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World 2000 music sales sag as free Web sites bite
By Merissa Marr
LONDON, April 19 (Reuters) - Free online music took its toll on global music sales last year as fans in the world's biggest market, the United States, flocked to Napster and other sites, snubbing old-style formats such as singles and cassettes.
World music sales sagged 1.3 percent in value terms to $36.9 billion in 2000, despite overall improved album sales and a more upbeat performance from Europe, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) said.
``Last year was a mixed picture for the global recording industry,'' IFPI chairman Jay Berman said in a statement. ``We saw the first evidence of the impact of free online music, as well as the damage being done by unauthorised CD copying''.
A downturn in the U.S. economy also hit music sales in an industry which is already facing the prospect of slowing growth as the effect of replacing old formats such as cassettes with compact discs (CDs) wanes.
Singles are also proving to be a dying breed. Sales slumped a dramatic 46 percent in the United States in 2000, for a global fall of 14 percent, which the IFPI blamed on the availability of free online music sites.
The most popular of those sites, Napster, is now facing an increasingly gloomy future after being ordered by a U.S. court to filter out copyrighted songs and the world's top music groups hope at least in part to plug the gap with their own legitimate online ventures as they seek to sustain long-term growth.
``Significant progress was made towards realising the huge potential of the legitimate online music market,'' Berman said.
SHINE COMES OFF MIGHTY U.S. MARKET
While CD growth is expected to slow in future, CD album sales kept up a modest pace last year, rising 2.5 percent to 2.5 billion units, the IFPI said.
Following two strong years for repertoire and releases, the United States, which represents almost 40 percent of the total world music market, saw a decline in value of 1.5 percent and in units of 4.7 percent.
In contrast, European sales rose 1.4 percent in value and 1.3 percent in units with Britain contributing a rise of 3.8 percent in value. However, France, Germany and Italy all felt the heat from mass CD copying and piracy, the IFPI said.
In Japan, another of the world's top music markets, sales rose in unit terms but fell in value terms given a large number of releases of low-cost compilation albums.
Latin America and Asia, which both suffer from high levels of piracy, registered declines in sales.
Last year's performance compares to a more healthy 1999 which saw global music sales rise 1.5 percent to $38.5 billion after the U.S. put in a fifth year of growth.
The IFPI compiles music industry sales figures twice a year based on data gathered from its 1,400 music companies in 70 countries around the world.
REPOST: DABOSS's email from PortalPlayer...
By: DABOSS $$$$
Reply To: None
Tuesday, 26 Sep 2000 at 2:02 AM EDT
Post # of 661876
Portalplayer & e.Digital....SYNERGY !!!
The pieces continue to come together.
AND YOU ARE HERE !!!
************************
Date: 9/18/2000 9:38:55 PM Pacific Daylight Time
From: michael.maia@portalplayer.com (Michael Maia)
To: XXXX
We have NDAs between ourselves and e.Digital so I am not at liberty to
disclose in much specifics.
We support QDesign's codecs as does e.Digital.
e.Digital is a design house focused on portable devices including MP3
players and voice recorders. PortalPlayer provides media infrastructure
solutions for consumer electronics manufacturers in Japan and other parts of
the world. Our product is a platform where we produce the system on a chip,
the complete firmware stack including the real time operating system, and
the PC application (similar to Real Jukebox). We provide a complete end to
end solution.
e.Digital takes other companies products including chips, firmware modules
and PC applications, and glues them together and adds some of their own IP
to make a complete product. Stay tuned to our joint relationship
together--it is very synergistic given we provide the building blocks for
them to take over the finish line to produce a fully manufacturable product.
Hope this helps.
Michael Maia
Vice President Marketing
PortalPlayer, Inc.
3255 Scott Blvd., Bldg 1
Santa Clara, CA 95054
michael.maia@portalplayer.com
triples00, to continue the discussion it says on EDIGs website that microOS is embedded. Does anyone here know where we are embedded? I don't think so. So while it is speculation to suggest that we are in the Tango chip or a TI DSP it is not necessarily WILD speculation. EDIG does not make ICs so who are we embed with?(sorry I couldn't resist). Both TI and Portalplayer make a lot of sense in this regard since we already know that OBJX is working with Cirrus Logic. Who else is really left that works in this space? I will be surprised if one or the other of these two or both are not incorporating our technology.
OT Yahoo! Names Warner Exec As New CEO
Updated 12:00 PM ET April 17, 2001
By BRIAN BERGSTEIN, AP Business Writer
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - Yahoo! Inc. named veteran Warner Bros. executive Terry S.
Semel as its new chief executive and chairman, hoping the former leader of a traditional
media company can help the struggling Internet portal.
Current chairman and CEO Tim Koogle will be named vice chairman, a position he is
expected to retain until August, and will continue after that on Yahoo's board of directors, the
company said Tuesday.
The news comes as Yahoo scrambles to cope with the downturn in the economy and a huge
drop in Internet advertising. Earlier this month, Yahoo posted its second straight net loss -
$11.5 million in the first quarter, or 2 cents a share, compared with a profit of $67.6 million, or
11 cents per share, in the comparable period of 2000 - and said it is cutting 12 percent of its
work force.
Yahoo's stock price has also suffered, with shares trading down 7 cents to $17.55 at midday
Tuesday on the Nasdaq Stock Market, well off the company's 52-week high of $150 reached
last June.
Koogle said last month he would step aside as CEO to broaden the company's management
team, though he had been expected to remain as chairman.
President and chief operating officer Jeff Mallett and chief financial officer Susan Decker will
continue in their current jobs, reporting to Semel.
"Yahoo is a company with incredible potential," Semel said in a statement. "Yahoo's
management team has rapidly and successfully built an industry-leading global company with
the world's largest audience, a strong brand and a talented employee base, and I am proud to
be leading the team that is going to enable Yahoo to achieve its next level of growth."
Semel and partner Robert Daly helped turn Warner Bros. into one of the world's largest media
and entertainment enterprises during Semel's 24 years with the company.
They are credited with building the company from a single revenue source generating less
than $1 billion to nearly $11 billion total revenues from diverse businesses in 50 countries
worldwide.
Under their leadership, Warner Bros. achieved 18 consecutive years of record profits and
revenues.
The choice of someone with a background in traditional media content was surprising - "a little
bit out of the box," said ABN Amro Inc. analyst Arthur Newman.
"The issue Yahoo needs to address is more on the advertising side, convincing advertisers to
spend their money, rather than on the content side," Newman said. "Yahoo already has
excellent content."
Yahoo also said Semel bought 1 million shares of Yahoo common stock from the company in
a private placement transaction.
Inhand And Conversay Partner to Deliver Voice-Enabled Handheld Devices
PR Newswire (April 12, 2001)
SAN FRANCISCO, Apr 12, 2001 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- InHand Electronics, Inc., a leader in creating ultra-portable handheld devices for OEMs, and Conversay, a leader in speech technology for mobile and traditional Internet access devices, today announced at the Embedded Systems Conference, a strategic partnership to offer speech recognition on InHand's devices.
Both company's customers have expressed an interest in the availability of this type of device. Significant applications for this technology exist in the military, instrumentation and telematics industries.
Beginning in the third quarter of 2001, InHand's Fingertip and Elf boards will be shipped with Conversay's voice recognition technology embedded within them. Through this preferred provider relationship with Conversay, developing voice-enabled, handheld devices becomes a fail-safe business solution, significantly reducing the developer's risk, saving development time and ultimately getting products to market faster.
"This really hits a hot spot for our customers," said Andrew Girson, CEO of InHand Electronics, Inc. "This partnership decreases their development risks. Our customers will be able to get to market faster, giving InHand a competitive advantage in the industry."
Conversay's CEO Matt Scheuing said, "We are glad to join forces with InHand on this development. They've got a solid platform that allows us to broaden our offering to customers, providing a complete hardware/software speech technology solution that reduces development time and costs. Together we'll both be very nimble and responsive to our customers' requirements."
About InHand Electronics, Inc.
InHand Electronics, Inc. (formerly DVP, Inc.) is an ultra-portable handheld device provider to Original Equipment Manufacturers. The company provides commercial off-the-shelf developer's kits that are power-efficient, enterprise class handheld devices ruggedized for uses in the military, medical technology and telecommunications industries among others. The devices accommodate standard wireless, data storage and acquisition plugin's. FingerTip, Elf and OmniMeter are built on the industry's leading technologies including Intel's StrongARM RISC chip and Windows CE operating system. The company's headquarters are in Rockville, Maryland. For more information please view the company Web site at http://www.inhandelectronics.com .
About Conversay
Founded in 1994, Conversay provides solutions that enable voice interaction with networked information, including the Internet, when other interfaces are difficult or impossible. Built on an innovative speech engine, Conversay(TM) technology is speaker-independent, modular, scalable and accommodates unlimited vocabulary, making it ideally suited for embedded applications. It also drives award-winning products including a voice browser, desktop and Web developer tools, and a conversational server. Conversay headquarters are in Redmond, Wash., and is located on the Web at http://www.conversay.com .
Conversay is a trademark of Conversational Computing Corp. InHand Electronics and Elf are trademarks and OmniMeter is a registered trademark of InHand Electronics, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
SOURCE InHand Electronics, Inc.
CONTACT: Rebecca Mettler of InHand Electronics, Inc., 703-212-7075, or
rmettler@inhandelectronics.com; or Steve Birge of Conversay, Inc.,
425-636-0709, or sbirge@conversay.com
URL: http://www.inhandelectronics.com http
Remote Solution Personal Jukebox 20GB Black
CNET Review
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 best
The good: Enormous capacity; USB connection; great accessories.
The bad: Expensive; large and heavy; doesn't work with Windows 95.
The bottom line: If you're a serious MP3 person with some cash to blow, look no further.
By Eliot Van Buskirk
(4/11/01)
When we first saw the Personal Jukebox PJB-100 from Remote Solution, its 6GB capacity raised the standards for
portable MP3 players.
By using a hard drive, it was the first player to circumvent the storage limits that hampered other portable MP3 players.
Increasing the
device's drive size from 6GB to 20GB only makes the player better. And even though the jukebox market has gotten more
crowded, the
PJB-100 still has one of the best interfaces that we've seen.
Portugal becomes testbed for set-top strategies
By Paul Dempsey
Electronics Times
(04/12/01 10:13 a.m. GMT)
Some important pointers on the crucial issues of just how
much technology and how many functions a digital
set-top box should contain may soon emerge as
Portugal becomes one of the world's main testbed
markets.
The country's leading cable operator, TV Cabo, has
signed up with two suppliers to deliver boxes for its
broadband network — and those two operators
have radically different strategies.
The best known box supplier will be Pace Micro
Technology, Europe's leading supplier. Last year, it
signed with TV Cabo to supply a minimum of 55 000
boxes featuring the Microsoft TV ad-vanced interactive
platform, NagraVision conditional access and a Docsis
cable modem.
But this quarter TV Cabo will start deploying a box from
Octal TV, part of the Portuguese Nova-base technology group, that will feature the
world's first use of the latest Microsoft platform, the rare box deployment of an x86
architecture and also a potential level of functions stretching right up to the
integration of a DVD player.
The Octal-TV Cabo contract — worth an initial $25m will also use
equipment developed in conjunction with Samsung. The Korean conglomerate has
being looking to integrate more functions into a single consumer box and recently
launched the first combined VCR-DVD player.
The functions on the Octal box will include digital TV, interactive broadcasts for
pay-per-view and video-on-demand, broadband Internet access, e-mail, chat rooms,
home shopping, home banking, networked games using MMX technology and other
digital media services. E-commerce functions will be capable of using smartcard
security.
Rogério Carapuça, president of Octal, claims that his company's box is the first true
'end-to-end solution'.
"We believe that we are the first with a product that will allow an operator to take all
the digital services to market in one move," he added.
Carapuça says that Octal has adapted its all-in-one architecture so that it can be
deployed in Europe or north America and on any of the three leading digital TV
platforms: satellite, cable and terrestrial.
He accepts that this is "an expensive product" because of the range of functions it will
incorporate from the start. But Carapuça will not give an indication of the price range.
His argument is that, despite the higher charge, the Octal box will allow the operator
to extract maximum revenues from his existing customers at a higher level than from
a more restricted device.
If the Portuguese launch successfully demonstrates this, Carapuça says that Octal
hopes that it will be able to achieve economies of scale from orders in other markets.
The company is also counting heavily on its effective endorsement from a global
technology player of Microsoft's size — Octal says that, from the software and
middleware point of view, it is committed to the US giant as its sole partner.
Carapuça's company is tapping into a major concern in the cable industry where most
operators now believe that markets have been developed to such a point that lifting
average revenue per user is more important than signing up new subscribers.
But Pace says that, while it also advocates increasing levels of interactivity, the
question of how much subsidy a cable operator is willing to supply makes a simple
all-in-one approach hard to justify.
Andrew Wallace, Pace's marketing director, said: "Our approach is essentially
complementary with that of Octal. We both agree that the TV is the front-end and that
you need to raise the levels of interactivity.
"But our strategy is to optimise the system and gradually modify the existing
architecture because you are dealing with a very price- sensitive market [the platform
operators that buy the boxes].
"In time, maybe, a huge device that does everything will be it. But if you are going to
make money in this market, our success so far has been in doing that by building
what the market wants and can afford, and moving up the interactivity chain from
there."
Wallace says that Pace nevertheless remains committed to being the first set-top box
supplier to add new technologies as and when they emerged. The company is working
with Sega to use its Dreamcast games platform within boxes and has developed
digital hard disk re-corders with NDS which will be marketed through BSkyB later this
year.
