Is this what James Laboda was talking about? Is this a threat to the future of Flash Memory and SNDK?
April 5, 2000 - LOS ANGELES - DataPlay, Inc., today announced the development of an affordable miniature optical media about the size of a quarter, called a DataPlay disc, and a micro-optical engine that is expected to be incorporated into a variety of consumer electronic devices. The DataPlay disc can contain pre-recorded and user-recordable content and is anticipated to be available to consumers beginning in early 2001. DataPlay has also developed ContentKey?, a content enabling e-commerce tool that allows consumers to activate pre-recorded content on a DataPlay disc over the Internet without necessitating a download. The company unveiled their technology at a special briefing during Spring Internet World, a Web industry gathering held here.
The company anticipates that its products will fill the exploding demand for easy access to content, driven by the ongoing proliferation of Web appliances. DataPlay is pursuing strategic relationships with industry leaders drawn from diverse market sectors that recognize the potential of DataPlay's technology to bring content and products to an increasingly wider audience.
According to company founder and CEO Steve Volk, DataPlay, since its inception in 1998, has focused on bringing consumers the ability to more fully enjoy content. "Our goal in founding DataPlay was to develop technology and products that will allow consumers easy access to content. Now, for the first time, a single low-cost media can be effectively used with digital music players, electronic books, digital cameras and portable games, giving the word convergence true meaning for consumers," Volk said.
"Nothing like this has ever been done before," said Jim Porter, president of the Mountain View, CA-based Disk/Trend Inc. industry analyst firm. "DataPlay is pushing the technology envelope and appears to be meeting a growing need in the marketplace at the same time. In this business, that's the best of all possible worlds."
The DataPlay Disc
DataPlay has achieved its goal by creating the DataPlay disc and micro-optical engine. The DataPlay disc is a miniature optical media about the size of a quarter. It is designed to record and permanently store a vast amount of content of all kinds - whether downloaded off the Internet, pre-recorded or created by consumers. For example, on a single DataPlay disc, a student can carry a semester's worth of books, a family can take and store photos from an entire vacation, a music lover can carry several albums or a gamer can carry the latest games.
"We have been looking closely at this technology and are very excited about it," said Larry Kenswil, president of eLabs, Universal Music Group. "Given its unique versatility and portability, we believe that it will significantly enhance consumers' experience with music. It opens up a world of new possibilities for the recording, storing and carrying of content."
Pat Quigley, president of Capitol Records Nashville said, "I believe it is in the best interest of the fan, the artist and the retailer to support the development and sale of new ideas as innovative and cost effective as DataPlay's."
Bob Pfannkuck, president of Panasonic Disc Services Corporation said, "The DataPlay disc is a remarkable new technology that provides portable media that can contain pre-recorded and downloadable content."
An Emerging Standard
Committed to making the DataPlay disc a universal standard, DataPlay expects DataPlay discs containing pre-recorded content to be on sale in early 2001, coinciding with the availability of DataPlay-enabled consumer electronic devices.
"DataPlay technology will enable us to deliver a wide range of products such as music players, digital cameras, electronic books, digital appliances, games and computing products that can easily and affordably use and share personal and published content," said Eric Kim, senior vice president of global marketing operations for Samsung Electronics Company, Ltd. "We have been reviewing DataPlay's technology in depth and see tremendous potential in it as a digital convergence media between information and entertainment devices."
In addition, blank DataPlay discs will be available at local stores to download Internet-published content and for use in DataPlay-enabled consumer electronic devices, manufactured by major companies in the digital camera, digital music, PDA and consumer electronics industries. A single DataPlay disc, pre-recorded or blank, will have the ability to be used in any or all of these appliances.
DataPlay has already attracted considerable attention from leading consumer electronics companies.
"We see the DataPlay disc as a promising media for a new generation of consumer electronic devices, including music players, digital still cameras and other mobile digital devices," said Tetsuya Mizoguchi, president and CEO, Toshiba's Digital Media Network Company. "This innovative approach to miniature optical media and to pre-recorded and user-recordable content opens up a new horizon for bringing convenience and entertainment to our mobile computing and AV products."
"DataPlay's disc helps address one of the biggest industry needs for portable digital audio players -- expandable and affordable memory, " said Mike Reed, director of marketing at S3's Diamond Multimedia Communications Division. "This technology will give us the opportunity to offer ways for our customers to enhance the storage of their Rio players while spending far less money. "
About DataPlay, Inc.
DataPlay, Inc. was incorporated in November of 1998 to develop a Web-enabled digital content recording and distribution media for portable Internet appliances and hand-held consumer entertainment devices. Headquartered in Boulder Colorado, the company employs more than 80 people in the United States and in Singapore. Visit DataPlay on the Internet at www.dataplay.com.
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