Gadget Talks

Archive for February, 2008

A San Francisco-based software firm has just unveiled software that will grant users to share digital media files across devices.

The DoubleTwist software reportedly grants songs bought on Apple iTunes to be played on other brand-name devices. Previously, songs purchased on iTunes could only be played on Apple devices.

The software was developed by a company run by notorious Norwegian hacker Jon Lech Johansen, who cracked encryption codes on DVDs when he was only 15.

The new software is able to convert media files from one device into a format that can be used by another device. Users simply drop the files into a web-based folder that converts them and transfers them onto the external device.

In addition to music, it coverts photos and video clips to be used between personal, mobiles and game consoles.

So far, the software works with Sony's PSPgames console, Nokia's N-series mobile, Sony Ericsson's Walkman and Cybershot handsets and Microsoft's Windows Mobile smartphones, reports BBC News.

The software is currently available for free on DoubleTwist's website.

Harris will showcase enhanced and all-new H-Class software solutions at the 2008 National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention taking place April in Las Vegas.

The H-Class media software suite is a comprehensive family of interoperable systems that together form the core of Harris media workflow solutions for today’s broadcast operations.

Making its North American debut at the show is the H-Class Comperio digital asset management system. Comperio joins Invenioin the H-Class family of digital asset management systems, and offers media companies advanced digital asset management tools in an easy-to-deploy, cost-effective package.

Designed for integration with H-Class ADC and D-Series automation products, as well as Harris NEXIO AMP video servers, the Comperio digital asset management system manages the key workflows that help media companies acquire, catalog, edit and distribute digital video content. The system links descriptive metadata about a program or advertisement with the video essence of the content, allowing users to incorporate rich browsing and media transfer functionality across their operation. Powerful search and media movement capabilities make it simple to preview proxy content and move corresponding high-resolution material from the archive to a playout destination.

Next-Generation Automation Systems
At NAB2008, Harris also will showcase the new H-Class ADC-1000 and D-Series DSX7000 and DSX8000 automation systems — next-generation products that feature extensive revisions to their underlying core technology, while maintaining full backward compatibility.

The ADC-1000 automation system offers an increased number of channels and improved device support; enhanced network control capabilities; and Windows Vistasupport. Among its new network control capabilities, the ADC-1000 automation system adds true IPv6 support and IP control of the NEXIO AMP server.

The D-Series DSX7000 system employs a single pair of device controllers to support up to 40 channels of automation. The D-Series DSX8000 system operates on a distributed architecture that can have multiple pairs of device controllers and support up to 1,000 aired channels. Both DSX-series products feature a new Modular Device Interface Control Architecture that grants users to manage and control IP-networking devices. DSX automation can also control HarrisDTP (Digital Turnaround Processor) systems, mCAPTURE compressed media stream recorders, Platinum routers and Icon-series channel branding systems.

Many H-Class software systems at NAB — including the Comperio digital asset management system, the ADC-1000 automation system, the DSX7000 and the DSX8000 — will highlight an improved Graphical User Interface (GUI) that features a new, uniform look and feel across applications. This common interface makes it easier for operators of one H-Class product to learn another H-Class product — translating into better-trained users and fewer human errors.

Tight Integration between H-Class Automation and Traffic Systems
At NAB, Harris also will demonstrate tight interoperability between the ADC-1000 and OSi-Traffic traffic, record-keeping and reporting systems. (ADC versions 10 and 11 will also support this tighter integration with OSi-Traffic.) Data can now be exchanged between the two systems in near real time. This ability grants OSi-Traffic traffic, accounting and reporting systems to promptly and automatically relay changes and updates to the operations log. Once the changes have been made, the ADC-1000 automation system reports the status of those changes back to OSi-Traffic traffic, record-keeping and reporting systems.

This improved interoperability is enabled via BXF, the new SMPTE 2021 Broadcast Exchange Format software standard. BXF was developed to standardize methodologies for communications between traffic, automation, content management and workflow software systems. Harris has implemented BXF throughout the H-Class software suite to enable these interoperable systems to communicate faster and more effectively.

