FifthMedia
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Fifth Media courts home and biz users with AXIA HSDPA Multimedia STB
We know AXIA for the fairly boring Windows Mobile smartphones to which the brand is affixed, so while we trust Fifth Media to stick a radio into a device, we really never saw this coming. The AXIA HSDPA Multimedia STB is a do-it-all box and makes no bones about it. Inside its shiny black exterior is HSDPA, WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0, with an embedded Windows OS for running entertainment, VoIP, kiosk and ePayment apps. Says Yogi Babria, Fifth Media Chief Program Officer, "We converge into a single device all the functions and desired applications required for business and home users." We weren't really aware that the market was in dire need of such an oddly converged product, but if you want an HSDPA WiFi router that can simultaneously get you onto Internet Explorer and do the SIP hosting for your VoIP calls, now you know where to turn. No word yet on price or availability, but we'll be seeing more of this one at CeBit next week.
Keepin' it real fake, part XXIX: Dubya 800
So, if we were going to rip off a phone's design, we'd probably do current-gen hardware (a la TechFaith), not played-out music phones whose successors are already starting to look a bit long in the tooth. Granted, we don't know how long Fifth Media's W800 rip has been floating around, but the last time we checked in on these cats, they were pumping out generic Windows CE 4.2 smartphones -- we'll let you decide whether they're moving up or down in the world. Specs seem about the same as the real deal, so if you're down with no-name hardware, you just couldn't justify dropping the cash on that W800 last year, and the first knockoff wasn't doing anything for you, well, here's your chance.
