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Streaming outfit Orb Networks acquired, winding down operations
Orb has long kept busy making its media streaming solutions compatible with everything from Android to the Wii, but now the business as we know it is trotting off into the sunset. Joe Costello, founder and CEO of Orb Networks, quietly announced on the firm's website that the team and technology have been acquired by one of its "large strategic partners who completely shared the Orb vision for building a standard platform for media solutions and beyond." Costello didn't divulge the buyer's identity, but noted that their new owners had been "investing aggressively in this technology," and Orb will lead their streaming media charge. Although the company stopped selling its products in May, it will continue to honor the one year replacement warranty for Orb Music and TV. The hardware and Orb BR should continue to work, but changes made by streaming services could throw a spanner in the works, as bug fixes and updates are off the table. Orb Live apps, on the other hand, rely on the firm's cloud servers that are slated to shut down by the end of the year. Mycast, the outfit's free service, is expected to work through August, but won't see life past 2013. Hit the source links below for Orb's parting words. [Thanks, Tom]
Winamp and Orb team up to release Winamp Remote
AOL has launched Winamp Remote as of late last week that hopefully will turn any xHTML-equipped mobile handset (like almost any modern cellphone) into a Internet-controlled remote for a user's Winamp media player on that stationary (or laptop, heh) PC. Running on Orb Network technology, Winamp remote is very similar to Orb's "MyCasting" service. This new service will give cellphone users phone-based access to those hefty MP3 collections sitting on that trust computer hard drive -- all from your cellphone's built-in web browser. Three items are needed: Winamp installed on a PC (where your music collection resides), a cellphone with a built in xHTML web browser and (hopefully unlimited) data plan and the installation of Winamp Remote on the same PC where Winamp is installed. A final question: why wouldn't one just use Orb alone instead of Winamp Remote?
