Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
ITBP 261
ID Number: ..................
Section ..................
Instructor: ..................
Date: ..................
1. Abstract
The music player has evolved during the last three decades, starting with the
phonograph and passing through the magnetic tape, and CD player and finally the
Digital Multimedia Player. The DMP has many advantages over all the earlier
generations of music player; it’s smaller and can store thousands of files. However, one
of the limitations is that in order to add new tracks to the music library, the user needs to
connect the device to a PC. The proposed solution to this problem is to use
communication technology such as GSM to download legal music directly to the device.
I am so excited about this idea because I always want to add new tracks to my library at
anytime.
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2. Background
storing and playing digital media files. Digital multimedia players play digital audio files
of certain types such as MP3, WAVA, or WMA files [1], and in addition they can also
In 1979, the earliest digital multimedia player was designed by the Briton Kane Kramer,
but it did not enter commercial production. The first digital multimedia player entering
Systems, which started to sell its device in the middle of 1998. In October 2001, Apple
Inc. unveiled the first generation of iPod, which is currently the best-selling digital
The digital multimedia player has improved year by year since its first release in 1998.
MPMan F10 was the first digital multimedia player that appeared in the summer of
1998, which was manufactured by Elger Labs. It had only 32MB of storage and a very
basic unit and wasn't user-expandable, but it could be upgraded to 64MB by sending
the unit back to Elger Labs. MPMan F10 also embedded a tiny LCD on the front to give
an indication as to what the user was listening to. MPMan F10 connected to the host PC
via a parallel port to add audio files and ran rechargeable NiMH batteries [2], [4]. In late
1998 Diamond Multimedia released PMP300, boasting a larger display and featuring a
Smart Media slot allowing users to add additional memory. PMP300 was powered by a
single AA battery which provided between 8 and 12 hours of playback time [2]. However
when the iPod was released in 2001, Apple Inc took the digital multimedia player device
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to a new level. The first generation iPod was available with 5 and 10 GB hard drive
featuring a minimalistic user interface and now Apple Inc. have released different
models which have many improvements [5],[6],[7]. In 2007, the iPod Touch was
released, which is the latest model of iPod; a Multi-Touch graphical user interface has
been added to the iPod line and is available with 8, 16, or 32 GB of flash memory, which
is capable of playing audio, displaying images, playing videos, and playing games [8].
However, all the previous digital multimedia players share the same limitation, which is
whenever the user needs to add new file to his device the user has to connect the
device to a parallel port on the host PC from which files could be copied to the player.
Therefore, in order to add new files the user has to carry the USB cable and a PC to
copy the files to the device, but the USB cable or PC may be not available every time
Nowadays, since digital multimedia players are popular, record labels have lost a lot of
money since the users are able to add files to the devices even if these file are legal or
not [9].
The Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) service will solve these problems
by providing access to the internet to download only legal digital files directly to the
3. Project Description
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The aim of the project is to improve the digital media player device, in which the user
will be able to download legal multimedia files directly to his device without using a USB
cable or a host PC to transfer the file from. This improvement will be achieved by using
the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) service, which provides access to
the Internet where the user will be able to browse, preview, purchase, and download
The user must have an account to access the Global System for Mobile
company for a specified fee, for example Etisalat or Du in the UAE. The device will be
enhanced with a smart card called SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) chip, which holds
customer information and GSM security infrastructure. By turning the SIM into a Web
server the devices can provide security services to the Internet using the Web standard
HTTP protocol [10] The SIM chip will be provided by the local communication company
Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) standard, which provides set of
services to mobile computer and phone users, no matter where they are located in the
world. This service allows transmission of text, audio, video, and multimedia at data
rates up to 2 megabits per second (Mbps), which its can used in the potable multimedia
devices in order to transmit the media file directly into the device [11].
Moreover, the special software must be installed in the host device. The software is
graphical interface based which primarily allows the user to establish a connection to
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the Internet through the GSM service. It’s also responsible for managing the logs.
Moreover, the application allows the user to browse the Internet easily in order to
purchase, and download files directly to the device (see Figure 1).
The application allows the user to browse different sites which allow the user to search
for the file she wants. It also enables the user to preview the file before she decides to
purchase it. When the user decides to purchase a certain file the user will be requested
to enter her account information and credit card number to download the file to the
device, which is a process similar to the process that is followed to purchase items from
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e
gure 2: Enter the username and pass, and check on the login button. Figure 3: Enter the desired URL, and check on Go.
Figure 4: The website will appear on the screen. Figure 5: Browse, search and, preview media files.
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Figure 6: Check on the Buy Button. Figure 7: Enter your username and credit card number.
Figure 8: The file has been downloaded and added to the library.
The design phase will be divided to two main sub-phases. First, hardware and software
design provides a blueprint and how the hardware equipment will be developed. It also
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will show the conceptual design of the software that will be installed in the device.
Second, developing prototypes will include generating several prototypes to show some
functions of the system or to illustrate how the system will be used or what outputs will
look like.
In this step the SIM chip (see Figure 9) that is used with the mobile phone will be
upgraded to be used properly on the portable media device. Hardware specialists will
be needed to design the new SIM chip. The new chip requires a program in order to
cooperate with the DMP functionality .Assembly will be the language used to write the
chip’s program because it allows writing control instructions directly to the hardware
equipment and the tool that will be used to write the assembly is the Win32 Assembler
[12]. One of the most important modifications that will be applied to the original SIM chip
design will be the chip’s shape and size. The new chip design will present the chip in a
smaller size and a new shape to fit with the other components of the PMD.
