what promises to be a radically different industrial future. "The challenge is to study the potential of nanoelectronics to affect customer needs, the product solutions we offer, and how we, ourselves, manufacture them," says Sujeet Chand, CTO and vice president advanced technology, Rockwell Automation (nyse: ROK - news - people ), Milwaukee. "From our perspective, we're especially interested in studying what nanoelectronics will offer for the factory floor. We see nanotechnology as opening new doors for us. It's a growth opportunity."
Chand describes Rockwell Automation's research strategy as a three-tier model. "The highest tier, basic research, is done at our basic research laboratory -- now an independent company called Rockwell Scientific. Once called Rockwell Science Center, it groups about 200 Ph.D.s in such specialties as material science, electronics, information technology and optics. Their focus embraces technology that is five to 10 years from commercialization." Chand initiated Rockwell Automation's nanoscience research with that group. The company's nano team partners include other research laboratories and universities such as Northwestern, University of Pennsylvania, Stanford and MIT, adds Chand.
Chand heads the second tier, the internal Advanced Technology Group at Rockwell Automation. "At this level we focus on technology that has commercial potential in the three- to five-year time frame."
The third tier, product development, is a division-level process. The development focus: product revisions and new features scheduled for one to two years in the future.
With respect to the factory floor, Chand relates nanoelectronics to the trend toward greater distribution of control. "We're pushing electronics such as actuators and sensors lower and lower into devices on the factory floor. It has been happening for some time.
"It's routine today to see smart devices that are connected to a network and for control to happen at a very granular level on the factory floor. With nanoelectronics impacting sensor design, that trend will go faster and reach lower levels." How low? In one scenario Chand speculates how low nanoscale sensing might go in a hypothetical automobile paint shop: "Presume the challenge is measuring the quality of the paint that's being deposited by robots in a closed cell . . . ."
He says a nanoscience solution might combine nanoelectronic sensors capable of determining quality levels by interacting with nanoparticles that are incorporated in the paint film. "You'd have a closed loop paint control process that would assure quality levels unobtainable today. In addition, the nanoparticles might be designed to act as catalysts."
Smart Machines
Industrial interest in evolving machine intelligence could be another opportunity for the future application of nanoelectronics, suggests Jay Lee, director of the Center for Intelligent Maintenance Systems at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Lee's Center is an industry research consortium that is developing new approaches to the maintenance monitoring of production equipment. The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, is a partner.
The goal is to equip production equipment with sensing systems that can anticipate the earliest beginnings of anything that could lead to machine downtime. The concept is intended to predict and prevent equipment failure.
Lee says the developing field of nanoelectronics could offer cost-effective improvements in configuring the embedded intelligence systems required. Industry membership in the research cooperative includes about 40 manufacturers such as Rockwell Automation, General Motors (nyse: GM - news - people ), Intel (nasdaq: INTC - news - people ), Harley-Davidson (nyse: HDI - news - people ) and Hitachi (nyse: HIT - news - people ).
Lee predicts that the eventual convergence of nanoelectronics' with intelligent maintenance systems will be typical of a future for both industrial components and consumer products. "For example, industrial pumps will routinely contain embedded computational intelligence. The lower cost of such embedded systems will gradually win out over today's add-on approach."
Nanoelectronic based sensors will be a critical benefit for machine tools as builders continue to add diagnostic capabilities, adds Paul Warndorf, vice president technology, the Association for Manufacturing Technology, McLean, Va.
"Eventually nanoelectronics will add a kind of cognition -- giving machine tools the ability to sense and adapt to changes that could impact tolerances and quality. Customers are beginning to ask for machines that, in effect, understand their tasks, enabling them to compensate when necessary." He also sees the nano-based approach leading to multifunctional sensors that will change the economics of utilization via greater capability at less cost. "Intelligence will increase at the sensor level."
Nano's Engineering Challenge
Don't conclude that nanoelectronics is only a technology challenge, albeit a profound one, warns Uzi Landman, director of the Center for Computational Materials Science and a professor of physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta.
In Landman's view, organizations planning to secure a nanoelectronic edge will have to rethink the engineering function, especially the training and education of engineers assigned to nano science projects.
"They will be less the people that follow schematics and more the people that actually participate in the act of discovery. And there will be a new continuum from the abstract physicist to the engineering people who are actually going to build devices."
He says one of the biggest problems in all of nanotechnology is not knowing how the material is going to behave. "All of the concepts have to be revisited again. Engineering success with nanotechnology will hinge on understanding the critical difference between capacity and capability."
Landman defines capacity as the ability to do more per unit of time or to do more for less money. A computer with large capacity can grind more numbers. "Capability is different. In a computer it signifies being able to do completely new things. With nanoelectronics, capability may improve -- not by a factor of two, but possibly by a factor of 2,000!
"The most difficult thing for the engineering function is to ponder the question what to do. How to do it is a different, more traditional question for the engineering function. The how is easier to solve than the what. For example, when you try to connect nanoelectronics to the macro world -- it's at the point of contact that things can go wrong. We may know how to make the connection, but we don't know what to expect when we do that. The connection can actually overwhelm the nanoscale device. It's an exciting new voyage of discovery."
Landman says companies that want to leverage the future with nanotechnology need engineers schooled in quantum mechanics. "They will be basically doing applied physics and chemistry while they pursue materials science." He says the trend is already observable in the special course he teaches on the physics of small systems. "More than half the class are engineers. They understand the new fundamental -- that a different background is needed for working with nanotechnology. Things have to be approached differently. It's not only the facts, the thinking has to be different. For example, virtually no rethinking is required for the design of a very large integrated circuit these days. It's known. Few questions have to be asked.