“We have developed solutions that streamline workflow and more efficiently manage resources, assets and revenues,” said Tim Thorsteinson, president of Harris Broadcast Communications. “We’ve incorporated the BXF standard in our full suite of software applications. Tight interoperability between automation, traffic, sales, billing and digital asset management is crucial to a broadcaster’s bottom line.”

Weblinks: http://www.harris.com

Software Giant Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) on Sunday announced at the Mobile World Congress 2008 being held at Barcelona in Spain that Sony Ericsson (SNE, ERIC) will launch XPERIA X1, a handset powered by the new Microsoft Windows operating system for the first time under an alliance with Microsoft. With the launch of XPERIA X1 from Sony Ericsson, four of the world's top five makers of mobile phones will ship Windows Mobile devices in 2008.

In a bid to rake its market share in the mobile software market, following this alliance with Sony Ericsson, Microsoft anticipates to sell more than 20 million Windows Mobile licenses in fiscal year 2008, making Windows Mobile a leading smartphone platform globally. Microsoft sold 11 million Windows Mobile licenses in fiscal year 2007.

The new handset, which will blend communication and multimedia entertainment for a premium mobile experience, will be launched worldwide in the second half of 2008. The handset is expected to take advantage of the customer's familiarity of Microsoft Windows and extensive availability of Windows Mobile applications and services. The new handset incorporates a unique arc slider with wide-pitch, easy-to-use keyboard, a 3” clear wide VGA display and high-quality high-finish metal body.

Commenting of the alliance, senior vice president, Mobile Communications Business, Microsoft, Pieter Knook said, "People should be able to have phones that deliver what they need throughout the day and stay connected with today's broad array of on-demand information and entertainment no matter where they're. Our shared vision with Sony Ericsson is to make the concept of 'One Phone for Your Life' a reality and finally give consumers the freedom of true mobility."

Head of Portfolio and Proposition at Sony Ericsson, Rikko Sakaguchi added, "XPERIA is our promise to think foremost about user experience and to deliver on our goal of providing a true premium experience - anytime, anywhere, anything, with anyone. By working with Microsoft on the XPERIA X1, we have been able to couple our excellence in creating compelling consumer propositions with the productivity capabilities of Windows Mobile to deliver a seamless blend of mobile Web communication and multimedia entertainment within a distinctive design."

In its pursuit to become the world's third-largest mobile phone manufacturer, Sony Ericsson also said it would be focusing on India, China and the US as the sales performance in the three countries are very low. To meet the challenges in these countries, Sony Ericsson plans to make cheaper handsets at about $25 each, departing from its strategy to focus on medium and costly handsets. Further, the company said it looks to meet its 2011 target through organic growth.

Traceability is a fundamental part of any software development process and, in many cases, critical in satisfying any compliance or regulatory constraint. Most often, traceability is accomplished through a top-down approach – using ideal practices and tools that link code to features and stipulations as soon as they're made. However, for most quality, audit, and test validation procedures, this form of traceability falls short as it does not examine what was actually produced to confirm that the expected requirements, repairs, or requests are delivered as planned, at least not before pricey testing phases. As a result, there's still much
risk and uncertainty at all levels of testing (unit, integration, functional), including doing unnecessary and pricey regression testing.

Roundtrip traceability is accomplished by taking both a top-down and bottom-up approach to verify and validate your delivery. The bottom-up approach is accomplished by using advanced build analysis and reporting that grants team leaders and testers to confirm that planned features and bug fixes were actually implemented within the build or test phase. Using advance build management functionalities for bottom-up traceability increases confidence within the team that
they've a stable, consistent, and approved configuration.

Roundtrip traceability increases the predictability and quality of software development for both rigorous development processes that need total control over content and traceability, and for agile teams who must deliver stable, documented releases frequently and efficiently.