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Hey Ya'll, It could be worse......I could be your moderator!
First thing I would do would be to have everyone write a 3-page paper on why Packers1 and Heybrad are idiots!...
Oh well, back to disassembling Hobby_Horse.
GO EDIG!
Today's Washington Post: DataPlay Discs Put a New Spin on Digital Music
By Rob Pegoraro
Sunday, April 14, 2002; Page H07
Compact discs are small, durable,
digital and, with the right hardware,
even recordable. So why wouldn't an
even smaller digital music disc be a
better idea?
A Boulder, Colo., company called
DataPlay Inc. has been working since
1998 to find an answer to that
question. Its technology might make
some record labels happy when it
ships this summer. But consumers
may not be so thrilled.
DataPlay discs are, first of all,
remarkably small for the amount of
information they store. About the size
of a half-dollar coin and jacketed in a
transparent plastic sleeve, these little
platters store 250 megabytes of data
on a side, for $10 a disc. (Yes,
DataPlay users will have to get used
to thinking of A and B sides again.)
Like a floppy, DataPlay discs allow
you to add data to them as often as
you like, without having to open and
close individual disk-writing sessions.
But they don't allow any erasing of
files, as a recordable CD does.
This format isn't going to put the hard
disk out of business, but it might work
well in a digital camera or an MP3
player. DataPlay discs cost much less
than flash-memory cards, which
typically run $1 per megabyte, and look
pretty sturdy. A preproduction
DataPlay music player didn't miss any
notes while getting tossed, shaken and
dropped from a foot above the floor.
But while DataPlay's developers say
they have their eye on the
data-storage market, they're focusing on the music business first.
The company has signed up BMG Entertainment, EMI Group, Universal Music Group and Zomba
Recording Corp. to sell albums on DataPlay discs for $15.99 to $17.99. Meanwhile, manufacturers such as
Samsung, iRiver and Raleigh, N.C.-based Evolution will build portable player-recorders, selling for $300
and up.
Songs on these discs will be encoded in a proprietary format and guarded by software limiting how many
copies you can make of each song. Until a software update arrives this summer to allow hard-drive
copies, you'll only be able to move songs to other DataPlay discs. CD copies will remain forbidden.
Each prerecorded disc also will include an album's worth of locked bonus tracks. They can be previewed
and unlocked by connecting a portable player to a computer and running DataPlay's FuturePlayer
software (Windows 98 or newer). The second album will go for $7.99 to $12.99, with individual songs
selling for $1 or $2 apiece.
FuturePlayer will also let you copy your own music onto the leftover space on a prerecorded disc.
Finally, DataPlay discs will feature such extras, viewable from within FuturePlayer, as a video or two, a
gallery of photos, a list of performers, Web links and song lyrics.
To let me listen in on this digital-music future, DataPlay offered a preproduction version of one player,
described as "95 percent" ready for manufacture, a sample DataPlay album (David Gray's "White
Ladder") and the desktop software needed for the disc's bonus content.
At first, the sound of the future was the thwack of three fingers slamming on the Control, Alt and Delete
keys every time DataPlay's software crashed. In tests on three computers, the software sometimes
worked, but other times did nothing or froze in place. Twice, it took down Microsoft's allegedly
crash-proof Windows 2000.
A newer version of the software seemed to take care of crashing problems, but not other glitches, such as
an inability to read music files copied from one DataPlay disc to another.
DataPlay, however, has time to fix these defects -- the first hardware won't ship until mid-May, with
prerecorded music arriving this summer. What sort of deal will you have then?
The most promising feature here is the unlockable tracks on each disc. If you like the performer whose
work you just bought, you can add to your collection right away, and at a discount from the usual new-CD
price.
The rest of the package looks like a dubious proposition. DataPlay's technology lets the record labels set
their own copying rules, so you might be allowed 10 copies, you might get five or you might be permitted
fewer. The David Gray album allowed zero copies.
The bonus content is nothing special, either. CDs already routinely offer a rich selection of text and image
content in a high-resolution, device-independent format called "liner notes." Enhanced CDs -- for
instance, David Gray's "White Ladder" -- can add such computer-viewable extras as videos, games
and online links.
DataPlay, however, still thinks that its technology will eventually replace the CD. Last October,
DataPlay President Steve Volk told me that was "a natural progression of technology."
People in the recording industry are willing to entertain this thought. Since a plain old CD offers zero
limits on copying, they'd like to see a more secure format replace it -- whether it's DataPlay,
DVD-Audio, Super Audio Compact Disc, a copy-protected mutation of the CD or something not yet
invented.
But before buying into any new format, you'll need to digest the details of its "digital rights management"
system, then consider which habits you could quit -- copying music to a computer, making your own mix
CDs, sending the occasional song to a friend or letting the rest of the Internet copy music off your hard
drive.
(Note that I use the word "habits," not "rights"; downloading whole albums you've never paid for is a
long way from most concepts of fair use.)
For now, DataPlay's technology could solve some problems in computer data storage, but I can't figure
out why anybody would want to buy music this way. The CD works just fine as is.
Living with technology, or trying to? E-mail Rob Pegoraro at rob@twp.com.
Wired article on DataPlay http://www.wired.com/news/mp3/0,1285,51178,00.html
Eclipse/Fujitsu-Ten And Military's SmarTruck http://www.icrc-hq.com/products.htm
Digital Music Now Playing on Palm Handhelds
By SV.internet.com Staff
September 07, 2001
Handheld computer maker Palm (NASDAQ:PALM) Thursday announced a three-company
deal that will have your PDA jamming out the latest tunes in no time.
The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company says it is putting together a digital music package with
the help of Shinei International and Redwood City, Calif.-based Liquid Audio
(NASDAQ:LQID) for Palm's m100 and m105 handheld devices. The idea is to make the PDAs
the focal point for people who want to rip CDs, organize play lists, view album covers and listen
to their MP3s.
"The digital music revolution is gaining momentum," says Palm senior vice president of product
management, Solutions Group Kevin Hell. "The biggest demand for music on Palm handhelds
has been coming from our Palm m100 and m105 handheld users."
The package is a mixture of Shinei's Porteson MP3 player and Palm co-branded Liquid Player
Plus desktop software, licensed by Shinei from Liquid Audio. The MP3 player can be used as a
standalone product or with Palm m100 and m105 handhelds.
In addition to the flash memory inside the player, a Secure Digital and MultiMediaCard
expansion slot lets users add memory for maximum storage capacity. The Porteson MP3 player
is compliant with the Secure Digital Music Initiative. It supports the Advanced Audio Coding music format, runs on two AAA
batteries, and comes with a USB interface for fast music transfers to and from a PC.
There are two memory options - 32MB for USD$149.99 and 64MB for USD$199.99.
The player complete with the Palm co-branded Liquid Player Plus desktop software, is now available online for USD$299.
To kick off the launch, Palm is stuffing MTV's Video Music Award gift baskets with the 100 Palm m100 handhelds and Shinei is
supplying 100 new 64MB Porteson MP3 players, loaded with downloaded music from MTV award nominees supplied by Liquid
Audio.
Samsung unveils world's first 1-gigabit flash memory chip
Posted: 10:10 PM (Manila Time) / September 01, 2001
By Agence France-Presse
SEOUL - Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday it was marketing the world's first one-gigabit flash
memory chip.
The South Korean semiconductor giant said it expected mass production to begin early next year.
The company said the latest
NAND-type memory chip
could be combined into a
dual-structure set to create a
two-gigabit chip.
"In terms of price and
productivity, these are
expected to lead the
next-generation memory chip
market," it said in a statement.
The new chips can be used for
personal computers, wireless
telephone handsets, personal
digital assistances, MP3
players and digital cameras to
store a larger volume of data
than the existing chips.
A one-gigabit memory has space for data equal to 560 high-definition pictures while a two-gigabit
memory can hold enough data to play a music video for two hours.
A flash memory chip can store data when appliances are not switched on.
(Nice!) Update: New PDAs promise big changes
08/31/2001 - Updated 08:16 AM ET
By Leonard Fischer, Gannett News Service
If you've been considering buying a new personal digital assistant (PDA) or
wireless phone - either for the first time or as an upgrade - you might want
to hold off, at least for a little while. Granted, prices on current models are
especially low right now thanks to aggressive promotions and price
reductions by Compaq, Handspring and Palm, but that's because a whole
array of new products are on the way and these companies want to move
existing inventory. The rumor mill is buzzing with news about emerging
devices, and, more than ever, it appears that the convergence between the
mobile phone and the PDA is the wave of the future. Let's take a look at
some choices that will be available soon.
Handspring and Palm this week both received FCC
approval for new wireless PDAs. While little is known
about the Palm i705, it's expected to be the replacement for
the Palm VIIx. At least one PDA site has reported that it
will use CDMA technology, which is faster than the speed
of the current BellSouth network that the Palm VIIs use, but other reliable sources say it will
continue to work on the BellSouth system. Regardless of the network, the device is expected to be
smaller, but more expandable, than the Palm Viix Of course, Palm has kept all news of the i705's
development under tight wraps, but it's expected before the end of the year.
More is known about Handspring's new wireless devices thanks to InfoSync, a Norwegian Web
site (www.infosync.no/en/) that's published details and photos. Apparently, two models will be
available - the Treo g180 and the Treo k180. Both work as wireless phones and PDAs, and they
both will operate on CDMA and GPS networks. From the photographs, they appear to be very
sleek, and feature flip-up lids that protect their screens. So what's the difference between the "g"
and "k" models? It's just one small but amazing detail. The "k" model drops Graffiti handwriting
recognition, which always has been included with every Palm model, and replaces it with a
keyboard you can type on with your thumbs. From the photos on the InfoSync site, the keyboard
looks virtually identical to the one found on the popular Research in Motion (RIM) wireless
messaging devices. The "g" model retains Graffiti for folks who are comfortable with handwriting
recognition. Both devices are expected to ship with 16 megabytes of memory, another first for
Palm PDAs. I checked with my Handspring public relations contact, but he said the company can't
confirm any of the details InfoSync has reported. Donna Dubinsky, Handspring's CEO, has told
the press to expect new models by year's end.
InfoSync also is the first site to show some next generation PocketPCs from Hewlett-Packard.
They're going to be announced officially next week, as is the introduction of the PocketPC 2002
operating system, which is supposed to more closely resemble the forthcoming desktop Windows
XP operating system. Priced comparably to today's high-end PocketPCs, the sleek HP Jornada
560 line will include either 32 or 64 megabytes of memory. What's more, the rumor mill says these
devices might include basic voice recognition technology so you'll be able to interact with your
handheld by speaking commands to it, such as "Open appointments." They're also supposed to
make wireless connections easier to use.
