RealNetworks previews cloud-based personal media service

Digital entertainment services provider RealNetworks plans to launch Unifi, a new cloud-based service designed to store personal media content like music, videos and photos for access via any web-connected device, including PCs and smartphones. RealNetworks CEO Robert Kimball previewed Unifi during an appearance Tuesday at the D: Dive Into Mobile conference in San Francisco, calling the service "a unified library for your digital life"--expected to launch during the first quarter on mobile platforms including Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS and Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android as well as PCs, followed by Research In Motion's (NASDAQ:RIMM) BlackBerry and Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows Phone 7 in Q2, Unifi promises to categorize content from various devices to make it easier to find. Kimball said Unifi will offer access to media stored in Apple's iTunes multimedia software--at present, iTunes users must physically connect devices with a computer to sync their media.

RealNetworks launched the newest version of its signature RealPlayer media playback solution in late September, promising a series of improvements enabling consumers to play, manage, share and transfer content across a range of devices. Optimized for devices including iPhone, Android and BlackBerry smartphones, the revamped RealPlayer introduces new functionality allowing users to move media off their mobile devices and into the RealPlayer library, touting simplified content management that eases concerns over file formats and conversion issues. Consumers can still transfer media to their mobile devices as well. RealPlayer also offers one-click video downloads from thousands of websites, music and video playback across file types including H.264, 3GP, MP3, and AAC, and share photos and videos across social networking platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

For more:
- read this Wall Street Journal article

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