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Streaming Audio/Video from Your Ford TruckBy Erik Linask Associate Editor StreamerNet Corporation and Stargate Mobile LLC announced an agreement under which mobile audio/video streaming technologies will be offered as a standard option for Ford Motor Company F-150 and F-250 trucks shipped with the FORDLINK Mobile Office package, which the automaker introduced last November.
StreamerNet is a developer of innovative mobile, wireless video streaming solutions and software for the worldwide streaming media market. Through the development of proprietary software and services that support multiple wireless network standards, StreamerNet provides solutions for remote, mobile plug-and-play, click-and-stream video transmission direct from the field. The essence of the Stargate Mobile Office initiative is to bring to market a system that features a rugged — but lightweight — in-truck computer (Stargate) running Windows XP Professional with Microsoft Office capabilities, plus navigation with GPS, broadband/wireless Internet access, printing, along with order submission, payment processing capabilities, and a variety of other mobile computing applications.
The solution provides a very flexible computing platform from which a contractor can bid jobs, order and purchase parts and materials, and process payments while 'on location' from their truck. “The Stargate Mobile Office is designed for businesses, large or small, that primarily operate out in the field,” stated Johnny Cooper, president of Stargate Mobile. Stargate Mobile has been working with Ford since the inception of the Ford Mobile Office concept and has led the development of the Ford Mobile Office components. One of the biggest challenges the teams faced during development was understanding exactly what activities the customers were performing in the field and then determining which business functions would be the most critical in a truck-based mobile office.
Under terms of the teaming agreement, StreamerNet and Stargate Mobile have already been working together for more than six months to develop, test, and deploy the integrated computing and wireless audio/video platform.
The Stargate Mobile computer is a rugged lightweight touch-screen slate model mounted on the transmission tunnel within easy reach of the driver. Once the computer is securely mounted in its vehicle cradle, it is powered by the truck’s battery and is directly connected to optional equipment including GPS antenna, printer, credit card scanner, or digital camera.
The driver can remove the touch-screen computer and take it with him or her just as an ordinary laptop, but it isn’t hampered by the unnecessary weight of a keyboard, unless that optional attachment is necessary. The lightweight, versatile slate design is also constructed to withstand the typical use on a jobsite, including the occasional drop onto a dirt parking lot. It features a screen that is visible in sunlight, so that several workers can huddle around for an impromptu meeting viewing blueprints or online order tracking.
The slate model computer offers full Windows XP Professional functionality with all the power of a full-size desktop computer whenever and wherever it is needed. Erik Linask is Associate Editor of INTERNET TELEPHONY. Most recently, he was Managing Editor at Global Custodian, an international securities services publication. To see more of his articles, please visit Erik Linask’s columnist page
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