Similar options could be added to the box supplied to TV Cabo, Wallace said. "Our
boxes carry an Ethernet port, so you can expand them by plugging in modules. I
think that you will see a lot of that happening — plugging in options rather
than loading everything at once."
Octal is taking a big risk. The debate in the cable industry over what applications
digital can deliver to greatly improve revenues is still raging. As with the 3G phone
market, the feeling is that a lot of possibilities will go to market trial before the
picture becomes clearer.
Similarly, as capital becomes more squeezed in telecoms, the price levels that cable
companies are prepared to pay for boxes are coming under pressure. Many
companies have directed funds towards network upgrades that would limit their
short-term ability to go for the Octal solution unless the price falls significantly.
Intel Announces Industry-Leading Software Platform Support for Telematics
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 11, 2001--Intel Corporation today announced that leading in-car computing software platform vendors are delivering support for the Intel® StrongARM/a processor and future processors based on the Intel® XScale(TM) microarchitecture.
Microsoft Corp., IBM, QNX Software Systems Ltd., Wind River Systems, Inc., Fonix Corporation and Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. are supporting the Intel StrongARM and Intel XScale microarchitectures to enable developers and original equipment manufacturers to reduce ``time-to-market'' and create sophisticated in-car, voice-enabled wireless applications.
The core software platform recipe for devices in the in-car computing, or telematics, market segment consists of open, scalable software platforms, extensible and comprehensive development tools and such key complementary technologies as speech recognition. These combined elements are necessary to deliver adaptable, scalable telematics devices that will enable and enhance applications and services for the automotive industry.
``Our customers asked for each of these solutions by name,'' said Pat Kerrigan, director for Intel's In-Car Computing Operation. ``We feel we have secured industry-wide support from key players to maximize the benefits of the Intel® Personal Internet Client Architecture and to provide our mutual customers with the best telematics development platforms available.''
Microsoft will support Intel with its Windows CE for Automotive software platform. This agreement represents one of the first measures in distributed computing from Microsoft's Car .NET framework. Windows CE for Automotive is an integral component of a growing portfolio of products and services which Microsoft provides to the telematics industry. The Windows CE for Automotive platform is being enabled for personalized web services development as part of the Microsoft .NET initiative. The new Hailstorm services benefit from the .NET technologies and architecture that make it possible for applications, devices and services to work together. The Microsoft Windows CE for Automotive adaptation for the Intel StrongARM processor is available today, and later this year for the Intel XScale microachitecture.
IBM embedded middleware manages communications, enables content and service creation and provides secure reliable transactions between devices and a back-end server. IBM's VisualAge® Micro Edition Java application development tools and deployment technologies for the Intel StrongARM SA-1110 processor and Intel XScale-based products allow developers to quickly and easily leverage existing applications for e-Business. IBM's implementation of Java technology for use with Intel StrongARM embedded processors is now available. IBM is integrating its Embedded ViaVoice(TM) products with the Intel StrongARM and Intel XScale microarchitectures to deliver high-quality noise robust voice recognition and text-to-speech solutions to the telematics industry.
QNX Software Systems will support Intel with the QNX RTOS, an operating system for building fault-resilient, dynamically upgradeable in-car applications. QNX offers telematics manufacturers a variety of off-the-shelf Internet and multimedia modules, POSIX APIs for leveraging a large base of developers and source code, an MMU-protected architecture that dramatically reduces debugging time, plus an optimized version of the IBM VisualAge Micro Edition J9 virtual machine. QNX support for the StrongARM SA-1110 development platform is scheduled for June 2001, to be followed by support for the Intel XScale microarchitecture.
Wind River has a strategic Center of Excellence relationship with Intel to provide leading development tool support across the Intel XScale and the Intel StrongARM architectures. Wind River supports these powerful processor families with the Tornado® integrated development environment (IDE) and VxWorks® real-time operating system (RTOS), as well as its VisionICE tools and Personal Jworks(TM) java solution.
Fonix Corporation is optimizing a version of its Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), that will be available by mid-year for Intel StrongARM and Intel XScale microarchitectures. This version of Fonix(TM) ASR will deliver top-quality speech recognition capabilities to mobile wireless devices including PDAs, smart phones and automobiles.
Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products is integrating its noise robust speech recognition technologies (ASR 200 and ASR 1600 engines) and text-to-speech technology (TTS3000) in different languages on the Intel StrongARM and Intel XScale microarchitectures. These products can be used to develop applications for the mobile and automotive market. The company plans to release them by mid-year.
These companies also plan to utilize the Intel® Integrated Performance Primitives software library to offer wireless device manufacturers new and compelling capabilities. Useful in a broad range of applications, the library includes functions for vector manipulation, matrix math and general signal, image, speech and audio processing, as well as sophisticated primitives for construction of standardized audio, video and speech codecs such as MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio, Layer 3), MPEG-4 and H.263.
To further aid fast time-to-market development, the Intel StrongARM SA-1110/SA-1111 Development Platform provides a comprehensive and feature-rich development environment for the design of applications based on the SA-1110 microprocessor. Refer to: http://developer.intel.com/design/strong/quicklist/Eval-Plat/992652. htm. For more information on Intel's telematics offerings, please visit www.intel.com/go/telematics.
About Intel
Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of computer, networking and communications products. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.
Supporting Quotes
Fonix Corporation -- ``The Fonix(TM) Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) Engine and the Intel® XScale(TM) microarchitecture combine some of the strongest technologies to address quality speech recognition and text-to-speech capabilities to the mobile industry,'' said Lynn Shepherd, Fonix vice president of technology.
IBM -- ``Telematics is a natural extension of mobile and wireless e-Business, which must integrate easily with peoples' lifestyles and personal interests,'' says Raj Desai, director, Telematics Solutions, IBM Industrial Sector. ``This requires platforms based on open standards to ensure common interfaces, applications and services. Intel is working to ensure customers have both a hardware and software solution for fast deployment of telematics projects. IBM's approach to embedded Java technology gives engineers unprecedented choice, including efficient integration of native programs, Java compatible platforms and custom tailored application support.''
Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products -- ``The Intel StrongARM and Intel XScale microarchitectures are key platforms in L&H's strategy for the mobile and automotive market,'' said Patrick De Schrijver, president Automotive Solutions, Lernout & Hauspie.
Microsoft Corp. -- ``The Windows CE for Automotive software platform will enable new levels of scalability for the Intel® StrongARM/a processor and the Intel XScale microarchitecture,'' said Gonzalo Bustillos, director, business development and marketing for the Automotive Business Unit at Microsoft Corp. ``This alliance will provide customers the opportunity to use a reliable and scalable platform so they can market great products with short development cycles. Microsoft's Car .NET framework and its Automotive Mobile Services promote device interoperability, integration, and application extensibility to create an end user experience that is simple, yet compelling. In an increasingly competitive mobility market, business alliances are crucial for being able to successfully create and offer differentiating products and services.''
QNX Software Systems -- ``The QNX RTOS brings a unique time-to-market advantage to telematics manufacturers by offering a proven suite of ready-to-customize applications, an industry-standard POSIX environment for leveraging an enormous pool of source code and developers, and a fault-resilient architecture that lets manufacturers safely integrate applications from a variety of independent software vendors,'' said Linda Campbell, vice president of strategic alliances at QNX.
Wind River Systems, Inc. -- ``Wind River continues to work with Intel and other leading partners to develop more advanced solutions in the Automotive Infotainment/Telematics market,'' said Scot Morrison, vice president and general manager of the Wind River's Automotive & Industrial business unit. ``We believe that the combination of the Intel XScale microarchitecture and Intel StrongARM architecture with Wind River's leading embedded development software are well suited to the high demands of the next-generation, multi-media automotive applications.''
/a Third party marks and brands are property of their respective holders.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact:
Intel Corporation
Mark O. Miller, 916/356-3767
mark.o.miller@intel.com
OT invivodata Leads Way in Clinical Trial Technology With Wireless Patient Diary System
invivosystem(TM) 4.2 Enables Wireless, Real-Time Access to Subjects'
Electronic Diary Data Via Handheld Devices
SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif., April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- invivodata, inc. announces
the availability of invivosystem(TM) version 4.2. This version, now in use by
customers in current clinical trials, features real-time access to study
subjects' diary data via wireless handheld devices. Complementing its
science-based compliance system, invivosystem 4.2 adds wireless support to
create a more efficient, real-time flow of data from study subjects to
investigators and sponsors. With this new version, invivodata has extended
its position as the technology leader in delivering a platform for subject
self-report.
"As wireless connectivity becomes more widespread, wireless data upload
performed without subject intervention will be useful. This approach will
reduce subject burden and provide a reliable means to collect data more
frequently than with site visits or even standard modem uploads," said Gerry
Purdy, Ph.D., President and CEO of Mobile Insights, Inc. "invivodata clearly
understands how to apply wireless technology appropriately to clinical trials.
These solutions are not just about technology -- they require the expert
application of relevant science."
The invivodata subject monitoring system efficiently delivers valid,
reliable, and timely data, saving time and reducing risk for the sponsor. Web
access to study data provides real-time access to the diary data for sponsors
and investigators. The invivosystem is founded on the science of Ecological
Momentary Assessment (EMA) -- methods for collecting real-time data in a
subject's natural environment, yielding diary data that accurately reflects
real-world experience. This scientific methodology is one of the capabilities
that sets invivodata apart from the competition and allows researchers to
capture data that is highly sensitive to medication effects. By providing
wireless transmission of the data from patients, the invivosystem enables
researchers to readily analyze subject compliance data, which ensures that
protocols are being followed, resulting in more accurate and effective
clinical trials.
Aether Systems Inc, (Nasdaq: AETH), a leading provider of wireless data
products and services, provides the wireless data services, systems, and sync
software that empowers the invivosystem 4.2 -- anywhere, anytime access.
ScoutSync(TM), a core component of Aether's award-winning ScoutWare(TM)
product family, provides advanced synchronization for the 4.2 solution.
"By enhancing product offerings to include mobile and wireless software,
invivodata has reinforced its commitment to maximizing an investigators access
to clinical data," said Steve Bass, Vice President, Healthcare Solutions at
Aether Systems. "This dedication to providing a total IT solution will allow
invivodata to use Aether's sync technology to impact the clinical trial
process."
"The Aether solution provides a very solid wireless foundation for the
invivosystem," said Jon McClelland, Vice President of Product Development at
invivodata. "Our proven methods for gathering real-time, real world data from
subjects significantly improves the quality of patient experience data that
can be collected in clinical trials. The addition of wireless device support
will provide sponsors with the next generation of patient experience diaries,
increasing the speed with which subject data can be relayed to researchers for
analysis."
About invivodata, inc.
invivodata, inc. delivers the first and only system that gives the sponsor
control over their diary data -- integrating behavioral and clinical science
with handheld technology to deliver the leading full-service platform for
subject self-report that optimizes subject protocol compliance. invivodata is
the only company that can guarantee subject compliance. invivodata can
deliver this unmatched guarantee because of their unique Palm-based monitor
that collects real-time, real world patient experience data. Employed to date
in dozens of trials, involving thousands of subjects, invivodata's product is
mature and market-ready. Valid, reliable, timely data efficiently delivered
by invivodata saves time and reduces risk, yielding confidence in a sponsor's
study and security in their data. invivodata, inc., a privately held company,
is headquartered in Scotts Valley, California. The clinical trials operations
center is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For more information on
invivodata inc., please visit http://www.invivodata.com .
About Aether
Aether Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of wireless and mobile data
products and services allowing real-time communications and transactions
across a full range of devices and networks. Using its engineering expertise,
the ScoutWare(TM) family of products including the Aether Intelligent
Messaging (AIM)(TM) software platform, and its network operations and customer
care center, Aether seeks to provide comprehensive, technology-independent
wireless and mobile computing solutions. Aether develops and delivers
wireless data services across a variety of industries and market segments in
the United States and internationally. For more information, please visit
http://www.aethersystems.com .
Docking Your Jukebox
By Justin Yu - 04/06/01
Print Article - Email Article - Post Your Comments
PlayDock PD200 - Cambridge Soundworks 311 Needham Street Newton, MA 02464 - 617-332-5936 - www.cambridgesoundworks.com - mailto:info@cambridgesoundworks.com
Earlier in the year, Creative Soundlabs introduced an MPEG Audio Layer 3 (MP3) player with the largest capacity: 6 gigabytes. Just to put this in perspective, my last computer, purchased four years ago, was only 4 gigabytes. The Nomad Jukebox was an instant hit, providing awesome sound quality with an overall superb design. Cambridge SoundWorks now introduces a delightful catalyst to an already excellent audio device: The PlayDock PD200.
The PlayDock PD200 works in conjunction with the Nomad Jukebox to produce the ultimate portable music machine. The PlayDock is a set of speakers to increase and improve the Jukebox's sound and volume. The Jukebox attaches to the PlayDock on top of the speaker with the aid of a simple "push" button. Users need not worry about endangering their expensive investment because the Nomad is engulfed in the PlayDock's protected "glove." The PD200 houses three speakers, two speakers on the left and right hand sides, and also one subwoofer, the perfect combination that Cambridge has been famous for.
Inside the actual speakers is the rechargeable battery, which provides an approximate 10 hours of listening time. When plugged into an outlet using the AC adapter, users can charge and play in unison. Cambridge's goal for this product is to introduce the world's first CD-quality digital audio player while still maintaining the portability of the player itself. The PlayDock PD200 will be offered at numerous Cambridge resellers and also online at Hifi.com, as well as other e-tailors. The PlayDock will be priced at $199.99.
