e.Digital Corporation (fka EDIG)

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regarding CES 2003--

Friday, January 10 FM gets strong reception at CES

CNET News.com


Las Vegas -- The hot new technology at the Consumer Electronics Show this year is -- FM radio?

Yup, the humble broadcasting technology, which ceased being a novelty around the time of Woodstock, has re-emerged in several new and potentially significant permutations.

Unused portions of the FM radio spectrum are Microsoft's transmission medium of choice for Smart Personal Objects Technology (SPOT), the pervasive-data concept the software giant is showing off in the form of gee-whiz wristwatches.

SPOT watches, to begin appearing on store shelves late this year from manufacturers such as Fossil and Citizen, will download sports scores, weather reports and other simple data types selected by the consumer. Data will be beamed by service providers, who will lease carrier capacity from existing FM broadcasters, and watches will automatically retrieve the signals using FM chips built into the watches. Microsoft is calling the technology DirectBand.

Roger Gulrajani, Microsoft's director of marketing for SPOT, said the software giant looked at a number of wireless technologies before settling on FM.

"It was really a matter of size and battery life," he said. "When we looked at Wi-Fi, there was just no way we could fit that into a watch ... The FM spectrum turned out to be this great, underutilized asset."

FM has the advantage of using infrastructure that's already built and can easily handle the type of tiny, continuous data downloads DirectBand will require. Instead of retrieving information on demand, SPOT devices will automatically download updated data so that fresh weather reports or news updates are displayed with one click.

"The bandwidth is pretty transparent," Mr. Gulrajni said. "To the user, it's blazingly fast, because the weather report is right there when they want to look at it."

A few issues remain to be worked out, such as exactly who will pay for and provide services using the DirectBand network that Microsoft is building. Makers of SPOT devices may provide their own proprietary services, and Microsoft might offer DirectBand services through its MSN Internet. Costs to the consumer are expected to be minimal.

Brian Halla, CEO of National Semiconductor, the chipmaker working with Microsoft to create the components for SPOT devices, says the costs for components and services are low enough that watches and other SPOT items will become impulse buys in a few years.

"The watches will be shrink-wrapped in 7-Eleven next to the Altoids, and people will get them for $20 (U.S.) with service," he said.

National is working on designs for several other SPOT devices, including a DirectBand receiver that would fit into the SecureDigital memory slot on handheld computers.

"FM is a great way to go for this kind of connectivity," Mr. Halla said. "You get much better access, and most of the network is already there."

FM radio was also big news in the automotive pavilion at CES, where IBIQUITY Digital was showing off the first car and home receivers to tap into the digital FM spectrum the company is powering.

Radio stations will be able to broadcast digital signals starting this year, using IBIQUITY-developed technology that recently received FCC approval in the U.S., much as television broadcasters have slowly begun offering digital HDTV broadcasts.

The difference is that radio broadcasters will need to spend only about $80,000 (U.S.) for the equipment needed to go digital, compared with the millions a TV station must spend to switch. As a result, IBIQUITY CEO Robert Struble expects much faster pickup for digital radio, which offers CD-quality sound and room for a host of ancillary services, such as readouts that offer detailed info on what you are listening to and options for buying CDs by the artist.

"Broadcasters are really picking up on this, because it's a small investment, and there's a real payoff," Mr. Struble said. "The biggest challenge for radio is the growing number of distractions people have -- CDs, cellphones, all sorts of digital devices for the car -- and this gives people more reasons to pay attention to radio."

IBIQUITY, which licenses technology to makers of broadcast and receiver equipment, expects that the 300 stations covering two-thirds of the United States will be broadcasting in digital by the end of this year. The first digital radio car receivers will go on sale in the second quarter of this year, with home units to follow.
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FUJITSU Ten and IBIQUITY Digital Ink Technology Development and Marketing Deal

Agreement Furthers IBIQUITY Digital's OEM Relationships and Hastens Advent of AM and FM Digital Radio

Detroit, Convergence 2000, (October 16, 2000) - IBIQUITY Digital, the leading provider of digital AM and FM radio broadcast technology in the U.S., and Japan based FUJITSU Ten, a leading automotive receiver manufacturer, today announced they have signed a Joint Technology and Marketing Development Agreement.


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PortalPlayer Company Profile
http://www.portalplayer.com/news/profile.htm

Building the Next Generation of Digital Audio

The best known digital audio products today are small players that allow consumers to listen to audio files recorded, compressed and then downloaded from a consumer's desktop computer. First introduced in 1998, these portable players have captured the imagination of technically savvy consumers, creating a market of millions of units per year. Today, the consumer electronics industry has recognized that these portable players are just the tip of the iceberg.