"In contrast, with nanoscale devices, the engineer needs to rethink the whole problem.
"Expect a prolonged period without standardization of processes. Science and technology will become completely intermingled in this new engineering infrastructure."
Nanoscience is not a case of applying existing know-how, Landman stresses. It is a voyage of discovery, case by case, product by product. Engineers will have the triumph of discovery and the responsibility of translating that knowledge into a manufactured device.
2003 Penton Media Provided By Pinnacor
OT-Microsoft, Dell, Sony To Build Media Center PCs
Provided By Pinnacor, 10.01.03, 5:40 PM ET
Microsoft is making a major move into multimedia personal computer software, and both Dell (nasdaq: DELL - news - people ) and Sony (nyse: SNE - news - people ) said they would build Media Center PCs.
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 doubles as a digital video recorder, music player and image viewer. Users will be able to stop live radio and then "rewind," in a platform provides by Tivo (nasdaq: TIVO - news - people ) for TV.
Media Center PCs are all equipped with a remote control function, but the mouse changes it back to a Windows desktop computer.
Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ) is trying once again to get a larger foothold in the home environment, having long ago conquered the office space. Over 40 hardware makers will make Media Center PCs.
The Windows XP Media Center will also be able to print and edit digital photographs, listen to the radio and download digital songs and movies from content service providers.
The Media Centers will cost between just under $1,000 to $3,000.
(C) 2003 financialwire.net
FGATOR-Great post, things are changing fast. Thanks.(eom)
lickily-Don't know what is happening, but it just may be a big thing in the not so far off pipeline, we'll see. Here a story from last October that talks about the set-top box and some players in this area. Note DivX, TI and e.Digital towards the bottom.
http://www.internetnews.com/ent-news/article.php/1461881
September 12, 2002
Microsoft Wins a Spot on the Set-top
By Thor Olavsrud
Continuing its drive to gain a foothold outside of the (PC) box, Microsoft (Quote, Chart) Thursday used IBC2002 in Amsterdam as a platform to announce support by major set-top box and digital media appliance chip makers, as well as European broadcast technology firms, for its Windows Media 9 Series.
Windows Media 9 Series, formerly code-named Corona, was unleashed last week in Los Angeles.
In the past few years, Microsoft has been striving to push its influence beyond the slumping PC market in an effort to diversify its revenue streams. The software giant has played aggressively for the handheld and game console spaces, and has dipped its toes in the embedded operating system market, interactive television, and other digital media appliances.
From the beginning, Microsoft has made it clear that it will be focus its strategy on securing hardware partners for the Corona technology, while also seeking to reel in the entertainment industry with a new distribution outlet for its products.
The customer wins announced Thursday, which include chip makers Equator Technologies, National Semiconductor, Sigma Designers, STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments, will help Microsoft work its way deeper into the set-top box market. Microsoft has also won over broadcast systems hardware firms TANDBERG Television and Optibase, box makers Pace Micro Technologies and Moviesystem, and VoD provider Yes Television.
"Windows Media 9 Series is a significant step forward in the evolution of digital television, especially for telcos and broadband network operators that deliver more content and services than ever," said Tim Fern, chief technology officer at Pace Micro Technology, which will manufacture set-top boxes using chips that support Microsoft's Windows Media 9 Series. "Advanced silicon supporting Windows Media 9 Series has been important to our development of the world's first Windows Media 9 Series set-top box, which will be on show at IBC2002. Not only has it helped us make product costs viable, it has reduced our time to market -- crucial factors for our telco and operator customers."
The partnership with set-top box chip makers will especially help to drive Microsoft deep into the market. Equator, whose BSP series System-on-a-chip processors support Windows Media 9 Audio and Video supplies its chips to many set-top box manufacturers, including Pace. National Semiconductor, which has provided support for playback and decoding of Windows Media Audio and Video in its Geode processors and Geode CS1201 media coprocessor, supplies chips to Pioneer, and other Japanese manufacturers. Sigma Design's new EM8500 DVD decoder chip supports playback of Windows Media Audio -- and future chips will support video -- and supplies chips to Fujitsu Siemens Computers, Samsung Electronics and Kreatel Communications AB.
Meanwhile, Microsoft is making strides among European broadcast hardware and distribution firms. NTL Broadcast, partnered with TANDBERG, used IBC2002 as an opportunity to demonstrate their new technology, which uses Windows Media Video 9 format to encode high-quality video and then deliver it in real time over a DVB-T mobile network to moving vehicles in Amsterdam. IBC shuttle vehicles, traveling through Amsterdam will receive ITN news stories and British Eurosport video via the standard DVB-T infrastructure.
Of course, Microsoft is not the only digital video and audio technology firm that is aiming to nest itself inside digital media appliances. Competitor DivXNetworks, in April, cozied up to Texas Instruments, which is embedding DivX's codec on its chips. And earlier that month, it partnered with e.Digital, which is using DivX's technology in its consumer electronics devices, including MP3 players.
"We are pursuing relationships with a number of different chip companies to port DivX to their chips for a number of devices," said DivXNetworks spokesman Tom Huntington. He noted that more partnerships will be announced soon.
"We're very much a consumer facing company," Huntington said. "Our company is still driven by consumers, but consumers are demanding convergence devices that allow them to play back their DivX videos."
Huntington said the firm is developing relationships with both large and small content providers, and has had some "encouraging conversations" with a number of Hollywood studios.