Major Labels Reacting to Each Other Instead of Customers' Desires
By Larry Powers
In this past week filled with announcements of digital distribution deals by the Majors with each other, with RealNetworks, with Yahoo! and with Emusic.com, several discordant themes emerge. These interrelated announcements of big and small digital distribution plans suffer from the same defects that alienate audiences from modern classical music--not much melody, and jarring, confusing structures, replete with tension instead of harmony. First the facts, then the analysis of an industry still at war with its customers, as each of the big Five Majors jockeys for position against four competitors.
Calendar of Events
1. Monday, RealNetworks and its RealAudio streaming audio/video player was adopted by BMG, its would-be satellite company EMI, and the giant AOL-TimeWarner, as the system and technology for selling subscriptions to streaming big time music over the Internet. Licensing by all three participants to each other, to be followed by offering their catalogs to Universal and Sony in exchange for licenses from them, and eventual licenses to a law-abiding Napster, were all a part of the "grand plan" adopted.
2. Tuesday and Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on the delays in making digital music distribution/subscriptions available to the public. Tower Records, the huge traditional retail chain, large indie record company TVT Records, Napster, and important artists like Don Henley and Alanis Morissette, criticized the Major labels, and demanded universal licensing with protection for copyrights. They received a temperate response from Senate leaders. While the attitudes of the Majors and the RIAA were criticized, it was clear that a compulsory licensing system was not on the Senate agenda yet. The flurry of licensing deals announced during the week was apparently designed, in part, to convince Congress to forebear considering a compulsory licensing system.
3. Also at midweek, Universal and Sony's new digital alliance "Duet" announced that the big, ailing portal Yahoo (with a new CEO), had been selected to distribute their music, streaming it on a subscription basis. The plan, obviously designed to compete with AOL's huge digital music customer base and its new partners BMG and EMI, was said to be non-exclusive, with hopes of catalog sharing among all the Majors for sale on Yahoo.
4. Then the smaller deals were announced. MTVi is joining with Rioport to sell downloads from all five Majors. Using MTV's huge popularity on cable television, 50% of the top artists will be available for downloads right off, and the balance within a year--at $1-2 per song and $11-19 per album download. The prices are no bargains, but the convenience of accessing the most popular music, for transfer to your handheld Rio player, is clear.
5. Next EMI made a deal with HitHive to allow EMI's music to be downloaded on all types of wireless devices, such as cell phones and PalmPilots, and share them with friends on a limited basis. Attempts to bring in the other Majors were implicit in the licensing deal.
6. Finally, the fast sinking Emusic.com was being sold to Universal, for $23 million. This group of decent people who raised and spent some $125 million to build a legitimate digital music distribution business, were leading a publicly held company on its last legs, because the Major labels would not license their popular content to the small Internet music sites. Despite long lists of earlier hitmakers, Emusic.com and similar companies here and in Europe had little current celebrity inventory to sell.
MP3.com's try with MyMp3 last year stemmed from the same problem, and the ultimate licenses bought in settlement of the court fight, cost $125 million too. Artistdirect.com, suffering from the same discrimination from the Majors, changed its commander last week. Founder Mark Geiger was put in charge of artist representative services, which could be quickly sold to the talent agencies, and seasoned record executive Ted Fields, founder of Interscope Records, came in as CEO, with three board seats and a five-year contract. Will Fields' contacts in the Majors get him licenses for his company, which is still outside the Majors' loop? Tower Records would not have gone on the attack in Congress the way it did last week, if it too did not believe that it was outside the Majors' loop on digital music licensing. Is the only solution for all these suffering entrepreneurs to get so sick and so cheap that a Major will buy them out, as per Universal and Emusic.com?
What's Goin' On?
To me, all these items of industry news are related--they are symptoms of past conduct, unresponsive to the public's appetite for digital music. Universal and Sony are still scared to death of Napster, with a nation of 65 million potential customers for subscriptions and download sales. AOL with another 25 million potential customers has allied with BMG and EMI, and therefore, Napster, to really get out there and market digital music. Universal/Vivendi doesn't hate Napster; it just wants to paddle its own canoe into the digital market, so it enlisted Sony in Duet because Sony has a big catalog and also knows technology development. Next Universal picks up sick little Emusic for virtually nothing, and will go stalking through the rest of the wounded companies looking for pieces it can meld into its grand plan to catch up with BMG's and AOL's leadership position.
Universal/Sony with 47% market share is in combat with three aggressive companies that have over 40% market share, and the distribution muscle--90 million potential customers, recognition in the digital space, and unlimited capital-- to expand there. Universal/Sony couldn't care less about Napster's copyright violations anymore. Those are peccadilloes for Hilary Rosen and the RIAA to worry about. Congress also seems sterilized by other big issues, and won't attack the Major labels for awhile, so why worry? And if the aggressive antitrust monitors in the European Union can be stimulated to stop the BMG and EMI purchase of control, so much the better to slow these two down. Political warfare is now in process between BMG and Universal/Vivendi across the globe, and BMG has the stronger allies for the moment.
We have said all this before in prior articles, but the last week of events reinforces these views. The pressure is building, however, on Universal to make peace because of three fundamental forces:
A. The public wants digital music distribution, is ready to pay for it, and will never be happy with any website or vendor who cannot deliver all the music in the catalogs of all five Major labels. Their monopoly power forces them into cross-licensing wherever big volumes of digital music are to be streamed or sold piecemeal. "Duet" is a very brief French/Japanese refrain, before the public clamors for the rousing Quintet in the second act of the digital distribution opera. The audience will boo the two singers off the stage, (i.e. not do business with them) if they don't supply the quintet of songs the public is waiting for.
B. Arguments about encryption, secure downloads, artist/publisher distributions have all become tiresome and superfluous, in light of all the joint ventures announced. No one really seems worried anymore about the security issues which have been an excuse for non-performance, and watching several emerging companies run out of funding, the past two years.
C. It will take years for Universal and Sony to reproduce a database of 90 million qualified customers for Internet music by subscription or download. This is a buy-into or build decision by management, and you can't build this many customers quickly enough to make a real dent in the market to which three Majors now have access. Universal's hailing the RealNetworks consortium and expressing a grudging desire to join won't be enough, because there is not much there near-term, if Napster isn't embraced as well.
So let the negotiations begin in earnest, if they are not already near a conclusion waiting to be announced shortly. Whenever an outside analyst perceives the obvious result, he has to assume the smart, experienced men on the inside are already there, and implementing the obvious.
Napster Doesn't Need "To Get Around Much Anymore"
Microsoft also weighed in last week for the great expansion of the music business just ahead with MSN Music, a free Internet service to help fans discover new artists and songs. The giant software company wants to sell music subscription services, and is offering a "recommendation engine" to help you find and personalize your tastes in song lists, developed by a recent acquiree, MongoMusic, Inc. The technology sounds similar to the earlier "Firefly" system, also bought-up by Microsoft a year ago, which has some gaps, we presume.
Napster has just purchased for nominal cash and stock another such "engine" from Gigabeat, Inc., and there are several personalized song selectors out there, which we will write about, from a technology perspective, later this week. The important point is that transaction monitoring and sorting/sifting of musical offerings, when five Major catalogs are readily available from several sources on the Web, is the next problem area, supplanting copyright infringement and over-generous copying terms, as the focus for marketers of digital music downloads and streams. Napster doesn't have to reach out for customers, and is preparing itself for big lawful business. A company getting ready for bankruptcy to stave off RIAA judgements for infringement, does not spend money on technology acquisitions. Moreover, Gigabeat, Inc., the recommendation engine bought for stock, was financed by the sophisticated, and respected Silicon Valley pros at Kleiner Perkins. They would not take Napster stock even for a losing venture like Gigabeat, unless they concluded that Napster had a future. Undoubtedly BMG had to pass on this deal, talk to the Kleiner Perkins people, and probably advance the funds necessary to do the deal, again reflecting that Napster is going to be there for awhile.
Describing the RealNetworks-AOL/BMG/EMI licensing deal being hailed as a positive step for Napster, the Wall Street Journal (last week) also said "one music executive said privately there was virtually no chance Napster would get music through the deal." I can't agree with that statement from this unknown executive, notwithstanding his assumed superior knowledge and music experience. The marketing heft of Napster is just too much to be abandoned by concerted refusals to deal by all the Majors, if Napster obeys the Court's orders. If Napster plays by the Court's rules, it just has to sit there and the deals will come to BMG/Napster and their partners.
You Can't Fight the Numbers
And thus we come to last week's final interesting item of news: Jupiter Media Metrix reports increased Napster usage, particularly in Europe and Canada. The countries surveyed have 85% of the world's online population, and in February, 2001, 14.3% of these wired households used Napster, i.e. 1 out of 7. In Canada, Napster had a 30% audience reach, in Argentina 25%, and a lesser percentage, but nearly 14 million users in the U.S. Media Metrix says Napster "is one of the few real-time global marketplaces of culture." The Napster community, with half as many songs still being downloaded free, is not really shrinking. I recommend that a license be sought to add to the Napster lists a song by Steven Sondheim, from "Follies" his musical just revived on Broadway ---"I'm Still Here."
Toshiba readies SD counter assault on Memory Stick
By Paul Kallender
EE Times
(04/09/01, 3:29 p.m. EST)
TOKYO — In a move to pump up the Secure Digital Memory Card format for its impending battle with Sony Corp.'s Memory Stick, Toshiba Corp. has released a series of read/write controllers that support SD Memory Cards, SmartMedia and SD I/O cards.
The TC6374AF controller features an ATA interface and supports SD Memory Cards and SmartMedia. The chip will enter volume production this month, to be quickly followed by a slew of products aimed at extending the application range of SD memory beyond digital still cameras and PCs at present and into PDAs, 3G phones and Bluetooth, said Ryohei Yamaguchi, manager of Toshiba's custom LSI technical marketing and engineering department.
By June, Toshiba will offer four more SD controllers. The 6377AF and XB chips will support a standard memory bus interface slot added to such products as PDAs and mobile phones; the chips will include Content Protection for Recordable Media-based encryption/decryption circuitry. The TC6373XB, which will be available in a 328-pin plastic BGA, will help miniaturize PC card controllers, and the 6380AF will give users the option of selecting either a standard memory bus or a Compact Flash interface, Toshiba said.
Though Toshiba does not yet offer a laptop computer with an SD Card slot, the company said it is pushing quickly toward embedded applications, particularly with the 6374AF, 6380AF and 6377AF devices, all of which include SD/SmartMedia and MMC compatibility.
"This year we will enhance SD I/O compatibility with improved speed to PCIX," said Yamaguchi. "All of these are PCI associated and the standard memory bus interface is much more friendly than any RAM interface."
Seeing Bluetooth as one major application of SD I/O, Toshiba expects to introduce a fistful of networkable products, including GPS devices and radio tuners this summer, once members of the SD Card Association have agreed on specifications, said Tomoji Takada, senior manager of Toshiba's custom LSI technical marketing and engineering department.
Further out, Toshiba plans to offer a second generation of SD Cards with data-transfer rates of 10 Mbytes per second in 2002, along with 1-gigabyte cards by the end of next year, Takada said.
Make or break
Toshiba and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. see the next 18 months as the potential make or break period for the SD Card format as it battles against the Memory Stick format developed by Sony and the Secure MultiMedia Card backed by Hitachi Ltd., Sanyo Electric Co. and Infineon Technologies, said Yamaguchi. While the Secure MultiMedia card is strong in mobile phone applications, Toshiba believes the memory card format market share battle will be won or lost in the domestic Japanese market, Yamaguchi said.
The Memory Stick's cumulative shipments passed 10 million units last month, and the cards are already migrating out of digital video and still camera applications into PCs, audio and portable devices, according to Sony. Since its release in 1999, Sony said the Memory Stick has taken 23 percent of the 30-million-unit global market for flash memory storage media, and captured 25 percent of the Japanese domestic market as well.
And Sony isn't resting on its laurels. The company will unveil a 128-Mbyte Memory Stick on Tuesday (April 10) and is looking to add Bluetooth compatibility this year. The company intends to turn the Memory Stick into a do-it-all memory expansion module, a Sony spokesman said. The Memory Stick is already landing design-wins outside of Sony, including Alpine car-navigation systems and Seiko Epson printers. But Sony's main counterattack will come with the Memory Stick "Duo," which will be out "before March 2002," the Sony spokesman said.
Sony only?
While the Memory Stick consortium includes household names such as Aiwa, Pioneer, Sharp and over 140 other companies, Takada said he finds the comparative lack of non-Sony products that use Memory Stick telling.
"Some say that we finished development half a year late. But the SD card will fit many types of applications, unlike the Memory Stick, which is used mainly through the Sony brand," Takada said.
"In my experience, many customers are saying only Sony and Aiwa are strongly backing the Memory Stick. Other companies are weighing up which is better or have already backed the SD Card, such as Sharp. And generally speaking, the major U.S. companies are waiting to see what the Japanese companies will do," he said.
Led by Toshiba, Sandisk and Matsushita, the SD Card Association has built up a powerful list of supporters. Matsushita, which is seen as a crucial presence with its National/Panasonic brands, is putting its full bulk behind the SD consortium and SD technology, said Kazuhiro Tsuga, general manager of the company's multimedia development center. "We are making good alliances that are fair and open [to challenge Memory Stick]," Tsuga said. "We want to make the SD Card the de facto standard."
Matsushita has already shipped an SD audio player shaped like a wrist watch, and will make "every effort" to populate its products with SD slots, a Matsushita spokesman said.