The recent announcement that Sony and Ericsson will be merging their mobile phone and handheld
computing operations is another indication that convergence is on the way. Sony brings to the table
its powerful Clie line of PDAs, while Ericsson provides advanced wireless phone technology. No
products based on the new partnership are expected until 2002.
And finally, I saw my first live demonstration of the mysterious Danger device this week. It's a
new handheld platform that also blends voice and PDA functions. I can't say much more until the
device is introduced next week at the DemoMobile show in La Jolla, Calif., except that it definitely
looks cool, though it won't be available until first quarter of next year.
Next week: More on the PocketPC 2002 operating system.
Let The Music Play, Someday
By Betsy Schiffman
Friday August 31, 11:02 am Eastern Time
Forbes.com
All the talk about the rise of digital music has not only grown mundane, it's become increasingly clear that the talk is
hollow, too.
For the past couple years, there's been nothing but talk--a whole lot of it--about how the Internet will forever change how we buy, listen to and make music.
Despite the fact the technology is in place to help move the revolution along, the major music labels have done nothing but hem, haw and stall. The music industry
is acting under the mistaken belief that it is protecting compact disc sales. In fact, its reluctance to dive in could be costing the labels dearly.
Earlier this week, Bertelsmann Chief Executive Thomas Middelhoff promised that a
Napster -based music subscription service would be rolled out by the end of the
year--giving the company a good four more months for the rollout. The idea was that, for a
set fee--expected to fall somewhere between $5 and $10 per month--users could download,
say, 40 tracks. The new timeline comes after Middelhoff previously promised such a service
would be rolled out this summer.
Likewise, PressPlay , another music subscription service comprised of Sony Music and
Vivendi 's Universal Music label, was supposed to roll out over Yahoo! this summer, but
consumers haven't seen anything yet.
The problem certainly isn't with technology; digital rights management systems--that is,
secure commerce systems--are, and have been, available from companies such as
RealNetworks and Microsoft for quite some time.
"All the technical pieces of the puzzle are in place," says Webnoize analyst Matt Bailey.
"Music distribution is very secure."
The only factors not secure are that the labels have yet to come to licensing agreements and pricing agreements and are bickering to a point of paralysis. One of the
primary concerns is CD sales, which the labels worry will suffer as a result of online music services.
In the month of August, Webnoize estimates that roughly 3 billion tracks were downloaded from Napster-substitute file sharing services. While all those tracks
were being downloaded, sale of single music tracks suffered in retail stores. The Recording Industry Association 's midyear shipment update reported that
singles sales were down 38.3%, or approximately $70 million. That's an alarming bit of news for the labels.
There's little doubt a large majority of those downloading MP3 files are freeloaders, but if just one-forth of those 3 billion tracks were legitimately paid for, it
could have made up for some of the loss in singles sales.
But the labels still aren't offering a legal alternative for consumers to buy their music online. While some music services are available, they typically only sell
music from indie unknowns and dead artists like Patsy Cline who can't dispute licensing agreements.
Emusic.com , a subsidiary of Universal, offers a yearlong subscription plan for $9.99 per month, or about $120 annually. Subscribers can download as many
tracks as they want. The drawback is that they don't sell most of the music you'd want. The two most popular artists sold on the site are They Might Be Giants
and George Carlin. Something's wrong with that picture.
Digital watermark technology granted patent
Business Wire (August 30, 2001)
TUALATIN, Ore., Aug 30, 2001 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Digimarc Corp. (Nasdaq:DMRC), the
world leader in digital watermarking technology and applications, announced today that it has
received a U.S. patent for digital watermarking in wireless communications.
Patent number 6,278,781 covers technology and methods for embedding and decoding digital
watermarks within wireless communications. These techniques allow audio content to be tagged for
a variety of security and content delivery purposes.
Possible applications might include combating fraudulent use of wireless voice communications,
authenticating the identity of cell phones, field reprogramming of cell phone memories and features,
administration of traffic between cell phones and transmission stations, and secure delivery of music
and other audio content over wireless devices.
"The issuance of this patent for cellular telephone applications marks another step in Digimarc's
goal to become a standard feature of all media content," said Reed Stager, vice president and general
manager of Digimarc's MediaCommerce business. "Wireless communication is a rapidly growing
technology that offers an increasing list of benefits to users. It is a fertile area for innovation in
which we look forward to working with industry leaders to develop digital watermarking
applications that will enhance the security and delivery of content to cellular phone users."
About Digimarc
Digimarc Corp. (Nasdaq:DMRC), based in Tualatin, Ore., is the world leader in digital watermark
technology and applications. Digimarc's patented digital watermarking technologies allow digital
data to be embedded imperceptibly in traditional and digital media content, including photographic
or artistic images, movies, music, packaging, printed materials, promotional items, value documents,
tickets and holograms, among others. The company continues to build a pervasive new
communications platform by developing an increasing array of diverse media applications. These
applications benefit a broad range of consumers, corporations and government institutions,
enhancing the protection of copyrights, security of value documents, management of media and
fostering integrated marketing and e-commerce for many goods and services. Digimarc's leading
customers include creative professionals, major media companies and central banks.
The company's products include Digimarc ImageBridge, a means to communicate copyrights in
digital images, track the images on the Internet and facilitate online licensing and related
e-commerce; Digimarc MediaBridge, a fundamentally new way for consumers to access the
Internet that transforms printed materials into direct portals to relevant destinations on the Internet;
and a system, developed in cooperation with a consortium of leading central banks, that deters the
use of personal computers in the counterfeiting of value documents. Digimarc is also a member of
the Video Watermarking Group (VWM Group), which includes Hitachi, Macrovision, NEC,
Philips, Pioneer and Sony, to provide video copy prevention and play control solutions for digital
recording devices. In addition, Digimarc video watermarking technology is being licensed for
innovative new applications, such as broadcast monitoring. Digimarc has more than 230 U.S.
patents pending and 26 issued. Digimarc's vision is to have its watermarking technology become a
standard feature of all media content. Please go to www.digimarc.com for more company
information.
Mobile Video, Part 3: Playing for Keeps
By Brian McDonough, Wireless.NewsFactor.com
In Part 1 of this three-part series, "Mobile Video, Part 1: Ready or Not, Here It Comes?" Wireless NewsFactor explored the state
of the technology and asked: If they build it, who will buy? Part 2 explored whether mobile video is more likely to have business
or pleasure appeal.
In this third installment, Wireless NewsFactor takes a serious look at mobile video's fun
potential. Looking overseas, particularly, it is easy to imagine streaming media capturing users'
attention. The text-messaging craze that has swept Europe and Asia has been the catalyst for
moving services toward more robust functionality. With the buzz growing louder for
high-speed wireless in the United States, is it possible there's a global fad out there waiting to
happen?
Fun Communications
In Europe, handset makers and carriers are beginning to talk about MMS, the multimedia
messaging service that is the natural outgrowth from text-only SMS, or short message service.
J-Phone in Japan already is allowing still images to be attached to messages. So while
video-to-mobile often is spoken of in terms of users watching media entities' programming, popular early applications are more
likely to be users' own creations.
"In the consumer segment, it'll be devices that allow personal communications to take place over the network," Internet Streaming
Media Alliance board member Satish Menon told Wireless NewsFactor. "The ultimate convergence device for me is the PDA
with a digital camera and a wireless network. These are the kinds of devices that will enable that sort of personal communication."
Matt Saparo, director of strategy for HIPnTasty, predicted wireless video also will help personal communication among people
who are in the same room.
"One of the key areas for us is the party game," he said. The company is working on a wireless video version of the
slumber-party classic "Truth or Dare."
"We took mobile video and said, 'How can we make this a lot of fun for people and make it something they want to use?'"
Saparo's answer? A video hostess providing scads of unpredictable questions and dares. "We also then provide a video showing
how to pull off the truth or pull off the dare, to goad people into it," he said.
Video Time Capsules
Also in development -- no joke -- is "Spin the Mobile."
"It's like 'Spin the Bottle,'" Saparo explained. "These are things focused on the youth market, and because that's such a key
demographic right now, that's our focus right now."
But there are applications for an older or less playful crowd, Saparo suggested. His company is looking to liberate boring footage
decaying in forgotten vaults with location-based services that could, for instance, be a boon to tourists. Old documentary footage
might be rarely used on television, it but could take on new value if short segments are always available to mobile users.
"The idea is that when people are walking around town, they can subscribe to certain topics," Saparo said. "So when you're
walking around New York, videos associated with the exact area where you happen to be standing or walking at the time will pop
up.
"For instance, you're doing a tour of Washington, D.C., and you go by the Reflecting Pond, and up comes the Martin Luther
King ['I have a dream'] speech, which you can see right where you are. Sort of like a video time capsule."
PacketVideo's Rob Tercek pointed to live camera transmissions as having potential for consumers and businesses alike.
"Live cams are very powerful. There's something about seeing live images that's like nothing else," he said, noting that at
trade-show demonstrations, just a streamed image of traffic on a key London artery exercises unexpected hold over viewers'
interest.
There are a lot of business uses to be derived from live cams, Tercek said -- from remote monitoring for corporations to infant
monitoring for working parents. "A lot of people ask about rigging up a USB cam over their baby's crib so they can see them
while they're at work."
"We're focused on these specific lifestyle applications," said Saparo, ticking off some unusual examples: "Putting the yoga
teacher in your pocket, putting the professional chef -- you know, 'How do I make this meal?' -- Well, my mom doesn't have a
computer in her kitchen, but if she has her cell phone, being able to see 10 step-by-step 15-second [segments] of how to cook a
gourmet meal -- that's something she can use and will use."
Content as King
In the near term, users see the primary market for news and entertainment content being in short, pointed clips to various
aficionados. "I'd love to be able to watch the clip if Barry Bonds breaks the home run record this year," Menon said. "I can see
college students listening to MP3s on their handhelds and watching an MTV video."
Ian Freed, general manager of Realnetworks' mobile products and services group, told Wireless NewsFactor that he doesn't
expect longer programming to make it to wireless networks any time soon. "It's pretty unlikely in the next couple years that
people will watch full-length movies or even music videos -- the cost to end-users is prohibitive," he said. "In the short run,
there are news highlights, financial services, sports. I'd say a 5-minute highlight clip is content that would be of higher value to
people."
He said he sees desktop synching as a way to beat networks and devices that aren't robust enough to support high-quality
streaming yet. "I can see more of an overnight download for playback model [in the next couple years]."