But while DivXNetworks is looking to forge partnerships with more mainstream content distributors, Huntington also noted that the company is being careful to keep its eye on what it's users want and need.
"Our strategy is driven by what consumers want," he said. "They want to be able to create and distribute their own videos. There's a whole universe of other content outside mainstream Hollywood that is particularly attractive to our users."
High Defination, multi-codec and other words keep popping up in different places.
e.DIGITAL CORPORATION ANNOUNCES NEW OEM SOLUTION FOR
MULTI-CODEC HIGH DEFINITION VIDEO DEVICES
e.Digital To Use Equator Technologies’ BSP-15 Video-Centric SOC Chip to
Meet Growing Demand from OEM Customers and Licensees
(SAN DIEGO, CA - January 8, 2003) - e.Digital Corporation (OTC: EDIG) today announced a next generation, multi-codec, high definition, customizable video solution for OEM- branded home entertainment products. The solution incorporates Equator Technologies’ BSP-15 video centric system-on-a-chip video processor with e.Digital’s technology, design, and user interface. Products incorporating the e.Digital video solution will feature the ability to play DivX, MPEG-4 video, Microsoft’s Windows Media Video, and/or traditional DVD formats, and will play motion pictures from a DVD or built-in hard drive.
"This video platform has the potential to be the core of the next generation of home entertainment products with a flexibility and affordability not previously available," said Atul Anandpura, vice president of research and development for e.Digital. "Equator’s proprietary video processing chipset and our technology and engineering expertise are being combined to address the emerging OEM market for new home video products handling multiple codecs and featuring high definition capabilities. Our new, customizable solution is already attracting OEMs who have scheduled private demonstrations at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week."
About e.Digital
e.Digital Corporation designs, licenses, brands, manufactures, and sells digital audio products and technologies. The company's trademarked digital audio players include the MXP TM 100, TreóTM portable digital jukebox line, SilhouetteTM ultra-slim MP3-CD player, and OdysseyTM line of flash- and hard disk drive- based players. e.Digital launched WeDigMusic.com to complement its digital audio players by providing consumers with a one-stop-shop for streaming and downloading music from thousands of artists on the Web. The company also offers an engineering partnership for the world’s leading electronics companies to link portable digital devices to PCs and the Internet. e.Digital develops and markets to consumer electronics manufacturers complete end-to-end solutions for delivery and management of open and secure digital media with a focus on music, voice and video players/recorders, and automotive infotainment and telematics systems. Other applications for e.Digital’s technology include portable digital music players and voice recorders; desktop, laptop, and handheld computers; PC peripherals; cellular phone peripherals; e-books; video games; digital cameras; and digital video recorders. Engineering services range from the licensing of e.Digital’s patented MicroOSTM file management system to custom software and hardware development, industrial design, and manufacturing services. For more information on the company, please visit www.edig.com. To shop in the e.Digital online store, please visit www.edigital-store.com.
# # #
Safe Harbor statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform of 1995: All statements made in this document, other than statements of historical fact, are forward- looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the then-current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates and forecasts about the businesses of the Company and the industries and markets in which the company operates. Those statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that will be difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or implied by those forward-looking statements. These factors may also include, but are not limited to, general market conditions, the Company’s ability to develop new products to meet market demand, the Company’s ability to maintain cost controls, the mix of products and services the Company’s customers require and the effects of natural disasters, international conflicts and other events beyond the Company’s control. More information about potential factors that could affect the Company can be found in its most recent Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and other reports and statements filed by e.Digital with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). e.Digital disclaims any intent or obligation to update those forward-looking statements, except as otherwise specifically stated by it.
Editors Note: e.Digital is a trademark of e.Digital Corporation. All other company, product, and service names are the property of their respective owners. Equator is a trademark of Equator Technologies, Inc. DivX is a trademark or registered trademark of DivXNetworks, Inc. Windows and Windows Media are trademarks of Microsoft Corp. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
CONTACT:
Robert Putnam, (858) 679-1504, robert@edig.com
Here is Sigma mentioned in the October '02 e.Digital/DivX pr.
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.golem.de/0204/19243.html&...
10.04.2002, 10:21
e.Digital DivX hardware wants to develop
Soon portable DivX Videoplayer, DivX able DVD Player and digital video recorders?
After already sigma Design announced a partnership with DivXNetworks as well as a first DivX hardware, follows now also e.Digital. Together with DivXNetworks DivX certified devices are to be developed and marketed, among them portable DivX able video Player, DVD Player, digital video recorders, home video servers, set Top boxes and digital video cameras.
Beyond that e.Digital and DivXNetworks want to provide the devices with copy protection system, in order to offer to contents offerers a safe MPEG-4-Plattform. Authentifizierung, access supervision, coding, different water-mark techniques and transaction administration permits DivX digital Rights management (DRM)System, in order to permit a safe supply from videos to.
Jordan Greenhall, CEO and one the founder of DivXNetworks, sees an important step in the partnership to spread DivX technology on a set from digital devices to. The first product resulting from co-operation should be available toward end of the yearly. E.Digital wants to put its technology also to third manufacturers (OEMs and/or ODMs) at the disposal.
So far is e.Digital mainly in the range MP3-Player active. Thus for example the technology of the MTV-MP3-Players with Dataplay drive assembly, appearing in the summer, comes from e.Digital.
This is getting more and more interesting to me. Sigma Designs seems to have a connection here.
I see Samsung, DivX, and a few others talked about in this first link. TI, Sigma, and a few others in the second link.
