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eGo player old, egg on my face...MP3newswire review..
Review: The i2Go eGo.
by Richard Menta 6/22/00
Think of the i2Go eGo as the MP3 equivalent of a Cadillac. Chock full of the latest features, some unique to the model, clever in detail, and big as hell.
Of course, big is a subjective word. In this case it means it is the SAME size as a portable cassette unit. Designed primarily for use in the car, the eGo nonetheless functions well as pocket portable. We tested the unit with both a 32MB CompactFlash card and the IBM 340MB drive.
You can order the new i2Go eGo from Amazon. 96MB 64MB and 32MB versions available
We were particularly eager to test the Microdive as this is our first experience with it. The amazing thing about this drive is that it is the exact same size as the CompactFlash card, whose slot it is designed to fit in. Know what is even more amazing in regards to size? While we were reviewing this player, IBM announced the release of a new 1GB version of the Microdrive! An announcement that i2Go immediately followed with their own that they are adding this new drive to the player line.
The 1GB drive alone is priced aggressively at $499.00. Better yet, the price of a 340MB Microdrive will drop to $299. That is a lot of space for the money relative to the price of flash cards which presently run around $800 for a 224MB CompactFlash card. Hopefully, it will pressure a drop in flash prices too.
The Hardware
The eGo resembles a tricorder from Star Trek more than it does an MP3 player. As we said, it is a relatively big unit as MP3 players go. We held it up next to our Rio 500 and roughly found it to be twice the thickness as well as slightly larger in width and length. The good news is the eGo takes full advantage of this size difference.
First of all the unit has two CompactFlash slots. If you install two of the new IBM 1GB drives inside, that's 2GB of memory in a unit that is the smallest MP3 anything to hold that much memory! See what we meant by relative when we were discussing size.
The eGo comes with a generous set of accessories to get you started. This includes a car kit composed of a cassette adapter, cigarette lighter adapter, both a straight and coiled external power cable, a direct power cable if you choose to hook the eGo directly to the battery, and a windshield mounting bracket. Earphones, a belt clip, and a neoprene carrying bag round out the list.
We started our tests with the 32MB CompactFlash card and ran the basic play functions. The unit connects to the computer via a USB connection. These faster connections are already replacing the parallel port connections found on first generation MP3 players.
One concern we had was with the primary card slot. When inserted, the card sticks out about 1/8 of an inch. That's not a lot, but we wonder if it makes the card vulnerable to drops, which are to be expected with any portable unit. We say that because the player once slipped from our hands onto a tabletop while we were listening. The unit hit the table right on the card and it popped out. The card worked fine when we popped it back in, no damage. Still, we feel relieved the expensive Microdrive wasn't in at the time.
IBM Microdrive
Once we were done gathering our basic usability impressions with the flash card, we moved on to the 340 MB drive.
First word of warning on the 340MB drives, they eat batteries for lunch. A fresh set of Duracel Ultra's were killed in about an hour. At first we thought there was something wrong with the unit because the display still lit up and the battery gauge reported that the battery still had medium power left. Even though we could hear the drive spin, tunes would not play. Furthermore, the buttons became sluggish requiring several clicks just to advance the display to try another file.
Another fresh set of batteries cured this, but they too were done in within the hour. We went through several sets for this test. Obviously, the Microdrives require batteries in the full state to give them the static push they need. Our advice, if you want to use this unit with the Microdrive for your power walks, go with lithium batteries. Also don't discard your spent batteries as they have a couple of hours left in them to run the unit when the low power CompactFlash cards are re-inserted.
Power was a non-issue when we used the Microdrive unit in the car. Fed by the cigarette lighter, it provided a pleasant selection of music for hours. No cassettes or CD's lying on the floor. No need to install an elaborate CD changer in the trunk. The advantages were obvious and wonderful. It spoiled us and we will have trouble going back to 64MB players after this.
The windshield mounting bracket, two suction cups on a steel cantilever support that smoothly locks into the back of the unit, proved to be an effective and clever way to mount the unit for the road. The display points conveniently to the driver and passenger. Depending on the slope of your windshield and where you stick the player, it could be a little stretch to reach the controls, but they were big enough and well laid out so this was not much of a problem for us.
i2Go thought ahead for those who have open space on the dash that can fit the eGo. For those who wish for a more permanent installation setup, they include a convenient direct power cable that pulls its juice right from the car battery, a nice option.
More Options
Another useful item on the i2Go eGo is an external speaker. The delivery is only in mono and the small speaker only offers modest sound, but we found ourselves using it quite often when others were around.
The i2Go has voice recording capability. To record, hold down the 'I' button for about two seconds. Hit the button again to stop.
Want more options? I2Go MP3Agent, the software that comes with the player, has text-to-speech capabilities designed to translate the morning email into MP3 files to listen to on the commute in. This culd be a lifesaver to busy dot-com employees who get backlogged with a hundred messages.
To round out the options, the eGo has a clock that is automatically set by your computer's clock the first time you connect it to download music. Another well thought out touch.
MyAudio2Go.com
One of the best options available from the folks at i2Go is a website they created called MyAudio2Go.com. On this site you can download daily news stories in MP3 format. You can select articles covering the top news stories, sports, business and finance, even recaps of a dozen or so television shows like ER. We loved this site and the best news is you don't need an i2Go to download and play these files. Check this site out!
Getting Started
We had no problem hooking the unit through the USB port, our computer immediately recognized the drive.
The file management software MP3Agent worked well. File transfers were simple and quick. One warning, use the upload button to transfer your files to the player. We made the mistake of dragging some files from Explorer into the window. It works this way, but sometimes the files you transfer become hidden. The window will say you have filled the memory, but the songs visible in the menu tell you there should be several MB of space left.
Controls
The buttons were big, with a clean solid click, and were well layed out. Cycling through the various menus can be annoying at times, though, requiring several clicks to make a simple change. The keystrokes are not the most intuitive either and since the display offers little in direction, reading the instructions is recommended.
The instruction manual was clear and overall good, but not all the information you need is there. For example, if you want to use the voice recorder, the only mention of that feature in the instructions was under "See Online Help for instructions on how to Record Memos". This was not the only feature that directed us to the Web to learn how to use it..
Needless to say, we played a stubborn person and tried to figure it out for ourselves. We know there are many people who ignore instructions all together, let alone take the time to go to the Net for them, so we tried until we got it. We hope they are patient. It took us a while before we thought to hold down the "I" button for a second or so to activate the record. Assuming we received an early production box, we expect i2Go will update their print instructions soon.
The unit does not have a hold button, surprising for a high-end unit with so many clever features.
Display
The i2Go uses a bright LED display that we thought was excellent for clarity. We just wonder why they only made it a one line display. They did a very good with only one line, ID3 tags scroll with the track info quite well. We just can't help thinking another line of information could help guide the user when fumbling with the necessary keystroke moves.
Sound
Excellent, just like all of the MP3 players we have tested to date.
Conclusion
The i2Go's features and flexibility, especially in the memory category, could easily make it the top MP3 player out there now. What holds it back are several minor annoyances involving its file transfer software, controls, instruction manual, and display. The Rio 500 is more polished in these categories, but the Rio cannot read flash cards higher than 32MB, stranding it at a 96MB maximum capacity.
The i2Go can handle up to 2GB with the release of the new Microdrives, which makes it the preeminent unit today when it comes to the balance of memory and unit size. This combined with some very useful features not seen in any other portable to date and we can overlook the shortcomings mentioned above. While it is very expensive to equip this player with that much memory now, prices will come down.
The Microdrives serve best in the car where unlimited electric power allows it to do what it does best, stream hours of music without the need to change the CD or cassette. That's a convenience that shows off the true advantages of digital music players over traditional formats.
Bottom line, if you plan on using your player on the road, this is the unit to get. Same thing if you want a player with lots of cutting edge features. No other portable can touch the i2Go eGo in this category and that will make a difference a year or two from now when owners of other MP3 players feel compelled to update their units and you don't. That alone says alot about this player and makes it most desirable. Just be patient with the eGo's foibles.
Final Score A-
Copyright 2000 MP3 Newswire. All rights reserved.
eGo player old, egg on my face...MP3newswire review..
Review: The i2Go eGo.
by Richard Menta 6/22/00
Think of the i2Go eGo as the MP3 equivalent of a Cadillac. Chock full of the latest features, some unique to the model, clever in detail, and big as hell.
Of course, big is a subjective word. In this case it means it is the SAME size as a portable cassette unit. Designed primarily for use in the car, the eGo nonetheless functions well as pocket portable. We tested the unit with both a 32MB CompactFlash card and the IBM 340MB drive.
You can order the new i2Go eGo from Amazon. 96MB 64MB and 32MB versions available
We were particularly eager to test the Microdive as this is our first experience with it. The amazing thing about this drive is that it is the exact same size as the CompactFlash card, whose slot it is designed to fit in. Know what is even more amazing in regards to size? While we were reviewing this player, IBM announced the release of a new 1GB version of the Microdrive! An announcement that i2Go immediately followed with their own that they are adding this new drive to the player line.
The 1GB drive alone is priced aggressively at $499.00. Better yet, the price of a 340MB Microdrive will drop to $299. That is a lot of space for the money relative to the price of flash cards which presently run around $800 for a 224MB CompactFlash card. Hopefully, it will pressure a drop in flash prices too.
The Hardware
The eGo resembles a tricorder from Star Trek more than it does an MP3 player. As we said, it is a relatively big unit as MP3 players go. We held it up next to our Rio 500 and roughly found it to be twice the thickness as well as slightly larger in width and length. The good news is the eGo takes full advantage of this size difference.
First of all the unit has two CompactFlash slots. If you install two of the new IBM 1GB drives inside, that's 2GB of memory in a unit that is the smallest MP3 anything to hold that much memory! See what we meant by relative when we were discussing size.
The eGo comes with a generous set of accessories to get you started. This includes a car kit composed of a cassette adapter, cigarette lighter adapter, both a straight and coiled external power cable, a direct power cable if you choose to hook the eGo directly to the battery, and a windshield mounting bracket. Earphones, a belt clip, and a neoprene carrying bag round out the list.
We started our tests with the 32MB CompactFlash card and ran the basic play functions. The unit connects to the computer via a USB connection. These faster connections are already replacing the parallel port connections found on first generation MP3 players.
One concern we had was with the primary card slot. When inserted, the card sticks out about 1/8 of an inch. That's not a lot, but we wonder if it makes the card vulnerable to drops, which are to be expected with any portable unit. We say that because the player once slipped from our hands onto a tabletop while we were listening. The unit hit the table right on the card and it popped out. The card worked fine when we popped it back in, no damage. Still, we feel relieved the expensive Microdrive wasn't in at the time.
IBM Microdrive
Once we were done gathering our basic usability impressions with the flash card, we moved on to the 340 MB drive.
First word of warning on the 340MB drives, they eat batteries for lunch. A fresh set of Duracel Ultra's were killed in about an hour. At first we thought there was something wrong with the unit because the display still lit up and the battery gauge reported that the battery still had medium power left. Even though we could hear the drive spin, tunes would not play. Furthermore, the buttons became sluggish requiring several clicks just to advance the display to try another file.
Another fresh set of batteries cured this, but they too were done in within the hour. We went through several sets for this test. Obviously, the Microdrives require batteries in the full state to give them the static push they need. Our advice, if you want to use this unit with the Microdrive for your power walks, go with lithium batteries. Also don't discard your spent batteries as they have a couple of hours left in them to run the unit when the low power CompactFlash cards are re-inserted.
Power was a non-issue when we used the Microdrive unit in the car. Fed by the cigarette lighter, it provided a pleasant selection of music for hours. No cassettes or CD's lying on the floor. No need to install an elaborate CD changer in the trunk. The advantages were obvious and wonderful. It spoiled us and we will have trouble going back to 64MB players after this.
The windshield mounting bracket, two suction cups on a steel cantilever support that smoothly locks into the back of the unit, proved to be an effective and clever way to mount the unit for the road. The display points conveniently to the driver and passenger. Depending on the slope of your windshield and where you stick the player, it could be a little stretch to reach the controls, but they were big enough and well laid out so this was not much of a problem for us.
i2Go thought ahead for those who have open space on the dash that can fit the eGo. For those who wish for a more permanent installation setup, they include a convenient direct power cable that pulls its juice right from the car battery, a nice option.
More Options
Another useful item on the i2Go eGo is an external speaker. The delivery is only in mono and the small speaker only offers modest sound, but we found ourselves using it quite often when others were around.
The i2Go has voice recording capability. To record, hold down the 'I' button for about two seconds. Hit the button again to stop.