Cahners In-Stat analyst Gerry Kaufhold is even less enthusiastic about streaming video over mobile devices attracting
consumers. "Not for a few years," he told Wireless NewsFactor. "The more consumer-oriented the application, the more it's
required to be viewed in the best possible environment, [and] the pipes to the mobile devices are not that robust. Nobody wants to
watch a chunky, blocky image of Arnold Schwarzenegger."
Sure, there's the argument that Schwarzenegger is chunky and blocky regardless of medium, but the quality issue in consumer
entertainment still holds. "The more likely your content appeals to a huge mass of consumers, the more likely you want more
stringent quality of service tied to it," Kaufhold said.
Classic Rock Artists Find New Life on 'Net
August 31, 2001 3:38 am EST
By Justin Oppelaar
NEW YORK (Variety) - As an increasing number of high-profile artists head to court to fight what they see as exploitative recording
contracts, a clutch of veteran rockers from the '70s and '80s have joined forces to circumvent the industry and market directly to their fans on
the Net.
The group, which includes John Cafferty, Glenn Hughes and Joe Lynn Turner from Deep Purple as well as Loverboy's Mike Reno, recently
bowed Rockforever.com, an online record label, merchandise e-tailer and tour promoter to generate new revenues from their stash of past hits.
The site, which has distribution pacts with music netcos Liquid Audio and MP3.com, will offer re-recorded versions of the artists' tracks,
done both live and in the studio. Currently, Rockforever has roughly 50 live tunes on offer, either streamed on MP3 or via download on
Liquid.
Record companies typically retain ownership -- and full royalty rights, until artists pay back their advances -- of the master recordings from
songs done under label contract. But the song's author is free to re-record the tracks -- and play them live -- without running afoul of the
label's rights.
That means artists who have fallen out of vogue,
but have a catalog of past hits, can exploit their
celebrity long after the label has elected to drop
their contracts, said Rockforever chief executive
Charlie Schmitt.
"If you look at the record company philosophy, it's
the diametric opposite of traditional brand
marketing," Schmitt said. "They build a brand, but
the first time the brand falters, what do you do?
You fire the band -- but there's still a whole lot of
equity available in there."
Artists in the group, who according to Schmitt
have 66 top-40 singles and 24 platinum records
among them, also plan to play between 60 and 80
live dates per year, and have inked deals to tape a
cable TV special and appear at Universal Studios
Orlando in a series of "unplugged" concerts.
Schmitt is undaunted by the tough operating environment for Internet businesses in recent months -- especially those involved in music.
Noting that the company received seed funding in the low six figures from Long Island investment firm Pulver Equities, he said the key is to
keep a keen eye on the overhead.
"My philosophy has always been to build the business off of existing revenues," he said. "We will start lean and grow it from there."
Cybertainment Systems's "Cybertunes.org" the first fully licensed website for purchasing songs in digital
audio formats and Subscription Audio on Demand
Professional recording artists and music consumers have a new resource--www.cybertunes.org -- the first fully licensed online site for purchasing near CD-quality
music as streaming audio, or as CD quality downloadable audio files. Cybertainment Systems Corporation created cybertunes.org to benefit the career, financial and
copyright interests of recording artists who are either not yet under contract with a record label, or who have non-exclusive deals with a label.
Cybertainment Systems -- an independently owned comprehensive music organization founded in 1996 --delivers an extensive array of online marketing
services to recording artists. According to Vice President Vincent Castellucci, "thousands of recording artists will benefit from cybertunes.org because the company can
promote and sell their music online and offers musicians complete copyright protection, prompt payment of royalties, and technical safeguards against on-line music
piracy."
Castellucci worked for more than a decade with the Harry Fox Agency as senior director of licensing. He is also a professional songwriter and musician who
has performed in concert with The Allman Brothers Band and jazz artist Terry Gibbs.
Music at www.cybertunes.org is sold as either a subscription with prices ranging from $4 to $15.95 per month based on hours of streaming audio purchased, or at a
cost of $1 for each full-length song downloaded as an audio file in MP3, or WMA formats. The site has songs from new and established artists who record with
independent record labels, as well as professional artists who have limited distribution of their recordings in retail and radio station markets. New songs and artists will
be added frequently and 11 different types of music are available at the present time: alternative, country, jazz, R & B, rock, pop, techno, Christian, classical,
contemporary and easy listening.
Cybertunes.org is building the largest web-based collection of full-length classical selections available as streaming audio through an agreement with Naxos
of America, Inc. Naxos will provide Cybertunes.org with selections from its classical offerings until its entire catalogue of over 2,200 titles is available on the web site.
As the leader in independent classical music distribution in the United States, Naxos has one of the largest and fastest growing catalogues of new and unduplicated
repertoire.
Music lovers have a variety of on-line listening and purchasing options when they visit Cybertunes.org. They can purchase a monthly subscription to
PIE-Radio -- a fun, creative and easy way to be the DJ for your own Internet radio station by creating, saving and editing an unlimited number of custom song lists that
can be queued up for play. These are full-length songs for immediate streaming as CD-quality audio without any advertising. Subscriptions for PIE-Radio at
Cybertunes.org start at $4 a month for 20 hours of streaming music. An unlimited amount of streaming music via PIE-Radio can be purchased for a subscription fee of
$15.95 per month.
PIE-Radio at Cybertunes.org uses the Windows Media Audio file format -- a fast way to deliver streaming music without downloading, or temporary
retention. Artists' rights are protected because PIE-Radio is a fully licensed paid-subscription streaming service that does not support music file replication.
Anyone can download songs from Cybertunes.org by paying $1 per song (plus a 50 cent handling fee for each total order) to legally download copyright
protected MP3 or WMA audio file formats. They can listen to a streaming version of the song for free before deciding to purchase a download of the music.
Downloaded music files can be played directly on a PC; "burned" to a CD for listening on any PC or any CD player; or sent to a portable device that plays music files.
Visitors to cybertunes.org can also view the song lists of the site's 11 Net Radio stations and make a selection to listen online to free, pre-programmed
streaming music.
Cybertunes.org matches the marketing needs of artists with the on-line ability to offer extensive information to music enthusiasts. The site includes feature
stories about artists, album covers, photos of artists, live performance details, "what's new" information, and links to artists' own homepages.
Cybertainment Systems will donate five percent of cybertunes.org revenues to support The Children's Musical Education Fund -- a major nationwide initiative of the
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
Keeping an Eye on Your Ears Music Industry Develops Methods to Track Digital Music
Aug. 30 - After being burned once by Napster, the recording industry wants to make
sure it can keep a tight leash on music copyrights in the Internet Age, when music piracy
is as easy as clicking a mouse.
If the industry and some tech companies have their way, the
Net-connected portable audio player of the future will keep tabs
on its owner's listening habits and will make sure the user has
paid for the right to download copyright tunes from
subscription-based sites.
For example, a wireless audio player being developed by
electronics maker Sonicblue is able to go online, find a particular
song selected by its owner, and then check to make sure the
owner has already paid to download the song.
"The device allows [music sites] to license a particular user with
a specific set of rights," said Andy Wolfe, chief technology
officer at Sonicblue. "And the way most of the sites work is they
identify the device and generate a key specific to that device, so
[the user] has to have both the device and the key in order to play
that particular piece of music."
But getting these smart devices out into the public is only one
half of the music industry's strategy to make sure people pay for
downloaded music.
Indelible But Not Undefeatable Mark
The major recording labels and some tech companies also want to ensure that they can track music
on the Internet by placing an indelible mark on each and every music file.
The Secure Digital Music Initiative, a consortium of recording industry and technology companies,
is developing a file format that contains digital watermarks - encrypted pieces of code that indicate
who the file belongs to and tracks how many times the file has been copied.
So far, however, SDMI hasn't been able to come up with a hack-proof file format that prevents
users from tampering with the watermarks. Earlier this year, a Princeton professor and a team of
graduate students answered SDMI's public challenge and cracked its prototype watermark
encryption system.
Big Brother Tuning In?
But privacy advocates warn that if digital watermarks and other anti-privacy technologies are
successfully implemented, they may infringe upon the privacy of consumers.
"That's certainly something about watermarks that we're very concerned about," said Fred Von
Lohmann, staff attorney of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit organization that
monitors privacy on the Internet. "Traditionally, you went to the store, you bought a CD, and when
you went home you played that CD. Nobody kept track of when you played it, how many times
you played it, what you played before it, what you played after it."
Privacy issues and technical roadblocks aside, most industry watchers believe secure file formats
will be the basis of music distribution in the future. Making sure digital music is distributed legally
and fairly may even bring artists closer to their audiences, Sonicblue's Wolfe said.
"People who listen to music like to listen to different kinds and use it in different places, and they'd
prefer to get music directly from the people who create it," Wolfe said. "So by having this secure
tech, artists and the publishers are going to put music out there for customers to buy and then
customers are going to listen to that music on new kinds of devices that give them more freedom."
Copyright 2001 TechTV. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast,
rewritten or redistributed.
Intel will ship new wireless home-computing products Wednesday that support a
wireless technology the giant chipmaker once competed against.
Intel early last year became one of the first companies to sell technology that allows
consumers to wirelessly connect their home computers and share the same Net connection.
The company supported a wireless standard called HomeRF that was backed by wireless
technology provider Proxim as well as giants Siemens, Motorola and Compaq Computer.
But with HomeRF support sagging, Intel five months ago announced it would switch its support
to 802.11b, or Wi-Fi, a competing wireless standard backed by Apple Computer, Dell
Computer, Cisco Systems, Lucent Technologies spinoff Agere Systems and many others.
Intel on Wednesday will announce new AnyPoint Wireless II Network products based on
802.11b that let people wirelessly link their PCs and laptops so they can share a Net
connection, files and computer peripherals such as printers. The products will allow laptop
users to roam around a house and surf the Web.
Intel previously touted HomeRF as cheaper than 802.11b, but prices of 802.11b products have
dropped considerably in the past year. Intel previously sold 802.11b products aimed at
businesses and HomeRF products aimed at consumers. But Intel executives say supporting
one standard will allow workers to go home and have their work laptops easily connect to a
wireless home network.
Analysts said the rift between companies in the home-networking market has caused a
standards war similar to the VCR technology battle that pitted VHS against Betamax in the
early days of videotape machines. But analysts say Intel's support for 802.11b gives the
technology the edge to win out as the standard in the home.
"Intel's name carries a lot of weight for consumers and that's significant," said Parks
Associates analyst Kurt Scherf. "Industry support for 802.11b has been tremendous."
