Intel, Sony to deliver quality video to MS smart phones

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Source: The Register

By Tony Smith

Posted: 25/02/2004 at 11:31 GMT

Intel's "strategic relationship" with Sony's music division has borne fruit, with Microsoft coming out as a beneficiary of the pair's partnership.  

The alliance, announced last October, has yielded client and server components of an application that delivers high-quality video on mobile devices designed around Intel's Xscale chip family.  

The system, due to go on sale to network operators next quarter, allows Musiczilla and others to sell video clips, songs, ringtones and the like to handset owners. Chipzilla's goal is to sell more processors on the back of it - not only handheld-oriented parts but the Xeons and Itanics that will (it hopes) power all the extra servers required to store and deliver the content, not to mention the machines that will encode and optimise it.  

Microsoft wins because the client app only runs on Windows Mobile for Smartphones 2002 and 2003 - and undoubtedly the 2004 release, when it's officially announced.  

The code itself was developed by US-based (though its R&D is done in India) mobile media specialist Emuzed, which lists support for other operating systems, including Palm, Symbian (UIQ and Series 60), Linux and Nucleus, on its web site. That at least gives the 'zillas the chance to promote the applications on other, significantly more popular client platforms.  

Emuzed systems and codecs support industry standards such as RTP/RTSP, MP3, AAC, JPEG, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and H.263.  

Intel yesterday released the developer tools necessary to write client apps that will support its Wireless MMX technology, the Xscale version of the multimedia-oriented instructions the company developer for its Pentium processors. Wireless MMX is set to debut in the next generation of Xscale, 'Bulverde', during the second half of the year.  

Intel did not say whether the Emuzed client applications have been optimised for Wireless MMX or require the technology to run. ®

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Yeay, I've got my first report on the front page - and I'm not even a news hound type person!

[Guest nickcornaglia]

Microsoft wins because the client app only runs on Windows Mobile for Smartphones 2002 and 2003 - and undoubtedly the 2004 release, when it's officially announced.  

I didnt even get 2003 yet....there's a 2004 coming out?

Also, could this be a baby step toward the Sony Clie MS Smartphone?

[Guest morpheus2702]

This is all well and good, but the partnership is with Sony's music division, not their electronics division?

I'd love to think that Sony are going to come on board with Windows Mobile, but given their tie-ups (single-handedly progressing the Palm OS with the Clie, and Symbian with their smartphones) it seems unlikely.

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baby-steps! :)

[Guest morpheus2702]

I hope so - I think that Clies are great designs, but Palm remains a shite OS.

[Guest nickcornaglia]

Agreed!