Redmond, Washington, Oct 28: Microsoft Corp. is jumping into the portable media market, launching software for a new line of mobile devices designed to free digital content from a computer and play music, videos and photos on the go. The software company announced its portable media center yesterday, the same day dell inc. Said it would begin selling a new dell digital jukebox to play digital music.
Both gadgets are aimed at Apple Computer Inc.'s popular Ipod digital music player.
The Microsoft devices will support both the company's Window Media Standard and the common MP3 format. Manufacturers such as Iriver International, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd. and Viewsonic Corp. Have said they will build devices to run on the Microsoft software.
The devices are designed to allow people to take all the digital media content on their Windows XP computers, including digital videos and music, television shows, home movies and digital photos, with them.
"Digital media technologies are radically changing how, when and where people experience and share their entertainment,'' said Scott Horn, Director of Marketing for the embedded devices group at Microsoft.
Bureau Report