Amiga® Anywhere Entertainment Pack #1 pending release

[System]

This just in from Amiga Inc head honcho Bill McEwen...  Rich multi-media applications designed for handheld systems to be released on April 15th, 2002.

April 10, 2002 Snoqualmie, WA - Amiga, Inc. announced the release schedule of the Amiga Anywhere Entertainment Pack #1 for Windows Powered Devices. The Entertainment Pack will run on devices using Windows CE 3.0, Windows CE .NET, Pocket PC, and Pocket PC 2002 including handhelds, smart phones, web pads, and set-top boxes.

The Entertainment Pack #1 will contain four applications and the Amiga Anywhere Content Engine.  These include the award winning Planet Zed and Convex games from ZeoNeo as well as Gobbler and Solitaire from Pulsar Interactive.  The Amiga Anywhere Content Engine allows access to more Amiga Anywhere applications available now and in the future.

"Since announcing a change from hardware to software Amiga has strived to create and distribute content that can run on numerous digital devices. Amiga is now focused on the vision that all digital content should be available on all digital devices," said Bill McEwen, President and CEO of Amiga Inc.  "To that end Amiga has announced distribution of dozens of applications that can run on a wide range of different types of devices with hundreds more currently in development".

The Amiga Anywhere Entertainment Pack #1 will provide an exciting experience for owners of Windows Powered handheld devices without using the amount of resources consumed by other applications. Amiga developers are creating rich content using few resources.  The average size of an Amiga Anywhere application is under 300KB and yet delivers a more robust experience than titles that are over 2 MB in size."

"As mobile devices become smarter and more powerful, users are asking for rich entertainment and gaming experiences," said Scott Horn, director, Embedded and Appliance Platforms Group, Microsoft Corp.  "The combination of the Windows CE operating system's multimedia functionality and Amiga's software solution allows developers to deliver rich applications for a broad range of Windows Powered devices."

Amiga Anywhere Entertainment Pack #1 will ship on April 15, 2002.  More information can be found on the Amiga web site at http://www.amiga-anywhere.com/microsoft.

About Amiga
Amiga Inc. established itself in 1985 as the premier provider of multi-media technologies to the world. Today Amiga continues leading the way in multi-media by providing language independent technologies to developers for writing and porting applications to a new multi-media platform that is
hardware agnostic. Amiga Anywhere, powered with intent(TM) from the Tao Group, enables applications to run unchanged on a broad range of processors
including ARM, StrongARM, Intel X-Scale, OMAP, MIPS, Intel x86, Motorola 68K and Hitachi SH. It can run hosted on a wide variety of operating systems
including Windows CE .NET, Windows 9x, 2000, Windows XP, Linux, and Embedded Linux. AmigaDE Player and applications can be purchased at
www.amiga-anywhere.com. Amiga is based in Snoqualmie, WA, and has offices worldwide. Amiga can be reached at (425) 396-5660 or visit Amiga on the web at www.amiga.com.  Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

<> Bill McEwen ><>
President/CEO
Amiga, Inc.

[System]

Reading this has just made me think, wouldn't it be great if there were an Amiga PDA... it would give the name an identity once again.

[System]

There WAS an Amiga PDA.  It was called the Sharp SL-5500.  Unfortunately even today Sharp apparently denies any connection with Amiga Inc as the device I saw in the store had NO mention of Amiga Incorporated, nor AmigaDE, nor anything else.  It also doesn't come with AmigaDE and according to Sharp's Web site, loading AmigaDE (which *IS* at least available for download on sharp.com) voids your warranty for the device.

I hate to say this, I really do, but considering the painful loss of my Handspring Visor Prism due to theft, I'm beginning to thing that *IF* I decide I need another PDA, I might end up getting a Windows .NET device.  Then again, I'd hate to suffer Windows CE (.NET), just to be able to play a few games.

Later, if Amiga matures (both company and product), I'll sincerely have to consider making a few investments in new hardware.

[System]

Wayne, I would like to know where you get your info, becouse it's not Amiga's webpage or the AmigaAnywhere webpage!

A press release sent to the press@lists.amiga.com mailing list from Bill McEwen.  Theoretically it could have been forged, but Bill always said "unless you hear it from me, it ain't so".  I heard it from him, so there ya go.  Security of their mailing lists is not my concern.