During the past few months, HomeRF has needed to show new support from companies
beyond its three main backers--Motorola, Proxim and Siemens--and it hasn't happened yet,
Scherf said. "They need to prove that it isn't obsolete."
Intel's AnyPoint wireless products come in two forms: a tiny wireless device that can be
plugged into a desktop computer, and, for laptops, a wireless PC card. Both, available
immediately, have radio transmitters and receivers built in.
Intel will ship in the coming weeks a third device, called a "gateway," which connects the
wireless technology to a regular Internet connection.
Intel spokesman Tom Potts said the company's new wireless technology features software that
makes it easy to install the home network. The product also features built-in security.
"We're trying to mask all the network complexity behind our software, so in most situations,
the person installing it only has to answer three questions," Potts said.
Intel ranks fifth in the market for wireless networking products with 5 percent of the market,
according to a survey by market analyst firm NPD Intelect. In the first five months of this year,
Linksys captured 28.3 percent of the $65 million spent in wireless networking, followed by
Agere, U.S. Robotics, SMC and D-Link.
18:17 EDT Thursday Cirrus Logic signs 5-year
manufacturing agreement
Austin-based Cirrus Logic Inc. [Nasdaq: CRUS] has signed a five-year
manufacturing agreement with China-based Central Semiconductor
Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
Financial details were not disclosed.
Central Semiconductor will manufacture Cirrus Logic's analog and digital
semiconductor chips. Cirrus Logic makes chips for Internet entertainment
electronics.
"CSMC strengthens our consumer entertainment strategy by adding a
significant local manufacturing resource for us in the China market," says
Jerry Gray, vice president of worldwide operations for Cirrus Logic.
"With this capability, Cirrus Logic will be in a better position to leverage
China's expected accession to the World Trade Organization."
The collaboration will begin with the manufacturing of mixed signal
consumer integrated circuits.
Both companies say they expect a progression to a wider range of
products and services.
Flash-OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) is a new signal processing scheme
from Lucent/Flarionthat will support high data rates at very low packet and delay losses, also
known as latencies, over a distributed all-IP wireless network.
The low-latency will enable real-time mobile interactive and multimedia applications.
It promises to deliver higher quality wireless service and better cost effectiveness than current
wireless data technologies.
At the heart of the technology is the RadioRouter product, which the company said in a statement
will lead to an order of magnitude cost advantage over third generation (3G) wireless networks
Further reading at: http://www.ofdm-forum.com/
for mobile data access.
(Nokia using AAC) Carrying A Tune With Nokia Phones
By Arik Hesseldahl
For some reason, it seems to make sense to mobile phone makers to combine the digital music player with the mobile
phone.
At least Finnish phone maker Nokia hasn't taken the step that Samsung has by combining the player into the phone directly, as is the case with Samsung's
Uproar line of phones. Instead, Nokia's Music Player is sold as an accessory that works with several of its phones.
First, you'll find it useful as a hands-free kit that works with Nokia products like the 3310,
3330, 8210, 8850, and 8890 mobile phones. But it's also an MP3 music player that includes
an FM radio.
On the digital music side, it plays both MP3 files and another format called Advanced Audio
Coding, or AAC, an audio compression technology that is part of the MPEG-2 standard.
The player includes a feature called Music Call, which lets you continue to listen to music
while you talk on the phone. Only you can hear the music, not the person on the other end of
the phone conversation.
It comes with a 32-megabyte memory card, which is enough to hold up to one hour of music,
depending on which format you use. It can hold an hour of music stored in AAC format and
about a half-hour's worth of MP3 files. It runs on a single AAA battery, which is good for
about five hours of use. PC software to manage your music and load it into the player is
included.
The player was announced a few months ago, and Nokia said it would be available sometime this quarter. It's not clear if it is yet, and as is often the case with
Nokia products, it won't be offered in the U.S. market initially. But assuming you can find one, and if you have one of the Nokia phones it's compatible
with--say, the 8890, which is available in the U.S.--then there seems to be no reason why it wouldn't work in the States.
But you'd think Nokia would see the opportunity to cash in on two trends in the U.S. First, there's the trend that everyone knows about. Digital music players are
still pretty hot devices, and despite the recent downturns in technology spending, they will probably continue to sell well through the coming holiday season.
Second, there's the legislative trend toward restricting the use of mobile phones by motorists. A device that rides those two waves might just be a big se
U.S. Copyright Office seeks clarification of laws on Web
music Request seen positive for online music firms
By Anna Wilde Mathews
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Aug. 30 - Federal regulators called on Congress to clarify the copyright
law for online music, in a move to resolve important legal questions
surrounding the burgeoning business.
THE U.S. COPYRIGHT OFFICE'S recommendations, which came in
a study requested by Congress, were generally a win for Web-music
companies that have sought new legislation. Congress mandated the study
as a followup to a 1998 law that was supposed to lay the ground rules for
the digital future of intellectual property.Web-music companies contend that
vague rules have left them confused about what they must pay copyright
owners when they put songs on the Internet. The companies also have
complained that music publishers have sought multiple royalty payments
that could severely burden their nascent industry.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, music publishers and record companies have generally
argued that lawmakers don't need to step in with new legislation about
online copyright issues. Music publishers have said that they simply seek
payments that are owed to songwriters and publishers under current
copyright law.
The study was supposed to focus on questions about when it is legal to
make and transmit digital copies of works. The Copyright Office argued in
the study that no broad changes to the "first sale" doctrine were needed now
to deal with digital technologies.
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But it did call for new law on a question related to digital-music rights,
a uniquely complicated area. Currently, music publishers get paid in two
different ways: once when songs are performed, and once when they are
recorded. Some publishers have argued that they should in essence be paid
both ways whenever Web users get to choose the songs they hear online.
Web companies, however, have fought against royalties that they said
weren't justified and argued they can't afford the stiff rates some publishers
are seeking.
The Copyright Office sided with the Web companies on some major
issues. The regulators said that Congress should pass a law that says the
Internet services shouldn't have to pay royalties for "buffer" copies of
songs, which are temporary digital duplicates that make Web-music
"streams" smoother. The buffer copies "have no independent economic
significance," the study says.
Also, when Web companies sell music downloads, they shouldn't have
to pay a performance fee, the Copyright Office said.
The Digital Media
Association, a group that
represents Web-entertainment
companies, characterized the
study as "a home run." Among
publishers groups, Broadcast
Music Inc., which administers
music-performance royalties, said it was "concerned" that the Copyright
Office's recommendation on music downloads "may not adequately protect
creators or copyright owners."
Copyright © 2001 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
The forecast for online music's future: Cloudy and uncertain
Peter Babb,
Associate Editor, AnchorDesk
Thursday, August 30, 2001
The future of music is online, but the future of online music is cloudy. Now that a widely usable format for online
music has come along--MP3--issues of quality and availability are no longer problems. Instead, as Napster's
woes and the recent lawsuit against MP3.com illustrate, the problems now revolve around copyright infringement.
Even the fairly innocuous ohhla.com, which offers no music but simply transcriptions of rap lyrics, was threatened
with a cease-and-desist order by music giant BMI.
So what does all this litigation mean for you? It means that while the Web sites and record labels and music
publishing companies hash out the legalities, you should download like a maniac!
There are some big sites with vast
music libraries from which you can
download. Some are still offering
free music, which means their
longevity could be in question as
record labels try to muscle in on the
business. Some are already charging
small fees. I decided to try out a pair
of popular sites, one representing
each camp, to see how they stack
up.
AudioGalaxy is a solid all-around
site, although it's not quite a
straight-up online music library. It's
more of a P2P system in which
AudioGalaxy users share licensed
music with one another. To use it,
you must open an account, then
download the AudioGalaxy satellite,
which connects you with other
AudioGalaxy users for actual music swapping. A word of warning: AudioGalaxy will try to get you to download
the much-maligned Gator pop-up ad software along with its satellite, so read all the disclaimers and be sure to opt
out of Gator if you want to steer clear of that hassle.
AudioGalaxy's stated mission is "[to promote and raise] people's understanding of music and broaden the range of
music available that you might not know exists through a community of people who have a passion for music." This
is where the Web site comes in. You'll find reviews and articles about featured albums and artists, plus message
boards where users can post reviews and comments. The articles are informative enough to give you a sense of
what a given artist is like before you start downloading songs; the "Rewind" features that spotlight great albums
from the past are a nice addition. AudioGalaxy is a good place to hear and learn about music; nothing too
groundbreaking, but it covers the major bases.
Emusic uses a slightly different model of delivering digital music. It charges a subscription fee (3 months at $14.99
a month or 12 months at $9.99 a month), which allows you to download as many songs as you want out of its
library. One of the main reasons Emusic uses the subscription-based model is to ensure that artists get paid every
time their songs are downloaded, which goes a long way toward appeasing lawsuit-happy labels and artists and to
soothing people like myself who have misgivings about getting music from artists without compensating them.
While there will always be those who insist on free MP3s, Emusic's setup strikes a fair balance between paying
artists and providing cheap downloads for consumers.
As for the actual music library, Emusic is skewed toward smaller, independent releases. So if you're into exploring
the less-exposed parts of particular musical genres (including classical, jazz, world music, and blues), Emusic
should be right up your alley. It has established partnerships with over 750 record labels that provide the site with
MP3 releases.
This also explains Emusic's indie-label slant. Independents can't afford to compete on the same playing field as the
major labels, so they are among the first to adopt services such as Emusic. You probably won't find the latest Top
10 hit on Emusic, but that's all for the better.
The site states a goal similar to AudioGalaxy's, in that it wants to not only provide music, but help users learn about
other artists and genres as well. To that end, you can sign up for genre-specific guides to the latest additions to the
library. You can also listen to 30-second snippets from many songs before you decide to download them--a
godsend for people without high-speed access.
So which service is better? That depends on what you're looking for. If you want free music--particularly current
hits--AudioGalaxy is the way to go. Of course, that also means you'll be bombarded with advertising, which is
enough to put off many people. My personal preference leans more toward Emusic. It has a sound model for
delivering content, and its library is very appealing in a left-of-center way. And as for the price, I think of it this
way: I can download many CDs worth of material for less than the cost of buying one CD per month--and the
artist still gets paid. To me, that's a winning setup.
What's the future of downloading music? Will subscription-based services be the dominant style?
TalkBack to me.
