connectivityZONE Products for the week of December 18, 2006
Agere Systems Says…
BluOnyx Mobile Content Server Enables Users to Share Music, Pictures, Video Between Cell Phones, Digital Cameras, GameboxES and PCs using Wireless, SD and USB Connectivity
Agere Systems has introduced a new product category, the Mobile Content Server, that un-tethers users from the PC and stationary storage devices. By putting control of sharing digital content where it belongs -- in the hands of the consumer -- the BluOnyx mobile content server brings unprecedented connectivity, processing and storage capability for consumers to access, back up and share their digital content whenever and wherever they want in peer-to-peer mode or over the Internet.
One major limitation of existing portable consumer electronics is that they are single function and PC-centric. They represent a class of "i"-"everything" devices in a closed system that does not allow easy interaction with other ecosystems and consumer devices. The BluOnyx server enhances and transforms the consumer's experience from "i" to "we," unconstrained by location or device incompatibilities.
Agere will be demonstrating preliminary versions of its BluOnyx server by appointment at the Consumer Electronics Show January 8-11, 2007 at Booth 68526, Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas.
The BluOnyx server is about the size of a credit card and for the first time enables mobile users to share and stream music, video and business files to or from electronic devices ranging from cell phones, PCs, digital cameras, game machines, DSL routers and many more. The BluOnyx server is a peer-to-peer device that does not require a PC for its operations but can move content to and from a PC using USB and wireless connectivity. This capability will finally make a PC just another consumer device instead of the center of the digital universe.
Devices can connect to the BluOnyx server wirelessly through Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections or using USB cables or SD cards. The BluOnyx server can be accessed directly or through a home or corporate network where it is seen as a drive letter for easy transfer of content in familiar operating system settings. The amount of storage on the BluOnyx server will range from 1 Gigabyte to 40 Gigabytes.
The BluOnyx server has a sleek screen-free look and is controlled via its owner's cell phone. Instead of being limited to its own display like many existing products, its contents can be displayed on a cell phone, PC or TV. The BluOnyx server ends consumers' inability to transfer files between different electronic devices and removes the limitations on the choice of displays for content it holds.
With the BluOnyx server, consumers will be able to do the following easily and quickly:
- Wirelessly access and display personal content carried on the BluOnyx server.
- Create a Digital Campfire, broadcasting and sharing content with multiple friends, gathered around a table, authorized to access the BluOnyx server through their cell phones.
- Stream videos to one or more cell phones.
- Back up pictures, music, video, emails, personal and business documents and images from cell phones, cameras and PCs.
- Enable access to the Internet for cell phones and PDAs that are not broadband enabled and can not access the Internet on their own.
- Protect content via multiple tiers of authentication and encryption.
Agere currently is in discussions with consumer electronic device makers and cell phone service providers regarding manufacturing and private labeling unique products based on the BluOnyx server system and industrial design.
Rudiger Stroh, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Agere's Storage Division, said: "The BluOnyx server establishes Agere Systems as a thought leader focused on what matters to consumers: mobility, choice of display, a plethora of connectivity options and useful applications. We are talking to some of the leading brand names in consumer electronics to bring this product to many market segments."
With dimensions of 90 mm long by 60 mm wide and between 6 mm and 15 mm thick (depending on memory capacity), the BluOnyx server easily slips into a shirt pocket or purse and features its own rechargeable battery that lasts up to 12 hours without recharging. The 40 Gigabyte version of the BluOnyx server weighs about 140 grams, or about half of the weight of the typical smart phone handheld device.
In addition to developing the system and the software for the BluOnyx server, Agere makes key semiconductor chips in the device and is encouraging third parties to build hardware and software on this open platform.
Nik Bahram, Vice President of Strategic Marketing at Agere's Storage Division and the lead for the BluOnyx server product line, said: "The BluOnyx server opens up an entirely new world that will no longer be PC-centric or limited to one company's closed version of an entertainment device. It truly deserves to be called a breakthrough as it brings a newfound freedom to consumers through an open platform. Users can have their content with them, exchange content between their various mobile and stationary devices and share their private content with friends in social settings.
"Not to be outdone, the savvy business person looking for a highly mobile and valuable addition to their business tools will see the BluOnyx server as a must-have for quick access, sharing and presentation of their content on a number of displays with or without a PC, " added Bahram.
analogZONE Says . . .
The concept behind Agere's BluOnyx credit card-sized pocket media server platform is audacity itself. It's what we used to refer to in the aerospace and other industries as a Three-Sigma Decision -- a move so unusual that it will either make you a hero or get you fired. Even though it does not introduce any new silicon and is sort of a reference design on steroids, it's a very notable development that, if executed correctly, could redefine consumer storage products and how they are used.
