Apple, Sun, Ericsson Wireless Deal

[blakespot]

As detailed in and Excite.com release, it seems Apple has joined forces with Sun and Ericsson in moving forward with content delivery. To quote the article:

Apple Computer Inc., Sun Microsystems Inc. and Ericsson said Tuesday they have
teamed up to develop a system for bringing multimedia content such as movie clips to
cell phones and other wireless devices.
...
Dubbed the Ericsson Content Delivery Solution, the system will include Apple's
QuickTime streaming video application, content-distribution software from Sun and
wireless infrastructure from Ericsson. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Under the system, content providers could create video clips using QuickTime and not
have to worry about reformatting it to run on different kinds of devices, said Phil
Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing. The content would be
ready for wireless-network operators to send directly to consumer devices.

A move against Microsoft and Real Networks, this technology partnership is definitely a positive step for Apple and position in the multimedia delivery market.

 

[spikey]

Intersting, Why Ericsson though?
I thought they were meant to be in a little financial trouble.

 

[Bandit]

PDA?

I wonder if this will stimulate the possiblity of a PDA? You could stream QT movies to it and audio files.

 

[agreenster]

Here we go again

How many times does Steve have to say it? A million? NO APPLE PDA.

Get it?

NO APPLE PDA.

Hello? Anyone there?

NO APPLE PDA.

--------------(later, on Macrumors)

Hmm....I wonder if Apple is going to release a PDA?
(steve rolls his eyes)

___________________________

No people, all this means is that 3rd party companies will incorporate quicktime into their phones and current Palms, etc. Thats it.

Now, starting thinking--this could easily lead into handheld, wireless videophones, and 100% pure wireless web devices. THATS cooler than an Apple PDA.

 

[Six]

Re: PDA?

Originally posted by Bandit
I wonder if this will stimulate the possiblity of a PDA? You could stream QT movies to it and audio files.

Thats what I was thinking... But im still skeptical.. This all kinda reminds me of that movie "AntiTrust" and their synapse media delivery system.. But since its from Apple, it wont be all evil and stuff.

 

[evanmarx]

ericsson --> sony --> clié

well ... if they say ericsson, they say SONY ... seems like apple and sony are getting closer ... so, quicktime on sony's clié maybe? NO APPLE PDA ...

http://www.sonyericssonmobile.com

 

[agreenster]

Cool. Luv that.

Apple and Sony together. Now THERE's a team.

 

[Unregistered]

Re: Cool. Luv that.

Originally posted by agreenster
Apple and Sony together. Now THERE's a team.

Too bad Sony's products are so crappy…
Ericsson's not, by the way.

 

[blakespot]

Re: Re: Cool. Luv that.

Originally posted by Unregistered


Too bad Sony's products are so crappy…
Ericsson's not, by the way.

What's your gripe with Sony's products? Which do you consider to be bad? I did opt for a Canon digital camera over a Sony after some indecision, but in general I think Sony's products are top notch.


blakespot

 

[TazGuido]

i just wish people would stop pretending that they know what Steve Jobs will and won't do-- ok, so he said that he would not do a pda-- does that absolutely mean that he won't?!!! come on guys, as much as I would like to make decisions for apple or better yet be in a position to do so, I am not-- I for one would like to see a new pda from apple because you know that it will be different than anything you have ever seen from anyone else-- things change and decisions change -- it could happen

 

[Bandit]

What if Apple redifines what a PDA is by adding other features that no other PDA has. Then they could release one, call it something other than a PDA, and Steve would still be right.

 

[spikey]

Some Sony prodcust are good, like the original playstation was, and they do some nice digital cameras.

And some Sony products are pools of consumer designed donkey vomit, like their speakers/most audio equipment, and playstation2.

 

[macplus]

Sony Products

Spikey's right. Sony's consumer electronics are great performers, but their build quality and longetivity leaves something to be desired. Their DV Betamax stuff looks solid, but they have some real low-end crap on the market too. Two words: Planned obsolesence.
That being said, I opted for a Canon.

 

[Matthé]

Re: Re: Cool. Luv that.

Originally posted by Unregistered


Too bad Sony's products are so crappy…
Ericsson's not, by the way.

what? you obviously don't know anyone with a T28s

 

[GPTurismo]

PS2 crappy? How sterotypical and fanboyish

 

[Unregistered]

alright, the Apple PDA issue...here is what I really believe is going to happen and soon.
1. Apple will put a 10 gig HD in the iPod.
2. Apple will, I guess, put in some sort of mini OS.
3. Apple will create multiple functions for the iPod:
a) a sub-section for iTunes
b) a sub-section for iPhoto that can do away with the need
for memory cards on digital cameras, i.e., as you take
photos you can download them into the iPod and have
virtually unlimited capacity.
c) maybe a sub-section for very limited video files using the
type of Quick Time stuff they announced yesterday.
d) a sub-section with PDA-type of capabilities like calendar
etc, plus some little mini-OS X apps.

