the company.
(Click for larger image of ETI206 videophone)The device boasts an 8.4-inch color TFT LCD screen with 170-degree viewing angle, and is capable of playing full-VGA, full-motion (30 fps), TV quality video simultaneously with Internet Explorer-based browsing, according to the company. That sort of multimedia performance is made possible by virtue of its embedded processor, an unspecified SoC (system-on-chip) that integrates a 500 MHz ARM 926 core along with dual 533 MHz DSP cores (which sounds suspiciously like a TI
Davinci 644x SoC).
In addition to being a full-featured POTS and VoIP telephone, the device offers a range of interesting video-telephony capabilities, including two-way VGA-video communications, three-way video conferencing in CIF format, picture-in-picture, and a camera with 3x zoom that can capture and transmit digital images.
Not content to be merely a phone, the device also provides a rich assortment of audio/video entertainment functions. To facilitate the import/export of multimedia content, the unit can be synced to a PC, handheld computer, or TV, and handles DRM (digital rights management) through its built-in Windows Media Player software, according to a company spokesperson.
Among the device's key functional capabilities, according to the company, are:
- MP3 and MPEG playback
- Audio/video answering machine
- Video mail
- PVR (personal video recording) functions
- Support for video-on-demand and IPTV services
- Video recording to external memory cards
- Video and photo albums
- A white-board feature for use in video conferences
- Video output to TVs and external monitors
- Personalized background images and screen savers
- Thin client terminal function, with Microsoft RDP remote terminal access support
- Soft keyboard
- MS Office document viewers
- Remote software update support
Other interesting hardware features include:
- 800 x 600 pixel 8.4-inch color LCD with resistive touchscreen
- 64-256MB of system RAM; 64MB of flash memory for program storage
64MB to 2GB of flash storage expansion, via SD/MMC and CF cards
- Three USB ports; two "host," one "device"
- RS232 serial port
- A/V connectors
- Mic and earphone jacks
- Built-in 0.6 Watt stereo speakers
- PCMCIA card slot for other expansion
"Plans are also in the pipeline for compatibility with SMS/MMS [messaging] within the next six months," the spokesperson told WindowsForDevices.com.
The ETI206 videophone appears to be immediately available. Pricing was not disclosed.
The company announced a
pair of IP videophones based on Windows CE running on Intel StrongARM processors several years ago.
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