Voice Optimization Software Yields Improved Voice Recognition Results For
Mobile Applications
SAN JOSE, CA--(INTERNET WIRE)--Aug 29, 2001-- Wavemakers(TM) today announced, from the Intel
Developers Forum, the release of the latest version of their award-winning voice optimization software,
ClearStream(TM). By separating voice from noise, ClearStream v3 works in conjunction with automatic speech
recognition software (ASR) to let consumers take advantage of convenient voice user interfaces found on today's small,
portable communications devices, such as personal digital assistants, Pocket PCs, cell phones and tablets. ClearStream
v3 is the only single-channel solution on the market that separates voice from noise in both close-talk (with a headset)
and far-field (without a headset) situations. Now available for embedded devices, this innovative technology offers
developers increased design flexibility for a wider range of applications.
Extensive testing demonstrates ClearStream's 'pure' speech signal improves the accuracy of leading commercial
automatic speech recognition engines by up to 45%, reducing ASR errors by up to 100%.
"By increasing ClearStream's flexibility, precision and power, we are advancing the ability of computers and devices to
accurately understand and respond to voice commands," said Peter van der Gracht, Wavemakers' chair and CEO. "In
high-noise environments, voice recognition accuracy hovers at a dismal 50%. With ClearStream, that percentage rises to
91.1%, elevating voice interfaces from a frustrating user experience to a positive one."
Version 3 Advancements
ClearStream v3's robust algorithms now easily recover drop-outs and handle sudden increases in noise found in
real-world environments. ClearStream's enhanced voice detection capabilities translate into better detection of the start
and finish of speech in noisy environments, especially when removing transient noises. ClearStream can now also
remove background babble by learning the target user's voice level and removing non-target speech significantly below
that level. In addition, the integration of Wavemakers' new EchoBlock(TM) module with ClearStream enables barge-in
for command-and-control environments, and allows full duplex communication for hands-free voice applications.
Operating Systems
Microsoft(R) Windows(R), WinCE(R), Macintosh(R) OS, and Linux
Chip Architectures
Intel(R) StrongARM(R), x86, Hitachi(R) SH-3/4, Power PC(TM) and MIPS processors
Resource Use Profiling
ClearStream's flexible design allows engineers to switch components on and off for particular architectures and,
depending on the application, minimizes processing and memory requirements on specific platforms. ClearStream's
design ensures efficient memory usage and facilitates porting to embedded platforms. Wavemakers profiled ClearStream
processor usage on an 800 MHz Intel Pentium III with 128 MB RAM, using a 60-second test file of continuous
speech. At an 11 KHz sampling rate, processing required 22 MFLOPS and 1.7 seconds. This is 36 times FASTER than
real-time processing.
About Wavemakers
Wavemakers develops and markets voice optimization software to realize the goal of using voice as the primary interface driving computers, PDAs, Pocket PCs,
phones, tablets and consumer electronics. Wavemakers' award-winning ClearStream enables machines to distinguish human voices from background and
transient noise, even in high-noise environments. Founded in 1993, Wavemakers is a privately held corporation based in Vancouver, Canada. For more
information, visit www.wavemakers.com.
Intel Introduces High-speed Wireless Networkng Products Designed for the
Home and Small Office
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 29, 2001--Intel® Corporation today announced at the Intel
Developer Forum, Fall 2001, the AnyPoint(TM) Wireless II Network family of products that provide high-speed
wireless network connectivity and shared Internet access for the home, home office and small office environments.
The AnyPoint Wireless II Network product family consists of a USB model, a PC card and the Intel® Wireless
Gateway. Based on the IEEE 802.11b standard, the products provide data transfer speeds up to 11 million bits per
second (Mbps), ample bandwidth for simultaneous Internet access, video streaming, MP3 sharing, photo sharing, file
sharing and other demanding applications.
The AnyPoint Wireless II Network products incorporate the AnyPoint Connectivity Software Suite and are Intel's first
802.11b products specifically designed for consumer installation and ease of use. The Connectivity Suite supports file
and printer sharing and includes Internet security features such as Web site filtering for parental control, integrated
firewall protection, and 128-bit 802.11b Wireless Encryption Protocol (WEP) encryption.
The products also include the AnyPoint Connection Manager for mobile connectivity. The AnyPoint Connection
Manager provides a convenient way for laptop users to switch between different 802.11b networks. Laptops equipped
with the AnyPoint Connection Manager and the AnyPoint Wireless II Network PC card can surf the Web from around
the home, at work or from public hotspots such as Starbucks(a), hotels and airports that offer 802.11b connectivity.(b)
The Intel Wireless Gateway combines the functionality of an access point, Internet router and firewall into a single
device. It is optimized for homes and small offices sharing an Internet connection among desktop PCs, mobile PCs or
handheld devices. The gateway features both Ethernet and 802.11b wireless connectivity, and includes 128-bit WEP
encryption, an embedded firewall to help protect against network intrusions, and AnyPoint software to simplify
installation.
The Intel Wireless Gateway expands the options for setting up a wireless network. The gateway can connect multiple
PCs to a single broadband modem. The Intel Wireless Gateway can also be used as an access point for adding wireless
connectivity to an existing Ethernet network. These configuration options are in addition to simply using the AnyPoint
Wireless II adapters to enable a PC to serve as an Internet gateway in a PC-to-PC wireless network.
``The AnyPoint Wireless II Network products and the Wireless Gateway provide the simplest, most flexible way for
non-technical consumers and small businesses to set up a wireless network and share a single Internet connection,''
said Barry Bonder, director of residential networking products at Intel. ``These additions to Intel's extensive wireless
product line allow consumers to use the same wireless networking standard at home as they use at work, and many
locations in-between.''
All of the products are compatible with high-speed Internet access specifications such as digital subscriber line and
cable modems. The products are certified by the Wireless Interoperability Compatibility Alliance (Wi-Fi(a)) and are
interoperable with other products based on IEEE 802.11b High-Rate industry standard, including the Intel® PRO/Wireless 802.11b products that are designed
for business.
A recent survey by The Yankee Group(a) indicates that half of all U.S. households with more than one PC are interested in setting up a home network. According
to research by Cahners In-Stat Group(a), there will be 31 million homes in the United States with more than one PC by the end of 2003.
Pricing and Availability
The AnyPoint Wireless II Network products are now available in North America from leading retailers, e-tailers and on the Web at www.shop-intel.com.
Suggested retail prices are $129 for the PC card and $149 for the USB model. The Intel Wireless Gateway is now available for business use and will be available
for consumers in October with suggested retail pricing to be announced at a later date.
Vivendi Universal Closes on Acquisition of MP3.com
Wednesday August 29, 12:53 pm Eastern Time
Press Release
PARIS & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 29, 2001--Vivendi Universal (Paris Bourse: EX FP;
NYSE:V) announced that it successfully completed the acquisition of San Diego-based MP3.com, Inc. (Nasdaq:MPPP
- news) in a combined cash and stock transaction on August 28, 2001.
MP3.com stockholders voted in favor of the merger transaction at a special meeting of stockholders held Monday,
August 27, 2001. MP3.com was delisted from Nasdaq effective prior to opening for trading Tuesday, August 28. Of
the more than 69 million shares outstanding, over 68 percent were voted. Of those voting, more than 99 percent voted in
favor of the merger.
The corporate offices of MP3.com will continue to be based in San Diego.
The exchange ratio for the merger is 0.0904. Based on preliminary information from The Bank of New York, the
exchange agent in the merger, it is currently estimated that all shareholders electing cash and all non-electing
shareholders of MP3.com will receive $5.00 in cash for each share of MP3.com common stock exchanged in the
merger.
MP3.com stockholders holding more than 73 percent of the shares elected to receive Vivendi Universal American
Depositary Shares (ADSs) and over 21 percent elected to receive cash. Due to the aggregate election of all stockholders,
the preliminary proration factor for those stockholders electing Vivendi Universal ADSs is approximately 68 percent.
Commenting on the closure of the acquisition, Jean-Marie Messier, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Vivendi
Universal, said, ``The acquisition of MP3.com was an extremely important step in our strategy to create both a
distribution platform and acquire state-of-the-art technology. MP3.com will be a great asset to Vivendi Universal in
meeting our goal of becoming the leading online provider of music and related services.''
Mr. Messier continued, ``MP3.com brings to Vivendi Universal millions of dedicated music fans; a robust distribution
platform; technology that strengthens our ability to handle subscriptions, direct marketing and data management;
technology that applies to all devices and across a range of Vivendi Universal's businesses, including music, film,
games and possibly books; and strong management and technology teams.''
(Excerpt today) Intel is also working to enable the next generation of wireless communications devices that will accelerate the delivery of wireless applications and services that
take advantage of voice-and-data communications over the Internet. Ron Smith, Intel senior vice president, and general manager of the Wireless Communications
and Computing Group, introduced a new program designed to help developers build and market wireless applications, services and devices based on the Intel®
Personal Internet Client Architecture (Intel PCA). The newly formed Intel PCA Developer Network offers wireless companies development, technical and
marketing support -- including access to more than 300 software design tools -- for building cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and other mobile
Internet devices and applications supporting Intel PCA.
Smith also highlighted the importance of Intel's flash memory solutions in these wireless devices. Intel StrataFlash® memory technology has earned more than
650 design wins this year alone in cell phones, PDAs, set-top boxes and other applications. Intel StrataFlash memory offers a cost-effective, single-chip
solution for code execution and data storage, using an innovative multilevel cell technology that makes it ideal for Internet phones where high density and low cost
per bit are important.
``Cell phones that combine voice and data applications require significantly larger amounts of flash memory and Intel StrataFlash provides twice the density in the
same space at a lower cost,'' said Smith. ``We've shipped more than two billion megabits of Intel StrataFlash memory to date, and we expect that number to
double in the next year.''
Intel also introduced the Intel® Flash Data Integrator (FDI) version 4, the latest version of Intel's flash memory software that manages code, data and files when
combined with Intel flash memory solutions. This particular version of the FDI software serves as a file manager for devices using Intel StrataFlash memory,
increasing performance for data storage operations of both code and packet data.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010829/290203.html
DoCoMo Launches Live Video for Mobile Phones
By Jay Wrolstad & Dan McDonough Jr.
Wireless NewsFactor
August 28, 2001
A few months into the trial of its 3G (third generation)
wireless service, NTT DoCoMo (NYSE: NTT) has tied up the
loose ends on a new platform that provides "one-to-many"
live video distribution to the 3G handsets.
The Japanese wireless carrier said its platform, which delivers
streaming media using MPEG4 technology, is the first of its
kind. It was developed with U.S.-based PacketVideo under an
agreement the two companies signed in January.
This new video platform will enable delivery of live streaming
media over the network of NTT DoCoMo's 3G mobile
communications service -- called freedom of mobile
multimedia access (FOMA).
