Today's Connected Consumer™ demands access to digital media on their terms — anytime, anywhere, using the right device for the task. With broadband connectivity becoming inexpensive and ubiquitous, and low–cost chipsets providing the power and intelligence required by tomorrow's consumer electronics products, the next wave of consumer digital media devices will be directly connected to media services on the Internet. These devices will deliver a richer, more personalized, and more elegant media experience for consumers.
Our Response
PassAlong Networks is working to enable this vision by:
• integrating easy–to–navigate, rich user interfaces and digital media functionality into consumer electronics platforms
• providing a powerful set of content and commerce services accessible through a comprehensive set of Web service application interfaces
• integrating intuitive content discovery features to enable consumers to easily find what they want and like
• providing a unique and efficient peer–to–peer (P2P) content delivery solution
We are partnering with leading semiconductor, consumer electronics, content and digital media software companies to offer the integrated solutions that consumers want.
How it works:
The digital media delivery platform PassAlong Networks is developing will make the following scenarios a reality:
Custom Music Recommendations — Walk into your favorite coffeehouse with WiFi access. The WiFi–enabled portable player in your pocket connects automatically to the network, and because you already have four of the previous Barenaked Ladies albums on your player, your favorite music store will alert you that the latest BNL album has just been released. "Would you like to hear the title track?" it prompts. You click "yes," you hear it, you like it. With another click, you may purchase it or just the song or songs that you want. This music downloads to your player while you enjoy your double–skinny cappuccino.
A Music Library With a Brain — You replaced that old CD changer in your living room with a new box that looks similar but holds no physical CDs. Instead, it magically finds all your music stored on your various PCs in your house and the box stores them all on its hard drive. Because this box is also connected to your favorite online media store, it knows what an old Rolling Stones fan you are and alerts you when a video from the 1969 San Francisco concert is available for the first time. Turn on your TV, and through a simple remote–controlled interface, you can click "yes" to download the concert and watch it whenever you please.
Movies Without Leaving the Couch — You both feel like watching a movie tonight, but you don't know which one. The Pay Per View choices are limited and the local video store is always out of the newest releases. But you have a box in your living room that connects to an Internet movie service with thousands of titles available on demand. Just pick up your remote and navigate through a simple interface that lets you quickly sort titles by actor, genre, year or other categories. In a few moments, from the comfort of your couch, you have found what you want and begin watching.
Keeping Family Connected Across Miles — You and your spouse have two young children whose grandparents live thousands of miles away in different directions. Understandably, they want to feel connected despite the distance. So you give both sets of grandparents a box that easily plugs into their existing TV sets and allows them to see the latest pictures of the kids that you posted to your favorite photo sharing site almost immediately. All they have to do is turn on their TV, select a custom channel from their remote, and see the pictures. A few button presses on the remote and they have selected and printed photos from the photo website that will be mailed to them. It couldn't be more simple, but they'll think you're a genius.
Mobile Phones That Go Beyond Calling — Your mobile phone isn't just for making calls anymore. It can play music and video, and you already subscribe to news video podcasts that interest you through your PC. Now you can make your commute to downtown Seattle from your home on Bainbridge Island fly by when you set up your favorites on your computer to watch on your phone. During your daily ferry ride, just pull out your phone and punch a few buttons on its Internet browser to access your selections, while your Bluetooth headset keeps this a private performance.