Two links:
http://www.sigmadesigns.com/company/products.htm
Sigma Designs offers chip-level products that enable digital media processing solutions for consumer appliances. The company's line of digital media processing chips features REALmagic® Video Streaming Technology for the highest quality video possible. The company complements its silicon technology with embedded software, portable to a wide range of operating environments. Featuring video-on-demand and media navigation clients, the company's software is available under Windows, Linux, and WinCE operating systems. In addition, the company develops and sells reference platforms designed around its silicon and software as application examples for customer development.
The original EM8220 provided MPEG-1 and -2 video decoding solutions for PC-based DVD playback and streaming video, which won wide acclaim as the top MPEG hardware for the PC, and included retail offerings by Creative Labs, Sony, and Panasonic.
The EM8400 provides MPEG-1 and -2 video and audio decoding for broadband interactive set-top boxes, and has achieved over 40 design wins in its target segment, including such notables as Fujitsu-Siemens, Acer, and Samsung.
The EM8470 and EM8485 series represent one of the first MPEG-4 silicon solutions for the set-top box market, in a form that's pin-compatible with our widespread EM8400 to enable convenient upgrades to the latest decoding format.
The EM8500 represents the first DVD decoder silicon solution to support MPEG-4 and DivX™. It is also the first to feature high-quality scaling to HDTV resolutions and support for DVI/HDCP.
The EM8550 provides a highly-integrated solution for portable media players, low-cost video endpoints and progressive DVD players / recorders with PVR and networking. It features MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 decoding, high-quality scaling to HDTV resolutions and support for DVI/HDCP.
The EM8605 and EM8610 represent the first HDTV decoder silicon solutions to also support MPEG-4 and IP video streaming. Designed for the consumer and advanced set-top box markets, they also offer advanced audio/video processing, progressive DVD playback and PVR support. The software-compatible EM8605L and EM8610L address the more cost-sensitive SDTV market.
Sigma also continues to offer PC add-in products based on our silicon and software technology for commercial streaming and consumer DVD/DivX™ playback.
The NetStream 4000 and 2000TV are PC add-in cards featuring high performance MPEG-4 and -2 decoding, bringing streaming video to virtually any PC-based system.
The REALmagic Xcard™ is a desktop PC add-in solution that plugs into a standard PCI slot, providing high quality DVD, MPEG-4 and DivX™ Video playback onto a standard TV or HDTV.
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2002/sep02/09-12SetTopPR.asp
Leading Set-Top-Box Chip Makers Embrace Windows Media 9 Series
Broad Support by Equator Technologies, National Semiconductor, Sigma Designs, STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments Paves Way for Next-GenerationHome-Entertainment Experiences With Digital Media
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- Sept. 12, 2002 -- Today at IBC2002, Microsoft Corp. announced that the leading manufacturers of chips for set-top boxes and next-generation digital media appliances have announced support for Windows Media (TM) 9 Series. Manufacturers announcing support for Windows Media Audio and Video 9 Series today include Equator Technologies Inc., National Semiconductor Corp., Sigma Designs Inc., STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments Inc. This announcement, on the heels of the Windows Media 9 Series launch last week, paves the way for manufacturers such as Pace Micro Technology PLC to create set-top boxes with tremendous digital media processing power at a low cost while at the same time offering consumers new high-quality content delivery services over satellite, DSL and cable modems.
"Windows Media 9 Series is a significant step forward in the evolution of digital television, especially for telcos and broadband network operators that deliver more content and services than ever," said Tim Fern, chief technology officer at Pace Micro Technology. "Advanced silicon supporting Windows Media 9 Series has been important to our development of the world's first Windows Media 9 Series capable set-top box, which will be on show at IBC2002. Not only has it helped us make product costs viable, it has reduced our time to market -- crucial factors for our telco and operator customers."
Also at IBC2002, several companies will demonstrate for the first time how Windows Media 9 Series can be decoded and encoded at the chip level. Equator will be the first company to demonstrate high-definition video decoding of Windows Media at 720p (1280x720) on a chip -- video resolution that is two and a half times the resolution of a DVD today. Texas Instruments will be the first company to demonstrate encoding of Windows Media Video 9 directly on a chip. These breakthroughs in using Windows Media 9 Series video technology at the chip level will open up new consumer possibilities for next-generation set-top boxes delivering services directly over IP-based networks, new applications for encoding Windows Media Video and new consumer electronics devices. Windows Media Video 9 Series will offer significant advantages by allowing TV programming to be recorded in the same quality as MPEG-2 technology but tripling the storage capacity with its superior video compression.
"Offering Windows Media 9 Series support at the chip level was the next logical step in our vision to enable seamless access to digital media content any time, any place and on any device," said Dave Fester, general manager of the Windows® Digital Media Division at Microsoft. "The breadth of support today shows that Windows Media 9 Series can flexibly offer the best quality audio and video at any bit rate and, by locking the video bit stream for silicon, create new opportunities for network operators, chip makers and consumer electronics device manufacturers."
Leading manufacturers of chips for set-top boxes that support Windows Media Audio and Video 9 Series announced today at IBC2002 include the following:
Equator Technologies' BSP series System-on-a-chip processors support playback of Windows Media 9 Audio and Video. The BSP-15, as demonstrated on Equator's Tetra (TM) hardware platform at IBC2002, supports high-definition 720p playback. Equator provides chips to many leading set-top box manufacturers, including Pace Micro Technology, a world leader in digital television technology, for its IP400 and IP500 family of home gateways.