This would blow everything else on the market into the weeds and be a perfect fit for the digital-hub concept.

Yea or nay?
SJS

 

[ThunderCorp]

Doesn't matter

This deal will sit on its ass as long as MPEG4-LA decides to sit on its own ass.. bottom line. Oh well.

 

[MacAztec]

Hmmm...iPad?

So, if there is NO PDA, what about a PDA TYPE thing. You know, 1 inch think, 12 inch screen, it is touch sensitive. Type of thing to stream video to for businesses and so on...?

 

[Stalker]

MMS

MPEG-4 is part of the MMS, together with audio, images and text.

MMS is the next version of SMS, the small 160 char messages that most GSM users send to each other. SMS is a huge market with some 50 billion messages sent each month.

GSM is the digital cellphone system used in most countries (besides the US and Japan. OK, there are some operators in the US). GSM is excellent, works almost all over the world, roaming, SMS, digital communication, WAP, GPRS (always connected) etc and it is a pity that the US didn't understand that earlier. No, I don't want to start a flamewar, it is a fact, you do have crappy cell phone systems and un-fun phones in the states. No, I'm not a Taliban and me saying this is not a threat to civilization as you know it. Just deal with it and switch to GSM/UMTS if you can.

There are tons of cool and extremely powerful phones _available_ all over Europe and Asia, not shown as demos at C.E.S. or Comdex.

At the moment I'm using an Ericsson T68. It is smaller than the small Nokia phones, has beautiful design with a rubber backside, does 3-band (900, 1800 and 1900), IrDA, Bluetooth, WAP, GPRS, highspeed etc directly from the box. I also have a small wireless headset (bluetooth) and a clip-on camera, and I have the latest (beta) version of the OS containing MMS. I even have an animated Apple logo as a screensaver on the units small color screen.

MMS messages are SMIL-based and you can create them yourself with your phone. Take a picture, record something you say, write and format some text, decide in what order it should be published, and send it to any other GSM phone. If the reciever also have MMS it will be played directly in the unit, if not the user will have to visit a web page.

MPEG-4 will be _the_ format for video to be used with MMS and other new services for both GSM and the following 3G/UMTS system. Users will be able to produce content with QuickTime and send as MMS messages to these users.

It is incredible cool and will bring a world of content to phones.

 

[graydecember]

ipod recorder

do ipods have some way to plug in a mic and record? I would get one if I could run around and do field recordings/interviews, esp. if I could plug in a nice digital camera and shoot a lot of uncompressed photos/video.

 

[Anderz]

Apple, sony etc

Stalker, does you Ericsson t68 work with your mac using GPRS as well? What about the Bluetooth part, does that work - is ther any PCMCIA-cards + driver available?

 

[OSeXy!]

Originally posted by Unregistered
alright, the Apple PDA issue...here is what I really believe is going to happen and soon.
...
3. Apple will create multiple functions for the iPod:
a) a sub-section for iTunes
b) a sub-section for iPhoto that can do away with the need
for memory cards on digital cameras, i.e., as you take
photos you can download them into the iPod and have
virtually unlimited capacity.
c) maybe a sub-section for very limited video files using the
type of Quick Time stuff they announced yesterday.
d) a sub-section with PDA-type of capabilities like calendar
etc, plus some little mini-OS X apps.

This would blow everything else on the market into the weeds and be a perfect fit for the digital-hub concept.

Yea or nay?
SJS

This seems to make sense, in principle. The question is always going to be: do you lump functions together in one unit, or do you produce different units for each function. I like the idea of iPod becoming what you're describing, a really portable data carry-all (a hard-disk with an interface). Then I understand its name better: a generic 'pod' which docks with computers, cameras, PDAs... anything. That would justify the price and become an increasingly useful object. I'm not sure if it actually needs to BE a PDA itself.

Put a CardBus slot in the present iPod (the cards hold the OS and other filing/app features - you only buy the card if you want those features) and up the HD size...

 

[Stalker]

Re: Apple, sony etc

Originally posted by Anderz
Stalker, does you Ericsson t68 work with your mac using GPRS as well? What about the Bluetooth part, does that work - is ther any PCMCIA-cards + driver available?

GPRS and Mac - Yes.

I'm using a very ugly piece of software called "Mac Mobile High Speed" from a German company Nova Media.

