In a drive to ensure that handheld computers, mobile phones, digital cameras and other electronic devices can share digital content with one another, Palm and Panasonic have announced joint efforts to accelerate consumer and enterprise acceptance of the Secure Digital (SD) memory and Input/Output (SDIO) card standards.
These efforts may include such things as joint advertising and promotion activities in the US, portions of which will debut at PC Expo.
Broad adoption of the SD technology will promote compatibility among many electronic devices, giving consumers and mobile professionals the advantages of interoperability and data-sharing functionality.
Palm and Panasonic believe the SD technology standard is the best choice for media expansion and interoperability among electronic devices. SD cards, which are about the size of a postage stamp, offer high-density memory capacity and input/output capabilities. The cards can be slipped out of one device and inserted into another, allowing consumers and enterprise mobile professionals to share content among digital devices, such as cameras, printers, computers and handhelds.
Panasonic, a founding member of the Secure Digital Association (SDA), is one of the first companies to incorporate SD technology in its consumer electronics products. The company`s current line of SD-enabled products include digital cameras, digital video camcorders, voice recorders and e-wear(TM) MP3 players. Seeing the long-term benefits of SD as an expansion technology, Palm, also a member of the SDA, introduced SD technology in March with its Palm m500 series handhelds.
Palm and Panasonic are also working with content creators to develop consumer applications and enterprise solutions that further accelerate the push for SD technology.
"SD will broaden handheld usage just as CD-ROM and PCMCIA did for PCs," said Palm Chief Marketing Officer Satjiv Chahil. "Open standards - not proprietary and island technologies - drive market growth. Our vision is to create a digital world where all SD-enabled devices can communicate. The winners will be our customers - from individual consumers to large enterprises - because they will all have the freedom to choose from the proliferation of SD-capable products introduced by companies such as Panasonic."
SD technology opens up a world of new possibilities for consumers and corporations. For the first time, consumers and mobile professionals will be able to use Panasonic`s SD products to share data with their Palm m500 series handhelds. For example, consumers now can take a digital picture with Panasonic`s iPalm digital camera, remove the SD card and insert it into a Palm m500 series handheld, which comes bundled with MGI`s PhotoSuite Software for instant photo viewing. Business professionals can now share presentations, images, large files and databases by saving this information to an SD card, slipping out the card and inserting it into a Palm m500 series handheld. Within seconds, enterprise employees can share information and collaborate in new ways with their handheld computers.
Palm and Panasonic are working together to reach the mainstream market. Palm is the leading global provider of personal companion handheld devices with more than 13 million Palm handhelds sold worldwide. Panasonic is a worldwide leader in the development, manufacture and marketing of electronics products for a wide range of consumer, business and industrial applications. Together, these two globally recognised brands will raise consumer awareness and understanding of SD technology.
During Tuesday`s keynote address at the TECXNY/PC Expo in New York City, Palm Chief Executive Officer Carl Yankowski introduced Dr Paul Liao, chief technology officer of Matsushita Electric Corporation of America ("Panasonic") and president of Panasonic Technologies Inc.
The companies are co-operating in a joint multiple-media campaign around the annual show, featuring co-branded banners and other graphics, including video messages on the NBC Astrovision by Panasonic sign in New York City`s Times Square. Future plans may include such things as co-branded advertising in major transportation locations and in-flight advertising on major airlines.
"Panasonic`s relationship with Palm marks the beginning of a new era of interoperable technologies for consumers," said Dr Liao. "Both companies bring to the relationship unique experience and understanding of different market segments. By combining the strengths of Palm and Panasonic, we can reach a larger portion of the world market. We look forward to working with Palm to expand on the adoption of the SD standard and our respective SD products."
Commenting on the companies` efforts, Ray Creech, president of the Secure Digital Association (SDA), said: "We`re extremely pleased to see Palm and Panasonic championing the SD standard. With more than 280 companies in the SDA, this technology already has a solid foundation and is building momentum toward new levels of interoperability and mobility."
Panasonic and its SD products:
Matsushita Electric Corporation of America ("Panasonic"), based in Secaucus, NJ, is the principal North American subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Matsushita Electric Industrial Co, Ltd (NYSE: MC), a worldwide leader in the development of technologies for and the production of electronics and electric products for consumer, business and industrial use.
Matsushita Electric recorded sales of $61.45 billion for the fiscal year ended March 2001. Along with its affiliates, Panasonic has more than 6 500 employees. Other Matsushita Electric operations employ another 21 500 for a total of 28 000 people employed by Matsushita Electric subsidiaries and affiliates in the Americas. Additional information is available at www.panasonic.com
Panasonic offers a variety of SD consumer electronic products that can be leveraged by Palm m500 series handhelds, as well as other SD-based consumer electronic devices. More information can be found at http://www.panasonic.com/sd.
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