Want more options? I2Go MP3Agent, the software that comes with the player, has text-to-speech capabilities designed to translate the morning email into MP3 files to listen to on the commute in. This culd be a lifesaver to busy dot-com employees who get backlogged with a hundred messages.
To round out the options, the eGo has a clock that is automatically set by your computer's clock the first time you connect it to download music. Another well thought out touch.
MyAudio2Go.com
One of the best options available from the folks at i2Go is a website they created called MyAudio2Go.com. On this site you can download daily news stories in MP3 format. You can select articles covering the top news stories, sports, business and finance, even recaps of a dozen or so television shows like ER. We loved this site and the best news is you don't need an i2Go to download and play these files. Check this site out!
Getting Started
We had no problem hooking the unit through the USB port, our computer immediately recognized the drive.
The file management software MP3Agent worked well. File transfers were simple and quick. One warning, use the upload button to transfer your files to the player. We made the mistake of dragging some files from Explorer into the window. It works this way, but sometimes the files you transfer become hidden. The window will say you have filled the memory, but the songs visible in the menu tell you there should be several MB of space left.
Controls
The buttons were big, with a clean solid click, and were well layed out. Cycling through the various menus can be annoying at times, though, requiring several clicks to make a simple change. The keystrokes are not the most intuitive either and since the display offers little in direction, reading the instructions is recommended.
The instruction manual was clear and overall good, but not all the information you need is there. For example, if you want to use the voice recorder, the only mention of that feature in the instructions was under "See Online Help for instructions on how to Record Memos". This was not the only feature that directed us to the Web to learn how to use it..
Needless to say, we played a stubborn person and tried to figure it out for ourselves. We know there are many people who ignore instructions all together, let alone take the time to go to the Net for them, so we tried until we got it. We hope they are patient. It took us a while before we thought to hold down the "I" button for a second or so to activate the record. Assuming we received an early production box, we expect i2Go will update their print instructions soon.
The unit does not have a hold button, surprising for a high-end unit with so many clever features.
Display
The i2Go uses a bright LED display that we thought was excellent for clarity. We just wonder why they only made it a one line display. They did a very good with only one line, ID3 tags scroll with the track info quite well. We just can't help thinking another line of information could help guide the user when fumbling with the necessary keystroke moves.
Sound
Excellent, just like all of the MP3 players we have tested to date.
Conclusion
The i2Go's features and flexibility, especially in the memory category, could easily make it the top MP3 player out there now. What holds it back are several minor annoyances involving its file transfer software, controls, instruction manual, and display. The Rio 500 is more polished in these categories, but the Rio cannot read flash cards higher than 32MB, stranding it at a 96MB maximum capacity.
The i2Go can handle up to 2GB with the release of the new Microdrives, which makes it the preeminent unit today when it comes to the balance of memory and unit size. This combined with some very useful features not seen in any other portable to date and we can overlook the shortcomings mentioned above. While it is very expensive to equip this player with that much memory now, prices will come down.
The Microdrives serve best in the car where unlimited electric power allows it to do what it does best, stream hours of music without the need to change the CD or cassette. That's a convenience that shows off the true advantages of digital music players over traditional formats.
Bottom line, if you plan on using your player on the road, this is the unit to get. Same thing if you want a player with lots of cutting edge features. No other portable can touch the i2Go eGo in this category and that will make a difference a year or two from now when owners of other MP3 players feel compelled to update their units and you don't. That alone says alot about this player and makes it most desirable. Just be patient with the eGo's foibles.
Final Score A-
Copyright 2000 MP3 Newswire. All rights reserved.
Link to below...
store.yahoo.net/netdealz/egomp3.html
They come in 3s...eGo Player vtt/ttv who else...
The eGo player gives You the freedom to listen to Your favorite songs or other audio programs that You downloaded from the Internet while on the go, in Your car. The eGo is the only portable MP3 player that is expandable to 680 MB of memory, and beyond. You simply choose the memory that You require. The eGo was designed for listening in You car, but can be worn on Your hip. The eGo's exclusive interactive technology allows listeners to take advantage of its innovative features whe combined with the i2Go MP3 Agent desktop software:
e-mail 2GO: Converts Your standard e-mail messages to MP3 files using text to synthesized voice conversion. You can then listen to Your e-mail, and respond in Your own voice using the MP3Mail function with the touch of a single button.
MP3 Mail: Plays MP3 files which are attached to e-mail messages automatically right from the eGo player.
MP3 Chat: Enables You to respond in Your own voice to e-mail, MP3Mail, or chat messages with the 3Go.[3Go- EDIG trademark case you didn't know]
Features:
i2Go Interactive Digital Audio Player
USB Cable
Car visor, dash and windshield mount brackets
Cassete player adapter
Two AA-Batteries
DC Power (car lighter) Adapters with a straight and coiled cable
Belt Clip
Super-Light hi-fidelity stereo headphones
CD which includes: i2Go MP3Agent desktop software with embedded Internet browser, Music Match Jukebox software and CD Ripper, Samples of the hottest MP3 music
Cool neoprene carrying bag
Availability: Usually ships the next business day.
EGOMP3 - 025$255.00
With 32MB Card ($255): With 64MB Card ($322)With 96MB Card ($400)With 340MB Micro Drive ($525)
Congressman Argues Copy-Protected CDs May Be Illegal
San Francisco -- CNET reported on Friday that in a letter sent to the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Rep. Rick Boucher
(D-Va.) argues that the copy-protection technology for CDs being
implemented by the major record labels may be illegal. Boucher says the
technology, which prevents songs on CDs from being copied onto a PC or a
blank CD, may take away consumer rights protected by the Audio Home
Recording Act (AHRA). The AHRA allows consumers to make copies of music in
exchange for royalties included in the price of bank CDs they buy that are
paid out to record labels. "Any deliberate change to a CD by a content
owner that makes [the allowed personal copies] no longer possible would
appear to violate the content owner's obligations," Boucher wrote in the
letter. Universal recently introduced copy-protection technology on one of
its CDs in the U.S., and most of the other major record labels soon plan
to introduce similar technology. Boucher is also co-author of a bill
called the Music Online Competition Act, which aims to ensure competition
in digital music distribution as record labels begin to sell music online.
Outfriggingstanding fellas! Nice finds.oems
Evolution Technologies and MTV present one of the WORLD’S FIRST Dataplay Enabled ™
music players, a cutting-edge Portable Music Player with capabilitiesThis portable music player is actually THREE devices in one. First it is a traditional portable player which supports playback of user-recorded music
or pre-recorded music from your favorite artists coming soon on DataPlay digital media. Secondly, it’s a DataPlay Burner. As a burner, this player will be
capable of reading and writing DataPlay digital media. This is similar to the capability of a CD-RW drive. Thirdly, it’s an
external PC storage drive! The user interface for this will be as natural as dragging and dropping files in any directory structure.
Evolution Technologies and MTV present one of the WORLD’S FIRST Dataplay Enabled ™
music players, a cutting-edge Portable Music Player with capabilities
FAR SUPERIOR to that of a Traditional Music Player.Supports over 11 hours of high quality MP3 or over 5 hours of CD
quality music on a single 500MB DataPlay digital media!
Playback of secure DRM wrapped AAC, QDX and MP3 encoded content.
Album/Track hierarchy allows for efficient Content Management.
Supports various operating modes: Normal, Repeat, Random
and Intro.
Preset equalization settings: Flat, Rock, Jazz, Hip-Hop and Classical.
Control Lock function.
Jog-wheel mode/volume control.
PC software with Digital Rights Management Functionality that
facilitates user interaction with the Daytona player device for secure transfer of
music files to the digital media for playback in the device or for playback of
secure music content via the PC.
Supports transfer and access of all standard Windows file formats to and
from the digital media via supporting desktop applications with device drive letter
access via an Installable File System. You can use this device as a drive to store
your images, video and other important files.
Fast content transfer via industry standard USB interface V1.1.
Firmware upgradeable in Flash/EEPROM using USB interface V1.1.
Unit is capable of Reading and Writing DataPlay digital media.
SPECIFICATIONS DESCRIPTION
Storage Media Supports 250MB and 500MB DataPlay digital
media in write-able and pre-recorded formats.
Dimensions 75 mm x 83 mm x 23mm
Power Supply Rechargeable Long-Life Lithium-Ion Battery
PC Interface USB cable
Display 128 x 64 Pixel - Backlit
Frequency Response 20Hz - 20000Hz (+/– 3dB)
Signal/Noise Ratio 85dB with 2.3 Vpp @ 1kHz
Total Harmonic <.1% (20Hz-20000Hz) Distortion
Analog Output Power > 150 mW with 8-ohm load Level
USB Port
ACCESSORIES
Music application software included
Stereo Headphones
Mini-USB Cable
User’s Manual
Driver Software for Windows 98SE/ME/2000
Universal AC/DC Charger and Power Supply
Neoprene Type Carrying Case
with Neck and Chest Straps
3.5 mm Mini Jack to Dual RCA Cable Adapter
Evolution Technologies, Inc.
118 Kitty Hawk Drive
Morrisville, NC 27560
Main Line: 919-544-3777
Toll Free: 1-866-848-8070
Fax Line: 919-544-3027
Rewind Button
DataPlay digital media
Data Play digital media Port
Play/Pause Button
Eject Button
Mode Button
Fast Forward Button
LCD Display
AC/DC Adapter Port
Interactive Objects Changes Name to Fullplay Media Systems
Business Editors, Technology Writers
BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 4, 2002--Interactive Objects (OTCBB:OBJX), today announced a name change to Fullplay Media Systems, Inc. and will begin trading on January 7th, 2002 under the stock ticker symbol FPLY.
Fullplay will be focused on digital media products and services in both consumer and commercial OEM markets. The name change is designed to more accurately represent the company's new role in the evolution of the consumer and computer electronics markets.
"In 2001 we grew our customer base, established strategic partnerships with industry leaders, and extended our technology platform," said Dennis Tevlin, Fullplay's President and CEO. "In 2002 we intend to be a leading supplier of many of the key building blocks for embedded media products and further our market penetration by providing new products and services for the digitally connected home."
Today's announcement marks a pivotal moment in the Company's history. Fullplay will apply its leading edge design expertise in embedded digital media products to a range of new target markets including consumer audio, video and image viewing systems; digital-on-demand multimedia kiosks; and in-seat entertainment products. In addition to showcasing its new OEM platform for digital media development, the Company will be introducing new products under the Fullplay brand at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV.
About Fullplay Media Systems, Inc.
Fullplay is a leading designer of embedded software and hardware solutions for the converging Internet, digital media, entertainment and consumer electronics markets. Fullplay partners with many of the top brands in consumer electronics and entertainment, and holds a focused technology portfolio that includes the Dharma(TM) Digital Media Development Platform; the Fullplay Media OS(TM) and Media Manager(TM); the Darwin(TM) Digital Audio Jukebox; and the Fullplay Muse Media Center(TM). Fullplay is headquartered at 12600 SE 38th, Suite 150, Bellevue, WA 98006, USA. Fullplay is listed on the OTC.BB under the symbol "FPLY" and can be reached on the web at www.fullplaymedia.com.
Certain information included in this communication contains statements that are forward-looking, such as statements relating to the future anticipated direction of the high technology industry, plans for future expansion, various business development activities, planned capital expenditures, future funding sources, anticipated sales growth and potential contracts. These forward statements are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual operations or results to differ materially from those anticipated. These risks include, among others, risks associated with unproven sales of the Company's products, risks associated with the software development process and risks related to the transition to a new management team. Certain of these risks and other risks are described in the Company's Registration Statement on Form SB-2 and Form 10-KSB filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The registration statement is available from the SEC's Web site at http://www.sec.gov/
--30--KK/se*
CONTACT: Interactive Objects
Tony Dirksen, 425/653-5505
tonyd@fullplaymedia.com
KEYWORD: WASHINGTON
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS HARDWARE INTERNET
SOFTWARE
SOURCE: Interactive Objects
The San Jose Mercury News on Wednesday profiled the
troubles of online radio station provider Live365. The company, which lets
users program their own online radio stations using their CD collections,
recently laid off half its staff and put its remaining employees on a
two-week, unpaid "sabbatical." Foster City-based Live365 also went offline
recently when its bandwidth provider had its service shut off. The company
is attempting to add to the 40 percent of its income it currently derives
from subscription fees, and expects to break even this year.
http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/svfront/live010202.htm
Judge Rejects Motions to Dismiss Publishers' Suits Against MP3.com
Nashville, Tenn. -- U.S. District Court Judge Jed Rakoff has denied
Vivendi Universal subsidiary MP3.com's motions to dismiss lawsuits brought
against it by 62 music publishers. MP3.com is charged with both
contributory and vicarious copyright infringement relating to its
My.MP3.com service, which let users stream their CDs from online lockers.