Service for PDAs and Phones
The FOMA live-video common distribution platform lets
users receive video-streaming service in real-time without
installing streaming media software on their terminals,
DoCoMo said. The platform also employs MPEG-4 (Moving
Picture Experts Group-4) technology for its data-coding
standards, so content providers can distribute their software to
PDAs (personal digital assistants) and FOMA mobile phone terminals.
DoCoMo said it will establish the FOMA Live Streaming Delivery Trial Consortium on September 20th,
comprising 32 corporations and other professional organizations in Japan, and will develop service
applications for the joint venture platform. The consortium will conduct field trials of live-video and
archive-video streaming applications from October 2001 through February 2002.
Building on I-Mode Foundation
PacketVideo already has conducted trials of its wireless multimedia technology over Airtel Movil S.A.'s
GPRS (general packet radio service) network in Spain as a preview of Airtel's anticipated launch of 3G
wireless service in that country.
DoCoMo's 2.5G i-mode Web-access service has experienced incredible growth: It has 26 million subscribers
in Japan and is widely recognized as the forerunner of next-generation wireless service.
Spinning Wheels?
While DoCoMo and other carriers are plowing ahead to bring 3G to the people, there still are questions as to
who and what will take advantage of its key benefit -- streaming video, the same application that DoCoMo is
accommodating with its new platform.
The wireless community sees streaming media grasping different markets in different parts of the world.
Internationally, it will gain quicker acceptance in the consumer markets, while business applications likely
will take the lead in the U.S. 3G market.
DoCoMo's 3G service is based on WCDMA (wideband code division multiple access) technology. The
company said it plans to spend 1 trillion yen (US$8.19 billion) in the next three years on infrastructure for its
3G service, and it expects to turn a profit within four years of launch.
Mobile Video, Part 2: Who Wants It?
By Brian McDonough
Wireless NewsFactor
August 29, 2001
In the first part of this three-part series, "Mobile Video, Part 1:
Ready or Not, Here It Comes?" Wireless NewsFactor explored
the current state of the technology and raised a big question: If
they build it, who will buy?
Part 2 of this series asks whether mobile video is more likely
to capture the hearts of suited executives -- ever alert for the
next new thing -- or the imaginations of the unwashed masses
who just want to have fun.
DoCoMo Leads Charge
The answers are different depending on which quadrant of the
globe you're standing on, of course. "Only when you get to
the consumer community do you get the large streams of users
that justify the number of companies trying to make
something of this," Internet Streaming Media Alliance board
member Satish Menon told Wireless NewsFactor.
Menon's observation may be true in Japan. Mobile video is
already off and running there, with NTT DoCoMo's Tuesday
announcement of a new platform that provides "one-to-many"
live video distribution to 3G (third generation) handsets.
DoCoMo said the new platform -- which delivers streaming
media using MPEG-4 technology -- is the first of its kind. It
was developed with U.S.-based PacketVideo under the terms
of an agreement the two companies signed in January.
Work, Not Play in the U.S.A.
Nowhere in the world is wireless as wildly popular as it is in
Japan, where DoCoMo's i-mode service enjoys a huge subscriber base. But the country's wireless craze is
heavily focused on entertainment uses like the ubiquitous FunMail application.
In the United States, where 3G has just graduated from a spark to a glimmer, some analysts say the best
prospects for making money the wireless way are enterprise-oriented. If corporate America can be sold on the
idea of equipping a mobile workforce with "anywhere, everywhere" technology, then the wireless industry
will be front and center during the next high-tech boom -- or so the logic goes.
A lot of energy is being directed toward getting streaming media onto handheld devices. Carriers want revenue
to pay for their astronomical 3G licenses, and streaming media providers want to help. The trouble is, it hasn't
been proven that customers -- whether corporations or individual consumers -- want such services, and it
really can't be proven until the networks and devices are available for tests of the services.
Waiting To Exhale
But with industry types working hard to get such services out there, the question is begged: Which group of
consumers is the wireless industry most actively courting with the promise of streaming video, and when will
it deliver on that promise?
In the short term, corporate apps are likely to roll out first in North America, where business users always lead
in wireless adoption. Everyone agrees that key vertical industries will benefit from wireless video, but there is
dissension over the likely appeal of consumer apps.
There are those who say consumer apps will never materialize, and niche business markets will make wireless
video into a quirky corporate specialty. Then there are those who agree that enterprises will be served by video,
but to a far lesser degree than consumers, for whom an explosion of services is predicted.
Business as Usual or Risky Business?
While sheer user numbers point to consumers as the larger potential market for video and other multimedia
services over wireless devices, most observers agree that Americans aren't ready to embrace high-end data
services -- especially since the needed networks and devices haven't quite made it to market yet.
If consumers aren't ready, that leaves the traditional leader in U.S. wireless adoption. "Perhaps in North
America [streaming media] will come through enterprise applications," said Menon, who is also vice president
of research and development at Kasenna, a broadband infrastructure software provider.
"I think the enterprise platform will catch on very strongly. There are a lot of efforts in the enterprise space,"
Menon said.
Cahners In-Stat Group analyst Gerry Kaufhold agreed that consumers will be latecomers to wireless
multimedia in the United States. He told Wireless NewsFactor that corporate users will have more motivation
to deal with services while they are still in rougher, early rollout phases.
Making It, Saving It
"Two things drive the business market: You're either saving somebody some money, or you're helping them
make more money through enhanced applications," Kaufhold said. He pointed to a number of mobile video
applications that can meet those needs, such as telemedicine or training -- whether in corporate matters or for
service personnel in the field who need refreshers on complex repairs.
"There are some interesting applications for high-value content, such as financial services-based
applications," Ian Freed, general manager of RealNetworks' mobile products and services group, told Wireless
NewsFactor. He cited "analyst conference calls for a particular industry, earnings calls [and] presentations by
tech companies to the business community."
Overhyped, Underdelivered
Hasn't video conferencing been pretty much a bust over the wired Internet, to say nothing of abortive
videophone technology?
"I think the specific application of two-way videoconferencing has always been overhyped and
underdelivered," Freed agreed. "People just don't get a lot of extra value from having two-way video,
compared to the trade-off in quality. But we've had tremendous success with [one-way] video broadcasting.
Compared to two-way video conferencing, it's a totally different animal."
Kaufhold pointed to uses within the scope of current networks and devices, citing a business application that
is first on a lot of observers' lips: "Security cameras. All you need is an always-on connection to the network.
That's very low-end, very easy to deploy."
Menon agreed. He sees such applications extending beyond the strictly corporate field. "I can see using [such
setups for] keeping an eye on your home, your children or your business," Menon said.
Total Eclipse?
Not everyone is waiting breathlessly for enterprise apps, however. PacketVideo president of applications and
services Rob Tercek told Wireless NewsFactor that he expects business applications to be valuable --
"There's no question they're going to be powerful," he noted -- but thoroughly eclipsed by the consumer
market.
Tercek attributed the current fascination with enterprise applications in the United States to investor fears
brought on by the shaky economic climate. "Given the meltdown of the consumer Internet in the last nine
months, financial firms demand an enterprise story," he said.
But the enterprise story is clearly just one chapter in the mobile video saga.
It's Music To Your Mobile...................
http://www.silicon.com/public/door?REQUNIQ=999091010&6004REQEVENT=&REQINT1=46895&REQSTR1...
Branding Big Blue
Wednesday 29th August 2001
You would have thought that everyone knows who IBM is and what
the company does. You may be right, but that is not quite enough for
Big Blue, they want to make sure you know what they do and who
they are doing it with.
Intel started it all with the "Intel Inside" stickers adorning every PC
with Pentium IIIs and IVs. With other chip manufacturers like AMD
chomping at its heels the silicon king decided a bit of extra publicity
would not go amiss. The campaign, together with irritating jingle and
now updated to include even more irritating mime artists, worked a
treat as Intel suddenly moved into the Coca Cola league of brand
recognition. Microsoft, too, moved into "stickerware" sometime ago
with its Windows logo strategically placed on many PC devices.
With a history and products and services range like IBM it would be
easy to think there is no missing those famous three letters. However,
IBM is keen to promote its partnerships with OEMs and emphasise the
fact that the technology group, which makes semi conductors, displays
and storage devices, has been one of the key growth areas for the
company. This is borne out by sales figures of $5.6 billion for the first
six months of 2001, an increase of over 10% on last year.
The use of the IBM logo, a light blue flag that when pulled back
reveals the three letters IBM, is purely voluntary amongst OEMs.
Unlike the Intel campaign, there are no financial inducements, only the
opportunity for other manufacturers to enhance their own brand image.
The first taker is Nintendo, the Japanese gaming console manufacturer,
who will be displaying the IBM logo on the new Game Cube. The
machine, due for a US launch in time for Christmas, uses the IBM
PowerPC processor at its heart. Over the years, IBM has supplied
hardware components that are used in numerous devices from
networking equipment to mobile phones to cameras. And whilst no
further announcements have been made it is only a matter of time
before the IBM badge appears on other devices.
The campaign is cleverly double-pronged; on one hand it demonstrates
to OEMs the degree of IBM's involvement in technology and on the
other hand it puts the IBM name in front of consumers, such as the 18
to 25 year age group that will be buying Game Cubes, that might
otherwise not be so aware of IBM capabilities. The question is though,
where will it all stop, will every electronic device start to look like a
Formula 1 car emblazoned with sponsor's logos?
Intel's Telematics web page.........
http://developer.intel.com/design/wireless/telematics/index.htm
Some good new digital media players
Tuesday, August 28, 2001
Mike Berman
Scripps Howard News Service
I can't help it! My addiction to digital media players is too powerful. I have to write about them - again!
The new batch sitting on my desk includes SonicBlue's Rio Volt Portable Music Player ($169.95), the Rio 800 Portable
Digital Audio Player ($249.95) and AVC's Soul Digital Media Player ($149.95).
The Rio Volt and the Soul players are eerily similar in function and design. In fact, when placed side-by-side, it's tough to
tell them apart except for a difference in the location of their volume controls. Also, the Rio Volt has the look and feel of a
high-quality device.
Both are CD players that are capable of playing standard audio CDs, CD-Rs or CD-RWs containing files written in MP3
and WMA audio formats, and can be upgraded to play ACC files.
The advantage here is that you can fit up to 10 hours of digital audio on a 650 megabyte recordable CD. The disadvantage is
that they tend to skip when jostled, bumped or banged.
The skipping problem has been partially solved with firmware upgrades that are available from the companies' Web sites
(www.sonicblue.com and www.avc.com) and I strongly recommend performing the upgrade before using either player.
