Seagate Technology today formally announced Digital Audio
Video Experience (DAVE) technology – the project previously codenamed
"Crickett." The DAVE platform is an enabling technology that delivers
10-20 GB of wireless storage in an accessory smaller than many common slim-line
mobile phones. DAVE technology is designed to store, play and share digital
files on mobile phones, PCs, and other wireless-enabled devices using Bluetooth
or Wi-Fi connections.
Built for portability, the DAVE reference design is about
the size of a centimeter-thick credit card, with dimensions of 3.5 x 4.7 x .47
inches (61 x 89 x 12 mm) and weighing 2.5 ounces (70 grams). The rechargeable
lithium ion battery delivers up to 10 hours of media-streaming performance and
up to 14 days of standby power. The DAVE operates anywhere up to 30 feet from
the phone.
In addition, the mobile storage platform is open source,
enabling third party software developers to create new applications for the
mobile phone utilizing the hard drive's unmatched capacity and performance. The
DAVE technology is offered to telcos and mobile handset OEMs for sale under
their respective brand names.
"Mobile telephony is undergoing a multimedia
revolution, and the DAVE mobile content platform will provide even more fuel
for the growth of new music and video services over mobile networks," said
Patrick King, senior vice president and general manager of Seagate's consumer
electronics business unit. "Products using DAVE technology will enable
digital content, whether for business or entertainment use, to be stored,
moved, and connected in ways never before possible. Mobile carriers can use
this technology for creating value from their investments in high-bandwidth
networks, and mobile handset manufacturers have another tool for turning the
multimedia phone into the center of the mobile consumer's digital life."
The DAVE mobile storage platform is expected to be available
to cell phone manufacturers and telco service providers for products in Q2 2007.
Seagate’s DAVE device appears to come from a similar concept
that compelled Agere Systems’ BluOnyx Mobile Content
Server, which also aims to deliver content to handsets via Bluetooth and
Wi-Fi.