"The war has already started and we are going to dominate," said Takada.
AAA Avid About Telematics
AAA Facts
By Brad Smith
April 10, 2000
Wireless Week
AAA, whose membership encompasses more than one-fourth of the nation's homes, is about to add its considerable presence to the growing interest in telematics.
Eyeing a tiny market that is expected to quadruple in size this year and reach 11 million users by 2004, the 43 million-member organization plans to announce this week a new telematics subsidiary called Response Services Center LLC. The subsidiary, headed by wireless veteran Daniel Dickerson, formerly with Orbcomm USA and Ford Motor Co.'s Lincoln RESCU development team, plans to offer services in the fourth quarter.
Vice President Marshall Doney says the initial focus will be on roadside and emergency services. The AAA also wants to become an Internet portal for travel information.
The first users in the fall will be fleet vehicles, with broad consumer availability in three to six undisclosed markets during the first quarter of 2001. The initial deployment will be based on GPS service with aftermarket in-vehicle systems but will extend to mobile phones and networks once E911 phase II location technology is broadly available.
AAA wants a piece of a telematics revenue stream that the Strategis Group predicts will climb from $40 million in 1999 to more than $1.7 billion in 2004. Strategis analyst Stephan Becker estimates that one-fourth of the 12 million current model year autos in the United States will have telematics as an option. General Motors, Mercedes-Benz and Ford have established emergency telematics systems and plan to provide Internet connections.
AAA's Response Services Center will open this month in Columbia, Md., where computer operators will receive and interpret GPS data from members and then dispatch the appropriate 911 emergency assistance, road service, travel information, anti-theft tracking, remote door unlocking and other travel information through its 86 local affiliates.
AAA already responds to more than 30 million member requests for emergency road service and it makes sense to extend that ability wirelessly. Although the early services will focus on security and safety, Dickerson says AAA wants to extend all of its information into vehicles via wireless.
"The issues of safety are very big for our members," Dickerson says, "but we're interested in taking the information superhighway and making sure it is connected to the real, physical highway."
With a possible audience of 43 million, he'll get a lot of attention.
Audio chip makers' hopes tied to digital music rollouts
By Margaret Quan
EE Times
(04/06/01, 3:53 p.m. EST)
MANHASSET, N.Y. — Top suppliers of chips for the digital music player market hope the rollout of online music services aimed at boosting the availability of digital music on the Internet will have a positive impact on portable digital music player sales this year.
They expect the added content to increase second-half 2001 sales over what turned out to be a disappointing first quarter for chips of all types, including those designed into portable music players, according to anecdotal reports.
However, some believe the limited availability of digital music content and the uncertainty over digital music copyrights is not the only thing that prevents consumers from purchasing the devices.
Rainer Hoffmann, president of Micronas Semiconductors (San Jose, Calif.), a subsidiary of Micronas Semiconductor Holding AG (Zurich, Switzerland), thinks the portable music player-only devices are still too expensive at prices of $199 and up.
"The major holdback [to growth of the market] is still the cost," said Hoffmann.
He suggested player prices "must come down to $149 and below" before they become a mainstream consumer purchase.
Nevertheless, three top chip suppliers, Cirrus Logic Inc. (Austin, Texas), Texas Instruments Inc. (TI; Dallas) and Micronas see as positive developments this week's launch of several new music services: the MusicNet music subscription service platform by Real Networks and three major record labels; Microsoft Corp.'s introduction of a beta version of its free streaming radio service on its MSN network; and plans by MTVi Group and music application service provider RioPort to offer paid song downloads through MTVi's Web site. (MTVi is a unit of MTV Networks owned by Viacom Inc.)
They believe the services will generate greater consumer demand for digital audio devices.
"Anything that helps the flow of content so that it's easier to get to is going to help," Scott MacDonald, vice president of marketing for Cirrus Logic's Embedded Processors Division told EE Times.
Jorge Kittl, TI's Internet Audio business manager, called the introduction of online music services] "key."
Both companies are leading suppliers of chips to the MP3-type Internet audio portable player market, according to research firm Forward Concepts (Tempe, Ariz.). That market totaled 3.5 million units shipped in 2000 and is forecast to reach 7 million units this year, the firm reported. By 2004, shipments are projected to reach 42 million units.
But reports indicate first-quarter sales of chips into this market may have been flat to disappointing. Thus there are expectations that having more music available online, combined with new MP3 device categories set to debut later this year, may help jump-start growth later in the year.
Cirrus Logic is the top supplier of chips into the digital audio player market, according to Forward Concepts, but in recent weeks retail store inventory of players that use its Maverick embedded processors has been light. That's expected to change in the second half of 2001, when the company expects to see new Maverick-based players on the shelves, MacDonald said.
The players will include a new generation of digital audio decoder-equipped CD players known as "spinning media" devices that are larger than MP3-only portables and play downloaded digital audio as well as compressed audio files stored on CDs that hold 650 Mbytes of music. These spinning media devices, along with a new class of digital audio streaming players that stream music and store it on a local server network rather than locally, are expected to contribute to growth for Cirrus Logic's Maverick chip sales this year.
Texas Instruments, the second-largest provider of chips for digital audio players, according to Forward Concepts, reported that it received new design wins from consumer electronics manufacturers Sanyo, Thomson Multimedia, Digisette LLC and Richfield Innovations Pte. Ltd. (RFI) during the first quarter. The devices represent a range of different form factors, including the Digisette Duo player, which functions as a stand-alone digital audio player and cassette-emulation device, and the RFI JazPiper player, which stores music on an Iomega PocketZip drive.
Texas Instruments' Internet Audio business manager, Jorge Kittl, declined to reveal digital audio player-related DSP sales figures for the first quarter and would only say that TI shipped over 2 million units into the digital audio player segment since the beginning of 2000.
Hoffmann of Micronas Semiconductor, the third-largest provider of chips for MP3-type players, believes the addition of new music services will help drive sales of players, but said he thinks the device price is also a barrier.
"Once you are above the $149 price point, you are getting only 10 percent of the consumer market," he said. Hoffmann called the market small for a consumer electronics device, even if it hits 7 million units.
Most MP3 players cost $199 and up, and though companies have been working to get the price point down, one of the stumbling blocks, the high cost of flash memory, is beyond their control.
As flash prices move down, the industry may see a new wave of market potential for MP3-only devices. Until then, Micronas expects sales of chips into stand-alone MP3 player devices to be flat this year, but predicts growth to come from sales into MP3 combination devices such as cell phones, said Hoffmann.
The company sells chips designed into a Samsung cellular phone that Sprint deployed in field trials in San Diego and an Ericsson accessory for the T28 cellular handset.
In addition to the launch of new music services, chip makers were encouraged this week by efforts in Washington to hash out the controversy over online entertainment and copyright law, which they believe could be hurting the MP3 player market.
On Tuesday (April 3), representatives from the music and technology industries, including InterTrust Technologies Corp. founder and chief executive Victor Shear, whose company develops digital rights management technologies for online content and commerce, testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Shear called for a remedy to the complexity surrounding copyrights and licensing in digital entertainment and suggested the government endorse the use of digital-rights-management (DRM) technologies.
MacDonald said Cirrus Logic remains "supportive" of secure music initiatives, as evidenced by security features added to its Maverick embedded processors in the form of MaverickLock hardware and MaverickKey protection technologies. The company also supports InterTrust and Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Media Audio DRM solutions.
Likewise, TI's Kittl said the company "clearly understands the needs of copyright owners" and built support for security features into DSP products such as the DA250, which supports major digital rights management technologies and is set to ship in volume by midyear.
Hoffmann agreed that clearing up uncertainty around digital music copyrights might have a positive impact on the market for digital audio players, but said Micronas must remain flexible about its chip-solution offerings. He said some customers support the use of DRM today, while others are not interested in adopting proprietary solutions until there is a DRM standard.
3.4.3 Multimedia Car Platform
The Fantastic Corporation is a leading partner in a new European team bringing Internet and broadband
multimedia into vehicles. The project, "Multimedia Car Platform" which has been launched by the European
Commission, brings together a number of leading companies and technical institutes, to combine broadcasting
technology with mobile telephony into a system bringing broadband Internet into the drivers dashboard (and to the
back of seats too). The project will take the latest in audio and video broadcast standards (DAB, DVB) and
mobile phone standards (GSM, UMTS or 3G), and combine them into digital delivery in the car. This will enable
many new services to be offered to mobile drivers and passengers, including:
Localized information (traffic, parking, routing etc.)
Regional information (news, weather and special events)
National (news and information)
Internet content and mobile wireless interactivity.
Cartoons, games and music videos could be offered as well.
Some of the Industry’s leading players are part of this project, funded by the European Commission and led by
Deutsche Telekom's R&D company T-Nova. The project will offer new communication, navigation, and
entertainment services for multimedia communication to the car. Interoperability between broadcasting and mobile
communications networks will add a whole new dimension for multimedia in the car. MCP project partners
include: The Fantastic Corporation, T-Nova Deutsche Telecom Innovationsgesellschaft mbH (T- Nova), Retevision
Movil S.A (AMENA), BMW Technik GmbH (BMW), Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), France
Telecom - CNET, Innovations Telecommunication Image and Sound (ITIS), Nokia GmbH, Retevision s.a. (RETE),
Teracom AB (Teracom), and Technische Universitaet Braunschweig (TU BS).
The system will allow the user easy access moving along the highway, with no break or change in the quality
of the connection. This will give uninterrupted video sound or text, essential for interactivity such as buying over
the Internet. The broadband information flow will be provided using IP protocol, which is the standard behind the
Internet. In the future the system could also be incorporated into trains, trucks, and buses, giving travelers all the
facilities of the Internet and broadband broadcast quality media while on the move.
http://www.broadcastpapers.com/data/FantasticMobile07.htm
Tinroad, did you ever go back to the Metaresearch site and look at the photos? Some of it looks like wild speculation but some of the photos are intriguing. Wondering if you happened to see the Fox special on whether we landed on the moon or not? If it comes on again it is definitely worth your time. Amazing NASA photos and movies many of which we have seen but never analyzed critically. Shadows fall on the wrong side of the lunar module in relation to incident light. Lunar module throws dirt up that falls indicating greater gravity than expected etc. etc.. Really weird shit that certainly gives one pause.
cheers
Thanks Doni for the follow-up.eom
Intel's New Flash?
What does it take to bust through with a new computer advance?
One of Energy Conversion Devices' potential Rule Breaking technologies is OUM -- Ovonic Unified Memory -- intended as a possible replacement for Flash memory and eventually even as embedded memory that would turn all computer memory systems upside down. We talk with Tyler Lowery, CEO and part-owner of ECD's Ovonyx. Bottom line? It's risky. And we're Rule Breakers!
By Tom Jacobs (TMF Tom9)
April 5, 2001
Yes, that's a provocative title, and for good reason. No matter how spiffy your technological invention, someone right now is innovating to build a better mousetrap and displace you. And the big folks like Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) often get to choose the winners.
That's been foremost in our minds as we've been knockin' our noggins about various technologies and so-called "tech" companies, about when and if they make appropriate Rule Breaker investments. There's no easy answer, except that an investor considering a company that employs complex technology as its core business needs to understand the technology and the company's sustainable advantage -- how it can extend an initial lead from new technology and fend off competitive threats when someone else invents that better mousetrap. (That's a phrase that should be retired. Hmmm... how about a better Frisbee?) That's one reason we stress the importance of consumer appeal, because it gives us another handle on the potential of a company's complex stuff.
ECD's Ovonic Unified Memory
Take flash memory, the kind of memory used in wireless handsets. Intel is the world's largest producer for the $6-7 billion market. How can a Rule Breaker investor evaluate the potential that Energy Conversion Devices' (Nasdaq: ENER) Ovonic Unified Memory (OUM) might actually upset the established flash order? It takes an understanding of the technology. And that's only the start for those contemplating an investment in ECD, because it has many possible Rule Breaking technologies. Not just OUM, but nickel metal hydride batteries, CD and DVD read/write technology, hydrogen fuel systems, and solar shingles. (Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!)
They do have potential consumer appeal, from a CD-RW drive that lets you burn CDs, to batteries for hybrid cars, and possible new memory for your cell phone or PDA, but we're a long way from "Ovonics Inside."
OUM's main man, Tyler Lowery
Let's look a little more closely at OUM technology. ECD can license it to anyone, but its main push comes from a non-exclusive license to Ovonyx, a 41.7%-ECD-owned joint venture with CEO Tyler Lowery and Intel to commercialize OUM. I recently interviewed former Micron Technology (NYSE: MU) exec Lowery to learn more about OUM and the obstacles in front of a company that's developing new computer memory.
Lowery stood out from the half-dozen CEOs I've interviewed in the last few months. He answered his own phone, made the appointment with me, and didn't have a media person in the room when we spoke. He was down to earth, unrehearsed, and candid. Definitely fresh air.
Here's an edited transcript of our talk. The complete interview appears on the Rule Breaker strategies discussion board.
Tom9: What's Ovonyx' business plan?
Lowery: We're taking [ECD's] phase-change memory technology, and we're trying to incorporate it into a product that has a competitive advantage in several areas, but mainly the memory marketplace. The area within memories would mostly be the non-volatile flash market segment. [Intel's flash memory page lists some products that contain flash. Wireless phones are a huge market.] We're going after that with what we hope to be a major competitive performance advantage. And also some cost advantage as well. So our business plan is to continue to develop and productize the technology that gives us the advantage with the customer and then work with our licensees to help them bring up the product. In that case, right now, I'm in a conference room here at [part Ovonyx owner] Intel right now, and our project here is just that. To try to get this into a real product, prove it up in terms of yield and reliability and cost, and get it into something that goes to customers.
