Seagate's DAVE Platform Has Now Someone to 'Talk' To

Storage company Seagate announced not too long ago a new wireless storage platform that would allow any wireless device connect to it for additional storage space or file sharing. The platform was first spotted in January 2007 and was presented as a platform for wireless storage access by mobile phones. This year's Consumer Electronics Show brought it again in the spotlight, and Seagate introduced its technology partners.

Sanyo has just announced the first appliance to fully support wireless, via Bluetooth and WiFi, and wired communication with Seagate's DAVE-based storage devices. It is Sanyo's VPC-HD1000 high-definition camcorder, one of the many parts in the Xacti line. The VPC-HD1000 will come with an USB interface to allow wired connections with the DAVE storage products.

Since the camcorder supports the direct-to-disk recording of high-definition audio and video in MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 format, the camcorder will have to make use of additional storage space, as the internal storage will not be enough. Seagate's 60 GB DAVE disk drive will allow the camcorder record up to 11 hours of high-definition content and store it on-the-fly.

Another technology partner is Harman/Becker, a subsidiary of Harman International, that will include the small drive in its automotive products. Harman/Becker is currently concerned with its implementation in the new Chrysler automobiles that will come with the MyGig systems. The implementation consists in integrating DAVE's wired and wireless connectivity with the MyGig systems in order to add high-capacity storage for music, photos, and videos.

Judging by the users' increased need for storage space, DAVE is likely to have a bright future when paired with mobile phones, mobile Internet devices, ultra-mobile PCs or even consumer applications such as photo cameras and camcorders. DAVE does not depend on the operating system or platform, and new supporting devices are to come in the near future.