Read more on http://www.novamedia.de/pages_e/e_mhs_mac.html but it takes an age to configure, costs 100 Euro, has to be pre-registered with your phone's IMEI-code and looks like something from a 13 year old Linux programmer. I do not recommend this solution unless you are desperate.

If you are lucky, you might be able to use the free gprs scripts made by Ross (read more and download from http://www.taniwha.org.uk/). Alas they don't work with my own network setup, but reportedly works well with Viag, Max, D1, D2, Mobicom, Omni and Orange. Don't forget to buy him a beer, should the scripts solve your problem.

Bluetooth and Mac - No.

I haven't found a driver for any of the bluetooth cards available on the market today. Hopefully Steven Jobs someday will understand how economical, small and beautiful the Bluetooth technology is and start to use it for wireless keyboard and mice for the new iMac, wireless headset for iPod as well as connecting PDAs and cellphones into the digital hub.

There are some discussions about conflicts between 802.11b and Bluetooth, but since companys working with 802.11b can't do jack about people getting Bluetooth devices, they sooner or later will have to solve these issues (if there are any).

A lot of Mac people refuse to understand that Bluetooth is a complimenting technology to 802.11b, not a competing. Bluetooth works best at 1-10 feet and a speed around 1 mbit/s - perfect for keyboards, mices, PDA syncs and wireless headsets. It is not possible to make a headset using 802.11b, unless you want to look like a Borg.

 

[Unregistered]

Following up again about iPod morphing into a digital "carry-all":
I think that's a great untechnical word to describe what iPod is going to become.

Seriously, the potential market of people who need a 10 gig device just for iTunes is not huge.

However, make iPod the perfect storage tool for digital photography in the field and you greatly increase the market.

Add certain PDA functions and you greatly increase the market again.

Add video capabilities...more buyers.

No I don't think the iPod will ever be billed as a PDA because by comparison todays PDA's can't hold a candle to the future iPod in terms of storage and multi-funtionality.

In the near future I believe iPod will become more like a field extention of your iMac, able to service the more of the digital hub than just iTunes. Here is my own profile:
I don't need a PDA in its current limited form...
I don't need to carry around a thousand songs...
etc. etc.
BUT, offer me a device that can do those things plus offer storage for when I'm taking digital photos, plus whatever video stuff may come, THAT I WOULD BUY!

SJS

 

[grrr223]

While I admit that I didn't think that Apple would ever release a PDA as we currently know them (i.e. palm, ipac, etc.) because the market is pretty cuthroat right now, I think that that unregistered guy who was simply talking about features to add to the ipod sounds pretty feasible. While I don't think we'll see the ability to record from analog sources (microphones, etc.) anytime soon simply because unless they do a damned good job (not that I'm saying they are incapable of it, just that the ipod market doesn't require it), the ability to somehow transfer DV to it or better yet just being able to dump your digital still photos onto it would be of great usefulness to many people. While the iPod may be a little on the pricey side compared to other POS usb mp3 players, it's price for storage is MUCH cheaper than say a Sony memory sticks (those things are #$@#$ expensive). I really think this would be an excellent feature. For example:

My mom just bought a Sony DV camera that also takes still photos and stores them on Sony's memory sticks. She also loves the iPod, but the $400 price tag is a little steep. I think she said she would have bought it for $300. However, she has spent I think about $150 on Sony memory sticks. If instead of buying the memory sticks (well, all of them, she'd need at least one to transfer the pics I guess), she had bought the iPod, then just think how much better off the world would be . My mom would now have an iPod ! Apple would have her $400 instead of Sony getting close to half, and that one device is better at performing the storage functions of the pictures than the memory sticks. I think that by adding this feature, people will have to start looking for reasons NOT to buy the iPod, it would be great.

As far as the address thing, there's some 3rd party app you can get that creates tiny .mp3 files and organizes them as albums/contacts, it looks pretty cool. If this company can do this within the confines of the current iPod OS, imagine what Apple could do by redesiging it.

CONCLUSION: My vote is for Apple adding features to the iPod. I like this idea best because I want one, and the more features it has, the more easily I can justify buying one.



One more thing...Lay off Sony. It is obvious they do not make the best products in every category, but they do fill in many many large profitable markets with products that people can afford. While I would never buy a pair of speakers with their name on it, thier low-end audio equipment fills a very key part of the home theater market. And trust me, I know about quality in audio, I probalby have more money in my headphone setup than at least half of you have in your stereos). While I am fully aware there are higher quality products out there, If Sony did not produce home theater receivers with DTS/DD decoding 4 years ago for $250 I would not be able to have surround sound period, they do a better job than many other companies. I don't know who you're comparing them to, but saying Sony is crap is a rather uncredible thing to say. Sorry, stupid people annoy me.