These two claims against MP3.com, as well as one other, will go forward to
trial in May.
http://www.copyright.net/mp3suit/
Streaming Services Firm Streampipe Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Alexandria, Va. -- Streampipe, a provider of streaming media services, has
filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company, which had a round
of layoffs last year, helps firms broadcast events over the Internet. In
2000, Virginia-based Streampipe raised millions of dollars in cash and
services from PSINet, ATC Teleports, and Young & Rubicam. In its
bankruptcy filing, the company said it had between 100 and 199 creditors.
http://www.streampipe.com
SBC Buys Part of Softbank's Stake in Yahoo for $300 Million
San Antonio, Texas -- SBC Communications, a U.S. provider of telephone and
Internet services, said that it has agreed to acquire a 3 percent stake in
Web portal Yahoo from Japanese investment bank Softbank for $300 million.
Softbank will remain Yahoo's single largest shareholder, maintaining a 16
percent stake in the company. Texas-based SBC and Yahoo recently announced
that they would launch a co-branded, premium DSL Internet and dial-up
service, scheduled to launch in mid-2002.
berge, yes salient final point. The revolution will be downloaded to a portable device near you.
cheers
Isn't the problem really that record companies have conspired to keep prices high on a product that has become almost like food and water for some people and nurtures the spirit in much the same way? Isn't the problem that these same collusionary folks have failed to develop alternative online sites that are compelling and allow a user the same fair use rights that they currently enjoy? Nawwwww...that couldn't be it.
cheers
Piracy and hacking prevention efforts should target kids, experts say
BY JOHN SCHWARTZ
New York Times
When law enforcement agents seized 129 computers in 27 cities recently in a coordinated assault on online piracy, they focused much of their effort on colleges like Duke University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California at Los Angeles.
They were probably too late.
As children have access to computers earlier and earlier in their educational careers, experts in piracy, hacking and other forms of Internet mischief say that any effort to tackle the illicit trade in digital goods -- including video games, computer software, music and even movies -- should be looking at a younger crowd.
``By the time we get them, they already believe it's right,'' said David J. Farber, a professor of computer science at the University of Pennsylvania and the former chief technologist of the Federal Communications Commission. ``If you're willing to bootleg music, you're willing to bootleg anything.''
In fact, America's rush to the online world has created an enormous population of ever-younger computer pirates, say experts in the field.
``We've got to focus on preparing kids to use the Internet in a safe and responsible manner,'' said Nancy E. Willard, director of the Responsible Netizen Center for Advanced Technology in Education at the University of Oregon. She has prepared course materials and guides for teaching computer ethics in secondary schools to help them meet the requirements of the Children's Internet Protection Act of 2000. The law, which requires schools and libraries to use filters or similar technology to protect children from objectionable materials, also requires an ``Internet safety policy'' to prevent ``unauthorized access, including so-called `hacking,' and other unlawful activities by minors online.''
Online, the searching and trading for wares goes on day and night. In an online discussion last week using technology known as Internet Relay Chat, the ``Warez'' channel, or chat room, was busy. Warez is slang for software that has been ``liberated'' from encryption. Rapid-fire bursts of messages requesting digital goods -- games, DVDs, business software -- were interspersed among the random comments and insults:
Queball: ``Anyone know where I can a copy Sybex virtual lab. . .''
Porrin: ``@find 3d studio para pc.''
Nellie: ``Anyone here have save the last dance movie. msg me.''
The patter and trading are constant, yet this is small time. Far bigger players operate quietly with vast storage and bandwidth, cracking the copyright protection that keep the strings of ones and zeroes that underlie everything from the video game ``Tomb Raider'' to the movie ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'' and making them available in a limitless five-finger discount store in the ether.
The recent raids focused mainly on the networks of hard-core traders in a handful of groups with names like DrinkOrDie, which tended to trade for fun and not for profit. Among the computers seized were ones belonging to business executives and administrators of computer networks.
Unauthorized copying and distribution of software is a global headache for the industry, which claims that more than a third of all business software used is pirated, according to an annual report commissioned by the Business Software Alliance, a trade group. In fact, the situation has improved markedly since 1995, when the figure was closer to half of all software. In the United States the figure has dropped to 24 percent, the lowest rate in the world, because of a vigorous education and enforcement efforts and until recently a strong economy.
Overall, the cost of business software piracy alone was $11.75 billion in 2000, the group reported, although this amount assumes that any illicitly used software would otherwise have been bought by users.
The greatest incidence of software piracy, according to industry experts, occurs in business, where many employees of a firm will share a single copy of a program. Internet trading pales by comparison, said Bob Kruger, vice president for enforcement at the Business Software Alliance. But it constitutes ``the biggest threat in the future,'' he said, ``as people become more accustomed to getting digital works online.''
The software industry does not break out the statistics for piracy in higher education, but ``anecdotally, we see a lot of activity coming out of university areas,'' said Ric Hirsch, senior vice president for intellectual property enforcement at the Interactive Digital Software Association, the trade association representing computer and video game publishers.
Eugene H. Spafford, a professor of computer science and director of Purdue University's Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security, said if students lack the ethical preparation when they begin using the Internet, things quickly spiral out of control when they reach college, where they have lots of free time, peers they want to impress and high bandwidth.
That is to be expected, Spafford said, since college is a time for testing boundaries. But fixing the problem would be expensive and intrusive, he said. He questions whether the monitoring required might be worse than the disease.
``When you have one person who goes bad out of 40,000, do you want to watch that other 39,999 to catch that one?'' Spafford asked. ``To find the people doing the bad things might involve violating the privacy of all those other people. As a society is that the kind of trade-off we want to make?''
murgirl, great find. If any here wonder why there might ever be delays in bringing complex consumer electronics products to market read this. Very insightful. Best to you in the New Year murgirl.
cheers
cksla, scary but a must read. Great series of posts. Happy New Year!eom
Security dons chip, card mantles By Junko Yoshida EE Times (12/27/01, 11:52 a.m. EST)
[Last few paragraphs in particular]
Security has long been a bugaboo for anyone involved in the development of next-generation chips, systems and networks. There is no quick fix for digital security and certainly no single bulletproof cryptographic formula. But the industry is rolling out a variety of technologies, including identification tags and RF labels for objects, along with smart cards that can deny or allow access to goods and services. Security experts are increasingly aware that the limits of security lie not in the mathematics of cryptography but in the hardware, software, networks and people applying cryptography for security. "Security is a chain; it's only as secure as the weakest link," noted Bruce Schneier, chief technology officer and co-founder of Counterpane Internet Security Inc. and author of Secrets & Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World. Nonetheless, chip vendors, software developers and system companies are making strides to develop security technologies that not only guard critical data against theft but also rapidly detect burglars and respond to alarms. "As a content owner, we are not just concerned about the quality of copy protection systems; we are also concerned with the response time it takes to revoke the access rights once the copy protection system is broken," said Alan Bell, senior vice president for technology at Warner Bros. (Burbank, Calif.). "Software-based encryption/decryption may be easier to break, but it may be capable of offering a very rapid response. Being able to move fast [to block access] could be as good a protection as any." For its part, Philips Semiconductors has assembled bits and pieces of security technology under the umbrella heading of identification, said Karsten Ottenberg, senior vice president and general manager of business unit identification. The goal is to design a chain of security mechanisms "by installing our identification technologies, such as smart cards, at a number of access points — such as cell phones, PDAs, PCs and set-tops — while tagging IDs to objects like luggage, currency and important documents," he explained. In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the demand for broader security measures has grown around the globe. Ottenberg said his company has entered discussions with several countries for security projects that involve tags and labels, national ID cards, access cards and airline security measures. Of those, airline security is the most pressing project. One goal is to replace the bar-coded luggage tags currently in use with "smart tags" whose chips can be programmed with identification numbers as well as such detailed information as the luggage's check-in time and the passenger's destination. The RFID chip is placed between two layers of paper, inside the airline baggage tag. In a project undertaken by Philips Semiconductors and British Airways, an IC was attached to an antenna inside the label for communication with a scanner up to 1.2 meters away. Because smart labels use radio frequency for communication, they do not require a direct line-of-sight transmission. The technology allows several smart labels to be scanned simultaneously, speeding the baggage-handling process. The information on smart labels can be reprogrammed, eliminating the need to print and attach new labels. "One could record the weight of a bag onto the smart tag, for example, [to] track whether the baggage has mysteriously 'gained weight' as it has traveled from one gate to another within the airport," said Ottenberg. In essence, the smart tag can "improve security by tracking down where the bag has been and by not depending on people for screening once baggage is checked in." Companies such as Infineon Technologies have been working on similar RFID technology. The goal for Infineon's new RFID chips is to embed heightened security features that enable the company and its partners to produce identification systems that are resistant to counterfeiting or tampering. In personal identification applications, security features can authenticate the access status of a cardholder. The features also support secure storage of cash value amounts, allowing use of the chips in cards for prepaid payment applications. Infineon claims that its products boost available memory and use secure memory sectors on-chip to provide enhanced ID capabilities and application flexibility. The secure version of Infineon's RFID chip incorporates such advanced features as a mutual authentication algorithm based on 64-bit keys and secret key pairs to limit unauthorized access to data. The first step for any computer security system is identification and authentication: You have to be able to prove that you are who you say you are. Common means for providing such proof are passwords, biometrics and access tokens. Smart cards that enable access to goods and services are designed in such a way that secrets within the card stay within the card, and people outside the card can't affect those secrets. Without a secure perimeter built around the smart card, the fall-back is a tedious back-end processing system, such as an online verification system that checks the validity of cards and credit lines via modem. But smart cards aren't necessarily better than memory cards with limited security engines or none at all. It all depends on the application. "The smart card's tamper resistance is always breakable, given enough time and money," Schneier cautioned. "So systems should not be built whose security relies on tamper resistance. "Most people can't reverse-engineer a smart card, so the cards are secure enough against most attackers. But both smart cards and memory cards assume that the reader is trusted, and they can be defeated by a malicious reader." Memory cards and smart cards with differing levels of security are emerging. Philips Semiconductors' offerings, for example, include a dual-interface card with a cryptographic engine that can be used for both contact and contactless cards; a simple memory card, with 1 to 4 kbits of memory and some level of embedded security; and an ultralight memory card, with only a 512-bit memory and no embedded security algorithm. STMicroelectronics, Infineon and Philips Semiconductors are upgrading their current smart cards from 8-bit or 16-bit microprocessor cores to 32-bit cores. While both ST and Infineon are designing solutions based on proprietary 32-bit cores, Philips has chosen to use a MIPS core, according to Ottenberg. Some believe a proprietary microprocessor core is more secure than an open-architecture processor like MIPS, Ottenberg acknowledged. But he asserted that the flexibility and convenience of the widely available MIPS tool set far outweigh the perceived security advantage of proprietary cores. Open architecture is growing even in the security market, particularly with the use of Java technology. One example is the Java-embedded smart card, which can hold multiple digital IDs that run multiple applications on any smart-card reader equipment, said Albert Leung, Java card business-development manager at Sun Microsystems. Third parties might assign digital identities for banking access, driver's licenses or building entry. The credentials would not only identify the user but would validate the extent of the user's rights and privileges, meaning the smart card would have to perform a range of applications. With Java technology in place, banks and other entities would no longer need to tie their smart cards to specific network or reader infrastructures, Leung said. Further, with Java technology banks could provide enhanced consumer security attributes, including biometrics-based security applications.
Secure versions of flash memory cards are also appearing. The MultiMediaCard Association (MMC) recently announced that it's spinning two SecureMMC platforms. One will enable secure storage and retrieval of digital information for mobile e-transactions; the other will target content protection, managing users' access to copyrighted content. SecureMMC can offer enterprise data protection through robust security measures based on public-key infrastructure and tamper-resistant SecureMMC hardware, according to MMC executive director Andrew Prophet. The tug-of-war over copy protection persists between content owners seeking to dictate security measures in PCs and OEMs reluctant to relinquish control of key system design technologies. Counterpane's Schneier claimed that copy protection "doesn't work, period." Any copy protection scheme, even those based on hardware, can be broken, Schneier said. "Breaks don't even have to target the encryption" to defeat a copy protection scheme like the content-scrambling system, Schneier said. Since the software DVD player must decrypt the video stream in order to display it, the break attacks the video stream after decryption, he said, calling that "the Achilles' heel of all content protection schemes based on encryption." This weakness persists because "the display device must contain the decryption key in order to work."