Tom9: What's the potential market for the flash?
Lowery: Flash last year was $8 billion to $10 billion, but the prices have come down, so it's probably in the $6 billion to $7 billion range. Big, big market. The other part of that is embedding, put the memory on a logic chip, like processors or microcontrollers or ASICs, commercial consumer products that would use memory on the same chip with logic, that's called embedding, and it's a big potential market for us that we would pursue.... [Lowery expands on embedded memory in the complete interview. Embedded memory is the kind of thing that could revolutionize the way computer chipsets function.]
* * *
Tom9: How would an investor, looking at ECD, know that OUM is succeeding? What kind of markers would I look for as an investor? Not asking you to predict the future, but how does a new memory technology get adopted?
Lowery: First of all, any time you talk about new memory technology, it is risky. These are big markets, and when you have huge markets like that you have very serious competitors trying to do other approaches. And also, DRAM, flash, SRAM -- they've been around a long time, they've got a tremendous infrastructure [producing and marketing them that's] way down the learning curve. Any time you've got a new memory, it's risky.
The real proof is in the product. A lot of people talk about different types or approaches to memory out there, and we're one of them. But real proof is when you start to see product announcements out there... when and if you hear from them on announcements on how the program is going and the product schedule.
Tom9: When a company like Intel says we're going to build the Pentium 5 with OUM or something like that?
Lowery: That would be an excellent gauge. (Laughter.) Otherwise it's all talk. Until you actually see it in a product, it's all just speculation.
* * *
Tom9: Do you currently have manufacturing facilities?
Lowery: No, we don't. We've got some facilities to do some processing at our home base, but anything remotely close to a manufacturing capability, no. We're totally tied in with our partners. At least for the foreseeable future the source of our revenue would be a royalty stream from our partners' production.
Tom9: Is all product development going on at Intel facilities currently?
Lowery: Yes, and our other licensees, which is ST Microelectronics in Italy, and it was Lockheed Martin, now it's British Aerospace.
Tom9: When you joined Ovonyx and took an equity stake [Lowery initially was a 50-50 owner with ECD], you had left Micron Technology by then?
Lowery: Yes, I'd left Micron.
Tom9: What attracted you to this endeavor? Presumably you didn't need to work another day in your life.
Lowery: That's right, and some people think I'm kinda crazy for doing this, actually. Actually I had a real good career at Micron. Excellent, loved that place up there. Before I left, while I was at Micron, we ran a 2.5-year program on [ECD's] phase-change memory. So I was very familiar with ECD, with the Detroit people that worked on this, and with the technology.
After I left Micron, I wasn't able to work for anybody for a while because of a severance agreement. During that time, ECD made tremendous progress on the technology, and I kept track of it during the severance agreement period, and it got downright exciting. The day my severance agreement was completed, I flew back to Detroit to get the Ovonyx venture started.
Tom9: The very day?
Lowery: The technology is very interesting. An alternative, new approach to memory certainly has its risks as well. We're going to give it a good run.
Tom9: Are you aware of any other technology or companies out there currently that could give OUM a run for its money?
Lowery: Flash is the one out there and real, but in terms of the others that would be most competitive [to OUM], they would be the magnetic tunneling junction technologies that are being pursued by IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Motorola (NYSE: MOT).
ECD as a Rule Breaker
No doubt about it, using ECD's Ovonics technology to change flash memory and potentially advance embedded memory would change the computing and wireless worlds. Embedded memory might go a long way to displace companies in today's "separated" memory world, where a computer's logic integrated circuit (CPU) makes a request to a separate memory chip. But OUM is still in development, and how many other companies are out there toiling? Intel has investments in many more Ovonyxes, to be sure. How do we even know if OUM is top dog and first mover?
ECD not only has one complex technology waiting to produce products, but six, each with Rule Breaker potential to change the world. Do we need to take six different businesses in one? Isn't life complicated enough? Please respond in this poll.
a) RB Port should consider complex technology companies.
b) RB Port does not need them to do well.
c) A, but ECD is too much work.
d) A, but ECD is worth the effort.
Tom Jacobs' (TMF Tom9) creates a moat around himself with clutter. This is his sustainable advantage -- though his partner might disagree. At press time, he owned shares of Energy Conversion Devices. To see his stock holdings (and chortle), view his profile, and check out The Motley Fool's disclosure policy.
OT Lava2140 and InternetSpeech to Collaborate on Voice-Based Access to Wireless Content
URL(s): www.lava2140.com
LOS ANGELES, April 4, 2001--Lava2140, a wireless solutions provider that makes remote access to information a reality, and InternetSpeech, a leading voice Internet technology provider, today announced a development agreement that will give users a voice-based access option for receiving and sending information through wireless devices. By incorporating InternetSpeech's netECHO(TM) voice Internet technology into Lava2140's suite of SMS- and WAP-based applications, consumers will be able to connect to information either through their wireless device keypad or via their own voice. This capability also allows users who are not yet equipped with data-capable or browser-equipped phones access to content on the Internet.
"Accessing wireless data through a handset or other device can be a time-consuming and frustrating experience," commented Linh Tang, CEO of Lava2140. "We want to give end users the option to access our wireless applications as efficiently as possible. Giving wireless users both keystroke and voice-based access to information helps streamline the current complexity of wireless device applications, which will make it easier for a broader market of potential users to understand and use the technology."
"Our netECHO voice Internet software was developed to make it easier for wireless device users to receive the types of data and applications that Lava2140 delivers," said Dr. Emdad Khan, president and CEO of InternetSpeech. "Our collaboration with Lava2140 is significant because wireless carriers can now offer end users direct voice access to critical corporate and personal data, simply by talking into their cell phone or by using a mobile device. We are excited about working with Lava2140 and providing voice Internet capability for the wireless infrastructure."
The companies announced the partnership at ISPCON, a trade show and conference dedicated to Internet service providers, being held April 4-6 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.
Lava2140, (www.lava2140.com), founded in 1998, develops wireless data solutions that allow carriers, enterprises, and web-based ventures to deliver two-way data applications, enterprise-based information, and personalized Internet services to any mobile communications device worldwide. Lava2140 offers a secure solution that helps carriers and content providers increase their average revenues per unit and subscriber. Lava2140's product mix consists of applications for two-way data delivery, e-mail, instant messaging, includes private label wireless banking, portal, secure m-commerce applications, Customer Retention Management (CRM), and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). Lava's software is based on an extensible and flexible architecture, resulting in solutions that are not limited to specific devices and platforms. In deployments on GSM and TDMA networks, Lava's solutions have proven reliable, cost-effective, and easy to implement.
InternetSpeech, (www.InternetSpeech.com), a privately held company headquartered in San Jose, Calif., develops, markets and supports a voice Internet browser, netECHO(TM), which provides audio-based telephone access to the Internet for businesses and individuals. The company's patent-pending technology can be bundled with other products, such as traditional computer-based Internet access, or voice mail, and can be customized to meet individual business needs, such as employee access to Intranet sites. InternetSpeech also offers business software that automates the process of voice-enabling a company's Web site and applications, furthering development of the "voice Web." InternetSpeech launched its netECHO business and consumer product in August 2000 and November 2000, respectively.
National Study Reveals Consumers Want Interactive TV Services Now, Willing to 'Trade Up' to
Get Content
- Cable, Satellite Customers Indicate Readiness to Advance to Digital, Switch
Service Providers if They Can Get Currently Available Interactive Content -
LOS ANGELES, April 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The majority of consumers understand
what interactive television is, they want it now, and they are willing to
upgrade from analog to digital cable, or switch between cable and satellite
services, in order to get interactive content delivered to their homes,
according to a recent national study commissioned by interactive technology
companies ACTV, Inc. (Nasdaq: IATV), Liberty Livewire Corp. (Nasdaq: LWIRA),
Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT), OpenTV (Nasdaq: OPTV; AEX) and
Universal Electronics Inc. (Nasdaq: UEIC) (UEI). The study, aimed at gauging
consumer interest in getting interactive TV services and their reaction to
various delivery options, was conducted by Boyd Consulting, a market research
firm located in Palm Desert, Calif.
"The study's findings tell us that consumers are keenly interested in
getting interactive TV services and that they like all the delivery options
they were shown," said David Beddow, CEO of Liberty Livewire and spokesperson
for the research sponsors. "Even with the nascent state of the technology and
content, cable and satellite operators have a captivated, if not captive,
audience eager to use interactive services now," Beddow said. "Via digital
set-top boxes that are being deployed today, we have the technology to deliver
the interactive TV experience consumers want."
Participants in the national study were exposed to an interactive TV
experience in three different ways: 1) a two-screen scenario in which
synchronized Internet content for a TV program is delivered over a PC located
in the same room as the TV; 2) a one-screen, or "on-screen", scenario that
drives interactive Internet content through a digital cable or satellite
set-top box to the TV and is viewed as an overlay on part of the TV screen;
and 3) an "on-screen" system enhanced by the ability to download the content
to one or more handheld touch-screen devices that can personalize the
interactive experience without disrupting TV viewing.
While emphasizing that the study's sponsors provide all three content
delivery configurations today, Beddow said, "The two-screen scenario, which is
most broadly available, is clearly helping to jumpstart consumer interest in
interactive TV services and programming. But overall, the delivery option
that consumers liked best was the on-the-TV-screen overlay enhanced by a
handheld touch-screen control device, such as Universal Electronics'
Mosaic(R)."
Key Findings
Receptivity to Interactive Solutions
-- The single-screen TV overlay format and the two-screen TV/PC solution
were liked equally well by more than two-thirds of consumers
participating in the study.
-- Personalizing interactive TV by using a handheld touch-screen device
improved customer perceptions, with three out of four consumers (76%)
liking the experience overall.
Expected Uses
-- Asked how they would use interactive services delivered through any of
the three options, consumers indicated a preference for instant access
to information such as news, sports and weather (52%), followed by
interactive TV guide (44%), behind-the-scenes information on TV
programs (38%), e-mail (37%), games or quizzes (32%), and other uses.
Satisfaction Factor
-- 64% of all digital cable customers and 57% of all satellite customers
surveyed said that having the single-screen TV overlay format as an
interactive solution would make them feel more satisfied with the
service they currently have.
-- These satisfaction figures increased slightly to 70% and 58%,
respectively, with the addition of the handheld touch-screen device.
Willingness to Upgrade, Switch Services
-- Among analog cable customers, nearly one-half (47%) indicated that
availability of single-screen interactive TV service would make them
more interested in subscribing to a digital service.
-- Availability of the Mosaic/handheld device enhancement drove up to
two-thirds (64%) the number of analog cable customers interested in
upgrading to digital interactive service.
-- More than half (57%) of consumers said that, if they were to trade up,
they would select whichever digital service (cable or satellite)
offered the single-screen TV overlay format for interactive TV,
coupled with a handheld touch-screen device.
-- 40% of satellite customers participating in the survey indicated that
they would switch to a digital cable service if the single-screen TV
overlay solution for interactive services were available only through
the cable delivery structure. This number increases to 42% with
introduction of the handheld touch-screen device.
Market Opportunity
"As important efforts continue to advance the technology for multiple
interactive experiences involving the Internet and the television, the cable
industry is already positioned to recruit a growing number of American
households who will be accessing and viewing interactive TV content," said
Beddow. "Through set-top boxes and cable-modem hookups, cable operators have
a tremendous opportunity to tap into the revenue-generating possibilities
afforded in today's interactive marketplace."
Beddow noted that about 52 million American households already have a TV
and computer in the same room, allowing them to watch a television program
while experiencing specially authored interactive elements of the program via
their computers with ACTV's HyperTV(R) technology, either through dial-up, DSL
or cable modem. Through a joint venture between ACTV and Liberty Livewire, he
explained, HyperTV(R) with Livewire enables TV networks, programmers and
advertisers to deliver by PC compelling interactive Web content, Web-based
advertising, e-commerce and community chat features synchronized to live or
pre-recorded TV programming (or any other video-based programming). HyperTV,
and ACTV's other interactive TV programming technologies and services, also
tap the power of currently deployed digital set-tops to make "one-screen"
interactivity a reality today, Beddow noted.
"The easy addition of interactive TV middleware to a digital set-top box
would enable millions to watch television programs and experience
interactivity today," Beddow continued. OpenTV, whose software for digital
interactive TV is deployed in almost 14 million digital set-top boxes
worldwide, enables customers to view enhanced TV programs, shop and bank from
home, send and receive email, and access Web content on demand. In terms of
digital set-top box availability, Motorola alone has shipped more than
12 million digital cable set-top boxes to more than 100 different broadband
network operators, Beddow said.
"Add to these deployed interactive digital services UEI's state-of-the-art
Mosaic -- a two-way RF touch-screen wireless control device (the IR version of
which is already being shipped through retail outlets), and consumers can
experience interactive TV by downloading content onto a palmtop-like touch
screen that doubles as a handheld monitor," Beddow said. UEI's patented
two-way RF data communication feature allows one or more TV viewers to
individualize their interactive experience by downloading interactive content
directly from the digital set-top box onto the Mosaic and then to also use the
Mosaic to control as many as 15 audio-visual (A/V) devices. "Viewers can use
UEI's Mosaic to individually access interactive Web content, peruse the
interactive program guide or explore interactive options, such as e-commerce,
games and e-mail, in the palm of their hand without interfering with others'
TV viewing experience," Beddow said.