National Semiconductor's Geode processors and Geode CS1301 media coprocessor support the playback and decoding of Windows Media Audio and Video. National Semiconductor currently provides chips to Pioneer for its recently announced DigitaLibrary Digital Network Entertainment device. National also provides chips to other Japanese manufacturers that will be announcing products later this year.
Sigma Designs' new EM8500 DVD decoder chip will support playback of Windows Media Audio, and a future series of decoder chips will support Windows Media Video as well. Sigma provides chips to Fujitsu Siemens Computers, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and Kreatel Communications AB -- all leading sellers of set-top boxes in their respective markets.
STMicroelectronics is the world's leading supplier of MPEG-2-based chipsets to the set-top-box market. The ST200 family of media processors will support Windows Media Audio and Video 9 Series technologies and complement its OMEGA family of set-top-box and DVD decoder ICs. This will enable the combination of traditional digital TV and DVD platforms with a new range of audio and video applications enabled by Windows Media 9 Series.
Texas Instruments' fully programmable 600MHz TMS320C64x DSP platform uses Windows Media Encoder 9 Series to help bring convergence one step closer, enabling IP-based set-top-box OEMs to design an all-in-one product for digital media compression, streaming video transmission, HDD storage and more. This means that consumers using devices with this new chip can now play back and encode Windows Media 9 Series. This chip will open up opportunities for real-time encoding of content into Windows Media Video 9.
About Windows Media
Windows Media is the leading digital media platform, used by consumers, content providers, solution providers, software developers and corporations throughout the world. The new Windows Media 9 Series will power the next wave of digital media, delivering the best playback experience, unmatched audio and video quality, and integrated optional digital rights management technology, and is the most comprehensive platform for developing digital media products and services. The Windows Media platform includes Windows Media Player; Windows Media Services, the powerful streaming server for distributing content; Windows Media Encoder for content creation; Windows Media Audio and Video for the best-quality audio and video; Windows Media DRM for protecting content; and the Windows Media Software Development Kit for software developers. Windows Media Player, available in 26 languages, is the fastest-growing and now leading media player. More information about Windows Media can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmedia/.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software -- any time, any place and on any device.
Microsoft, Windows Media and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft's corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft's Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at hhttp://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.asp.
A post from Jan 19th-To much talk about Samsung for there not to be something to it, imo. This Disney thing may be it. Also, they've been talking about set-top boxes for a long time.
From the Nov 6th, 2002 shareholders recap of the annual meeting:
Stated by FF:
The Company is working with APS, Eclipse by Fujitsu Ten, Bang
& Olufsen, Samsung, Digitalway, and others on projects based
on its cutting-edge technology, employing research and
development that in many cases it has already completed.
From the webcast last week re wireless platform:
''We have a major oem development''
''We will talk about the particulars after the announcement regarding the signed agreement is made''
We know about APS, we know about Eclipse from Fujitsu Ten, and we know about B & O. We also know about Digitalway and it seems to me we may soon know about the other company listed here. e.Digital has been working with them for a long time; and from the e.Digital/Digitalway PR on May 2nd, 2002:
Digitalway started MP3 player development in July 1998 and grew to become the No.1 digital audio player manufacturer in the world. As the OEM to Samsung Electronics (Yepp) and RFC (Jazpiper), Digitalway grew into one of the world's largest manufacturers and has earned a reputation for the highest quality. In Asia including Japan and Korea, Digitalway's products are recorded as No.1 selling digital audio products.
OT-Microsoft/IBM/Federated-Security Whitepapers
I thought I had remembered coming across this IBM/Microsoft connection. Thought the name Federated was interesting as Yogie mentioned Federated.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/webservices/understanding/advancedwebservices/default.aspx?pull=/library/e....
http://siliconvalley.internet.com/news/article.php/2232751
Disney/Samsung
This has probably been posted, but what do we think about this deal. Could we be involved? Could this be the wireless deal we've been working on?
Press Release Source: MovieBeam
Disney-Owned MovieBeam Service Launches This Week amid Broad Industry Support
Monday September 29, 6:00 am ET
Entertainment and Technology Leaders Team to Deliver New Movies-On-Demand Offering, Resetting the Standard for In-Home Entertainment
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 29, 2003-- The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - News) today announced the launch of its MovieBeam(SM) on-demand movie rental service. MovieBeam will give consumers instant access in their homes to recent DVD and video releases, as well as a wide variety of popular favorites, from almost all of the major studios.
ADVERTISEMENT
This week, MovieBeam will launch in Jacksonville, Fla.; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Spokane, Wash. Consumers in those three markets will have the ability to rent films from their homes without the inconvenience of trips to and from the video store and without the possibility of incurring rental late fees.
The MovieBeam receiver -- manufactured by Samsung Electronics -- is a first-of-its-kind device that automatically receives movies, stores them on its hard-drive, and gives consumers the opportunity to view them on their schedule. MovieBeam always offers 100 movies in full digital quality, and every week, about 10 new movies are transmitted via a digital wireless signal to the MovieBeam receiver's small indoor antenna, replacing 10 titles. The data transmissions take the form of secure data streams and are sent through the broadcast spectrum of television stations owned by ABC and National Datacast's network of PBS stations. MovieBeam will work whether or not a consumer has a cable or satellite television subscription.
The MovieBeam service will offer a broad range of movies, including popular action, drama, comedy and family titles. MovieBeam currently has agreements in place with DreamWorks SKG, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Miramax Films, New Line Cinema, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Studios, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox Studios and Walt Disney Studios. MovieBeam will feature current titles from all of these distributors in the ''video-on-demand (VOD)'' window. MovieBeam will also license library titles from several of these distributors. (There is an attached list of the 105 movies that will be featured on MovieBeam at launch.)
