Motorola to unveil a streaming gadget for smartphones

Motorola Mobility plans to launch a video streaming device next year to enable streaming of digital content to smartphones and tablets in their homes.

According to Reuters, the product will be unveiled at the Consumer Electronics show after it splits its handset business from set-top box business which is due in January 2011.

The mobile devices and connected home businesses will be served under the new banner Motorola Mobility, while enterprise mobility solutions and network businesses will function as Motorola Solutions.

The streaming gadget technology is touted as a convergence of set-top box and cellphone technology by Daniel Mahoney, president of Motorola Mobility.

The digital content streaming segment is currently abuzz with the launch of Apple TV but it streams content from devices like smartphones, PC and tablets onto TV. Motorola is now targeting all mobile devices.

Currently, devices like Western Digital's WD TV Live Hub allow users to centralize a variety of media files on a single hard drive from multiple sources. The device is also a media server that allows streaming of content to any DLNA compatible device in the household like Blu-ray Disc player, Xbox, Playstation, iPads, iPhones and Android phones.

Cisco also has a product in the streaming category called Cisco Content Delivery Applications for Internet Streaming, a network-based architecture that incorporates both TV streaming applications that stream content to TV and set-top boxes and also has an internet streaming application that streams content on smartphones and Wi-Fi enabled devices.

All these models are based on different premise -- the WD TV model is based on content stored on a single device from where it is streamed to other devices in the household, while Cisco's application enables service providers, broadcasters and content owners to transfer content to web-enabled devices.

Though the technology to deliver streaming content exists, the delivery depends on relationships formed with content providers.

However, Motorola's strategy is to allow streaming of digital content to any device in any place though the in-line streaming device will only offer videos within the confines of a house initially.