[System]

I disagree, I never heard that the Zaurus would be
"an Amiga PDA"; or at least that was never my
understanding. Sharp agreed to let Amiga develop
and demonstrate content on it and that was what
Amiga did.

As the Zaurus runs Linux and there is an
AmigaDE SDK for Linux I don't see any reason why
you can't run AA on a Zaurus.

I think Amiga Inc inflated the 'press value' of
a "partnership" with Sharp and hence all the
disappointment that Sharp doesn't seem to
be backing Amiga Inc.

Anyway, if you don't mind the size and weight of
the Zaurus, it looks like a pretty good PDA to me
with a very good colour screen.

- koan

[System]

I believe this is the next platform you will see the AA Entertainment Pack for

It goes back to that whole "not going to spend $500.00 to play a few games" thing.

[System]

AMIGADE RUNS ON EVERY OS AND MACHINE EXCEPT ON A REAL AMIGA (AKA AMIGA CLASSIC) !!!!!!!!

First, stop shouting you twit.  Secondly, the "Classic Amiga" hasn't been a "real" machine since 1994.  It has been and will remain a hobbyist machine with a dwindling niche market replete with twits who SHOUT their way through incoherent messages.

Have a nice day.

[System]

As the Zaurus runs Linux and there is an AmigaDE SDK for Linux I don't see any reason why
you can't run AA on a Zaurus.

Reason #1 -- Because if you do, you void the warranty for the DEVICE.  Besides, there's nothing available for AA except games yet, so what's the point of spending $500 for a Gameboy?

[System]

But you do agree that AmigaAnywhere should run on OS4, rigth? That is not classic anymore, but really fast hardware/software.

I agree that at some mystical point you should be able to run AmigaWhatever on an Amiga computer.  That being said, I completely disagree with any notion that a 600Mhz G3 is fast hardware.

Just so you know, we're "lightly" considering forming a company to take AmigaOne boards and pop 1 Ghz G3's / G4's on them.  Then we'd take'm, test'm and sell them personally configured for each customer in a Dell-type fashion.  Any interest?

[System]

Wayne, I will let you sell your A1-G4 systems on my webpage free of any charge, but you will need to fill the orders.

[System]

While it is good with new ideas and people willing to take initiatives, It strikes me as somewhat
...naïve... to think that Eyetech wouldn't have done
this if it was echonomically viable (and as easy as just 'popping' on a new CPU).

There are a lot of things which haven't been considered.  First and foremost is that they're doing all this in England.  While I don't cast disparity against England at ALL, I  *might* be in a position which makes things available much cheaper than it costs to produce in England.  

All of this is unknown, which is why it's being "lightly considered" folks.  Keep it in context here.  I'm more than willing to invest a few bucks in an AmigaOne mobo, then solder off the chip and smack on a socket for testing..  I have absolutely no idea whether it will work or not, but I've got enough friends with EE degress and experience building motherboards for a living that I believe it's worth a shot.

.... And I never said it would be less expensive than the 600 soldered part but which would you rather do?  $550 for a 600mhz part, or a bit less for a socketed part you can put your own CPU in/on?

Naive?  Possibly, hell, more than probably, but then again it can't be any more naive than ahem...  building a company to continue a computer based on getting money from investors in an economy which was bound to hiccup.

[System]

Getting back to the original topic...

As an owner (and still user of an A4000), and an earlier purchaser of the AmigaDE SDK, and an IPAQ Pocket PC, I have been eagerly awaiting a player in some form for the IPAQ.

Well it's the 16th April and I still can't order this from the site.  This announcement has begun to appear on several PocketPC sites and people are commenting in the following ways:

1) OK where is it - the link is broke!
2) Why no demo version ?
3) It's Amiga in name only.

Point (2) is extremely valid.  I have tried and bought many PPC apps.  In every case there has always been a cut down version to try before buying.  Without a version to try, Amiga are gonna lose customers.  At the same time I can undesrtand the difficulty.  It would be easy to create a demo version of the games in the pack but what about the Amiga player itself ?  Any demo of the player would be open to a hack.

Piracy helped to kill Amiga products lets hope it doesn't kill AmigaAnywhere before it is anywhere.