 By carefully blending the functionality of its storage, mobility, and networking product lines, with some custom software and a healthy dose of slick industrial design (see  ">Fig. 1), Agere seems to have produced a PC-independent, wireless micro-server that can act as a storage vault, streaming media source, or wireless data conduit between cell phones, handheld devices, cameras, or nearly any other digital device. The question remains however, whether Agere's platform will actually deliver the interoperability, ease of use, and performance needed to produce products whose function are intuitively obvious and compelling to the average consumer.
Note that none of this involves new chips or cutting-edge technology. The real ingenuity here is in the way Agere has taken advantage of open standards to let their server transparently insert itself between nearly any two digital devices. Imagine a large chunk of NAND Flash memory or a micro-drive HDD wrapped around a set of Bluetooth, USB, and SD card interfaces (see ">Fig. 2). Agere says the next generation of BluOnyx will add Wi-Fi capability. The server's Bluetooth interfaces (or USB in a pinch) allow it to store, move, or stream files between smart phones, cameras, media players, and nearly any other mobile device without the need for a computer.
As the release above explains (in between mountains of hyperbole), BluOnyx should be able to use any Bluetooth-enabled cell phone or handheld device to serve as its screen & keyboard by pushing a simple Java applet to its host during pairing. The high-speed Bluetooth link supports up to three simultaneous channels of unicast/broadcast or multi-user streaming data at 3 Mbit/s (1.5 Mbit/s useable). That's more than enough to allow quick file transfers from your camera to your PDA, back up the directory of your cell phone, or deliver very nice quality H.264 or MPEG4 video to whatever small screen is handy at the moment.
 The basic reference design software includes a set of applications and drivers for all the basic functions a pocket server would need such as support for simultaneous connections, one-to-one and peer-to-peer connectivity, backup & restore, and file management. This is great but I'd strongly advise Agere to also provide a basic backup/file synch program that allows you to save a copy of the BluOnyx's contents on your PC or NAS drive. This would guard against the possibility of a drive failure or accidentally sending your server through the wash in the back pocket of your favorite blue jeans.
Agere says that their platform is an open architecture that can be used as a turnkey reference design for OEMs/ODMs, or modified at will to add features, functions, or customize the user interface. While details were sketchy at best, it looks like the system may even be open enough that tech-savvy users may be able to hack their own drives and write their own applications. With this level of developer-friendliness, the BluOnyx platform could become a magnet for the same kinds of developers who have mountains of creative and useful applications for Palm's PDAs.
The open systems philosophy used to architect BluOnyx also extends to its business model. My conversations with Agere indicate that they are equally happy to build systems to your specs through their manufacturing partners or supply you with chips and let you make your own production arrangements.
From what I can see, everything Agere claims for the BluOnyx wireless open platform pocket server is well within the limits of what I know their chips can do. I also think that the applications they have targeted are unique and address an untapped market. Nevertheless, Agere will face an uphill battle in getting the world to buy into the unorthodox nature of their product which does not fit neatly into an existing category.
Gaining this acceptance will require several things.
First of all, it will have to pack a set of applications that actually simplify people's lives and not add another layer of complexity to them. Next, it will have to work flawlessly with virtually every cell phone, PDA and other handheld device on the first try. Finally, it must have a truly intuitive interface that even an addle-brained 51-year-old tech journalist like me can grasp immediately. Unless Agere's platform can deliver these essential things, their wireless pocket server will only attract the minority population of uber-geeks who delight in fussing with their gadgets. My office shelves are already lined with barely-touched evaluation copies of The Next Big Thing from years past which took more than five minutes to figure out and get running.
Achieving this level of interoperability, ease of use, and performance will require a pitch-perfect design of the application specs by the marketing team and diligent cooperation with the software group that writes the code. It will probably also require Agere to look outside its corporate walls to smaller, more agile independent sources to create applications and user interfaces that are intuitive to use and actually address real needs in peoples' digital lives. I've rarely seen a large, old company like Agere be able to get far enough outside their own corporate group-think to successfully pull off something as radical as this, but there have been exceptions and I'm hoping this is one of them…
If Agere can deliver on its PowerPoint promises, BluOnyx and its progeny could be the logical successor to the USB stick and finally remove the PC from the center of data transfers. I will look forward to seeing the prototype running at CES this coming January to see if Agere has been able to deliver the product they promised. I'll keep my fingers crossed for Agere. I know I'd pay good money for a device that actually addresses the pain I experience every day as I struggle to manage digital information across multiple platforms. I also suspect that there's at least a few tens of millions of other consumers who would too.
The retail price of the BluOnyx server is expected to range from $99 to $250 depending on memory capacity.
The fact that most or all of BluOnyx's silicon and other components already exist helps keep its Saltshaker Vapor Index Rating at the upper edge of credibility despite the significant challenges Agere faces in successfully introducing their product.
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