Archive for Content provider

On InformationAppliance: Roku To Allow User-Created Channels

Today on InformationAppliance.com: Roku, the company behind the Netflix player set-top box, has been saying for a while that they want additional content providers. Now, though, the company is unleashing the power of developers by offering tools to allow users and companies to create their own Roku-compatible channels … read more

Embedded Wi-Fi Chips Approaching a Billion Electronics Devices

Market researcher In-Stat tells us that “Because of its large installed base in mobile PC’s and home networks, flexibility, and mature ecosystem, Wi-Fi is a valued. . . technology for the consumer electronic (CE) market.”  In-Stat analyst Victoria Fodale says that “The sheer volume of digital TV shipments will make it a strong market. . . . “  In-Stat predicts that the compound annual growth rate for CE Wi-Fi devices through 2012 will be 26%.

That means that embedded Wi-Fi chips could end up in almost a billion consumer electronics devices by 2012, according to a recent Cnet news article.   In-Stat states that “. . . more than 294 million consumer electronics devices with Wi-Fi shipped in 2007.  But that number is quickly growing and will likely reach 1 billion by 2012.”

In-Stat also reports that because mobile handsets are the fastest-growing embedded Wi-Fi device right now, dual-mode cell phones will become the largest category of Wi-Fi devices by 2011, surpassing PC’s.  There are several reasons so many electronic devices are opting for Wi-Fi connections; for one, prices are coming down, WAY down.  Another factor is increased battery life.  Apple’s iPhone, among others, comes with Wi-Fi.

Right now, most televisions use ethernet for their internet connections, but in the future, digital TV’s “. . . are expected to use Wi-Fi. . . wireless technology could be used to connect TV’s to various devices like set-top boxes and DVD players in an effort to eliminate cords.  The only cord needed would be the power cord.”

David Katzmaier reviews TV’s for CNET, and he can “. . . see (Bluetooth) being used for things like wireless surround speakers and remote controls . . . even to integrate cell phones into the TV experience. . . .”

I am wondering, personally, if wireless technology can make it easy for people like me, with a wireless digital picture frame, to access internet content such as Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube, to name just a few.  We’re already watching videos on our wireless frames; if these bigger sites featured RSS, FrameChannel could pick them up and wireless picture frame owners could watch their favorite videos and movies on our wireless frames, bypassing the television set altogether.

FrameMedia and FrameChannel Featured in BizReport Article!

Kristina Knight has an article up, over on BizReport, about FrameMedia’s FrameChannel!  I’m a huge FrameChannel fan, as you all no doubt know by now - I consider it to be the best content provider - and it’s exciting to see news and information about FrameChannel elsewhere on the internet.

“You’ve probably seen by now the digital photo frames that friends and family are adding to their computers. FrameMedia is adding a little something extra to those loops and marketers should pay close attention. FrameMedia is one arm of Interpublic’s Initiative; they are adding content and ads to the picture loops.”

You can read the rest of the article right here on BizReport.

Giant’s InTouch: Versatility in a Wireless Digital Picture Frame

The International CES isn’t until January 8, 2009, but already the electronics companies are giving us glimpses of what to expect there!  Giant’s booth is one you won’t want to miss.

Jacqueline Emigh, of BetaNews, gives us several peeks into some new gadgets, including Giant International’s InTouch wi-fi-capable web access and audio-enabled photo frame.

Emigh tells us that “. . . priced at $349.99, the gadget contains a 7-inch touch TFT LCD display with 800 - by - 480 resolution, along with 128 MB of internal memory, built-in stereo speakers, and a USB port.  It also accommodates SD, CF, MS, MMC, and XD-Picture cards.  A power adapter is included, but the frame will also run on rechargeable batteries for about 90 minutes.”

The main menu contains icons for photo, media, tools, and RSS news feeds.  The feeds can be set up with the use on an on-screen QWERTY keyboard.  Giant also holds deals with vTuner for Internet radio and Web video access, and with FrameChannel for end user tools for managing content from Picasa, Flickr, Webshots, Facebook, and other Web sites.”

I’m always excited to hear about a wireless digital frame that is compatible with FrameChannel!

Giant’s sales director for new products, Thomas W. Silveria, tells Emigh in the article that one of Giant’s upcoming products is a system which adds phone functionality to the existing frame.