Sasken Communication Technologies says its multimedia application/codec stack was licensed by Wistron NeWeb Corp. (WNC) for several Linux mobile phones due in early 2007. The phones will run Sasken's “Multimedia Subsystem Solution” (MSS) stack on a MontaVista Linux kernel and TI OMAP application… processor.

WNC is a Chinese ODM (original design manufacturer) that has already shipped at least one Linux-based phone design, including a dual-mode product (pictured above) rebranded as the D-Link V-Click and the Neuf Twin. WNC's current Linux phone design also uses Qtopia software licensed from Trolltech.

Sasken describes itself as a “pioneer in communications outsourcing” with “years of experience” enabling multimedia functionality on open OSes such as Linux, Windows Mobile, and Symbian. Established in 1989, the company employs about 3000 people, in India, Finland, and Mexico, and keeps sales offices in China, Canada, France, German, Japan, Sweden, the U.K., and the U.S.

Sasken's MSS stack was previously licensed to NEC and Panasonic, for use in Linux-based 902-series 3G smartphones, which also use TI processors and MontaVista Linux kernels.

Sasken's MSS stack comprises:

• Media Browser
• Media Capture
  • Video
    
  • Image
• Media Player
  • Includes Streaming
    
  • Video Telephony
    
  • Voice over IP
• DRM Support
  • OMA 2.0 DRM support
    
  • Windows Media DRM (Janus)

Touted features and benefits include:

• Complete
• Supported
• Remote Codec Interface (RCI) fosters portability across OSes and silicon architectures
• Supports single- and dual-core architectures
• “Optimized hand-written code” claimed to yield lowest CPU utilization in class
• Tested and proven on “partner chipsets,” including TI OMAP1710, OMAP2420, OMAP2430 and OMAP850 platforms, as well as ARM based platforms
• Consolidated license includes third-party components

WNC VP of Marketing Edwin Moses stated, “Our years of investment in building capabilities in multimedia are paying off in an era where multimedia has become central to the user's mobile phone experience.”

 
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