e.Digital Corporation (fka EDIG)

[cksla]

The Latest Infotainment Center
By Darshan Somashekar - 09/10/00
Print Article - Email Article - Post Your Comments
Nokia Media Terminal - Nokia 6000 Connection Drive Irving, Texas 75039 - www.nokia.com


The latest "home theater convergence product" comes from Nokia, in the form of the Media Terminal. Like the EDGE Media Appliance Concept, the Nokia product intends to serve as an infotainment center by providing digital TV, Internet access, and personal digital recording (like the TiVo).

The Media Terminal is a platform that uses Mozilla, Linux, x86 architecture, and HTML to provide access via multiple display devices, such as TV sets and computer screens. The software platform uses the mainly open source languages to provide extensibility and flexibility, and may give developers the option to provide add-ons. In fact, Nokia will soon release an API of the platform on http://www.linuxtv.org.

The Media Terminal is Nokia's first product in its Connected Home series. It will be offered over ADSL connections, although we're currently not sure on how that will translate for U.S. television sets. The Terminal will offer fast Internet access through the ADSL connection, and will also include digital services like home shopping and banking online. Using the personal recording feature, the Media Terminal will allow you to pause and rewind live TV. Also, you'll be able to split the screen between Internet and TV. Nokia promises that you'll be able to play 3D networked games, send and receive e-mails, view digital camera images, and play MP3 files as well.

The Media Terminal will provide an array of features unmatched by the current interactive TV leader, Microsoft's WebTV. Nokia is set to introduce the Media Terminal in the second quarter of 2001. We'll be waiting to see if Nokia will keep its promises.