Upgrading is easy. You just burn the firmware upgrade file to a CD, insert it in the player and turn the player on. Both
players recognize the file and perform the upgrade without any input from you, making it pretty much mistake-proof.
I still wouldn't wear them on my belt while exercising or on a five-mile run, but, for sheer listening pleasure, they're tough
to beat.
Sound reproduction from both players is almost perfect, even at high volumes. Distortion was a big problem with their
predecessors, but was hardly detectable when I cranked up the volume on these babies.
But the greatest feature is the ability of these players to remember where you were on the CD, so you don't have to skip
through multiple tracks trying to pick up the tune that was playing when you turned it off.
Other features of the two players include:
- ID3 text display that includes track number, song name, artist name, folder (album title) and overall playtime.
- Shock protection up to 120 seconds, which can be switched to 10 or 40 seconds for standard CDs.
- Up to 15 hours of continuous play using two AA batteries.
- You can create a customized play list.
-A built-in equalizer with normal, rock, jazz, classic and ultra bass settings.
- A "Navi" button allows you to navigate through the entire CD or a specific directory.
You may find it a bit tougher to find a retailer that handles the Soul player, due to an agreement between AVC and
SonicBlue that they wouldn't compete in the U.S. market. But a quick scan of the Internet reveals that it's readily available
for anyone who wants it.
For exercise buffs and joggers, I strongly recommend the Rio 800. This is a digital player from the "old school" that
downloads tunes from your PC to its internal memory using a USB cable. And, since there are no moving parts, it doesn't
skip.
Now, you may ask: What makes this different from the older Rios or other MP3 players?
Older versions of the Rio came with either 32 or 64 megabytes of internal memory, which were capable of giving you up to
an hour of stereo music. You could pop 32 megabyte memory cards into them, but that only increased memory to 96
megabytes.
The 64 megabyte Rio 800 takes snap-on Memory Backpacks that can increase its internal memory to either 96 (32
megabytes for $99.95) or 128 megabytes (64 megabytes for $169.95), eliminating the expense of purchasing the older, more
archaic cards. They also come with rechargeable batteries and an AC adapter.
And if you really want to increase your listening pleasure, you can add a remote control with a built-in FM tuner ($34.95).
The Rio 800 is also capable of playing MP3 and WMA and, like the CD players, is upgradeable so it can handle new
formats, such as ACC, as they come along.
Other features of the Rio 800 include:
- Audio equalizer options and preset modes such as classical, jazz, rock and rap plus customizable bass and treble controls.
- A menu system that includes repeat and random play modes and time and date display.
- An adjustable backlight duration, power sleep mode and a battery life gauge.
-A bar graph showing availability of internal and external memory.
- An on-board microphone to record memos, etc.
- A full-function remote control.
(Mike Berman can be contacted at mberman@jocgeek.com or through his Web site at www.jocgeek.com)
http://www.redding.com/shns/rstory.cfm?pk=TECHTALK-08-29-01&cat=FF
Microsoft invests in Sendo
posted 6:45am EST Tue Jul 24 2001 - submitted by chief geek
NEWS
According to Smaller.com, Microsoft has invested an undisclosed amount in Sendo. If you're not
familiar with Sendo, it's a company that has already been showing off some prototypes of
Microsoft's new Stinger phone. Smaller thinks that the cash infusion is designed to help get the
Stinger handsets into the market faster. I've been wondering when the Stinger would surface. I'm
also curious to see how soon VoiceStream comes forward with a device, since VoiceStream is on
the GSM network and that's what the Stinger needs to run.
Stinger: The Sneak Preview.............................
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/20933.html
Sendo partners PacketVideo for Stinger phone
by Derek Parkinson on 28 August 2001 16:29:00 GMT
Sendo, a Birmingham-based mobile phone manufacturer, has partnered with PacketVideo to enable video
applications on Sendo?s recently unveiled Z100 GPRS Smartphone handset, the first mobile to go into production
using Microsoft?s Stinger operating system.
The PacketVideo PVPlatform software, which provides encoding, transmission and decoding functions, will allow
mobile users to access video messaging, interactive games, and news or sports highlights. According to PacketVideo,
PVPlatform's error-resilient technology can overcome the transmission errors common in wireless networks,
enabling mobile phones to receive reasonable quality video and audio at bandwidths as low as 9.6 kbps. The
PVPlatform is reputed to be interoperable with all major digital wireless telephony standards as well as
next-generation wireless networks.
The Z100 Smartphone, which is due for commercial release early next year, features a 65,000-colour TFT display,
giving comparable quality to a laptop display. The Z100 will also be able to play MP3 and WMA audio files, as well
as WMV and MPEG-4 video. According to Ron Schaeffer, Sendo head of product development, the Stinger platform
was chosen because it has features that appeal to both network operators and developers: ?Microsoft has made some
good advances in server-side development. For example, the Mobile Information Server allows over-the-air
Outlook synchronization, which appeals to operators,? he said. ?Microsoft are also well-placed to support
developers - Visual Studio for example, is used by thousands of developers and the next version will directly
support Stinger,? he added.
According to Schaeffer, while many established handset manufacturers are struggling Sendo is confident about the
future: ?Ours is a different offer to the network operators - they are looking for highly customizable, co-brandable
handsets. Most operators feel they own the customer relationship and many handset manufacturers appear to be in
competition for that relationship,? he said.
The Z100 will operate on GSM 900, 1800 and 1900 networks across Europe, Asia and the Americas and features
WAP, HTML 3.2, and Compact HTML - currently used by NTT DoCoMo in its i-mode services. According to
Sendo, support for Compact HTML anticipates a European roll out of i-mode applications.
Intel Announces Technology Middleware to Accelerate Peer-To-Peer
Capabilities
Intel Showcases Platform Expertise To Help Drive Advances In Peer-to-Peer Computing
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 28, 2001--Intel Corporation today announced the forthcoming
availability of peer-to-peer (P2P) technology building blocks to help accelerate P2P capabilities in software by next
generation software application developers.
The announcement marks the first technology development of Intel's P2P program, announced at IDF Spring 2001 by
Pat Gelsinger, vice president and chief technology officer of the Intel Architecture Group. The goals of this program is
to catalyze the P2P industry, create momentum for P2P, and deliver P2P technology building blocks to drive adoption of
P2P capabilities within applications.
``P2P computing offers tremendous potential to expand enterprise and consumer computing based on the power of the
desktop PC and Pentium® 4 microprocessor,'' said Louis Burns, vice president and general manager, Intel's Desktop
Products Group. ``Intel is developing additional building blocks to address the issues of IT and consumers and reduce
time to market for application development.''
The first release of the technology is targeted for XML Web services and improves the creation and deployment of
peer-to-peer services, utilizing existing industry standards (e.g. SOAP) and development tools while also supporting
interoperability between peer-to-peer enabled applications. The technology will be instrumental in aiding the addition of
collaboration, knowledge management / P2P search, and efficient content distribution capabilities to XML Web services
applications. The technology middleware includes support for location independence, encryption and availability. This
will help ISVs prototype and develop new peer-to-peer capabilities within their applications on the Microsoft .NET
Framework. The Microsoft .NET Framework was chosen for the first release due to its support for P2P capabilities.
``Microsoft supports Intel's efforts to target the innate P2P capabilities of the .NET Framework,'' said David Stutz,
group program manager at Microsoft Corp. ``Intel's P2P technology highlights the .NET Framework's features for
integrating P2P and XML Web services and will provide a solid step on the road to building interoperable P2P
applications.''
Intel has been working with application developers to help craft the technology and ensure that critical P2P issues are
addressed. DiamondCluster International, a global business strategy and technology solutions firm, and Lante
Corporation, an information technology consulting company focused on helping companies collaborate via the Internet,
are working with Intel in the development of P2P technology to accelerate general peer-to-peer adoption.
``While we have found current peer-to-peer technology solutions helpful in delivering value to our clients, Lante is
eager to see improved standards and reference implementations,'' said Marvin Richardson, Lante's chief technology
officer. ``We're pleased to be working with Intel to help bring the same benefits to peer-to-peer platforms that Intel has
delivered for computing platforms -- greater industry productivity and widespread technology adoption.''
The P2P technology middleware will be available for evaluation in Q4'2001. Software developers interested in working
with Intel on this and future rounds of P2P technology should visit http://www.intel.com/ids/p2p.
About IDF
Intel Developer Forum is a worldwide program that gives developers the technical information and vision they need to
succeed in creating innovative products for the Internet economy. The IDF Fall 2001 conference features a full slate of
sessions and hands-on labs, along with numerous demonstrations of cutting-edge products and technologies. Industry
Participants include software and hardware developers of communications equipment, servers, PC and handheld clients.
Visit http://developer.intel.com/idf for more on the IDF conferences (San Jose, Calif., Aug. 27-30; Tokyo, Sept. 26-27; Taipei, Taiwan, Oct. 22-23; Shenzhen,
People's Republic of China, Oct. 25-26). For the latest information on technology developments throughout the year, visit Intel Developer Update at
http://developer.intel.com/update.
"It also supports the primary multimedia enablers such as
Windows Media, Java, PacketVideo and Real Networks. TI's platform is a family of
processors that are optimized to provide high-performance real-time signal
processing as well as extended battery life, both of which are essential for new
wireless communications devices. "
(Today) TI and Industry Leaders Strategize Future of Mobile
Internet at OMAP[tm] Technology Summit in Taipei
TI Chief Operating Officer, Rich Templeton, Addresses
Taiwan's Senior Electronics Executives
TAIWAN (August 28, 2001) -- Top executives from Texas Instruments
(NYSE:TXN) (TI) and leading Taiwanese electronics companies gathered together
today to strategize the future of the mobile Internet at the TI OMAP(tm) Technology
Summit in Taipei. Leading wireless device and equipment manufacturers, third
parties and applications developers participated in a summit on TI's OMAP platform
and gave their support for it as the optimal solution for driving real-time
communications and system performance for their upcoming handsets and Internet
appliances.
Rich Templeton, TI's chief operating officer (COO) and executive vice president
delivered the keynote at today's event, praising Taiwan manufacturers' effort in
moving beyond concepts to actual design and development of new wireless
handheld information appliances.
"In the past 10 years, we've seen beyond doubt that the Internet is the future of
information technology, and looking forward, mobility is the future of the Internet,"
said Rich Templeton, TI COO. "Wireless phones outsold PCs for the first time last
year, and virtually all analysts agree that within the next few years, portable Internet
appliances will become the preferred tools for Internet access on a global basis.
