The media phone represents a new category of broadband
multimedia
Multimedia is a form of communication that uses a combination of different content forms such as text, audio, images, animations, or video into a single interactive presentation, in contrast to tradition ...
devices that has the potential to become the 4th screen in the home, complementing the
PC,
TV, and
mobile phone
A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...
handset.
Features
*The original "Media Phone" and many of its features were invented and conceptualised in 2008 by Roy A. Tindle of Elkhart, IN, and was introduced to potential investors, engineers and other interested parties under non-disclosure at that time. Original documentation, drawings, schematics, and prototypes have been publicly recorded for authentication of origination. Roy A. Tindle is also the creator and designer of various wire harnesses, tools, and other consumer-based products.
Media phone combines the functionality of a
VoIP
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also called IP telephony, is a method and group of technologies for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet. The terms Internet t ...
phone and home networking controller with an expansive
touch screen
A touchscreen or touch screen is the assembly of both an input ('touch panel') and output ('display') device. The touch panel is normally layered on the top of an electronic visual display of an information processing system. The display is often ...
for web browsing, photo viewing, and interacting with connected widgets.
Typically available features:
* Internet phone (IP-based voice and video calls)
*
Web browser
A web browser is application software for accessing websites. When a user requests a web page from a particular website, the browser retrieves its files from a web server and then displays the page on the user's screen. Browsers are used on ...
*
Digital photo frame
* Organizer
*
Mp3 and
WMV
Windows Media Video (WMV) is a series of video codecs and their corresponding video coding formats developed by Microsoft. It is part of the Windows Media framework. WMV consists of three distinct codecs: The original video compression technology ...
player
* FM and internet
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
*
SMS
Short Message/Messaging Service, commonly abbreviated as SMS, is a text messaging service component of most telephone, Internet and mobile device systems. It uses standardized communication protocols that let mobile devices exchange short text ...
/
MMS MMS may refer to:
Science and technology Network communication protocols
* Multimedia Messaging Service for mobile phones
* Microsoft Media Server, a content-streaming protocol (mms://)
* Manufacturing Message Specification for real time proces ...
device
* Built-in camera
*
Widgets
* Additional advanced features such as the unique "In-Home Billboard" and "Remote Viewing" features are also available which may be appealing to consumers and businesses alike. These features create a new advertising platform for businesses and a revolutionary new home security format which provides Media Phone users the ability to monitor their home or business remotely from any computer or smartphone. This same remote viewing feature also allows 911 dispatchers to identify potential threats such as intruders, fire or EMS needs before dispatching emergency responders.
The device can be controlled through the touchscreen with a finger or accompanying
stylus
A stylus (plural styli or styluses) is a writing utensil or a small tool for some other form of marking or shaping, for example, in pottery. It can also be a computer accessory that is used to assist in navigating or providing more precision w ...
and can have an
SD card slot,
USB
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard that establishes specifications for cables, connectors and protocols for connection, communication and power supply (interfacing) between computers, peripherals and other computers. A broad v ...
and
flash memory
Flash memory is an electronic non-volatile computer memory storage medium that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. The two main types of flash memory, NOR flash and NAND flash, are named for the NOR and NAND logic gates. Both us ...
. It comes with a
wireless
Wireless communication (or just wireless, when the context allows) is the transfer of information between two or more points without the use of an electrical conductor, optical fiber or other continuous guided medium for the transfer. The most ...
handset for phone calls.
What is inside
* Application processor (
Intel Atom,
ARM, etc.)
* High level
operating system
An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs.
Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also in ...
(HLOS), widget based
*
VoIP
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also called IP telephony, is a method and group of technologies for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet. The terms Internet t ...
software for IP calls
Examples
The media phone can be used by wireline telecom operators for value-added IP service delivery. Several major carriers have introduced media phones, for example,
iriver Wave Home by
Korea Telecom, Home Manager, by
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...
and
Verizon Hub
The Verizon Hub was a media phone available from Verizon Wireless. It featured a seven-inch LCD screen with 16-bit color. The hub was able to sync the user's calendar, contact details, maps, traffic, and weather reports. The Verizon Hub did not r ...
.
Bittel Hotel integration solution by
Bittel Electronics Bittel is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Adriana Bittel (born 1946), Romanian literary critic and writer
* Deolindo Bittel (1922–1997), Argentine politician
*Karl Bittel
Karl Bittel (22 June 1892 – 18 April 1969) was a ...
]
Others are expected to follow the trend.
Video
A media phone is basically a replacement for a traditional home
cordless telephone. All calls (voice only by Verizon Hub, AT&T Home Manager and voice&video by Korea Telecom Wave Home) are IP based. The call functionality is provided by embedded software – by a voice engine for voice-only calls and by a voice & video engine for video calls. The voice & video engine is required to compensate for the commonly known IP-related issues (delays,
packet loss
Packet loss occurs when one or more packets of data travelling across a computer network fail to reach their destination. Packet loss is either caused by errors in data transmission, typically across wireless networks, or network congestion.Kur ...
,
jitter
In electronics and telecommunications, jitter is the deviation from true periodicity of a presumably periodic signal, often in relation to a reference clock signal. In clock recovery applications it is called timing jitter. Jitter is a significa ...
, congestion, etc.), and to make IP calls as reliable and convenient as conventional
PSTN calls.
References
See also
*
Cordless phone
*
Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications
*
IP Phone
A VoIP phone or IP phone uses voice over IP technologies for placing and transmitting telephone calls over an IP network, such as the Internet. This is in contrast to a standard phone which uses the traditional public switched telephone network ...
*
Minitel
*
List of video telecommunication services and product brands
*
SPIRIT DSP
*
Voice over Internet Protocol
{{DEFAULTSORT:Media Phone
New media
Voice over IP
Telephony equipment
Teleconferencing