| An update on AMD's Windows CE powered PIC |
May 03, 2006
 In 2004, AMD launched the Personal Internet Communicator (PIC), a small, low-cost device aimed at expanding global access to the Internet and basic personal computing. End-users in Brazil, the Carribean, India, Mexico, Africa, Turkey, and the U.S. have subsequently begun using the Windows CE based devices, according to AMD.
AMD's delivery model for the PIC is similar to that of the cable set-top box market in the U.S. -- it is generally supplied as loaned equipment, in conjunction with fee-based services, in this case Internet access. Therefore, with the exception of an arrangement for sales through Radio Shack in the U.S., the PIC is not offered as a retail product, an AMD spokesman said.
AMD recently provided two examples of where the PIC has been deployed.
In Brazil, where Internet penetration is 14.1 percent, AMD partnered with Telefonica and the State Government of Sao Paolo to use PICs to improve communications in Santo Amaro. The PICs are all connected to an AMD Athlon-based HP desktop that acts as a print server for the PICs, according to AMD. The AMD sponsored E-Poupatempo center subsequently earned the the State of Sao Paulo's "IT Innovation" award. Poupatempo means "save time," in Portugese.
In South Africa, where Internet penetration is just 7.4 percent, obsolete PCs were a source of frustration for both students and administrators at Diepsloot Combined School, AMD said. Highlighting the "efficiency and versatility" of the PIC, AMD's African distributor UCOMS installed 38 of the units at Diepsloot in a little over an hour with five installers, only two of whom had any technical experience. Subsequently, teachers reported higher student retention, higher grades, and an overall renewed excitement towards learning, according to AMD.
Learn more about the capabilities and specs of the Personal Internet Communicator from this WindowsForDevices.com device profile:
Device Profile: AMD Personal Internet Communicator (PIC)
In related news, Bsquare says it has ported Adobe's Macromedia Shockwave Player to Windows CE, for use on the AMD PIC reference design. Shockwave is a "web standard" for multimedia playback, with an installed base of over 200 million users, according to Bsquare. According to Bsquare, this represents the first port of the Shockwave Player to any embedded computing device. Read more here.
Related stories:
(Click here for further information)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
news feed