''MovieBeam provides a unique, new and convenient approach to watching movies at home and further demonstrates Disney's commitment to using new digital technologies to develop new businesses that deliver content direct-to-consumers, generate growth and combat the threat of piracy,'' said Peter E. Murphy, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Strategic Officer of The Walt Disney Company. ''The innovative MovieBeam business model relies on existing broadcast spectrum to achieve significant bandwidth to the home with limited initial investment. MovieBeam also uses state-of-the-art technology from Samsung for this next-generation service.''
''Samsung is excited to be working with a talented team from Disney to pioneer this amazing breakthrough in digital home entertainment,'' said Gee-Sung Choi, President of the Digital Media Network Business of Samsung Electronics. ''MovieBeam represents everything Samsung is striving to accomplish as a global leader in digital convergence products. By making powerful new technologies available yet invisible to the user, MovieBeam conveniently delivers instant fun and entertainment for all who love movies. Samsung and Disney are transforming home entertainment technology as we know it.''
Key MovieBeam features and benefits include:
An ever-changing collection of 100 New Releases and Popular Favorites, containing a diverse offering of Action, Comedy, Drama and Family movies
An easy-to-use guide that lets viewers choose movies by Category, Title, Actor, Director or Rating
The ability to start movies whenever consumers want, 24 hours a day -- with familiar controls like ''stop,'' ''pause,'' ''fast-forward'' and ''rewind'' -- so consumers can enjoy the movies on their schedule
Free full-length previews, available for all movies on the service
Easy installation and use, requiring only a standard electrical outlet and a phone connection for billing (phone line used only once per week)
Compatibility with existing cable or satellite services - but does not require either; nor does it require an outdoor antenna
Parental controls to set weekly spending limits and to restrict access to selections based on Motion Picture Association of America ratings
No up-front equipment cost
Studio Support for MovieBeam
MovieBeam has received a broad level of Hollywood studio support.
''We are excited to make our films available through the MovieBeam secure and innovative service, which enhances the consumer experience by offering broad choice and greater convenience,'' said Peter Levinsohn, Executive Vice President, Twentieth Century Fox Pay Television and Pay Per View.
''We are pleased to be an inaugural licensor to the MovieBeam service, which will offer consumers an new way to watch movies in the home and will help grow the movies-on-demand category by providing a complementary service to existing distribution methods,'' said Jeff Calman, Executive Vice President of PPV & VOD of Warner Home Video.
Strong Retailer Support
Consumers can see a live demonstration, interact with the MovieBeam receiver, and sign up for the service at electronic retailers, including Best Buy, Circuit City, Sears, Huppin's Hi-Fi, Magnolia Audio Video, RC Willey, Sound Advice and Ultimate Electronics. The service will have dedicated retail displays -- with cutting edge Samsung LCD monitors -- in each store. The display will include a working receiver that will enable consumers to experience the MovieBeam service and watch previews for all 100 movies available. Each retailer is working closely with MovieBeam to ensure that store employees are well trained in the features and benefits of the product. Each retailer will also be able to run a quick coverage check before sign-up to ensure that the consumer's residence is within the MovieBeam signal footprint.
''We are excited to bring the MovieBeam service to our customers because it adds convenience and simplicity to the home entertainment experience and furthers our commitment to offering new technology and services to our customers,'' said Kim Maguire, Executive Vice President, Chief Merchandising Officer of Circuit City.
''Sears is the third-largest retailer of televisions in the United States, and this new service from MovieBeam fits very well with our strategy to provide customers with convenient ways to watch movies,'' said John Schlenner, Divisional Merchandising Manager of Sears.
Easy, Affordable Service
There is no equipment to purchase in order to sign up for the MovieBeam service. MovieBeam requires only a $6.99 per month equipment service fee and a per movie viewing fee of $3.99 for New Releases or $2.49 for Popular Favorites. This fee entitles the consumer to unlimited viewing of the title for 24 hours. There will also be a one-time activation fee of $29.99 required in certain areas.
Within two days of the consumer sign-up, the MovieBeam receiver, remote control and small antenna arrive via the FedEx delivery service with 100 movies ready for viewing.
Consumers can also run a quick coverage check and sign up for the service directly at www.MovieBeam.com.
