AuBox
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Motorola building Android-based cable boxes for Japan's KDDI?
Don't know why the Motorola rumors are flying hot and heavy today, but right on top of that connected GPS whisper comes word that the struggling device manufacturer is being tapped to build a new version of KDDI's multifaceted Au Box set-top unit that runs Android instead of the previous custom Linux build. The Au Box, if you'll recall, is a trick little IPTV box with a DVD drive that can rip audio and video and transcode it for transfer or streaming to your cellphone -- kind of like a more flexible Slingbox that costs $3/month for KDDI subscribers. Definitely interesting, especially since Android could make browsing and email extremely easy to implement as well -- hey Moto, maybe you want to ditch your current garbage Stateside cable box lineup and start shipping these things at home?Update: Turns out there's no Android here at all, according to Moto. Instead it's running on KreaTV platform. Is it just us or did this thing just lose about 50 megafonzies on the cool-o-meter?[Via CNET]
KDDI's Linux-based Au Box IP STB converts, sends media to mobiles
Now here's a peculiar one. Japan's KDDI has just introduced a Motorola-built IP STB that converts and transmits TV, multimedia and web-based content from the home to a user's cellphone. The Au Box is a fairly multifaceted beast, boasting a built-in DVD drive for ripping CDs, dual USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet jack, AV ins / outs and a Linux-based OS that can handle basic PC-like tasks. The box is designed for subscribers who own a mobile but not a full-fledged computer, and while details are scarce on the technology behind it, we're really digging the home content-to-mobile premise. Best of all, the set-top-box will only cost KDDI customers around $3 per month when it launches on November 1st. Say, Motorola -- have you ran this thing by any US carriers?[Via Linux Devices]