Taking a cue from Hollywood studios, however, chip companies and system vendors are adding encryption/decryption features to high-speed digital interfaces such as IEEE 1394. "We are concerned about content protection beyond set-tops, so that our content won't be hijacked after it's been downloaded and decrypted" at the set-top box, said Warner Bros.' Bell
Online retailing showed sparkle
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fears of a dismal online holiday shopping season appeared to lift Wednesday, as major e-commerce players such as Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp. reported strong online sales growth during November and December.
Yahoo said holiday sales on its shopping Web sites rose 86 percent from a year ago, while Microsoft said its MSN network of Internet services showed sales growth of 56 percent.
The news from the two companies, along with optimistic comments from Wall Street analysts, lifted online retailing stocks, which have been battered by the U.S. economic recession and shaky consumer confidence.
Amazon.com Inc., which runs the most popular online retail site, soared $1.33, or 13.5 percent, to $11.16. Microsoft rose $1.51 to $68.78 on Nasdaq.
Both Yahoo and MSN said consumer electronics, such as digital cameras and portable music players, were among the hottest sellers.
Neither of the companies operates online stores themselves. Instead they host the stores of others and collect fees or take a cut of the revenue.
Meanwhile, analysts were still tabulating overall online sales in November and December, but the consensus is that more dollars were spent online in this holiday season than last year's.
Jupiter Media Metrix analyst Jared Blank said a strong December could push online sales during the holiday season above earlier estimates of 11 percent growth, driven by an increasing number of Internet users.
Without the effect of online travel sales, Jupiter estimates 15 percent growth from a year ago, Blank said. Online travel sales are estimated to be 8 percent lower this season, as the public shakes off jitters from the Sept. 11 airplane hijackings.
Estimates from Nielsen//Netratings, which exclude online travel sales, were more bullish. Chief analyst Lisa Strand said a surprisingly strong December could push holiday sales growth close to a months-old prediction of 43 percent, which was formulated before the events of Sept. 11.
Sales in November had showed more moderate growth, about 10 percent from a year earlier, Strand said, but sales then rebounded in the first two weeks of December.
``Given numbers in November, we were sure we wouldn't meet our number,'' she said. Now, she said, ``it looks like we're going to come fairly close. The e-tailing space is fairly healthy as far as growth year over year.''
BizRate.com, a comparison shopping site, said online sales during the weekend before Christmas, which fell on Tuesday this year, were $345 million, up 73 percent from the same weekend last year.
The rise in last minute shopping might indicate greater consumer confidence in on-time package delivery, BizRate.com said.
Amazon.com stock was among the largest gainers of the day, as an analyst with U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray made optimistic comments about the company's prospects. Amazon has the largest reach by far of so-called e-tailers, according to data by Nielsen//NetRatings.
``The traffic to Amazon sites has accelerated well ahead of other commerce sites,'' Piper Jaffray analyst Safa Rashtchy wrote in a research note. The jump in traffic appears to be corresponding with overall sales volume, he said.
Overall sales at retailers including Wal-Mart Stores Inc. have impressed Wall Street, boosting hopes that the recession will be short lived. In afternoon trade, the blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average rose 110.78 points, or 1.10 percent.
The variety in industry sales forecasts can be attributed, in part, to the range of methods used to track online sales. Nielsen, for instance, gets its figures from surveys with about 35,000 Internet users a month, while BizRate calculates its predictions from surveys with shoppers who have just made an online purchase.
Money was hard to find in tough '01
From the December 21, 2001 print edition
Lyn Berry-Helmlinger Business Journal Staff Reporter
It was a tough year for cash-strapped entrepreneurs.
Investors still recovering from the sting of their dot-bomb losses became even more wary in 2001 as the public markets continued to deteriorate.
Not a single Colorado company went public this year -- bad news for venture capitalists who depend on initial public offerings to make returns on their investments.
As a result, there was little funding for growth, according to Rick Patch, a partner with Boulder-based Sequel Venture Partners.
"The economy forced traditional business to pull their horns in and buy less, which affected any new growth or new products that might be brought to market," he said. "This forced all the existing portfolio companies to really pull back as well."
In fact, according to this year's quarterly updates from The PricewaterhouseCoopers/VentureOne MoneyTree Survey, venture capital investments declined every quarter in 2001, both locally and nationally.
As of the third quarter of this year, Colorado companies had raised $830 million, according to the survey. In 2000, investments through the third quarter totaled $2 billion in Colorado.
However, the gloomy landscape didn't stop some local companies from beating the bushes and raising a fair amount of capital, as indicated by data in the following quarterly breakdown -- all of which was collected from this year's quarterly MoneyTree surveys.
First quarter: Telecom and software
Fourteen Colorado technology firms raised $373 million in the first quarter of 2001 -- 60 percent less than what was raised during the same period in 2000.
However, Telseon, an Englewood-based telecommunications firm, managed to raise $175 million in this difficult quarter from a handful of investors led by DLJ Global Communications Partners.
According to DLJ chairman Andy Rush, Telseon was a good investment because it has a viable future as a provider of optical networks that help enterprises thrive in the new economy.
"Telseon is attractive because it has clear technology leadership, an aggressive business model and overwhelming support from key Internet backbone providers," he said.
The investment brought the company's total funding up to more than $261 million and secured its position as Colorado's top capital-raiser in 2001. The other significant investment of the quarter went to Denver-based Internet security firm, OneSecure. The company raised $67 million, led by First Union Capital Partners, bringing its total venture backing to $92 million.
"We decided to lead the round because we see OneSecure as the next leading managed security services provider," First Union principal Walker Simmons said at the time of the funding.
Venture capital alone can't make an idea profitable, however. In July, OneSecure announced that it would drop its service operations and focus on the development and sales of its security software.
The company's CEO, Don Detampel, said the company's decision was based on feedback from clients, who said they would rather use the technology in-house as a product, rather than as a service.
Second quarter: Electronics and computer hardware
The greatest funding of the second quarter went to Boulder-based DataPlay Inc., a startup that makes products such as a tiny $10, 500-megabyte storage disk that can record about 11 hours of music.
The digital media company raised $55 million in the worst money-making quarter since 1999.
During this quarter, 24 Colorado companies raised just $289 million. That amount was 75 percent less than what was raised during the same period last year.
Rick Patch of Sequel Venture Partners -- which contributed to the DataPlay investment round with the likes of Intel, Kodak, Olympus and musician David Crosby -- said it was DataPlay's world-class management team and innovative products that made it an attractive investment.
"They're top-drawer in management and they're creating products that the industry is really rallying around," he said. "This company could seriously change the way all of us interact with digital media."
DataPlay's second-quarter investment counts as the state's fourth-largest deal of the year. The company has raised $119 million since its 1998 inception.
Third quarter: biotech
The amount of capital flowing to Colorado companies declined yet again in the third quarter, to $158 million. That total, raised by 15 technology firms, was down 47 percent from the second quarter and a 58 percent decline from the first quarter of 2001.
Westminster-based biotech company, Myogen, secured the most capital in this quarter, raising $52.5 million from investors led by JPMorgan Partners. The company, which develops drugs to combat heart failure and other cardiovascular ailments, earned the fifth-largest Colorado investment of the year.
Myogen's CEO, Bill Freytag, attributes the funding interest to the company's technology, which targets the large and lucrative market of heart patients.
PricewaterhouseCoopers said the investment was the biopharmaceutical industry's third-largest, nationwide, when compared with finance rounds in the first and second quarter.
Fourth quarter and beyond: more biotech?
Although the fourth-quarter MoneyTree survey has not yet been released, it looks as though Boulder-based Pharmion Corp. will garner the largest investment. The pharmaceutical company -- which is working to bring drugs that treat blood disorders to market -- captured $65 million in funding this quarter. The investment, led by London-based Nomura International's Private Equity Group, is Colorado's third-largest in 2001.
Sequel's Patch said biotech and pharmaceutical companies will likely continue to attract investors, despite their risk, in the coming months.
"Something that really works on the human condition is almost always a home run," he said.
Overall, however, Patch said it will be the companies -- in any sector -- with strong management teams, loyal customers, and innovative and hard-to-duplicate ideas that will continue to gather attention from investors in this difficult market.
"It's during these very tough times that some of the best businesses get formed," he said. "They're formed on the principles that really matter."
Copyright 2001 American City Business Journals Inc.
Yahoo! Shopping Holiday 2001 Sales Volume Surged 86 Percent Higher Than Holiday 2000 Sales
SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 26, 2001--Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO), a leading enabler of Web transactions, today announced strong holiday online sales through its Yahoo!(R) Shopping platform. During the 2001 holiday shopping season, sales volume to Yahoo! Shopping (http://shopping.yahoo.com) showed an increase of more than 86 percent over the same period (Friday, November 23, 2001 - Monday, December 24, 2001) in 2000.
"The holiday season is a critical period for Yahoo! Shopping and we are proud to announce that our Yahoo! Shopping business has maintained extremely strong growth momentum," said Rob Solomon, vice president and general manager of Yahoo! Shopping. "Our commitment to enhancing our consumer and merchant offerings is one of the driving factors behind our ability to successfully capture increasingly more market share."
Yahoo! Shopping Holiday Season Highlights
-- Yahoo! users spent $10.3 billion online in the fourth quarter of 2001(1)
-- Yahoo! Shopping's growth outpaced analysts original holiday growth estimates of ten percent by more than eight times.(2)
-- Nielsen//NetRatings ranked Yahoo! Shopping as the No. 2 shopping destination on the Web. (November 2001)
-- The second Monday of the month has been the biggest day for sales volume for Yahoo! Shopping for two consecutive years. (Monday, December 10, 2001 was the busiest day this holiday season)
Bargain Shopping
Bargain shopping was one of the big themes that prevailed this year as numerous merchants enticed consumers to shop online by offering exclusive online sales or attractive discounts. Mirroring the offline shopping experience, Yahoo! Shopping today launched, its Post Holiday sale center, featuring a variety of offers such as 50-75 percent off merchandise from brand name retailers like Eddie Bauer, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Godiva, and SonyStyle. The Post Holiday sale center is available to consumers from the front page of Yahoo! Shopping (http://shopping.yahoo.com).
Hot Products
The top five most popular product categories on Yahoo! Shopping for the 2001 holiday shopping season were:
-- videogame consoles (Xbox, GameCube and PlayStation 2);
-- digital cameras (Olympus C-3000 Zoom, Canon PowerShot S100
Digital ELPH, Nikon Coolpix 995);
-- laptop computers (Sony VAIO PCG-R505TS, Toshiba Satellite Pro
4600, Apple Titanium PowerBook G4);
-- toys (Pixter by Fisher Price, Barbie merchandise and Bionicle
by LEGO); and
-- apparel (shoes, outerwear and lingerie).
The New Yahoo! Shopping: Four Ways To Shop -- One Way To Buy
The New Yahoo! Shopping is the only place consumers need to go to research, compare and buy almost anything online. Consumers will find the popular brand-name retailers and buying information they want, as well as millions of products from thousands of merchants and individual sellers, in more than 20 retail categories. The New Yahoo! Shopping enables consumers to use a universal search, which allows them to easily shop across: Shopping, Warehouse, Auctions, and Classifieds. The New Yahoo! Shopping also has convenient features, such as Yahoo! Wallet and Express Checkout, which make online shopping fast and easy. Additionally, Yahoo!'s audience has been ranked the most valuable shopping audience online according to Forrester Research. Yahoo! has a 73 percent reach among all online shoppers.
About Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is a leading global Internet communications, commerce and media company that offers a comprehensive branded network of services to more than 218 million individuals each month worldwide. As the first online navigational guide to the Web, www.yahoo.com is the leading guide in terms of traffic, advertising, household and business user reach. Yahoo! is the No. 1 Internet brand globally and reaches the largest audience worldwide. Through the Yahoo! Enterprise Solutions division, the company also provides online business and enterprise services designed to enhance the productivity and Web presence of Yahoo!'s clients. The company's global Web network includes 24 World properties. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., Yahoo! has offices in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Australia, Canada and the United States.
Note to Editors: Yahoo! and the Yahoo! logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Yahoo! Inc. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
(1) ACNielsen, December 2001
(2) Forrester Research (October 2001) Projected growth for U.S.
online holiday sales
--30--el/sf*
CONTACT: Yahoo! Inc., Sunnyvale
Stephanie Iwamasa, 408/349-6877
siwamasa@yahoo-inc.com
or
Fleishman-Hillard
Sherri Weiss, 917/847-2571
weisss@fleishman.com
Improved Techno Gadgets Planned
The Associated Press, Tue 25 Dec 2001
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Portable MP3 players will shrink in size but hold more songs. Cell phones will double as handheld computers. And televisions will be bigger, sharper — and cheaper.