A fulcrum for the interactive TV solutions advanced by the team of
companies, Liberty Livewire is a key stakeholder in the interactive
programming industry. "Liberty Livewire brings to the table major independent
post-production facilities for television and film, transmission capabilities
through satellite and other means, as well as relationships with AT&T to host
interactive programs to millions of simultaneous users," Beddow said.
"We have the technology and products available right now, and we have
receptive consumers," Beddow said on behalf of the interactive team that
sponsored the market research. "What we need now are cable and satellite
operators to get the product to consumers."
Boyd Consulting conducted quantitative, one-on-one interviews with more
than 500 head-of-household consumers across the United States in November and
December 2000. An equal number of analog and digital cable or satellite
customers were surveyed.
About ACTV, Inc.
ACTV, Inc., (Nasdaq: IATV) is a digital media company providing technical
and creative services, tools, products and proprietary software-based
technologies for digital television, enhanced media, interactive TV
advertising and personalized programming applications. Based in New York
City, ACTV has strategic relationships with key players in the Internet,
television and digital technology fields, including Liberty Digital, Inc.,
Motorola Broadband Communications Sector, OpenTV and Liberty Livewire Corp.
For more information, visit http://www.actv.com.
About Liberty Livewire
Liberty Livewire Corp. (Nasdaq: LWIRA) provides a wide range of
traditional audio and video post-production, transmission, library services,
Internet hosting, and audio/video distribution services via satellite and
fiber to worldwide clients in the feature film, television and advertising
industries. The company also provides interactive television service under the
brand name HyperTV(R) with Livewire. The company has locations in Los Angeles,
New York, Atlanta, London, San Francisco, Singapore and Barcelona. Liberty
Livewire is a majority-owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Group, which holds
interests in a broad range of video programming, communications, technology
and Internet businesses in the United States, Europe, South America and Asia.
About Motorola
Motorola, Inc. is a global leader in providing integrated communications
solutions and embedded electronic solutions. Sales in 2000 were $37.6 billion.
For more information, visit Motorola's Web site at http://www.motorola.com.
About OpenTV
OpenTV (Nasdaq: OPTV; AEX) is the world's leading interactive television
and media solutions company. OpenTV builds a complete software and
infrastructure platform that enables digital interactive television and brings
on-demand content to other digital communications devices. OpenTV solutions
are crafted to meet the needs of all digital communications networks and
include operating middleware, content applications, content creation tools,
professional services expertise and strategic consulting.
OpenTV software has been shipped with or installed in 13.9 million digital
set-top boxes worldwide and has been selected by 40 digital cable, satellite
and terrestrial Communications Networks in over 50 countries, including BSkyB
in the United Kingdom; TPS and Noos in France; PrimaCom in Germany; Via
Digital in Spain; Stream in Italy; DIRECTV(TM) Latin America LLC; and
EchoStar's DISH Network in the U.S. In addition, more than 31 digital set-top
box manufacturers have licensed OpenTV's software, and OpenTV's software
developers program has more than 900 independent developers and content
service providers.
Worldwide headquarters for OpenTV is located in Mountain View, Calif.
Information on OpenTV is available at http://www.opentv.com.
About Universal Electronics
Universal Electronics Inc., based in Southern California, develops
software, and builds and markets pre-programmed, easy-to-use wireless control
devices and chips principally for home entertainment equipment and the
subscription broadcast market. The company's product lines include such
wireless interface technologies as combination keyboard/remotes and
touch-screen remotes. UEI licenses its patented technologies and database of
infrared codes to companies selling into the cable and satellite industries,
and to original equipment manufacturers. The company also sells its universal
remote control products to distributors and retailers in Europe, Asia, South
America and Australia under the One For All(R) brand name. Additional
information about UEI may be found on the Internet by visiting
http://www.ueic.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are made
pursuant to the Safe-Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Words and expressions reflecting something other than
historical fact are intended to identify forward looking statements. These
forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties,
including the timely development, ordering, delivery and market acceptance of
products and technologies identified in this release, maintaining the
exclusivity identified in this release, and other factors described in the
companies' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The actual
results that the companies achieve may differ materially from any
forward-looking statement due to such risks and uncertainties. The companies
undertake no obligations to revise or update any forward-looking statements in
order to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this
release.
SOURCE ACTV, Inc.
Web Site: http://www.actv.com http://www.motorola.com
http://www.opentv.com http://www.ueic.com
Testimony of Victor Shear, Founder and CEO, InterTrust Technologies Corporation, Before United States Senate Judiciary Committee April 3, 2001
WASHINGTON, April 3 /PRNewswire/ --
InterTrust Technology Corporation (Nasdaq: ITRU) today delivered the following
testimony to the United States Senate Judiciary Committee on online
entertainment and copyright law discussing the critical role Digital Rights
Management (DRM) solutions will play in the future peer-to-peer Filesharing
Technologies.
On behalf of InterTrust, I wish to thank Senators Hatch, Leahy, Feinstein,
Thurmond, and all the members of the Committee for the opportunity to testify
this morning on the important issue of on-line entertainment and copyright
law. I would like to tell the Committee about how InterTrust Technologies
Corporation has developed Digital Rights Management technologies that in the
field of copyright protection will secure four objectives:
-- give consumers new freedom to enjoy music and other forms of content,;
-- give copyright owners and other value chain participants the means to
manage and protect their rights in published works;
-- give effect to elements of law, such as copyright exceptions, for
ensuring that rights are managed in accordance with public interest;
-- provide users with the means to manage their legitimate personal rights
and interests.
InterTrust is the leading provider of peer-to-peer Digital Rights
Management (DRM) technology. This technology ensures the neutrality,
security, commercial reliability, and trusted interoperability of applications
and services used to protect and manage rights in all forms of information,
including the creative works under consideration here. Our enterprise is
focused on the rapidly evolving area of digital commerce in information; our
aim is to provide a framework of commercial trust comparable in scope, and at
least as reliable, as the systems of trust that underpin commerce in the
physical world.
The focus of this Committee extends beyond a simple re-examination of the
particulars of the Napster case to the broader questions it raises. I
respectfully submit that, from that perspective, InterTrust has a particularly
valuable contribution to make. Given our unique position in the DRM arena, we
believe we can assist the Committee in considering the complex issues before
it.
Background on InterTrust Technologies Corporation
I founded InterTrust in January 1990. The goal was to provide solutions
to many of the complexities involved in realizing the full potential of
electronic commerce. It seemed clear that digital commerce would require
mechanisms enabling the dynamics of traditional commerce to be seamlessly
translated into the electronic world. My associates and I coined the
expression Digital Rights Management to describe the requisite mechanisms. In
effect, we were looking towards a world in which, where and as appropriate,
commerce could be digitally "virtualized". Over the last 10 years, InterTrust
has developed the concept of Digital Rights Management ("DRM") and has grown
from myself and a handful of researchers to a fully-fledged commercial
enterprise employing more than 350 people worldwide. Approximately
$340 million of working capital has been provided to InterTrust by its
investors, and all of this capital is dedicated to the creation of a digital
rights management framework for digital commerce and participant conduct.
The impact of the Internet has meant that the initial and most visible
applications of InterTrust's technology have been for digital music, video,
and publishing. Literally any digital information that is shared or stored
will ultimately be implicated, however. This includes, for example, medical
records, enterprise workflow, financial interactions, and the policy
management of any stored or communicated information -- policies ranging from
privacy rights to enforcing government regulations to reliably automating
commercial interests.
As concerns electronic distribution of entertainment products and
services, InterTrust has been a very active member of the Secure Digital Music
Initiative (SDMI) since its inception, and its employees have chaired SDMI's
Portable Device Working Group and its Screening Group. We played the role of
primary developer of the Intellectual Property Management Protocol (IPMP),
which became an MPEG-4 standard for electronic devices. We have strategic
alliances and partnerships with a number of major enterprises including Adobe,
AOL, Bertelsmann, Blockbuster, Compaq, Creative, Diamond Rio, Enron,
Mitsubishi, Nokia, Philips, Samsung, Texas Instruments, Universal Music and
numerous others. They are all actively working with InterTrust DRM technology
to further the enjoyment of music, video, published text and other information
products on PCs, portable music players, cable systems and mobile phones.
InterTrust works with these and other companies to help establish standards,
and, through InterTrust's MetaTrust Utility, to help ensure that consumers and
commercial organizations can enjoy a consistent degree of reliability,
integrity, and interoperability when they expose their interests through
digital interaction. We pride ourselves on working with individuals and
companies, large and small, that have interests in, or rights related to,
digital information that need rights management.
Online Entertainment and Digital Rights Management
Great creators are normally great communicators, their individual voices
collectively embodying and expressing the values and passions of their
culture. Using digital technology expedites the accurate dissemination and
reception of creators' works and, when employed in the proper context, digital
technology can also support the universe of rights associated with most
creative works -- the rights of creators, value chain members, users, and
societal organizations. Although digital technology can greatly enhance the
communication of creators' works, unless it is properly employed, its use
creates severe problems. Digital technology, when improperly used, can deny
content creators and their successors the commercially essential return for
labor and right to manage and exploit property. The improper use of digital
technology -- when employed as a vehicle for the unfettered purloining of
copyrighted content -- directly undermines the basic building blocks of modern
society, the respect for the rights of others, as well as proper return for
one's creative output and labor. Moreover, such improper use directly suborns
the stable economic basis necessary for further development of art.
Ultimately society loses out as the basic "glue" of commerce and
democracy, the civil interaction between multi-party rights and interests and
the maintenance of a market for goods and services, is undermined in the
service of convenience and self-interest. At times it appears there's a call
to revolt, "free the content," when such a call -- if extended beyond fair use
-- obscures the real issues and would seek to legitimize people taking for
free whatever they want. Others' rights be damned!
Although the impetus for this hearing may be "file-sharing" and the recent
Court of Appeals decision affecting it, it is not just about Napster. It is
about the changes that digital technology is bringing to the worlds of art,
entertainment and information. It is also about the kind of society that
electronic communities and digital technology, used in concert with copyright
law, can create. Many people are just now beginning to realize how profound
those changes and possibilities are. In under two years and with very little
in the way of direct investment, an electronic community of some 60 Napster
million file sharers was created. Ordinary consumers used the Napster system
to obtain unauthorized copies of copyrighted music without payment when most
of them, at least previously, would never have considered buying pirated CDs
in the physical world. Other communities are springing up worldwide where
individuals communicate electronically and eschew any reference to traditional
principles of commerce and property rights.
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which this Committee was
instrumental in enacting, was the first in the world to tackle the challenges
of digital technology. Yet for all its thoroughness, we are probably even now
past the point where we could claim that copyright law alone is sufficient to
establish adequate mechanisms for the protection and management of rights in
creative works (though it is essential that legislators continue to develop
the body of digital copyright laws and regulation). Despite shorter revision
cycles for law, the ability of the creative community to enforce the rights in
their works has never really caught up with the technologies enabling anybody
to make and distribute unlawful digital copies. The situation is now being
considered by some leading academics as one in which copyright law may in
practice become virtually irrelevant.
Society simply cannot afford to accept copyright law becoming irrelevant.
And we cannot afford to set the extraordinary example of dispensing with the
rights of content providers because we are unwilling to develop a framework
for proper commercial and civil behavior. There is therefore an urgent need
for a partnership between technology and law that effectively maintains the
underlying commercial and social principles of modern free society. With
respect to online entertainment the partnership must provide a workable
framework for the efforts of our musicians, writers, actors and artists. We
need a partnership between government and content commerce participants that
accommodates and satisfies the legitimate expectations of American citizens
-- including any limitations on exclusive rights appropriate for an
intelligent public policy.
Sophisticated DRM technology such as InterTrust's can provide the
mechanism to help effect this partnership. While technical complexities and
challenges abound, the mission is achievable: to provide a combination of
technical mechanisms and social compacts that allow the transfer of the basic
features of traditional commerce into the digital market place. The means to
achieve this goal are now at hand, and the means to continue developing a
flexible, free, and safe commercial digital environment, are readily
accessible. There are, of course, new and complex commercial, economic and
social issues to be addressed. But this cannot deflect us from the simple,
basic responsibility that we all have, to not settle for over-simplifications
that result in distorting, unfair, and socially and commercially flawed
solutions. Rather, we must strive to allow the digital world to live up to
the principles most all of us believe are the minimum standards we would
demand in the traditional, non-digital world.
The basic principles of granting rights to creators to control the use of
their work and of maintaining trusted systems for commerce remain as valid as
ever. We should not ignore the opportunities as they arise of reviewing
current copyright limitations and other accommodations that were made before
the advent of effective digital rights management to ensure they continue to
serve these principles. We should also be ready to reshape these limitations,
where necessary, to fit the emerging digital marketplace. Above all we should
be driven by a simple principle: to maintain a free and effective commercial
society that, in a balanced fashion, supports the rights of all participants.
Digital Rights Management Technology
It is important to understand from the outset that when talking about DRM
technology we are not referring to simple mechanisms that, say, carry
protected material from a server to a client in return for a payment, locking
the material to a single device. Such a proposition offers nowhere near the
degree of flexibility and coverage necessary to support either traditional or
new business offerings. Post delivery, persistent protection of commercial
interests, flexibility in use of content across devices and locations, and
flexible interaction with content, are all priorities for content value chain
participants. In the context of music as it relates to Napster, users want to
play music on-line or off-line, and they want the right and ability to combine
music into play-lists that are used to create a specific personal or group
music experience, for use wherever and whenever they wish.
