Daily Archives: 7 October, 2010
MobiTV, Inc. Showcases Convergence
MobiTV Inc.’s platform enables rapid deployment of multi-screen services
EMERYVILLE, Calif. � Sept. 7, 2010 �Building on the success of its managed service platform to deliver a reliable, scalable mobile TV and video service to hundreds of mobile phones across every major device platform, MobiTV, Inc. is showcasing the next evolution of its platform supporting multi-screen distribution at the CTIA Enterprises & Applications show in San Francisco, Oct. 6-8.
The company�s white-labeled, end-to-end managed service platform bridges the gap between mobile devices, PCs, tablets, set top boxes and internet connected TVs. MobiTV�s convergence platform enables authentication and access control, digital rights management, DVR capability and media delivery for live, video-on-demand (VOD) and downloadable content across all devices. The guiding principle for the platform is that a true convergence experience must start with the user, not the device.
Advanced session and user management allows a user to begin watching on one platform, then pause the content, move to another device and continue the session seamlessly, with the content dynamically adapted for the appropriate platform and network. The technology enables any type of action or user preference such as favorite channels, rentals, purchases, content packages, or recorded content to be available on any of the user�s devices, independent of the device on which it was initiated.
“One of the primary challenges for a multi-screen solution is authentication and authorization,” said Kay Johansson, CTO, MobiTV, Inc. “Traditionally, the focus has been on authorizing the device. However, to be able to offer a multi-screen solution you must move from a device centric authorization model to a user centric model. Convergence presents new complexities. We�ve already solved many of these challenges for mobile devices, such as having users switch devices or dealing with dual mode devices, giving us a solid foundation for this next step. One specific area that demanded significant R&D investment was enabling a personalized experience for a multi-user device, such as the big screen TV at home.”
Motorola unleashes midrange Android phones for AT&T and Verizon
All told, Motorola announced 7 Android phones: Bravo, Citrus, Defy, Droid Pro, Flipout, Flipside, Spice
Motorola(MOT) CEO Sanjay Jha announced a whopping seven (mostly) new Android phones at CTIA today. None are what I would call superphones but they will appeal to a broader range of prospective Android fans….
They all are midrange devices with the Droid Pro, which will be carried on Verizon, being the most interesting and standout. The Droid Pro is a Blackberry form factor device with a good screen and most importantly without much Blur hindering the Android 2.2 OS. IT also has a high end camera and 3.1-inch screen.
All of the rest of these devices are on Android 2.1 (really?!) and are hopped up on Motoblur.
New liquid crystal could transform digital displays
Chemists at Vanderbilt University have created a new type of liquid crystals with unique electrical properties that they say could revolutionize digital displays.
They say they’ve applied for a patent on the technology, and have received interest from a number of commercial companies who are currently evaluating it.
“We have created liquid crystals with an unprecedented electric dipole, more than twice that of existing liquid crystals,” says professor Piotr Kaszynski.
“Our liquid crystals have basic properties that make them suitable for practical applications, but they must be tested for durability, lifetime and similar characteristics.”
Electric dipoles are created in molecules by the separation of positive and negative charges; and the stronger the charges and the greater the distance between them, the larger the electric dipole produced.
In liquid crystals, higher electric dipoles allow a lower threshold voltage: the minimum voltage at which the liquid crystal operates. In addition, at a given voltage, liquid crystals with higher dipoles switch faster than those with lower dipoles.
Thus, the new liquid crystals created by the team could be used for displays that operate at lower voltages.
Apple set to fight $600m patent case
Apple is set to challenge a jury verdict after the tech giant was instructed to pay up to $625.5 million to Mirror Worlds for infringing software patents.
A federal jury in Tyler, Texas, ruled on Friday that Apple had infringed on three key patents owned by Mirror Worlds LLC. The patents related to the way files are displayed on the iPod, the iPhone and Mac. The technologies involved include Apple’s Time Machine, Spotlight Search and Cover Flow interfaces. Mirror Worlds founder and Yale University computer-science Professor David Gelernter started his lawsuit against Apple in 2008. Apple challenged the validity of the patents and some claims were thrown out before the case was heard last week.
Apple is seeking to limit the damages from the lawsuit. Apple lawyer Jeffrey Randall argued that Mirror World patents had been sold for $210,000 and then $5 million and that the company was not worth more than that. If the $625.5 million award is granted then it would be the fourth-biggest patent verdict in U.S. history according to the Bloomberg News agency.
Wipro Partners with Citrix and Microsoft to Deliver Desktop as a Service Solution
Wipro Technologies, the global Consulting, System Integration and Outsourcing business of Wipro Limited (NYSE:WIT), and Citrix Systems announced today an initiative with Microsoft to deliver an integrated Wipro Desktop as a Service (Wipro DaaS) solution that uses the market-leading desktop virtualization technologies of Citrix and Microsoft.
The announcement was made at Citrix
Synergy™, the conference where virtualization, networking and cloud computing meet. This service is designed to meet the needs of specific industries including education, manufacturing, banking and healthcare. It is currently available for beta customers, and will be generally available in the first quarter of 2011. Pricing and licensing will be disclosed at the time of availability.
The Wipro DaaS solution is based on Citrix
XenDesktop® and leverages Citrix FlexCast™ delivery technology to provide multiple types of virtual desktops – hosted or local, physical or virtual – each specifically tailored to meet the performance, security and flexibility requirements of each individual user. By leveraging Citrix HDX™ technology, each user is assured a rich, high definition experience on any device, including PCs, Macs, thin clients, tablets and smartphones. The solution incorporates the Microsoft VDI Premium Suite, which includes Microsoft VDI infrastructure and management software so customers can virtualize, manage, stream and remotely display applications and deliver desktops remotely. Wipro DaaS offers organizations virtual desktops and applications as a service. The solution will be hosted at Wipro’s datacenters or at a customer’s location. It replaces complex, custom implementation projects with a plug-and-play, preconfigured delivery model that is based on the most common user requirements in order to improve time to market, performance and scalability of virtual desktops. Customers will realize these benefits as a hosted service with minimal upfront capital costs and no deployment delays.