These are some of the new — well, really just mostly improved — consumer electronic gadgets that will debut in 2002, a year that also promises some modest strides toward the wirelessly connected world that was overpromised a year ago.
Devices such as personal digital assistants, cell phones and combinations of the two will increasingly come with built-in wireless Web access.
Laptop-toters seeking to surf the Web through wireless hubs, their options currently limited, will likely see many more places offer the service as this technology proliferates.
Now that tech jargon like MP3, DVD and PDA have entered the vernacular, the consumer electronics industry is concentrating on next-generation devices, learning from the mistakes and building on the successes of the past few years.
``Expect to see more evolutionary, rather than revolutionary devices,'' said Andrew Johnson, a market researcher with Gartner Dataquest.
It's a good time for a breather, analysts say — the industry is at a crossroads, switching from analog to digital technologies, and consumers need time to fully grasp the advantages of the fancy new devices now available.
Some companies are moving cautiously after the bruising economic slowdown in 2001 depressed sales, even of popular mobile phones and handheld computers. Consumers now tend to buy products that fill real needs — rather than dumping cash on the latest cool gadget, analysts say.
Multifunction electronic devices laden with features have not necessarily been hit products, though many high-tech companies remain optimistic that the future lies with powerful, converged devices such as refrigerators with built-in Internet access or handheld computers that also serve as a cell phone, pager, digital camera, MP3 audio player and TV remote control.
But until consumers — and not just gearheads — show a liking to these technologies, and their prices become affordable, some companies are focusing on devices that serve one function well.
The TV/VCR combination wasn't a blockbuster and is now headed in the same direction as VCRs, which have been losing ground to DVD players.
Home media servers arrived in 2001, but didn't fare well either. They digitally store songs on hard disks and have Internet and home network connectivity. But many consumers found them expensive and difficult to use.
``Consumers don't want to figure out hardware or software. They're so jaded by how hard it is to set up a computer that anything that smells like it scares them to death,'' said Rob Enderle, analyst with the Giga Information Group.
In 2001, some watches that were also portable music players, such as Casio's MP3 Audio Wrist Watch, became collectors items. Internet appliances, such as Sony's eVilla or 3Com's Audrey, also vanished.
Through 2001, digital camera makers raced to improve the resolution of a picture. Now that consumer models have broken the 4- and 5-megapixel barriers, the focus will be on making cameras more affordable.
Of course that won't stop companies from introducing in coming months bleeding-edge digital cameras and camcorders that also allow Web-surfing and e-mail.
And plenty more consumer products will add features formerly found only in separate devices.
More DVD players will be able to play audio DVDs or the CDs that people burn themselves. The DVD-VCR combinations that were runaway successes in 2001 for companies like Samsung or SONICblue will see more competition.
DVD players had the Midas touch even in the 2001 slump, proving Americans still have a love affair with home entertainment — if the price is right.
Sales of digital televisions and home theater systems also grew sharply in 2001 and should rise again in 2002, driven by consumer desires to take advantage of the better picture and sound quality DVDs offer.
And with the arrival of Microsoft's Xbox and Nintendo's Game Cube this holiday season, analysts predict game consoles sell well in the coming year.
``Consumers will pay for entertainment, and more and more people are looking for entertainment at home,'' said P.J. McNealy, an industry analyst at Gartner G2.
High-tech innovations that have met with limited acceptance — Web tablets, interactive TV, personal digital video recorders — will try again in 2002.
Tablets will be slimmer and lighter. Interactive TV features will increasingly be built into cable or satellite set-top boxes. The same integrated approach is expected for DVRs, the TiVo- or ReplayTV-like devices that allow television viewers to record shows onto a hard disk and pause live programming.
In other words, even Internet appliances that had short shelf lives in 2001 will likely reappear in other forms.
``They just morph,'' said Michelle Abraham, senior analyst at Cahners In-Stat Group market research firm. ``The technology doesn't go away. It just gets recast in another type of product.''
Microsoft attacks use of Lindows name
By Kim Peterson
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 21, 2001
Software behemoth Microsoft Corp. is taking issue with the name of Lindows.com, a San Diego company founded by former MP3.com head Michael Robertson.
In a lawsuit filed yesterday in federal court, Microsoft alleges that the name Lindows could confuse the public and infringe on the trademark of its Windows operating system.
A Microsoft spokesman said the company is asking the court to force Lindows to change its name only, and not the product.
Lindows is developing a computer operating system based on the Linux platform that can run programs from Microsoft and other companies. Microsoft's Windows system runs on about 90 percent of personal computers.
Robertson said there is "zero chance" of people confusing Microsoft Corp. with Lindows, a 20-employee startup.
"We don't think there are any issues there with the name whatsoever," he said.
Robertson said according to his calculations, Microsoft has 30 times more people solely in its legal department than he employs at Lindows.
"What big companies do is try to intimidate small companies, and it's not going to work," he said.
The Lindows operating system is to be released in the first quarter of next year, but Robertson said the company will roll out a "sneak preview" of the product by the end of this month.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Kim Peterson: (619) 293-2022; kim.peterson@uniontrib.com
4video, happy holidays to you as well. I like very much the tone of your post and its content. The labels have shown themselves to be greedy xxxxing pigs for the most part in their inability to share digital music with the masses. So it should of course be no surprise that people feel almost compelled to take what they will not make available at a fair price. This is what disruptive technology is all about and the internet and peer to peer has been a textbook case of disruptive tech for the music industry. This is a bloody war now and it does indeed look like the RIAA and their cohorts are determined to footdrag and milk this for all they can. I appreciate your grasping my eclectic posting style. The good, the bad, warts and all. This story is much bigger than just e.Digital and I feel like I'm back in graduate school taking the highest level courses when I follow the entire digital music story. I think it has been a great personal trainer for investing in the stock market and mostly i've enjoyed this long strange trip.
cheers
So much for that "unrivaled" copy protection technology: Universal Music Group's first copy-protected CD, the soundtrack to "Fast & Furious -- More Music", has been cracked. This comes just two days after its debut amid a deluge of press releases announcing Universal's intention to re-release copy protected versions of their entire catalog by mid-2002.
Concerts to raise money for battle against record companies
Published 12:25 p.m. PST Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2001
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Elton John, No Doubt and the Eagles are among a group of musicians who will perform at five benefit concerts the night before the Grammy Awards telecast to raise money for a legislative fight against the record industry.
The Recording Artists Coalition, a trade group representing more than 100 entertainers, has booked several sites in Los Angeles for the Feb. 26 concerts.
Money raised from the concerts will help fund an offensive against the major record labels for allegedly denying musicians a share of royalty earnings.
Courtney Love and the Dixie Chicks are embroiled in their own legal battle accusing their labels of exploiting them financially and locking them into long-term contracts.
"It's about time for artists to take control of their work and how it is presented to our fans," said Dexter Holland of the band Offspring, which will perform as part of the effort.
Record companies deny the allegations and say musicians are receiving a fair share of revenue and royalties The five shows will feature different genres - pop, alternative, rhythm and blues, hard rock and country music.
Other artists confirmed for the performances include Billy Joel, Stevie Nicks, Weezer, Dixie Chicks and Ozzy Osbourne. More artists were expected to join the list in coming weeks.
Grammy chief Michael Greene said he is supportive of the concerts.
"I would absolutely not support this if I thought it was just an in-your-face thing against the labels," Greene said.
The tentative lineup is Billy Joel, Sheryl Crow, the Eagles, Dixie Chicks and Stevie Nicks at the Forum in Inglewood; Offspring, No Doubt, Weezer at the Long Beach Convention Center; Ozzy Osborne at the Los Angeles Sports Arena; rhythm and blues acts to be announced at the Universal Amphitheatre; and country artists at an undetermined fifth site.
repost digital radio and edig...
by: gernb1 $$$$$
11 Nov 2000, 07:02 PM EST
Msg. 530905 of 861687
Repost: Potential Dots with digital radio and why I think EDIG will be anchored
in digital music for some time to come.
By: gernb1 $$$$
Reply To: None
Thursday, 19 Oct 2000 at 1:18 PM EDT
Post # of 530903
Potential Dots with digital radio and why I think EDIG will be anchored in digital music for some time to
come.
This is all speculation on my part but I would be interested in everyones opinions.
XM Satellite Radio is developing a new band of radio. It will create and package up to 100 national
channels of digital-quality music, news, sports, talk, comedy and children's programming in its
state-of-the-art, all-digital 82-studio broadcast center in Washington, DC. The service will be uplinked to
XM's powerful satellites and transmitted directly to vehicle, home and portable radios across the
country. The company's first satellite is scheduled to launch in December. XM's consumer service is
slated to begin during the first half of 2001 for a monthly subscription fee of $9.95. XM ready radios will
be sold by automotive and retail outlets such as Best Buy and Circuit City. The company has a
long-term distribution agreement with General Motors to integrate XM-Ready radios into its vehicles
commencing in 2001. XM's strategic investors include America's leading car, radio and satellite TV
companies - General Motors, American Honda Motor Co. Inc., Clear Channel Communications,
DIRECTV and Motient Corporation (Nasdaq: MTNT). First there was AM. Then there was FM. And
now...XM Satellite Radio. For more information, please visit XM's new website: www.xmradio.com.
-----------------------------------------------------------
FROM MY #501482 POST: Both LDR and USADR [now Ibiquity] have agreed to use LDR's perceptual
audio
coder (PAC) in the unified standard.
Designed by Bell Labs, PAC is an audio compression algorithm that delivers near-CD quality audio at 96
kbits/sec over existing frequencies without denigrating the transmission of current analog programming.
Figuring they can develop a standard by the end of the year, LDR and USADR executives project that
compatible equipment will be available in 2001. ''We believe we've cut back the timeline about a year or
so,''
Pai says. ''We'll see movement from a number of players on the receiver side to accelerate product
design and
development. This is clearly a great opportunity for receiver and semiconductor makers interested in the
radio
space.'' Receiver makers already on board with LDR include Harmon Kardon and Recoton, while Sanyo
has
an agreement with USADR.
************************************************************************************
United States Patent
6,067,278
Owens, et. al.
May 23, 2000
Digital recorder for car radio
Abstract
An automobile radio/digital recording system is provided in which a digital recorder enables input either
through the radio or
through a microphone to be stored in the digital storage device and be played back through the
automobile's
radio system. Storage of
information in excess of five minutes is available.
Inventors:
Owens; Kenneth R. (Lake Mary, FL); Hrvatin; Bart (Chicago, IL).
Assignee:
Recoton Corporation (Lake Mary, FL).
Appl. No.:
55,628
Filed:
Apr. 6, 1998
Intl. Cl. :
H04H 9/00
Current U.S. Cl.:
369/7; 369/25; 704/270
Field of Search:
369/7, 29, 25; 704/270, 201, 103; 395/2.79; 341/110; 711/103;
364/400.01; 340/568
References Cited / [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
4,287,568
Sept., 1981
Lester
4,713,801
Dec., 1987
Hale
369/7
4,963,866
Oct., 1990
Duncan
341/110
5,263,199
Nov., 1993
Barnes et al.
455/344
5,459,702
Oct., 1995
Greenspan
369/25
5,491,774
Feb., 1996
Norris et al.
395/2.79
5,633,837
May, 1997
Gantt
369/7
5,696,928
Dec., 1997
Grewe et al.
711/103
5,787,399
Jul., 1998
Lee et al.
704/270
5,798,921
Aug., 1998
Johnson et al.
364/400.01
5,835,015
Nov., 1998
Ikeda
340/568
5,839,108
Nov., 1998
Daberko et al.
704/270
5,860,065
Jan., 1999
Hsu
704/270
Samsung SDI Develops Ultra-thin Lithium Ion Battery
Samsung SDI yesterday announced that they succeeded in developing the thinnest prismatic lithium ion battery in the worl....
maybe we can integrate one of these and get really small..
Pumatech Japan K.K. And Sharp Corporation Introduce New Network Service Powered by Pumatech's Sync-it Technology
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 19, 2001--Pumatech, Inc. (Nasdaq:PUMA), a leading provider of enterprise-level software products and services that deliver highly relevant information wherever and whenever it's needed, today announced that its Japanese subsidiary, Pumatech Japan K.K., has partnered with Sharp Corporation to promote a new network service that utilizes Sync-it server technology developed by Pumatech.
The Sync-it Service will enable users to securely synchronize PIM (personal information management) data among compatible devices and applications such as Sharp Zaurus devices and Microsoft Outlook through the Sync-it server on the Internet. In addition, users will be able to extract schedule and contact data from Web-based information relating to events, restaurants, travel and ticketing utilizing a custom Sync-it button that plugs into their PIM software. The service, available from http://www.pumatech.co.jp/sync-it/, makes it easy to share information among friends and co-workers, and integrates tightly with Microsoft Outlook 97/98/2000, the Sharp Zaurus MI-E21/MI-L1/MI-E1/MI-C1/MI-P10/MI-EX1 family of devices, and the Sharp Net PIM (Internet-based PIM).