Leading companies in Taiwan and worldwide have recognized TI's power to enable
their next-generation wireless devices."
During today's event, TI disclosed its OMAP platform of advanced silicon and
software has won more than 10 new designs in Asia, further reinforcing the OMAP
platform position as the de facto standard for 2.5 and 3G. These companies join
other manufacturers such as Nokia, Ericsson, Sendo, Sony and several other
industry leaders worldwide, who have already chosen to integrate TI's OMAP
technology in their 2.5 and 3G designs.
Among the Asian companies who have selected TI's OMAP platform for their
mobile Internet devices include industry leaders such as Acer Communications &
Multimedia Inc., ASUSTek Computer Inc., Chi Mei Communication Systems, Inc.,
Compal Communications Inc., Compal Electronics Inc., GVC Corporation, High
Tech Computer Corporation, Quanta Computer, LG and ZTE, just to name a few.
With today's announcement, TI continues its leadership with design wins and
endorsements from Taiwanese manufacturers.
In a concurrent technical symposium, more than 500 Taiwan-based design
engineers, software developers and electronics company managers met with TI to
discuss the requirements of next-generation handheld devices and the OMAP
platform's ability to meet those demands. Microsoft Embedded Systems Group vice
president, Phillip Swan, addressed a roundtable of senior executives, sharing his
views of the mobile Internet.
"The next generation of wireless communications will bring a variety of new and
exciting services, enabling an enhanced mobile experience for both corporate
customers and consumers," said Phillip Swan, vice president Embedded Systems
Group at Microsoft. "TI's proven OMAP architecture combined with products like
Microsoft's smart phone software platform, codename "Stinger," will drive
innovation in next generation wireless communications ultimately enabling
customers to truly access their critical information anytime, anywhere."
The OMAP platform is a scalable, open architecture that supports real-time
communications and multimedia processing in handheld devices. The open platform
supports all major wireless operating systems, including Windows® CE, Symbian,
Palm and Sun's Java[tm]. It also supports the primary multimedia enablers such as
Windows Media, Java, PacketVideo and Real Networks. TI's platform is a family of
processors that are optimized to provide high-performance real-time signal
processing as well as extended battery life, both of which are essential for new
wireless communications devices.
OMAP development tools make it easy for applications developers to take advantage
of the real-time processing power of TI's DSPs. Once developed, these applications
can be ported to any device that contains an OMAP processor, including smart
phones, PDA/communicators and wireless devices yet to be developed.
"TI's OMAP processors are available today, which has allowed Taiwan's
electronics industry to quickly jump into the new world of wireless
communications," said Dr. Yuan-Shian Shu, director-general of Taiwan's
Industrial Development Bureau (IDB). "Taiwan companies establishing their own
design and development capabilities for the mobile Internet era is very important as
we transition from the PC era to a communications-centric world."
Top executives from a wide variety of major Taiwanese equipment manufacturers,
third parties and applications developers endorsed the OMAP platform during the
summit. In addition the many companies across Asia supporting OMAP, the
Taiwan-based companies include:
Device and equipment manufacturers: Acer Communications
& Multimedia Inc., Arima Communication Corp., ASUSTeK
Computer Inc., Compal Communications Inc., DBTel Incorporated,
GVC Corporation, High Tech Computer, Corp., Quanta Computer
Inc., Inventec Corp., Tecom Co., Ltd., Chi Mei Communication
Systems, Inc., Ares Communications Tech. Inc., Inventec
Multimedia & Telecom Corporation, Inventec Appliances Corp.,
TelePaq Technology Inc., Inventec Besta Co., Ltd., FIC Inc.,
Mitac-Synnex Grou,p, and Universal Scientific Industrial Co.,
Ltd., Application and middleware developers: AM ROAD
Electronics Co., Ltd., Ultima Electronics Corp., ProSense
Technology Corp. and Chanceux Co.; Research Institute:
Embedded System Lab, Institute for Information Industry
TI introduced OMAP technology to Taiwan manufacturers last August when the
company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the IDB to
collaborate in promoting the effective usage of TI's DSP technology in Taiwan. In
March this year, TI opened an Information Appliance (IA) Design Center in Taiwan
to strengthen applications engineering support for local original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs).
For manufacturers and developers creating wireless communications solutions, only
TI's advanced silicon and software platforms deliver the optimal performance, lower
power consumption and system level integration required to rapidly deploy
differentiated next-generation wireless devices and software applications.
# # #
Current TI/OMAP Developers List
http://www.ti.com/sc/docs/apps/omap/developer/current.htm
TI's dual core DSP-based OMAP architecture enables the highest performance with
as little as 1/4 the power consumption for 2.5 and 3G wireless devices, and provides
software developers easy access to real-time DSP functionality. Because the OMAP
architecture is based on TI's high performance and low power DSP, it is the only
solution to enable OEMs to develop 2.5 and 3G wireless devices that will run
multimedia-rich applications like streaming video, video conferencing and
high-fidelity audio with the extended battery consumers expect.
Because the OMAP architecture has been selected by leading OEMs including
Nokia, Ericsson, Sony, HTC, Sendo and others, it is quickly becoming the de facto
standard for next generation wireless devices. Available today, the first product in
the OMAP processor family, the OMAP1510, includes a high level of system
integration and a rich peripheral set to accelerate the deployment of 2.5 and 3G
wireless communications for wireless Internet access devices.
OMAP software includes a DSP/BIOS[tm] Bridge that allows programmers to use
standard application programming interfaces (APIs) - those available through
Symbian's platforms or Microsoft's Windows® CE, for example - to address the
dual processors as a single unit in a way that is invisible to the application
programmer. Because the OMAP architecture is open, third party developers and
independent software vendors easily can create applications for a broad spectrum of
OEMs who rely on the OMAP architecture. Only with the OMAP hardware and
software architecture can developers and OEMs create robust applications and long
lasting products that will be required for 2.5G and 3G wireless multimedia
appliances.
http://www.ti.com/sc/omap
BSQUARE Selected by Texas Instruments to Serve As Independent OMAP Technology Center
BSQUARE's Windows Embedded Support and Systems Integration Expertise Helps
Developers Speed Delivery of Next-Generation Wireless Products and Applications
BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 21, 2001-- BSQUARE® Corporation (Nasdaq:BSQR - news)
today announced that it will provide comprehensive development support and training for OMAP(TM) (Open
Multimedia Application Platform) technology under a new service agreement with Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI).
BSQUARE's products and services will enable original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to accelerate the
development of advanced and differentiated 2.5G and 3G wireless products based on TI's OMAP architecture and
Microsoft's Windows Embedded technology enabling software developers to quickly create multimedia-rich
applications such as streaming video, video conferencing and high-fidelity audio.
As part of a new network of Independent OMAP Technology Centers, BSQUARE brings extensive system integration,
Windows Embedded operating system expertise, specific application training, development tools, and critical
engineering services -- such as quality assurance -- to 2.5G and 3G wireless OEMs and OMAP developers.
``As one of the first two Independent OMAP Technology Centers, BSQUARE greatly extends our development
support capabilities by bringing together a variety of hardware, software and systems integration expertise, giving
customers access to an entire palette of current and future OMAP technologies,'' said Alain Mutricy, general manager
of TI's OMAP platform.``
``TI's OMAP technology is rapidly becoming the platform of choice for 2.5G and 3G wireless devices and applications,
so we are very pleased to become part of this worldwide initiative that extends development support and training
capabilities for the OMAP platform,'' said Scott Bufkin, vice president of professional engineering services of
BSQUARE. ``As an Independent OMAP Technology Center, we can better utilize our extensive expertise to help
developers create excellent OMAP solutions.''
BSQUARE Announces Support for Intel's Personal Internet Client Architecture
BSQUARE Joins Developers Network and Plans To Develop New Products and Services
for Intel® StrongARM(a) and XScale(TM) Processors
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 27, 2001-- BSQUARE® Corporation (Nasdaq:BSQR - news)
today endorsed the Intel® Personal Internet Client Architecture (Intel PCA) and joined the official Developers Network.
Intel PCA is a system-level architecture that accelerates development of applications and hardware for next-generation
wireless Internet devices.
As a member of the PCA Developers Forum, BSQUARE contributes its many years of expertise in developing
Windows Embedded hardware and software for a variety of products such as handhelds (e.g., Pockets PCs, PDAs),
Internet appliances, medical equipment, and industrial automation systems. The company offers customizable, low
power, feature-rich integrated hardware/software solutions for the Intel SA-1110 and XScale platforms. BSQUARE
products and services shrink development cycles and costs, enabling system developers to speed products through
volume production and into target markets.
The Intel Developers Network offers BSQUARE early access to technical documents, training, tools, designs, and
support, as well as twice-yearly management meetings intended to provide insight into Intel's future product roadmap.
Participation in the Developers Network will also enable BSQUARE to attend tradeshows like CITA, 3G Congress,
and the Embedded Systems Conference as a PCA partner.
``We look forward to working closely with Intel to help other PCA developers get their products to market faster than
ever before,'' said Lew Larson, vice president of marketing for BSQUARE Corporation. ``This new relationship with
Intel will also allow BSQUARE to accelerate the development timetable for our products and services for Intel's
StrongARM and XScale processors.''
``As one of the innovators developing embedded and mobile computing systems, BSQUARE is a key addition to the
Intel PCA Developer Network,'' said Vish Deshmane, Intel PCA marketing manager. ``We believe that members of the
network will receive significant benefit from having easier access to products, services, and experience from companies
like BSQUARE.''
About Intel® Personal Internet Client Architecture
Intel PCA separates communications and computing subsystems and defines interfaces for ease of hardware and
software development. The architecture consists of interchangeable hardware and software building blocks and enables
wireless hardware and software solutions providers to offer a wide range of enhanced wireless offerings across
standards, generations and geographies, much more quickly than today's phones. This allows for easy integration and
expansion of wireless systems using a combination of the world's leading operating systems and global wireless
standards.
About BSQUARE
BSQUARE Corporation (Nasdaq:BSQR - news) is a global leader in providing solutions for smart devices in
consumer, enterprise, industrial and automotive markets. As a leading partner for Microsoft, BSQUARE empowers the
creation, connection, and management of Windows Embedded-powered smart devices through software, hardware, and
service solutions. BSQUARE has an extensive product portfolio of software development and quality assurance tools,
device and device management software and complete end-to-end managed device solutions. BSQUARE provides
critical engineering services including device development, quality assurance, and system integration as well as services
for managing client devices deployed into the market. For more information, visit BSQUARE at www.BSQUARE.com
or call 888/820-4500.