The technology system that InterTrust has developed protects content, in
the instance of this discussion music, on a persistent basis throughout its
commercial lifecycle. It does this by binding rules governing content use
with governed content. This tamper resistant association persists regardless
of the channel through or platform upon which the music is played, and the
number of handlers of the content, the duration of time, or the physical
location of the content. InterTrust technology creates a zone -- independent
of time, place, or device -- where music is governed by technology and where
rights-holders, including consumers, are free to express and protect their
rights through the freedom to establish differing rules reflecting their
individual interests.
Within this technical protection zone, digital information such as music
can be offered to consumers via a virtually limitless range of models: sale of
downloads; subscriptions; pay-per-listen; superdistribution (consumer A
delivering material to consumer B and so on); and file sharing. This freedom
is also available for the implementation of a richly diverse range of policies
that govern usage, and any consequences of usage, in relation to groups of any
nature, such as special interest groups. To accommodate statutory limitations
on copyright, special consumption rules can be created, either through law or
through accepted practice of rights-holders, for particular consumers or
classes of users: for schools and universities; for libraries and archival
institutions; and for consumers with special needs such as the blind.
Whatever the needs, whatever the relationship between different participants
the digital information remains persistently protected while freely available
according to agreed rules of use.
If this protection is to remain effective throughout the lifecycle of the
content then it follows that it must be possible to change the rules relating
to use. Material can have a succession of different owners. It can change in
value; it can be traded for different purposes; it can be used on multiple,
different devices; and it can be loaned to other parties. Our system
anticipates and accommodates all these possibilities. In our system, digital
information and the rules governing its use by a particular user can exist and
move independently of each other, coming together to give effect to the
agreement between supplier, distributor, and consumer, and respecting whatever
rules may be applied by government, or, for example, by financial
institutions.
An efficient system of protection must not only accommodate a wide variety
of business offerings. It must also support the complex value chains through
which many of the offerings are delivered. The architecture InterTrust has
developed supports value chain relationships based on traditional commercial
principles -- we call this digital enabling of value chains "chain of handling
and control." This means that each actor in the value chain is able to create
the rules it wishes to apply to the material in question within the scope of
authority granted to the participant by the previous or governing actors in
the value chain. A publisher could establish the commercial terms for a work
within the authority granted by the author; the distributor could then set
rules within the scope of authority granted by the publisher and so on through
the value chain, all in accordance with law and accepted practice.
Requirements of Digital Rights Management
We believe there are a number of precedent requirements for effective
digital rights management of content. First, it must provide creators of
digital information the ability to manage and protect their rights throughout
content lifecycles and however content may be exploited. This means that a
DRM system must be secure and resilient to tampering, and certain elements of
the protection system must accompany the copy of the work as it is passed from
party to party, format to format, platform to platform.
Second, it must support commercial flexibility so that it can accommodate
the arrangements struck between copyright owners, their customers,
distributors, retailers and other value-adding participants. This means that
a rights management system must provide content creators and/or publishers the
means to allow consumers choices appropriate to the commercial circumstance.
Consumers must be able to enjoy copyrighted works, and the system must permit
consumer arrangements to vary based on the terms agreed to by the content
commerce participants.
Third, it must provide a neutral and trusted environment in which
technology assures these agreed upon arrangements. The rights management
technology must be unimpeachably neutral, that is it may not in any way subtly
or secretly advantage any hidden interests, and further, it is essential that
the rights management technology not advantage any out-of-context interests of
the rights management technology provider. Consequently, for example, neither
a rights holder, nor a consumer, nor the rights technology provider should be
able to alter or tamper with any agreed upon commercial arrangements once
agreed or impede the expression of a parties' rights or interest.
Unless a rights management system meets these requirements -- that is,
unless the trust system is itself unimpeachably trustable -- it will fail to
satisfy the legitimate interests of businesses, consumers, and government.
Further, unless a rights management system is able to maintain its trust
attributes regardless of the underlying digital commerce platform, device, or
application, it will fail one of two tests. Either the system will (A) lack
reliability in protecting participant rights, since a loosely coupled array of
rights systems, without a unifying maintained rights environment, will readily
succumb to hackers; or the system will (B) lack interoperability, and
consumers and commercial participants alike will lose the convenience and
efficiency essential to content commerce, and risk having their interests
suborned to the interests of a party controlling a narrow, proprietary
environment.
In the domain of music, InterTrust DRM technology is now capable of
permitting consumers to listen, record, and distribute music online in ways
that do not compromise the rights of artists, record labels, and other
copyright owners. It is capable of managing the rights in copyrighted works
in a secure manner in the context of peer-to-peer distribution. Its
technology supports the ongoing effort of Digital World Services (DWS), a
Bertelsmann subsidiary, and the Universal Music Group, as well as many other
interests both large and small, enabling them to implement new business models
for the distribution of music on-line. A leading international music group,
Daft Punk, for example, recently accompanied the release of its latest album
with a novel application of InterTrust technology. The band is encouraging
traditional retail relationships and creating digital economy value for its
fans by enabling those fans who have purchased the CD to access the group's
web site and to download additional music -- at no further cost, but protected
with InterTrust DRM.
Effective DRM solutions require more than sophisticated technology. They
also require credibility and trust. That is why InterTrust restricts itself
to building a platform that supports third party businesses. It is not itself
a distributor of copyrighted works; a builder of commercial consumer
applications, such as electronic music players; or a credit card transaction
processor. InterTrust's MetaTrust Utility, the core of InterTrust's business
interests, functions as a utility. It facilitates -- but refrains from
intruding into -- the business models and distribution channels for
copyrighted works. Its function is not to dictate the arrangements for
digital rights management, but to establish and maintain a platform that
ensures the neutrality, security, commercial reliability, and trusted
interoperability of services, software applications, and devices used for the
protection and management of rights in digital information of all kinds. A
trusted, neutral infrastructure is essential to the long-term effectiveness of
DRM solutions, and to their acceptance by copyright owners, distributors, and
consumers alike.
Conclusion
DRM technologies should give consumers new options for legitimately
acquiring and enjoying music and other forms of online entertainment, while
ensuring that copyright owners and other commercial participants have the
means to manage and protect their rights. Enabling peer-to-peer distribution
of music and other copyrighted works without compromising copyright is an
obvious example. In our view, sophisticated DRM solutions must support the
fundamental principle of any effective copyright system: that of striking the
correct balance between protecting the rights and interests of copyright
owners while promoting the interests of the wider community and facilitating
the efficient and flexible dissemination of, and greater access to, music and
other copyrighted works.
Ultimately, the reality of sophisticated DRM technology is about far more
than Napster, online entertainment and copyright law. Policy makers,
consumers, and business globally will come to realize that the "Napster issue"
isn't just about music and the Internet. It is about constructing a civil
digital society in the Internet Age, where rules created for and by its
citizens can be implemented and respected wherever and whenever legitimate
interests are in play. It is this simple proposition that InterTrust is
helping to make a reality.
In closing, InterTrust once again thanks the Committee for the opportunity
to present testimony on this important issue, and looks forward to working
with members of the Committee as they consider the important issues related to
online entertainment and copyright.
About InterTrust Technologies Corporation
InterTrust Technologies Corporation is the leading developer of
peer-to-peer, distributed digital rights management (DRM) technology. Its
general-purpose DRM trust platform serves as a foundation for trusted
peer-to-peer and client server e-commerce. InterTrust holds numerous patents
in the area of trusted systems technology and peer-to-peer rights management,
and licenses its technology and patents in the form of software or hardware
and tools to partners. These partners provide digital commerce services and
applications that together form, a global digital commerce network branded as
the MetaTrust Utility(tm). InterTrust is the neutral administrator of the
MetaTrust Utility network, defining and enforcing the rules which maintain the
security, commercial reliability, and trusted interoperability of devices,
services, and applications deployed on the platform. For more information,
please visit the InterTrust website at http://www.intertrust.com.
The statements contained in this release that are not purely historical
are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the
Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, including statements regarding
InterTrust's expectations, beliefs, hopes, intentions or strategies regarding
the future. All forward-looking statements included in this document are
based upon information available to InterTrust as of the date hereof, and
InterTrust assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statement.
Actual results could differ materially from current expectations. Factors that
could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to,
the factors and risks discussed in InterTrust's reports filed from time to
time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
NOTE: DigiBox, the InterTrust logo, MetaTrust, and The MetaTrust Utility
are registered trademarks of InterTrust Technologies Corporation, and
TrustChip, RightsChip, InterRights Point, MetaTrust-Certified, Rights/PD and
Rights/System are trademarks of InterTrust Technologies Corporation, all of
which may or may not be used in certain jurisdictions. All other brand or
product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
companies or organizations.
SOURCE InterTrust Technologies Corporation
RioPort Delivers For-Sale Music Downloads From Artemis Records to Its E-Tailer Network
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 3, 2001--
Music Downloads by Baha Men, Kittie, Steve Earle, Spacehog, Jeffrey Gaines, Kurupt and Others Now Available on MTV.com, VH1.com, SonicNet,
BOLT and HOB.com
Continuing to drive forward the market for popular music downloads, leading music application service provider (ASP) RioPort today announced that it has signed an agreement with independent record label Artemis Records to digitally distribute and make for-sale the label's entire download catalog.
Beginning today, music fans can purchase downloads by artists such as 2001 Grammy winner Baha Men and nominee Steve Earle, metal band Kittie and rock legend Warren Zevon, among others, through RioPort's online e-tailer network, including MTV.com, VH1.com, SonicNet, BOLT and HOB.com.
Through its PulseOne Media Service(TM), RioPort is handling track and album encoding and packaging, rights management, e-commerce and reporting for Artemis Records. All music selections are being provided in Microsoft's Windows Media Format (WMA) and are available for streaming preview or as digital downloads. For-pay tracks will be sold at prices beginning at 99 cents per song.
"RioPort has been working diligently to provide online music fans with easy and legal access to popular music downloads. Our new agreement with Artemis Records, which represents some of the most popular bands today, is a major step forward in delivering on those efforts," said Jim Long, president and CEO of RioPort. "Our growing e-tailer network is thrilled to be able to offer music fans access to this caliber of music."
"Artemis Records has been very progressive in its use of the Internet to provide artists with innovative exposure opportunities," said Danny Goldberg, chairman and CEO of Artemis Records. "Moving forward, we are excited about the online distribution strength that RioPort can provide to our artists and affiliate labels through its network of partner sites."
Artemis Records, which also distributes music from label affiliates E-Squared and ANTRA Music Group, is a highly-regarded, independently-owned music label that is home to a roster of new and legendary artists, including:
-- Baha Men, whose triple platinum release "Who Let the Dogs Out" earned the band a 2001 Grammy for Best Dance Recording;
-- Kittie, comprised of four teenage females from London, Ontario, whose brash, metal sound and blunt lyrics have earned them a growing following and national press attention from publications, such as Spin and Rolling Stone;
-- Jimmie Vaughan, the legendary, Grammy Award-winning blues guitarist known for his work with The Fabulous Thunderbirds, countless recordings with many of rock-and-roll's guitar greats and multiple chart-topping solo albums; and
-- Kurupt, best knows as a member of Dr. Dre's Dogg Pound and whose current album release "Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha" is gold and fast on its way to becoming platinum.
About Artemis Records
Artemis Records is a New York-based independent record label company which has achieved an unprecedented three releases simultaneously in Soundscan's Top 200 and the Top 10 of the New Independent Sales Chart, all within the first seven months of operation. Artemis Records is distributed by RED Distribution in the United States and internationally through Sony International.
About RioPort
RioPort.com Inc. is a leading music application service provider, enabling E-tailers and consumer electronics manufacturers with industry-standard solutions for selling music to consumers in a simple, secure manner. RioPort's distribution partners include the MTVi Group, House of Blues, Bolt, @Nifty and others. RioPort is backed by Oak Investment Partners, Vulcan Ventures, SONICblue, Microsoft Corp., Mitsubishi Corp., EMC Corp., Quantum Corp. and Macrovision Corp.
--30--EC/la* rs/la
CONTACT: Faiola Davis Public Relations
Andrea Sausedo/John Rafacz, 310/248-5454
andrea@fdpr.com/john@fdpr.com
OT Stanford Medical Students Receive PatientKeeper Personal to Capture and Manage Patient Information at the Point of Care
BRIGHTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 3, 2001--
World-class medical school embraces handheld technology to facilitate training and keep Stanford physicians at the forefront of
healthcare innovation
PatientKeeper, Inc., a leader in mobilizing medical information, announced today that it has provided Stanford University School of Medicine with a site license for PatientKeeper Personal. Ninety students beginning their clinical clerkships will be the first to receive the application.
PatientKeeper Personal makes it easy for physicians to capture and organize critical patient data--general history and physical information, SOAP notes, lab and medication information, and problem and task lists--all on a Palm OS(R) handheld device. Over 40,000 caregivers have registered to use PatientKeeper Personal software in just over one year, making the application the world's most widely used mobile patient management tool.
States Elliott Wolfe, MD, associate dean for Clinical Advising and Professional Development at the medical school, "It's not only important to educate tomorrow's physicians in the classical sense, it's also critical to provide them with and train them on the use of tools that make the practice of medicine as efficient and error free as possible. These tools will serve as essential companions throughout their education, residencies, and professional careers, keeping Stanford-trained physicians at the forefront of healthcare and technology innovation."
"By giving our students handhelds loaded with key applications from clinical day one, we are acknowledging that handheld computers have become an indispensable tool for efficient management of clinical data in the training setting, " continues Dr. Wolfe. "Mobile patient management tools serve as the linchpin for all these applications, enabling our students to record and manage data about their patients, link to reading about their diagnoses, and beam patient data to their fellow students and instructors, among other tasks. We're also excited about the added bonus of being able to help our instructors identify where gaps may exist in our students' training because we will be able to keep accurate records of the patients our students evaluate."