Editor's Note:
MovieBeam always features 100 movies, and movies are refreshed with about 10 new selections each week. Following are the New Releases that will be available on the MovieBeam service during the week of September 29, 2003 for $3.99 (listed in order of domestic box office gross):
The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers, New Line
Harry Potter and The Chamber Of Secrets, Warner
Chicago, Miramax
Catch Me If You Can, DreamWorks
Die Another Day, MGM
Bringing Down the House, Touchstone
Daredevil, Fox
Two Weeks Notice, Warner
Gangs of New York, Miramax
Old School, DreamWorks
Kangaroo Jack, Warner
About Schmidt, New Line
Shanghai Knights, Touchstone
Just Married, Fox
The Recruit, Touchstone
The Jungle Book 2, Disney
Final Destination 2, New Line
Phone Booth, Fox
Agent Cody Banks, MGM
Tears of the Sun, Sony
The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Disney
Head of State, DreamWorks
What a Girl Wants, Warner
The Hot Chick, Touchstone
Cradle 2 The Grave, Warner
The Pianist, Universal
Ghost Ship, Warner
Basic, Sony
Frida, Miramax
Piglet's Big Movie, Disney
Biker Boyz, DreamWorks
Bowling for Columbine, MGM
Antwone Fisher Story, Fox
The Life of David Gale, Universal
Punch-Drunk Love, Sony
Deliver Us From Eva, Universal
A Guy Thing, MGM
Solaris, Fox
The Emperor's Club, Universal
Gods and Generals, Warner
The Quiet American, Miramax
Dark Blue, MGM
Winged Migration, Sony
Femme Fatale, Warner Brothers
From Justin to Kelly, Fox
Laurel Canyon, Sony
The Guru, Universal
Spider, Sony Pictures
He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not, Sony
Spun, Sony
Double Vision, Sony
Air Bud 5 - Air Bud Spikes Back, Miramax
Following are the Popular Favorites that will be available on the MovieBeam service during the week of September 29, 2003 for $2.49 (listed in order of domestic box office gross):
The Sixth Sense
Toy Story 2
Toy Story
Apollo 13
Three Men and a Baby
A Bug's Life
Lethal Weapon 2
Lilo & Stitch
Dinosaur
Erin Brockovich
Good Morning Vietnam
Remember The Titans
Analyze This
Batman & Robin
George of The Jungle
American Pie
Maverick
Contact
Unforgiven
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Inspector Gadget
Dead Poet's Society
Unbreakable
Scream 3
Fried Green Tomatoes
Backdraft
Cocoon
The Family Man
Romancing the Stone
Grumpy Old Men
Born on the Fourth of July
Bring It On
A Perfect Murder
Heat
End of Days
Babe
Lethal Weapon
Field of Dreams
Risky Business
Dave
Coyote Ugly
Beaches
Falling Down
The Terminator
Billy Madison
Boys on the Side
The Right Stuff
Cocoon: The Return
The Fabulous Baker Boys
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Dumbo
Mad Max
About the MovieBeam Service
The MovieBeam service, which is part of Disney's portfolio of digital initiatives intended to enhance consumers' entertainment experiences, is providing consumers with convenient in-home access to an ever-changing lineup 100 feature movies. MovieBeam Entertainment is operated by Buena Vista Datacasting, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS - News). The Walt Disney Company is a diversified, international family entertainment and media enterprise with affiliates including Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, The Walt Disney Studios, ABC, Inc., ESPN, Disney Channel, Disney Consumer Products, television and radio stations and Internet Web sites. Learn more about MovieBeam at www.moviebeam.com.
''Forward-Looking Statements.'' Certain statements in this press release may constitute ''forward looking statements'' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are made on the basis of management's views and assumptions regarding future events as of the time the statements are made, and management undertakes no responsibility to update those statements. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. Such differences may result from a number of factors including changes in domestic and global economic conditions, performance of the new technology described herein, consumer acceptance of the technology, the development and acceptance of alternative technology and changes in the availability of product for distribution.
Note: A photo is available at URL:
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/photo.cgi?pw.092903/bb5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact:
The Walt Disney Company (for MovieBeam)
Michelle Bergman, 818-560-8231
michelle.bergman@disney.com
or
Blanc & Otus
Kim Bouic, 415-856-5135
kbouic@blancandotus.com
Dell was selling Creative long before this new unit came into view. They were partners anyway, that's how they got the deal. What makes you think e.Digital screwed up the deal, when in fact you don't even know if the two companies know each other. If they did work with e.Digital, they would know which one was the better design and technology. Another note, Ucansee probably has already forgotten more about this industry than most of the people here will ever know in their life in total.
Thought this was interesting.
Unless I am calculating incorrectly, roughly 45.7% of the total population is age 30-64 and roughly 14% are under 9 yrs old and 12.7% are 65 or over. That leaves 27.6% between 14 and 29 yrs old. The baby boomer generation is the one all of the big companies are after. They have the numbers and they have the cash.
Source: Population Estimates Program, Population Division,
U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, D.C. 20233
Contact: Statistical Information Staff, (301)457-2422 by phone,
POP@CENSUS.GOV by e-mail (please include telephone number.)
Internet Release Date: January 2, 2001
Nov. 1, July 1, July 1, July 1, July 1, July 1,
2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995
BOTH SEXES
Population, all ages 276,059 272,691 270,248 267,784 265,229 262,803
Summary Indicators
Median age.......... 35.9 35.5 35.2 34.9 34.7 34.3
Mean age............ 36.6 36.4 36.2 36.1 35.9 35.8
Five-Year Age Groups 2000 1999 1998 1997
1996 1995
Under 5 years....... 18,945 18,942 18,989 19,099 19,292 19,532
5 to 9 years........ 19,681 19,947 19,929 19,754 19,439 19,096
10 to 14 years...... 20,017 19,548 19,242 19,097 19,004 18,853
15 to 19 years...... 19,894 19,748 19,542 19,146 18,708 18,203
20 to 24 years...... 18,693 18,026 17,678 17,488 17,508 17,982
25 to 29 years...... 17,625 18,209 18,575 18,820 18,933 18,905
30 to 34 years...... 19,564 19,727 20,168 20,739 21,313 21,825
35 to 39 years...... 22,044 22,545 22,615 22,636 22,553 22,296
40 to 44 years...... 22,769 22,268 21,883 21,378 20,812 20,259
45 to 49 years...... 20,059 19,356 18,853 18,467 18,430 17,458
50 to 54 years...... 17,626 16,446 15,722 15,158 13,928 13,642
55 to 59 years...... 13,452 12,875 12,403 11,755 11,356 11,086
60 to 64 years...... 10,757 10,514 10,263 10,061 9,997 10,046
65 to 69 years...... 9,414 9,447 9,592 9,777 9,901 9,926
70 to 74 years...... 8,758 8,771 8,798 8,751 8,789 8,831
75 to 79 years...... 7,425 7,329 7,215 7,083 6,891 6,700
80 to 84 years...... 4,968 4,817 4,732 4,661 4,575 4,478
85 to 89 years...... 2,734 2,625 2,554 2,477 2,415 2,352
90 to 94 years...... 1,196 1,148 1,116 1,078 1,043 1,017
95 to 99 years...... 369 343 323 304 291 268
100 years and over.. 68 59 57 54 51 48
http://eire.census.gov/popest/archives/national/nation2/intfile2-1.txt
Any idea what percentage of people know what an MP3 player is? Wonder just what percentage of people have actually held an MP3 player. This will help advance the awareness of this particular new item to the masses. Also, I do believe that competition is good, not bad, especially when most don't even know what an MP3 player is. There is also the chance that there will never be an announcement of any large OEM's due to NDA's.
