Beatnik has announced that they have developed a new audio format geared specifically for mobile devices. The company, fittingly founded by Thomas Dolby, claims that their new format can compress audio files ten times smaller than the popular MP3 format. To make good on their claim, the format includes just one copy of a repeated section of audio, and uses it over and over
again, as needed. Beatnik is aiming this technology primarily at wireless operators. With audio files this small, operators can cash in on Over-the-Air (OTA) downloads of music files from a wider range of users – including those limited to just 2G data transfer rates.
Thomas Dolby states, “The mobile music market has shown it has massive potential. Now the race is on to turn every consumer mobile phone into a personal music player. But people demand a high quality listening experience, an easy-to-use and intuitive user interface and immediate access to the widest range of music product. The Beatnik Mobile Music Player delivers these characteristics, along with a set of services that will ensure the rapid growth of full track music delivery to mobile phones.”
A handset music player is already developed to help speed implementation into new devices, and Beatnik will announce partner operators and manufacturers in a month.
via: wirelessweek