Pumatech and Sharp will work together to expand adoption of the Sync-it Service by promoting integration of the "Sync-it button" into applications offered by partners. Sync-it will also help power Sharp's new, integrated "Hot PIM" Web service (http://www.spacetown.ne.jp/), which is scheduled to make its debut on Dec. 19, 2001. This service integrates the Sync-it solution directly into any Web browser.
About Sync-it
Sync-it server software provides the capability to perform secure multi-point data synchronization via TCP/IP networks. The Sync-it engine is server-based, creating a central information repository and freeing the user's personal information to flow more easily between the devices and applications they use most. Advanced sync management features and a customizable user interface give users complete control over their data. Sync-it also incorporates industry-standard SSL encryption to ensure the best security available.
About Sharp
At Sharp Electronics Corporation, our challenge is to create a balance between work time and personal time, with products that can benefit people's lives at work, at home, and everywhere in between. Sharp consumer electronics can enhance your enjoyment, add to your comfort and open new perspectives. Sharp business products can boost your productivity and reduce costs. Thus, our creed: From Sharp Minds Come Sharp Products -- products designed to help individuals, families, and corporate teams connect effortlessly, communicate clearly, and unleash creativity like never before. Sharp is dedicated to improving people's lives through the use of advanced technology and a commitment to innovation, quality, value, and design.
About Pumatech
Pumatech, Inc. (Nasdaq:PUMA) provides organizations with a comprehensive suite of enterprise-level software products and services that deliver highly relevant information -- wherever and whenever it's needed. The company's portfolio makes Pumatech a single resource, providing the infrastructure necessary to expand the boundaries of information. Organizations can choose to use Pumatech's ready-made enterprise offerings, or they can leverage Pumatech's professional services team to create custom solutions built upon Pumatech's core enterprise platform. Pumatech's customer and strategic partner base includes Global 2000 companies such as Siebel, Oracle, Yahoo!, NTT DoCoMo, Boeing, CNET and General Motors. The company has headquarters in Silicon Valley, Tokyo and London. Pumatech offers more information on its products and services at www.pumatech.com.
Cautionary Statement: Except for historical information, all of the expectations and assumptions contained in the foregoing are forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the ability of the parties to develop and integrate the software and related technologies in and timely manner and successfully deploy the services and risks related to market acceptance of combined services offered. For additional information regarding these and other risks associated with the companies' business refer to their reports filed with the SEC.
Forward-looking statements in this news release are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks relating to possible product defects and product liability, risks related to international sales and potential foreign currency exchange fluctuations, continued acceptance of Pumatech's products, increased levels of competition, technological changes, dependence on intellectual property rights and other risks detailed from time to time in Pumatech's periodic reports filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulatory authorities.
Note to Editors: Pumatech is a trademark of Pumatech, Inc., that may be registered in certain jurisdictions. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
--30--jp/sf*
CONTACT: Pumatech Japan K.K.
Kyosuke Wakairo or Yumiko Kishi, 81-(0)3-3511-0600
press@pumatech.co.jp
or
Sharp Corporation
Public Relations Department, 81-(0)6-6625-3006 (Osaka);
81-(0)3-3260-1870 (Tokyo)
Pixo Makes Navigating Thousands of MP3 Songs Easy With the Pixo MP3 Mobile Navigator Software
Posted 17. December 2001 23:07 by bandradio
Pixo Inc. (www.pixo.com), a leading provider of platforms and applications for mobile devices, today announced the availability of the Pixo MP3 Mobile Navigator application to navigate thousands of MP3 songs quickly and easily on small screen, mobile MP3 players.
The Pixo MP3 Mobile Navigator features a graphical user interface built on the Pixo OS Platform, a small code size operating system designed for mobile consumer electronics products.
As mobile MP3 player capabilities advance to make downloading and playing thousands of songs a reality, Pixo provides device manufacturers with the software needed to make a compelling user experience, so consumers can quickly sort through their music with an easy-to-use graphical interface.
A PC evaluation of the Pixo MP3 Mobile Navigator is available for download today at http://developer.pixo.com/downloads/mp3_download.htm.
In addition, Pixo has aligned itself with PortalPlayer Inc., a leading provider of platform solutions for digital audio entertainment products. The two companies will work together to provide consumer electronics and computer manufacturers with the tools to build more intuitive MP3 products.
"Managing thousands of tracks on a small display and without a keyboard is a challenge for the consumer. Even more difficult is the system designer's task of creating the interactive experience for these new types of devices. The release of the Pixo MP3 Mobile Navigator gives manufacturers a tool to easily implement a user-friendly GUI," said Michael Maia, vice president of marketing at PortalPlayer.
"Together the PortalPlayer digital media platform and the Pixo MP3 Mobile Navigator provide manufacturers a complete solution to create feature-rich, user-friendly entertainment products."
According to IDC, worldwide portable digital music player unit shipments will grow from 3.3 million in 2000 to more than 25 million in 2005. "As the market grows, there will be greater pressure on manufacturers to add capabilities which will increase device complexity," said Rich Rifredi, vice president, corporate development, Pixo.
"Consumers demand easy-to-use devices and the Pixo MP3 Mobile Navigator makes it easy to navigate thousands of songs sorted by song, album and artists."
The Pixo MP3 Mobile Navigator provides maximum flexibility in product design as the user interface can work on 2-way, 4-way and dial/wheel input designs and can run on nearly any small screen resolution from single line text displays to 240 x 320 and larger high-resolution displays. This provides manufacturers with the ability to have a common user interface across various hardware designs in their product offering.
For manufacturers who want to differentiate within a product line, the Pixo User Interface (UI) Builder provides a tool to quickly change the look and feel of the user interface for unique branding and navigation across products.
The Pixo MP3 Mobile Navigator is a Pixo OS Platform application and leverages more than five years of OS Platform development. In addition to the MP3 application, the Pixo MP3 Mobile Navigator supports telephony, games, personal information management, Pixo M-Script applications and Web browsing for manufacturers creating convergent devices such as mobile phones with MP3 player capabilities, smart phones with telephony, PIM and MP3 player capabilities, and handheld game devices with MP3 player capabilities.
Key features include:
-- A graphical user interface to navigate thousands of songs fast and easy with search options by artist, song and album
-- Personalized playlists that can be created by the end-user
-- PixoInvasion and Snake graphical games that can be played simultaneously with MP3 playback
-- Flexible user interface design provides manufacturers with a choice of input devices including 2-way navigation buttons, wheel/dial and touchscreen
-- Application framework and reference applications to reduce development time
-- Pixo UI Builder tool to develop customer user interfaces for unique product branding
-- A flexible software platform that can support a variety of displays from single line text displays to high resolution bit map displays and porting APIs for various hardware designs including ARM, PowerPC, X86, and Dragonball providing manufacturers with greater product design choices
-- Advanced graphical capabilities including 32-bit color and animation for a compelling user experience
-- Small code size for cost-effective manufacturing
More information and screen shots of the Pixo Mobile Navigator are available at www.pixo.com/products/products005.htm.
About the Pixo OS Platform
The Pixo OS Platform is a small code size software application platform for manufacturers of mobile devices. The platform has been in development for more than five years and consists of a C/C++ application framework, hardware abstraction layers, and a script-based user interface design, which allows user interface customization without changes to the C/C++ code.
The Pixo UI Builder tool and Pixo OS Platform for PCs provide a PC-based development environment for rapid prototyping and product development significantly reducing time-to-market and development costs.
About PortalPlayer
PortalPlayer develops and markets advanced systems for digital audio recording and playback, using MP3 and other popular digital compression technologies.
The company was the first to introduce a platform for the encoding of digital audio files without the use of a PC. Founded in May 1999, PortalPlayer has headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif. and has major offices in Seattle; Charlotte, N.C.; and Hyderabad, India; and has more than 200 employees worldwide. More information on PortalPlayer is available at www.portalplayer.com.
About Pixo
Pixo is a global leader in wireless application delivery. It develops and markets server, browser and application technology to enable operators and enterprises to deliver a compelling experience to subscribers and mobile workers.
Its products, including the Pixo Mobile Download Server, M-Script Applications(TM), Pixo Internet Microbrowser and the Pixo OS Platform, support open standards, eliminating barriers to development while opening up device options.
With offices in the United States, Hong Kong and Europe, the company is committed to speeding the development and deployment of profitable mobile applications. For more information, visit its Web site at http://www.pixo.com
Suppliers Shipping Early To Get A Jump Start On 2002
By Amy Gilroy
TWICE
12/17/01
Several suppliers are shipping products early this year to avoid end-of-the-year shortages that typically plague retailers and suppliers, and pose a threat to holiday sales.
Both Sony and Pioneer are shipping 2002 model low-end CD players in November and December this year, as the leader CD receiver is often the product in shortest supply during Christmas, they said.
As suppliers typically introduce new products in the first quarter they try to close the year with as little inventory as possible on store shelves. This makes predicting inventories for Christmas very tricky, and often leaves dealers short on hot products by November or December.
Notes Pioneer marketing VP Mike Townsen, "It's difficult to judge and we have to make those forecasts four months in advance, so its hard to get that right every year. So we're shipping two models earlier this year to make sure we have ample supply and to start the model year with as much momentum as possible."
Pioneer's new models lead with the DEH 1400 single-play CD unit, which began shipping to distributors in early November. The product is available on a limited basis. Features include detachable face, 45 watt by 4 built-in amplifier, and new blue backlighting at a suggested retail price of $170.
The step-up model, the DEH-2400F, adds a full flap detachable face so that the CD slot is located behind the display, allowing for a larger display. Suggested retail price is $200.
For its part, Sony began shipping last month a budget-priced in-dash CD receiver called the CDXL-300, which has a suggested retail price of $149.
Several other suppliers are also offering new products during the fourth quarter, including Aiwa, Blaupunkt and Rockford Fosgate. As a harbinger of what to expect in most 2002 lines, almost all of the new products are MP3 capable.
AIWA launched its first car MP3 head unit that plays both MP3 and Windows Media Audio (WMA) encoded CDs. WMA is a compression format similar to MP3 which uses half the disc space. Blaupunkt is the only other company shipping a WMA-ready head unit.
The new top-of-the-line AIWA CDC-MA01 has a front-panel input jack for a portable CD or MP3 player and comes with a motorized flip-down, hideaway panel. It has a built-in 50 watt, four-channel amplifier, CD changer control, source level adjuster to match output levels from different sources, Advanced H-Bass for fine tuning bass and a wireless steering wheel remote.
The CDC-MA01 will ship in November at a suggested list price of $349.95.
Blaupunkt is debuting a 1GB IBM Microdrive for shuttling MP3 files to and from the car. Called the MDP-01, it is about the size of a handheld PDA and it stores up to 18 hours of music — the equivalent of 15 CDs. The drive works with certain Blaupunkt Skyline and Funline series head units and it ships with a USB docking station and software for downloading MP3 files. It uses the reference standard for MP3 encoding/decoding developed by the Fraunhoffer Instititute for high-quality reproduction, said a spokesman. The MDP-01 will be available in December at a suggested retail price of $799.
Also new from the company is its first Skyline series CD receiver with MP3. Called the Los Angeles MP71, the new top-line unit comes with a three band digital equalizer, DigiCeiver tuner and subwoofer output. It has 50 watt by 4 built-in power and is expected to ship in December at a suggested retail price of $549.
This is joined by the MP3000 CD receiver, also with MP3 and WMA, and CD-R capability. The unit uses ID3 tag information to show artist, song and album information and has several disc search functions. It offers 47 watts by 4 built in power.
Rockford Fosgate is debuting a full line of MP3 capable CD receivers with CD-R and CD-RW compatibility. The three new models feature IR remote control capability and cellphone mute. The two top-line models also have motorized removable faceplates, and the top-of-the-line model also has 100 disc programming. Suggested retail prices for the new models including the RFX9210, RFX9110 and RFX 9000 range from $349.95 to $499.95.
Poor techhunter, this review is really not that bad other than the fact that it is INCREDIBLE that someone could review this player and NOT comment on the VoiceNav feature. Now that is remarkable! The fact most seem to miss is this IS a pretty high end player not targeted at the MP3 debutante crowd per se. These folks know there way around the computer in general and around digital music files and their storage/transfer and won't have the kind of trouble this woman at PCwhirled seems to think they will have IMO. Question for you, "Do you think it was a fair and thorough review of the MXP 100 which did not include any mention of VoiceNav control which is plastered on the front of the box?"