Sure hope you are right, but at the very least, the world will be more aware and knowledgeable and will be buying more mp3 players and that helps the entire industry.
Large Dell jukebox picture:
http://www.dell.com/downloads/us/corporate/press/dell_musicjukebox_300.jpg
Here's Dell non branded manufacturers.
http://www.euro.dell.com/countries/uk/enu/dhs/local/dellware/topics_manufacturer.htm
bcaddel-Nice post.(eom)
Jo-We don't know if we have anything to do whatsever with the Dell, but the outside appearance of the two units don't have anything to do with the inside technology, imo. They will all look different. It's what's on the inside that counts. Thanks for the post.
BD-IMO, the O1000 has to be branded with an OEM for this thing to be a factor. I have always felt that way. e.Digital will never get rich from selling their O1000. It is the branding by the big boys, who will make this company the big revenues through volume. This will also give them exposure to get other things done getting more reasonable margins.
Don't see it either unless I missed it.
Milplease-Here are the specs:
http://www.apple.com/ipod/specs.html
Ucan-Now that's funny. A lot of those here I'm afraid.(eom)
CDR-Will the corporate offices be the same as they are now? No address is listed.
Another story on the Dell Announcement on Thursday.
Sorry if this was already posted.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/0,39020645,39116605,00.htm
Dell brings MP3 player under brand umbrella
John G. Spooner
CNET News.com
September 23, 2003, 16:30 BST
Dell will expand the range of consumer-electronics products carrying its own brand, as it looks for new revenue streams
Dell is about to crank up the jukebox.
The PC maker is preparing to unveil a new consumer-electronics plan that involves selling two new devices, including a portable music player, under its brand name for the holidays.
Outside computers, Dell has put its name on only a limited number of product categories, such as printers, network switches, projectors and USB storage devices. But the company, which sells several consumer-electronics products via its software and peripherals business and online store, believes that offering more such devices can help it meet revenue goals.
Dell is expected to discuss its latest consumer-electronics plans during a press conference on Thursday, which will also outline an upgrade of its online store and touch on new Axim handhelds.
One of its first new consumer-electronics devices will be a hard drive-based portable MP3 player, sources familiar with Dell's plans said. The player, which is expected to include a 15GB drive, will compete with others in the market, most notably Apple Computer's iPod. Dell sells the iPod on its own site and is expected to continue doing so after the debut of Dell's own player.
The products are expected to ship in October or early November.
Dell is not likely to unveil many other details about the device -- or of any new products it intends to offer -- during the press conference.
However, Dell is expected to reveal that it is working on a line of LCD televisions and a pair two new Axim models.
Dell's new Axims are likely to include a slimmer model, dubbed the Axim X3 and a new wireless model, while the company's LCD TVs are likely to include a 17-inch model and a 30-inch model.
The computer maker already sells MP3 players and LCD TVs, as well as printers, from other companies. Dell is expected to continue selling those products despite its own presence in those markets.
Dell representatives declined to comment for this story, but senior executives including chief executive Michael Dell and president Kevin Rollins have indicated the company's interest in music players, wireless handhelds and LCD TVs several times in the past.
While Dell is likely to continue to emphasise business products such as servers and storage systems, the company sells a huge quantity of products via its software and peripherals business. Expanding sales of consumer-electronics market is another area the company can tap to further its goal of boosting revenue to the $60bn (£36.41bn) mark over the next few years.
Although Dell will seek to mine the consumer-electronics market, it's unlikely that the company's efforts will be as broad as competitors such as Gateway, which plans 50 new products this year -- most of them consumer-electronics devices.
In addition to selling its new products as standalones, Dell is likely to combine them with its PCs. Dell offered a number of special consumer-electronics bundles, which included its printers and Axim handheld, for the back-to-school season and is expected to offer more for the holiday season.
Brooks Gray, an analyst with Technology Business Research, wrote in a recent report that Dell's bundling strategy will only expand in the coming years.
''There is an underlying strategy to Dell's flat-screen TV initiative. As the industry has predicted for many years, the home will eventually evolve into a networked environment of consumer electronics and computing devices,'' he wrote. ''Dell, along with many other vendors, is planning to capitalise on this trend. During the coming three years, TBR believes the company will begin to bundle more and more consumer electronics devices with its PCs and offer attractive home 'networked' solutions. Sony should be the most concerned about Dell's entry into the TV market.''
Meanwhile, Dell is working on a related PC. Dell plans to offer a Media Center PC based on Microsoft's Windows XP Media Centre Edition 2004 software, code-named Harmony, which will come out on 30 September, CNET's News.com has reported.
CNET News.com's Ina Fried contributed to this report.