For complete coverage go to DEMO 07 HQ
Chinese eBay rival branches out with branded mobile phone
11/26/09
China's biggest online auction and retail Web site plans to stamp its brand on a new mobile phone, the first time it's name will be put on a device, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
Taiwanese researchers show several flexible e-reader screens
11/26/09
Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) showed off a number of flexible display screen technologies in Taipei on Thursday as part of a show promoting e-readers and e-paper.
Wipro sets up global services delivery from China
11/26/09
Indian outsourcer Wipro has set up a global services delivery center in Chengdu in southwest China, targeting customers in the U.S., Europe, and other markets outside the country.
One of the hurdles hindering widespread adoption of multimedia downloads (music, movies) to a mobile phone is the amount of storage space available on the phone. Flash-based media cards can store only 4GB, and adding a hard drive to a cell phone adds bulk, weight and takes away from the phone's battery life.
Storage vendor Seagate is hoping to revolutionize this market by announcing its DAVE (Digital Audio Video Experience) device at DEMO 2007. Formerly known as "Crickett," the palm-sized device separates storage from the mobile phone yet gives users an additional 10G to 20GB of space to play with. Wireless connectivity (Bluetooth and Wi-Fi) lets users play the content on their phone while the file stays on the DAVE hard drive. An applet that sits on the mobile phone creates the user interface for users to manage the digital content.
Click to see: Seagate's Crickett
From Seagate's perspective, having large amounts of storage available for users at the endpoint helps revolutionize the market. Cable TV, for example, saw an uptick in usage once the personal video recorder allowed shows to be saved to a hard drive. Music downloads took off once MP3 players had the ability to store lots of files in a portable format. Likewise, having extra storage available for a mobile phone, yet not adding to the bulk of the device (keeping it mobile), may spur users to download music and movie services from a mobile carrier.
That's what Seagate is hoping, at least – the vendor plans to offer DAVE to carriers and mobile handset OEMs for sale under their own brand names – Seagate itself has no plans to sell or market this device on its own. "This device allows carriers to monetize their next-generation networks and offer their customers a rich media pipeline," says Rob Pait, director of global consumer electronics marketing at Seagate. The company says it plans to offer DAVE to manufacturers for resale in the second quarter of 2007.
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