Cheers
New technology names that song
Posted at 10:51 a.m. PST Friday, Dec. 14, 2001
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) -- Ever hear a song on the radio that catches your interest, but
miss its name?
By the end of next year, a new high-tech tool could solve your problem.
Royal Philips Electronics NV, the Dutch electronics giant, has developed it and says it will start
selling licenses for so-called ``Audio Fingerprinting.''
The technology allows you to retrieve, within seconds, not only a track's title but also the artist and
album. All that's required is to hold a mobile phone to a radio's speaker for three seconds -- long
enough to record a digital fingerprint -- when a song is playing.
The cell phone sends the fingerprint to a database that matches it with the identifying codes of
almost every song ever recorded and released.
Less than four seconds after dialing the service number, up pops a text message on your cell phone
with the song's ID.
Microsoft Corp. and other companies are developing similar technology.
Philips researchers are say background noise or poor sound quality should not prevent the server
from recognizing a song.
``The fingerprint might contain small mistakes. The technology is so robust that it can handle
that,'' said Jaap Haitsma, a Philips research scientist.
Philips Digital Networks, a subsidiary of the Amsterdam-based company, has patents on the
technology and on some of the possible applications.
The company, which did not specify prices, says it plans to sell a computer server with the music
fingerprints and a license for the software bearing the technology. Spokeswoman Ellen de Vries
said the company is in talks with several telecom companies, which she declined to identify.
In a later stage, Philips says it may also install the technology on its own electronic devices.
Employees of Philips Research Laboratories in the southern town of Eindhoven are testing the
technology, using a database of 300,000 songs. Earlier tests were conducted with a few tens of
thousands.
The technology comes down to a calculation process -- a very smart mathematical algorithm that
classifies songs based on a recording's notes, their pitch, speed, variety and dynamics, said
Haitsma.
``The three seconds of music can be anywhere in any song. If you don't have the right algorithm
there will not be enough computers on planet earth to handle this process,'' he said.
The technology, if proven, could have a variety of applications.
An Internet service provider could offer the service to customers who frequently download MP3s
to help them organize music collections stored on their hard drives.
Copyright protection agencies could also use the technology to identify and catalogue which songs
played on the radio.
As well, a legitimate online music services running on the Napster model could use the technology
to stop copyright-protected material from being shared.
Dealers Compress MP3 Promotions: Beyen Research
By Joseph Palenchar
TWICE
12/17/2001
Niagara Falls, N.Y.— Retailers scaled back their promotion of Internet audio portables in the first 10 months of the year following a rapid ramp-up during the year-ago period, when many new brands broke into the brick & mortar retail channel, Beyen International Market Research found.
The market research company also found an increase in the number of times that Creative Labs, Iomega and Samsung products were advertised and a significant decrease in the number of times that RCA and SonicBlue (and its sister brands Sensory Science and Diamond) were advertised by retailers.
In tracking retail ads in more than 90 newspapers and catalogs, Beyen found that the total number of Internet portables appearing in ads fell 13.3 percent to 9,636 from January to October 2001 following a peak of 11,119 during those months in 2000.
Beyen also found that, even though retailers were promoting the category less often, the number of brands appearing in their January-October ads grew to 43 from 31, reflecting a still-growing number of new entrants into the market.
Internet portable advertising hit a peak in 2000 as more brands entered the brick & mortar retail channel, Beyen said. That year was the first full year in which multiple brands of MP3 portables were advertised. By contrast, in 1999 multiple brands began appearing in ads only in the second half. Before then, only one brand, Diamond, made it into retailers' print ads.
The number of Internet portables advertised might have shrunk because of a growing number of other products that play MP3 files, Beyen speculated. They include headphone CD players that play MP3-CDs and PDAs and cellphones that play MP3 or other compressed-audio files.
In analyzing the advertising frequency of the top-10 advertised brands, Beyen found:
The top-10 advertised brands accounted for 90 percent of all advertised products during the 10-month period, down from 96 percent during the year-ago period.
The number of SonicBlue products advertised (including the sister Diamond and Sensory Science brands) fell 46.7 percent to 1,969, and the brands' advertising share slipped to 20 percent of all Internet portable ads from 33 percent.
Creative Labs' share rose to 12.6 percent (1,211 ads) from 6.4 percent (708 ads) of all advertised products.
Samsung's share rose to 9.8 percent from the year-ago's 2.6 percent.
Sony's share shrank dramatically to 8.5 percent from 24.2 percent.
Dlink's share rose to 7.6 percent from 6.5 percent.
RCA's share fell dramatically to 7.6 percent from 19.3 percent.
Iomega's share grew to 6 percent from 1.3 percent.
And I-Jam fell off the chart, while newcomers Intel, Compaq, and Kidboard broke into the chart.
More MP3-CD, Hard-Drive Portables Due
By Joseph Palenchar
TWICE
12/17/2001
New York— Suppliers will turn increasingly to 3-inch and 5-inch MP3-CD portables and portable battery-powered hard drives to capture their share of the Internet audio portable business, but companies won't abandon the solid-state portable market despite profitability challenges.
At CES, suppliers will upgrade the feature packages and storage capacity of solid-state music portables, whose unit growth was described by some manufacturers as slowing or going negative because of accelerating sales of MP3-CD portables and aggressive pricing on hard-drive portables.
Some suppliers will expand embedded memory to 128MB from 64MB, and at least two suppliers will launch their first multicodec solid-state models.
Also at CES:
At least two companies will join RCA in showing their first portable MP3 hard drives.
mp3PRO will appear in the first solid-state portables.
And at least one more company will launch its first 3-inch MP3-CD portable, joining Philips, Compaq, Imation and Teac's data-storage division in this segment.
The art of the quantum leap
Dec 6th 2001
Magnetic storage: The innovation of the “giant magneto-resistive” head—the
breakthrough that boosted the capacity of hard-drives from a few gigabytes
to 100 gigabytes and more—came from chance observation, basic research
and a vast, painstaking search for the right materials. This case history points
to the need for companies to build close ties between their research
laboratories and product development divisions
THEY are often taken for granted: but the magnetic materials that are the
basis of computer technology have a long and intriguing history. In ancient
times, the Chinese and Greeks were well aware of the attractive power of
lodestone. Italian seafarers used the mineral's insistence on pointing north for
navigation in the 14th century. But it was not until the beginning of the 17th
century that an English physician named William Gilbert showed that the earth
itself was one giant magnet.
Navigation aside, the commercial exploitation of magnetism really began only
in the 19th century. The starting-point was the observation by Lord Kelvin of
how the electrical properties of a piece of iron change when it is placed in a
magnetic field. The effect, called magneto-resistance, derives from the way the
magnetic field interacts with atoms in the metal, causing them to change their
orientation. Today, magneto-resistance is used widely in magnetic sensors and
in read-heads for hard-drives in computers. It is probably fair to say that
magneto-resistance may have done more than any other branch of physics to
make the information society a reality (see image).
But if that was all that had happened, the computer industry would have run out
of data-storage space long before now. Fortunately, a new magneto-resistance
phenomenon was discovered a decade or so ago. Independently of one
another, two groups of physicists—one led by Albert Fert in France and the other
by Peter Grünberg in Germany—noticed that, when they exposed thin layers of
magnetic materials to a magnetic field, they observed a much larger effect
than anything they had previously seen. The result was so dramatic that the
phenomenon quickly became known as “giant magneto-resistance” (GMR).
The physicists' motivation was pure scientific curiosity. One of the first people to
recognise the potential of GMR to boost the storage capacity of computer
hard-drives was Stuart Parkin of IBM's Almaden Research Centre in San Jose,
California. What followed was a remarkable quantum leap in storage capacity.
Computer hard-drives suddenly jumped from a few paltry gigabytes to tens and
now hundreds of gigabytes, making it possible for even laptops to store as
much information as the Library of Congress.
Without question, the GMR head therefore ranks as one of the most significant
innovations the computer industry has witnessed. However, important as it has
been to the computer industry, how the innovation was executed is a model for
technology-based businesses everywhere. Here, then, is a case history—the
first of a series—of how GMR changed the face of data storage.
Reading, writing and arithmetic
Data on personal computers are stored on a hard-drive's platter in the form of
the orientation of tiny magnetised domains, which constitute units of
information storage called “bits” (binary digits). A sensor known as a
read-write-head skims across the surface of the spinning platter on a cushion
of air less than a thousandth of an inch thick. As it does so, the head uses an
electrical current from the computer, which is flipping rapidly on and off in a
pattern representing a stream of digital 1s and 0s, to alter the polarity of the
magnetic domains on the surface of the disk below. If the electrical signal is
on, then the bit of data that is formed in this way is a 1; if it is off, the bit is a
0. To read the information back, the head simply reverses the process.
The first hard-drive was introduced by IBM in 1956. It was the size of a
refrigerator and it literally weighed a ton. Altogether, it used 50 platters
measuring 24 inches in diameter to store five megabytes. The first significant
improvement was IBM's invention of the “thin-film induction” head. The
breakthrough here was the use of a single element to read and write data from
and to the disk. In its writing mode, an electrical current sent through a coil
induced a magnetic field within the head that was projected on to the spinning
disk. In its reading mode, magnetic fields from the boundaries between
neighbouring bits on the disk induced small currents in the head's coil.
Ingenious as it was, the concept was not easy to scale up. As hard-drives grew
in storage capacity, the magnetic domains had to be made smaller so as to
accommodate more of them on a platter. That meant that the currents which
the bits induced got weaker, like voices fading in a crowd. If the trend had
continued, heads would have been able to write bits smaller than they could
read—thereby putting an upper limit on the capacity of hard-drives.
All that changed in 1991 when IBM introduced the first “anisotropic
magnetoresistive” (AMR) read-heads for hard-drives. The invention was the
outcome of a challenge that IBM had set for itself to achieve a storage density
of one gigabit per square inch on a hard-drive platter. Rather than use
conventional heads that measured the magnetic field from the bits directly, the
trick was to use heads that changed their resistance in response to the
orientation of the bits on the platter. That resulted in a head which, in read
mode, was more sensitive to the weaker signals from the smaller bits.
Thanks to AMR heads, hard-drive manufacturers were able to increase storage
densities by around 60% a year during the 1990s. But even that solution was
not forever. The resistance changes that AMR heads relied on were only a few
percent at a time. In the end, such changes could not keep up with the pace of
miniaturisation as customers demanded ever higher-density hard-drives.
Serendipity at work
In the spring of 1988, Dr Parkin left his San Jose laboratory for a scientific
meeting in France. There, he heard Dr Fert report unexpectedly large resistance
changes in his magnetic multi-layer structures of as much as 50%. But there
was a catch. The multi-layers took time and care to make. That meant
spending a lot of money. Worse, the GMR effect required temperatures close to
absolute zero (-273°C) and magnetic fields at least 1,000 times stronger than
the earth's—hardly the conditions for making hard-drives.
Dr Parkin had already been experimenting with ways of boosting storage
density using a “cheap and fast” technique called sputtering. This is an indirect
way of coating a surface by blasting a material in a container and using the
splashes to cover the object—rather like firing pellets into a bucket of paint and
letting the splashes paint the ceiling.
At the time, it was widely believed that sputtering
would not work with the highly structured
materials used in the GMR studies. Fortunately,
Dr Parkin chose to ignore the consensus view. He
sputter-coated sandwiches of magnetic layers
only a few atoms thick, separated by “spacer”
layers of non-magnetic metals. On measuring
them, he found they were producing very large
changes in resistance, even in his earliest
samples.
Encouraged, Dr Parkin and his colleagues created new materials that served as
a so-called “spin-valve”—named for the way magnetic spin (see below) turns
resistance on and off. The advantage of a spin-valve sensor is that a very
small magnetic field causes a relatively large change in the sensor's resistance.
Such a change can be anything from ten to 100 times that of the original AMR
sensors. To everybody's delight, Dr Parkin's new spin-valve materials not only
produced the GMR effect, but did so at room temperature and with magnetic
fields as low as those used in hard-drives. They had just struck gold.
But before they could start minting it, they needed to find which combination of
materials to use. With the theoretical predictions proving wrong, the IBM team
set about examining elements drawn from practically the whole of the periodic
table. All told, the group made and tested no fewer than 30,000 multi-layer
combinations of elements.
Here, serendipity entered the picture for a second time. Because such a wide
range of materials was sampled, Dr Parkin's group had a unique database of
the effects of various combinations of materials for careful study. In doing so,
the team made an absolutely crucial discovery. They found that varying the
thickness of the spacer layer actually affected the behaviour of the magnetic
layers. In short, success would come not simply from selecting the right
combination of materials; how they were assembled would be even more
important.