Says Dr. Maulin Shah, director of Client Product Marketing at PatientKeeper and author of the original PatientKeeper application, "PatientKeeper is extremely pleased to see its application in action at Stanford University School of Medicine, which is ranked in the top 10 of U.S. medical schools by U.S. News and World Report. The school gains a valuable care and training tool for its students in PatientKeeper Personal, and we gain real-world feedback on our applications and technology to assist us in our future development efforts. This winning situation for both parties involved will expedite the adoption of handhelds and the mobilization of medical information throughout healthcare."
About the Stanford University School of Medicine
The Stanford University School of Medicine is a world-class training ground for future leaders in biomedical research and medical practice. The school, which originated in 1858, attracts a diverse student body and has a flexible curriculum that allows students to pursue individual interests within a supportive and intellectually exciting environment. Students benefit from close working relationships with the more than 200 basic science faculty and 400 clinical faculty members who are engaged in an extraordinary array of research and clinical activities. Medical students receive a portion of their clinical training at Stanford Hospital and Clinics and the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford, both nationally recognized for their outstanding patient care. The school offers programs leading to an MD, MS or PhD degree. The school is accessible via the World Wide Web at www.med.stanford.edu.
About PatientKeeper(TM), Inc.
PatientKeeper is a privately held company. PatientKeeper's investors include Whitney & Co., New Enterprise Associates, Frazier & Company, 3Com Corporation, Mediphase Venture Partners, Mosaix Ventures, Riggs Capital Partners, Child Health Corporation of America, Thomas Weisel Partners, Pacific Ventures Group, and Tenet Healthcare Corporation.
PatientKeeper, Inc. (formerly The Virtmed Corporation), developers of PatientKeeper Personal(TM), the world's most widely used handheld patient management solution, allows mobile clinicians to use handheld technology to easily and immediately communicate with their organization's information systems and perform critical patient care functions. PatientKeeper is committed to creating an open architecture and universal platform for mobile healthcare computing, enabling any internal or third-party application to be seamlessly integrated on one handheld device. PatientKeeper offers a range of mobile computing solutions, including PatientKeeper Personal, the award-winning patient management tool with more than 40,000 users; ChargeKeeper(TM), for capturing billing; and LabKeeper(TM), for reviewing lab results. To learn more about PatientKeeper, please visit our Web site at www.patientkeeper.com.
--30--af/bos*
CONTACT: MEDIA:
Kate Maul
617-987-0341 kmaul@patientkeeper.com
Sandy Cummings
617-332-9999, x210 scummings@ariamarketing.com
or
INVESTORS:
Brad Smith
617-987-0305 bsmith@patientkeeper.com
Prince & the NPG Music Club to Debut and Promote New Song on Napster
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Napster announced today that
Prince & The NPG Music Club will debut and promote a new song to the Napster
Community through the company's Featured Music Program, beginning
Friday, April 6th. "The Work - Pt. 1," is the first track from Prince's
upcoming album, "The Rainbow Children," to be released later this year.
Although Prince has released several cybersingles in the past through his own
website, this marks the first time he has teamed up with a digital music
company to promote his music.
"What record companies don't really understand is that Napster is just one
illustration of the growing frustration over how much the record companies
control what music people get 2 hear -- over how the air waves, record labels
and record stores, which r now all part of this 'system' that recording
companies have pretty much succeeded in establishing, r becoming increasingly
dominated by musical 'products' 2 the detriment of real music," said Prince.
"Prince is truly a visionary," said Napster founder Shawn Fanning. "I'm
honored that he is working with Napster to promote his music."
"Napster is very pleased to be working with a legendary artist like
Prince," said Milton Olin, Chief Operating Officer of Napster. "His music has
always been innovative and forward-thinking, and his connection with his fans
is second to none."
"The Work - Pt. 1" will be featured prominently on the Napster homepage.
In addition to being able to search for and share the song, fans will have the
opportunity to link directly to Prince's NPG Music Club.
The NPG Music Club (http://www.npgmusicclub.com) is a monthly
subscription-based service. The service launched in February of this year.
Members get new Prince songs, videos and an hour-long radio show every month.
In addition, premium members get VIP access 2 concerts and new CDs in the
mail.
About Napster
Napster is the world's leading person-to-person file sharing community.
Napster provides music enthusiasts with an easy-to-use, high quality service
for discovering new music and communicating their interests with other members
of the Napster community. Napster's software application enables users to
locate and share music files through a user-friendly interface, and features
instant messaging, chat rooms, and Hot List User Bookmarks. In October 2000,
Bertelsmann AG and Napster announced the formation of a strategic alliance to
further develop the Napster person-to-person file sharing service. In
January 2001, edel Music and TVT Records joined the alliance. Last year,
Napster won several Wired Magazine Readers Rave Awards, including Best Music
Site, Best Innovative Start-up, and Best Guerilla Marketing.
SOURCE Napster
Web Site: http://www.napster.com
Microsoft shuts Windows on Bluetooth support
By Will Wade
EE Times
(03/30/01, 2:04 p.m. EST)
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Microsoft Corp. will not support Bluetooth in the next major version of Windows, executives said this week, portraying the technology as not ready for prime time. Nor will Windows XP, a version of the operating system aimed broadly at consumer and business users, adopt the emerging HomeRF wireless local-area network standard. XP instead will use 802.11, which company managers see as taking off rapidly.
"I don't think the maturity of Bluetooth technology is good enough to ship the bits when Windows XP is released," said Carl Stork, general manager of Microsoft's Windows division, speaking in an interview at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) here. "We wouldn't want to ship something that doesn't work, and Bluetooth doesn't yet meet a certain quality level."
The lack of native Bluetooth support in Windows won't prevent PC, notebook and handheld-device makers from building Bluetooth-capable systems. But it will add complexity to the process and could open the door to a greater diversity of implementations. That, in turn, conjures the prospect of product incompatibility.
The news from Microsoft comes on the heels of a highly publicized flop at the recent CeBIT trade show in Hannover, Germany, when 100 Bluetooth transmitters equipped with the short-range radio technology failed to transform a convention hall into a wireless data network for visitors with palmtop computers.
The difficulty in what was billed as the largest demo of Bluetooth to date appeared to stem from the use of different versions of protocols and the high concentration of devices seeking access to one network.
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group rolled out a revised version 1.1 of the specification in early March.
"We were trying to give the public a demonstration using a technology in its infancy, with most [modules] at the prototype stage. That took guts," said Yuval Ben Ze'ev, chief executive officer of Brightcom Technologies Ltd. (Rosh Haayin, Israel), a Bluetooth chip and software developer.
With a range of about 10 meters and speeds limited to roughly 1 Mbit/second, Bluetooth initially is designed as a replacement for the rat's nest of cables that are used to connect handheld computers, PCs and cellular phones.
"Even if [version] 1.1 solves current issues it's pretty much immediately obvious Bluetooth is being stretched in ways not envisaged," said Paul Hollingworth, European marketing director for Altera Corp. (San Jose, Calif.).
Very few Bluetooth devices are actually ready for deployment and the format still seems to have some bugs in it, Microsoft's Stork said. "It looks like Bluetooth is not ready for prime time."
Lack of Windows support may not substantially harm the eventual rollout of Bluetooth, said Steve Andler, vice president of marketing for Toshiba America Information Systems, one of the largest notebook computer makers.
"Microsoft's decision is unfortunate, but it won't change anything," Andler said.
"It will require more resources for us to do our own software driver stacks, but we were going to do this anyway" for other operating systems.
Tassos Markas, director of multimedia at Atmel Corp. (San Jose), which makes Bluetooth silicon, agreed. "We develop our own software stacks [for Bluetooth] and work with customers who do as well," Markas said. "We've been very successful in the past with 802.11 without direct support from Windows."
But supporting Bluetooth involves more than device drivers. Because 802.11 uses the Internet Protocol (IP) for communications, it can rely on IP systems services in the operating system. Bluetooth, however, does not use IP, and thus must rely on application-level support for communications.
"The bottom line is there are still technical issues to be resolved with Bluetooth," said a spokesman for Conexant Systems Inc., which makes Bluetooth devices by virtue of its acquisition of Philsar.
Indeed, "There's still a lot of work to be done," said Martin Reynolds, vice president and research fellow for market research house Gartner Dataquest (San Jose). For Bluetooth to take off, he said, it must be implemented in all the equipment it is designed to link for less than the cost of the cables. "The cost for Bluetooth silicon has to come down to almost zero, and while there has been a lot of progress, we're not there yet." Reynolds expects to see Bluetooth deployments take off in about three to five years.
Another issue that must be considered is interference, since both Bluetooth and the 802.11b wireless LAN transmit in the 2.4-GHz band. "In theory the interference can be pretty bad," said Tom Siep, a member of the technical staff at Texas Instruments Inc.'s wireless communications business unit in Dallas. "But in practice it's not so bad."
Although having two antennas in close proximity can be a problem, Siep said that most users won't actually place the two systems next to each other. When interference does occur, it manifests itself as slower transmission rather than a broken connection. Users are already conditioned to accept this, Siep said. It's the same problem that occurs with analog modems that sometimes connect at 33 kbits/second and sometimes at 28 kbits/s, and Siep believes consumers will be willing to live with the same experience in their wireless networks.
Nonetheless, the IEEE has created a working group to wrestle with coexistence issues, because all signs point to a world with both 802.11b and Bluetooth. "There is a place for both formats," Siep said. "They should, and must, work together."
Siep is more optimistic than some about the future of Bluetooth, noting that several silicon vendors have products now, and some single-chip implementations are in the works. "I think Bluetooth is coming, this year," he said.
TI produces chips for both Bluetooth and wireless-Ethernet systems. And Siep was pleased to hear that Microsoft will incorporating 802.11b into Windows XP. "If the PC market embraces the technology, that means a lot more sockets for us," he said.
Stork left the door open to including Bluetooth in upcoming releases of Windows. "It can be turned on without a full OS release. We might include it in a Windows update," he said. However, Microsoft has a policy against adding new features in so-called service packs, intended as interim fixes between major annual releases of the operating system.
Wireless LAN gets nod
Along with the first use of Internet Explorer 6 and integrated digital audio capabilities, Windows XP will support the second generation of the wireless Ethernet standard, 802.11b, offering speeds of about 11 Mbits/s and a range of about 100 meters. Although the spec was completed only within the past few years, its rapid deployment caught the eye of Microsoft engineers.
"We thought it would take several years for the 802.11b format to catch on," said Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect for the Redmond, Wash.-based software giant. "We've been incredibly surprised by how quickly it has taken off."
Indeed, not only are there numerous products in the marketplace for creating 802.11b networks, the technology is also moving into the public space. Several major U.S. airports have installed data nodes so business travelers with an 802.11b networking card can link up to the Internet while waiting for their planes. Among them are Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports in New York, and San Jose International Airport. Starbucks coffee shops also have the technology in some sites, and the WinHEC organizers even installed an 802.11b network here at the Anaheim Convention Center for the duration of the conference.
"We've made a fairly big bet on support for 802.11b," said Stork. He said Microsoft evaluated several wireless-networking formats before deciding on 802.11b, but the technology seems to be stable and demand is healthy. "Our corporate customers have been asking for this, and today it's pretty clear that 802.11b is the dominant format," Stork said.
With the technology included in the operating system, Stork said that 802.11b-equipped computers could automatically recognize the presence of a wireless-networking node, and then reconfigure themselves to communicate with that net. "You should be able to walk into any environment and the machine will self-configure so you can start working," he said.
Microsoft's corporate vision for the technology includes wireless Ethernet networking in both the home and the office, a view that until very recently would have been strongly challenged by Intel Corp. The microprocessor vendor had been pushing 802.11b networks in the corporate world and a less expensive — and incompatible — format, HomeRF, for the consumer world.
However, in recent weeks, Intel has reversed its position and now supports 802.11b for both the corporate and home environments. Since Intel was one of the main drivers for HomeRF, that decision that could mean the end of that technology, some industry watchers believe.
"The reason Intel turned away from HomeRF is because 802.11b has become so prevalent," said Reynolds of Dataquest. "Wireless Ethernet has come from behind to become a compelling low-end networking alternative."
On to 10 Mbits
Wireless Ethernet took off when the spec hit 11 Mbits/s, and HomeRF 2.0 could do the same when it comes out this summer at 10 Mbits/s (up from 1.6 Mbits/s), said Wayne Caswell, HomeRF marketing manager at Siemens. In addition, HomeRF supports multimedia such as voice, audio and video and, unlike 802.11b, has interference protection for home microwaves and cordless phones, he added.
Dataquest estimates that as many as 15 to 20 percent of U.S. businesses are using 802.11b networks today, and said the figure could jump to 50 percent by next year. By 2003, the company is predicting 50 percent penetration into public spaces, and in the following year Dataquest expects to see more than half the homes in the United States using wireless Ethernet.
The second beta version of Windows XP was made available at WinHEC, and was also placed on the Internet for downloading. It is scheduled for commercial release late this year or early in 2002, and is aimed at both the home user and the commercial space.
This will be an important step, since it will allow Microsoft to target two key markets with the same product. "This will be the most important release of Windows since Windows 95," said Gates.
Ian Camerson of Electronics Times, EE Times' sister paper in the United Kingdom, contributed to this story.
Tin, LGJ thanks for new forum. Great taste less filler. We'll see how long it takes for them to corrupt this venue. Good work guys.
cheers