As more people gain access to high-bandwidth Internet connections, market demand for products that support digital music will grow exponentially. This growth will be based on two closely related applications, downloadable audio for personal use, and streaming audio to deliver digital radio broadcasts via the Internet. To support both applications, familiar home and car audio systems will feature digital audio capability, and entirely new classes of products that use the technology will soon begin to reach the market.

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January 10, 2003 Going digital: IBIQUITY converts 19 radio stations
Jeff Clabaugh Staff Reporter
Columbia-based IBIQUITY, which developed technology that allows traditional AM and FM radio stations to broadcast a digital signal, says Greater Media will convert all of its 19 radio stations to the format early this year.

Greater Media owns radio stations in Boston, Detroit, Philadelphia and New Jersey. Financial terms of the deal with IBIQUITY weren't disclosed.

In October, IBIQUITY got the big break it had been waiting for. The Federal Communications Commission voted to adopt the digital radio technology that it created. IBIQUITY has two potential revenue streams from its technology. Broadcasters who choose to adopt it and radio manufacturers who agree to license the technology.

Delphi and Sanyo have already signed licensing agreements with IBIQUITY. Delphi's agreement could mean that IBIQUITY-equipped radios could begin showing up in new vehicles as early as 2004.

While the technology allows for vastly improved quality of both AM and FM transmissions, it also allows listeners to continue to receive traditional radio signals without buying new equipment. Satellite broadcasters, like District-based XM Satellite Radio, are only available to customers who purchase additional equipment or vehicles already equipped to receive its signals.

In addition to digital quality broadcast signals, the technology will also eventually allow broadcasters to send out other data such as text-based information.

IBIQUITY's investors include some of the nation's top broadcasting companies, including ABC, Clear Channel and Viacom. The company was formed two years ago by the merger of Lucent Digital Radio and USA Digital Radio.
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FUJITSU Ten Licenses Digital's HD Radio™ Technology

April 3, 2003

LAS VEGAS, NV - National Association of Broadcasters Show -April 3, 2003 - IBIQUITY Digital Corporation, the sole developer of HD Radio™ technology, announced today that FUJITSU Ten Limited (TSE:6702) of Japan has licensed HD Radio technology for integration into automotive components. FUJITSU Ten's aftermarket ECLIPSE brand is one of the top five sellers in the hi-end category of aftermarket automotive receivers.


IBIQUITY Digital's HD Radio™ technology transforms today's radio experience by allowing AM/FM broadcasters to seamlessly transmit digital quality audio as well as integrated wireless data alongside today's analog-based broadcasts. HD Radio digital receivers, such as those being developed by FUJITSU Ten, will enable consumers to receive digital signals with improved audio fidelity that matches existing CD quality. HD Radio technology will also allow for the development of additional on-demand interactive audio and wireless data services.

"HD Radio technology integrated into FUJITSU Ten receivers will prove to be a powerful combination for supporting the automotive industry's desire to implement the best electronics available in the market," said Bob Struble , President and CEO, IBIQUITY Digital Corporation. "We are pleased to be working with FUJITSU Ten as HD Radio technology continues its growth as the product of choice for next generation digital radio technology."

FUJITSU Ten is a global supplier company providing a large assortment of technologically advanced vehicle electronic products to OEMs and aftermarket retailers.

About FUJITSU Ten Limited
FUJITSU Ten Limited in Kobe , Japan can be accessed through the World Wide Web at www.FUJITSU-ten.co.jp. FUJITSU Ten is a global supplier company providing a large assortment of technologically advanced vehicle electronic products to OEMs and aftermarket retailers. Its renowned manufacturing capability is also applied to its aftermarket audio system branded ECLIPSE. For ECLIPSE products, visit our web site at www.eclipse-web.com.

About IBIQUITY Digital Corporation
IBIQUITY Digital is the sole developer and licenser of HD Radio technology in the U.S. , which will transform today's analog radio to digital, enabling radically upgraded sound and new wireless data services. The company's investors include 15 of the nation's top radio broadcasters, including ABC, Clear Channel and Viacom; leading financial institutions, such as J.P. Morgan Partners, Pequot Capital and J&W Seligman; and strategic partners Ford Motor Company, Harris , Texas Instruments and Visteon. IBIQUITY Digital is a privately held company with operations in Columbia , MD , Detroit , MI , Redwood City , CA and Warren , NJ . For more information please visit: www.IBIQUITY.com.