Getting the dimensions right for the multi-layered GMR head then became a
matter of understanding exactly what was going on at a quantum level within
the materials. In essence, the spin-valve structure of a GMR head has three
very thin layers: a “pinned” layer of magnetic material that is kept in a fixed
magnetic orientation; a non-magnetic spacer layer; and a second magnetic
layer that changes magnetic orientation as the disk rotates beneath it (see
illustration above).
GMR exploits a quantum property of electrons called spin. This is an effect that
causes electrons to act like microscopic bar magnets oriented in either of two
directions, described as up or down. When a GMR structure encounters the
magnetic field of a bit of information on a rotating hard-drive, the polarity of
the sensor layer aligns with that of the nearby fixed-spin layer in a parallel or
anti-parallel (ie, in line but pointing the opposite way) fashion.
This alignment enhances the change in resistance to an electric current passing
through the sensor. That is because an electric current flows more freely when
two magnetic layers are oriented in the same direction than when they are at
an angle or directly opposed to one another. It is the change in current flow,
measured by the hard-drive's electronics, that represents the data being read
from or written to the rotating disk. By understanding the roles that the three
layers played, the IBM group was all set to start juggling the thicknesses and
materials of the multi-layered structure.
By the end of 1997, IBM was ready to introduce its revolutionary GMR
hard-drive. Since then, the rest of the hard-drive industry has scrambled to
catch up. In the process, storage densities have soared from the 1 to 2
gigabits per square inch of the first GMR hard-drives to more than 27 gigabits
per square inch today. The present record holder, a pocket-sized 120 gigabyte
hard-drive from Western Digital, can store the equivalent of a stack of
double-spaced typewritten pages taller than an 18-storey building.
Chance and the prepared mind
Innovations invariably proceed in fits and starts. The invention of the GMR
head required an innovative application of innovative science to make a device
that overcame the limits of an existing technology. The IBM researchers had to
study the basics of solid-state physics and find ways to apply what they had
learned to new insights that colleagues at Almaden had gained from
scrutinising advanced concepts of magnetic storage.
The theory, though essential, was not enough. Creating these multi-layered
structures demanded a painstaking process of trial and error. Greasing the
wheels in all this was a supportive milieu that resulted from a close association
between IBM's research and product divisions. In the end, recalls Dr Parkin, the
amazing thing was that it was possible to build a structure, atomic layer by
atomic layer, with properties that do not exist in nature, and to create
something that could actually be manufactured at a price that consumers could
afford.
Microsoft says XP will support Bluetooth
By Robert Keenan
CommsDesign.com
(12/12/01, 5:50 p.m. EST)
SAN FRANCISCO — Barely a year after claiming that Bluetooth was not ready for use in its operating systems, Microsoft Corp. threw the technology a life preserver on Tuesday (Dec. 11), announcing plans to offer native Bluetooth support in future versions of Windows XP.
"Bluetooth cannot be a technology island onto itself," said Andy Glass, Microsoft's Bluetooth technologies program manager, in a presentation at the Bluetooth Developers Conference here. "If the technology does not talk/work with other technologies, we will be limiting ourselves."
By supporting Bluetooth in XP, Microsoft is building a bridge to the technology to expand the scope of its implementation. Microsoft's goal is to build a seamless wireless network where end users can move freely between wireless LAN, Bluetooth, and third-generation (3G) wireless networks without having to reconfigure their PC or understand which network they are roaming into, Glass said.
Microsoft has already announced plans to support IEEE 802.11b radio networks in its XP operating system. By also offering native support for Bluetooth, Glass said Microsoft can provide seamless roaming between both wireless LANs and wireless personal-area networks (PANs).
But the trick to making Bluetooth successful will be to create a good experience for end users. "Bluetooth must be robust and reliable. It's up to us to abstract the technology so it looks like it's a reliable transport to the end users," Glass said. "Personally, I don't trust that the transport will always work. But to the end user, it must look like it always works."
Designers will have to develop software and chips that support seamless roaming, he said.
Chip makers are already working to integrate Bluetooth and 802.11b support on a single device. Cambridge Silicon Radio, Embedded Wireless Devices, Intersil, Mobilian, and others have begun work on baseband chip sets that marry the two technologies.
Microsoft is helping out on the software side. Within its native Bluetooth support, Microsoft will provide a set of software profiles that make it easier to use Bluetooth in a PC environment. Glass said Microsoft will provide native support for the human interface device profile, which will link keyboards and mice to PCs; the dial-up networking profile; a PAN profile; and the enhanced service discovering protocol profile, which allows one system with Bluetooth to discover another in a piconet and determine its capabilities.
Microsoft's turnabout on Bluetooth is a big win for industry, said Simon Ellis, marketing chairman of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group. Microsoft's native support will lessen the pain of implementing Bluetooth and increase its overall acceptance, he said.
Calling IPv6
One implication of Microsoft's vision of an always-connected system is the need for a link between Bluetooth and Internet Protocol version 6. Six million to 13 million Bluetooth chip sets will be shipped in 2001, and that number could grow to one billion over the next five years, Glass said. Each of those devices would require an IP address, Glass said.
The sheer number of addresses will require IPv6, he said. "IPv4 does not provide enough address support," he said. "That's not a good user experience.
Cambridge Silicon Radio is not wasting any time on this front. At the Developers Conference, the Bluetooth chip and software provider announced plans to build an IPv6 profile that it will port to BlueCore, the architecture at the heart of its chip sets.
Widcomm, Open Interface and others are expected to quickly roll out IPv6 profiles as well.
Cambridge Silicon Radio and Silicon Wave will directly benefit from Microsoft's Bluetooth support in XP. Microsoft has named both as "golden radio" providers, which means their radio chips will be used to help qualify products for Microsoft's Designed for Windows XP Program, formerly known as the Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) program.
"All radios that want certification must be tested against our [and CSR's] radios," said David Hytha, vice president of Silicon Wave. "By extension, we're automatically qualified." Hytha pointed out that it is too early to officially qualify a supplier, because Microsoft has not set up the test bed.
Microsoft's anointing of the two early adopters of Bluetooth technology could boost both companies, especially with suppliers like Ericsson Microelectronics, Motorola and others competing in the same space.
Robert Keenan is editor-in-chief of CommsDesign.com, an online sister publication of EE Times.
Chip venders feed Bluetooth market
Margot Suydam, Technology Editor -- CommVerge, 12/12/01
Driven by consumer and equipment-vendor demands for Bluetooth-enabled devices, semiconductor vendors are moving to capitalize on an opportunity that will be substantial, according to a recent report from Cahners In-Stat Group. The high-tech research firm says that Bluetooth chipset shipments are on track to meet a previous 2001 forecast of 13 million. At this week's Bluetooth Developers Conference, chipset makers continued to position themselves with new products that offer increased integration and lower cost.
Texas Instruments announced a new ROM-based Bluetooth baseband processor, which offers reductions in system cost and board space. The company says that the BSN6050 provides full-data-rate Bluetooth links at a volume price as low as $5, making possible the advent of new mass-market consumer products at affordable prices. The processor targets a wide range of applications, such as cell phones, PDAs, printers, music players, access points, telematics products, and entertainment or PC peripherals.
The new point-to-multipoint BSN6050 system is ROM-coded up to the host-controller-interface level of the Bluetooth stack. For certain high-volume, embedded applications the entire protocol stack and application can also be ROM-coded, meaning the chip can provide a self-contained Bluetooth system for small peripherals such as a mouse, keyboard, or joystick. In addition, a "patch-RAM" allows product teams to include minor code enhancements without requiring a new ROM version. By removing the requirement for external flash memory, this achieves significant savings in board area.
Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector, meanwhile, has entered the Bluetooth market with a complete Bluetooth platform compliant with the 1.1 version of the spec. The platform includes a baseband processor with a host-controller interface, an RF BiCMOS (bipolar complementary metal oxide semiconductor) Bluetooth Class 2 transceiver, a Bluetooth Class 1 power amplifier, and a power-management chipset for headset and cell-phone accessories.
Designed to accelerate development of Bluetooth systems for cell phones, PDAs, headsets, and other products, the platform also includes embedded software, development tools, and reference design kits. According to the company, the platform provides high-quality audio, certified interoperability, and 802.11b coexistence.
Spirea AB announced BlueTraC, a low-cost RF transceiver chip, and BlueAmp, a power amplifier that extends the range of Bluetooth radios. According to Anders Oldebäck, Spirea's vice president of marketing and sales, the company has optimized the RF CMOS design process and so has been able to develop extremely small and low-power Bluetooth components that cost far less than the industry average. Moreover, the BlueTraC tranceiver needs no external passive components and incorporates dynamic power-management features. BlueTraC complies with Bluetooth 1.1 and supports industry-standard radio interfaces.
BlueAmp, meanwhile, is a low-cost, small power amplifier that extends the range of Bluetooth radios from 10 to 100 meters. Also designed using Spirea's proprietary CMOS process, BlueAmp can operate with BlueTraC and other 2.4-GHz radios. The device features a four-level power-control scheme to satisfy the Bluetooth class 1 specification.
SiGe Semiconductor also announced a power amplifier. The SE2520L is a linear 2.4-GHz power amplifier that fully complies with the Bluetooth 1.1 and IEEE 802.11b specifications. Leveraging a silicon-germanium BiCMOS technology, the device offers 50 percent lower current consumption than alternative products, the company contends. The combination enables effective multimode power amplifiers in a range of portable and stationary 2.4-GHz applications.
In the module arena, Ericsson Microelectronics' ROK 101 007 is a complete Bluetooth multichip module (MCM) that supports up to seven slave units and incorporates onboard firmware to provide a standardized host-controller interface. The module is in volume production now. Designed for use in a wide range of portable and other electronic devices, the device is a complete wireless unit, excluding antenna, which enables Bluetooth products to be brought to market quickly and reliably.
The module supports both voice and data applications and includes support for industry-standard protocols including USB, UART, and PCM. The module is qualified to the 1.1 spec and type-approved to both FCC and ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) requirements, which accelerates product qualification. The company claims that the module ensures robust communication with both nearby and distant transmitters and operates flawlessly in RF-intensive environments.
Meanwhile, Oki Semiconductor announced a small Bluetooth module systems development kit (MSDK). With a footprint of 95 by 55 millimeters, the Bluetooth MSDK can be used as an evaluation and/or prototyping system. The module aims to help system designers reduce their design time by six to nine months. According to the company, the MSDK suits applications that require small, light, low-power, cost-effective components, such as laptops, printers, PDAs, and portable music devices.
TI Intros DSPs For Speech and Voice Recognition Applications
By Mark Long -- e-inSITE, 12/12/01
Texas Instruments has introduced two new devices that combine the company's TMS320C5000 DSP with the ARM7 Thumb RISC processor. Already in production, the TMS320C5470 and TMS320C5471 DSPs are targeted at text-to-speech conversion and voice recognition applications.
Both devices are based on TI's 100MHz/100 MIPS TMS320C54x DSP, which features 72 Kwords of RAM and two multichannel buffered serial ports. The integrated 47.5-MHz ARM7 RISC processor features a single-port 10/100 Base-T Ethernet, general-purpose I/O, two universal asynchronous receiver/transmitters (UART), a serial port interface, I2C interface, and 16 Kbytes of zero-wait-state synchronous random access memory (SRAM).
The C5470 and C5471 DSPs integrate both the communication peripherals and stacks for the 10/100 Ethernet, home phone line network alliance (HPNA), Bluetooth and 802.11b wireless LAN standards. In addition, the devices have been designed to interface with TI's BNS6030 Bluetooth chip or TI's ACX100 802.11b chipset to provide wireless connectivity. Also on tap: an integrated 10/100 Ethernet media access controller (MAC) and media independent interface (MII) for connecting to Ethernet or HPNA networks.
TI's programmable DSPs are supported by the eXpressDSP suite of development tools including the DSP/BIOS real-time scalable kernel. In addition, the devices are supported by RidgeRun's DSPLinux embedded RISC operating system as well as a board support package that is bundled with emulation technology and hardware target evaluation modules (EVM). Board support packages (BSPs) for Accelerated Technology's Nucleus operating system as well as for the Wind River Tornado integrated development environment and VxWorks RTOS are scheduled for release in 2002.
Ridgerun's board support package has been designed to enable the development of applications ranging from wireless data, smart pen pads, voice recognition, text-to-speech, access point controllers, network security, and industrial control. The product release also provides access to real-time algorithms running on code-compatible TI DSPs from the Linux kernel.
Available right now in production quantities, the C5470 and C5471 DSPs are priced at $15.50 and $17.57, respectively, in 10K quantities.