The next step in the design phase will be developing the software application that will be
installed in the device to enable the user download the file to his device. The application
will be GUI-based since the primary functions that are provided by the software are
interface based, which will make the application more friendly and easy to use. Software
engineers and software programmer will be needed to design and develop the
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application code. Unified Modeling Language (UML) is the modeling tool that will be
used to develop the blueprint of the application. The UML will help the software
engineers by offering them different design views. First, the functional requirements
view allows the designer to focus on the functional requirements of the system from the
user's point of view. The static structural view and dynamic behavior view are also
provided by the UML which help the designer to emphasize the static structure of the
software and dynamic behavior of the software [13]. The language that will be used to
develop the application is java, which has capabilities to develop a graphical application.
It also has capabilities to integrate with other applications that are written in other
There two types of prototypes that are needed to test the final product. First, the new
SIM chip designs will be converted to actual chips in many different sizes and shapes,
in order to find the appropriate final design before starting production of the new SIM
chips.
The second type of the prototypes needed for this project is to develop an application
that simulates the primary functions of the final application in order to test the
application functions on different PMD models to find the possible obstacles. Moreover
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At this stage the physical design of the system starts. The prototypes that are
developed during the design phase will be used as a base to develop the final product.
After developing different SIM chips during the previous phase the final design will be
selected to move to the production stage. The actual application code will be developed
based on the feedback received from the software prototype and the final interface will
be developed and it will be integrated with the application code to form the application
However, before actually starting the production several issues should be studied during
these phase, which were not considered during the previous phase. First, security
issues about the communication during the transactions should be studied and suitable
security solutions added or developed to solve such situations. Additionally, the system
architecture must be studied. The application developed for this project is based on
for this project. Internet-based architecture is recently used in m-commerce [15]. The
shifted from the client to the server (mostly by providing HTML or XML documents).This
allows for flexibility of connecting any type of client to the system [16].
To ensure the quality of the final product, the device should be tested. Testing will be
conducted on both hardware and software. And from the view of different procedures,
the testing comprises R&D Testing, Factory Testing and Certificate Testing. Moreover a
test environment will be built and used to verify and evaluate the new system and make
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necessary modifications to the system which contain copies of all programs, procedures
R & D testing is one of the important testing phases for mobile devices, since the new
product will have many features related to mobile technologies. The testing happens
during the development phase for the mobile devices. It includes testing and software
testing [18].
In this step the SIM chip will be tested after it’s embedded into more that one PDM
model. This step is important because different devices may have different components.
The testing will be performed alongside the GMS service that is provided by a real
communication company.
In this the step the compiling and debugging the code of the application should be
performed using that function in Eclipse, in order to rectify the errors before moving to
software quality assurance (SQA) process, where here the specialists and auditors take
a broader view on software and its development. The specialists will be allowed to
examine and change the software engineering process itself to reduce the incidence of
faults that may affect the defect rate [17]. Moreover in the step the project manager
should be provided with information about the quality of the software application,
including what the application is limited to, the process of executing a program or
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3.4 Factory Testing
Factory Testing will be performed in the commercial production phase to check on the
new PMD. It's conducted automatically to verify that there are no defects brought about
This kind of testing is performed by many institutes and is also performed by the
protocols. It’s also important to make sure the device will be not harmful to users' health.
3.6 Maintenance
The maintenance phase begins the moment the devices are released. As feedback and
bug reports are received, updates to the code are planned, and the required changes
reflected in the documentation and test documents. The process then flows back into
the Implementation phase followed by the testing phase before the new version of the
code is released. In this phase a website will be developed in order to receive any
feedbacks and problems, and this website provides an updated version of the software
application, which will be freely available to all users. The updated version will patch the
problems received from the users. Moreover a guarantee document will be inside the
packaging. The customer will use that document in case the device doesn’t perform one
or more of the functions. When the user employs that document the device will be sent
back to the company to solve the problem and if the problem can‘t be solved, the device
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4. Potential for Practical Application
4.1 Benefits
The potential benefits of this project will be divided into two main categories, primary
and secondary benefits, which may both divided to tangible and intangible benefits:
The main benefits of improving the DMP by adding the GMS connection capability is the
user will able to access the Internet to download digital files directly to his devices,
whenever and wherever the service is available, which means that the user doesn’t
In addition, the user doesn’t need a host PC from which files could be copied to the
devices; which means that the user may save the money of buying a PC.
Other benefits that will be gained from implementing this project that are important to
other business parties may include the systematic enforcement of the legality of the files
added to the device. Therefore, the record labels will reduce losses incurred by
specific fee for providing the GMS service will gain a higher income.
4.2 Market
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Nowadays, the electronics market and media market both are considered some of the
biggest sectors of the international market. Apple Inc. and Sony are international
companies which may be considered as potential business parties, because they could
be interested in adapting this project. In addition the record labels, broadcast market,
and television market also might be interested in this project and might provide
financing to start up the project. Since, these electronics companies are international
companies that distribute their products all around the world in the physical and visual
marketplace, and the GMS service is international service could be provided by any
international, which means that any user from any part of the world could benefit for
The users to welcome the idea of the project are mostly those ranging in age from 16 –
25 years old, since young people most frequently accept online shopping [19],[20].
Moreover, the same age range usually is interested in buying new media devices. The
users of the project will need basic computer skills to be able to undertake online
shopping and using the DMP. The company that will use the idea of the project will
provide an instruction manual detailing the use of the device and the process of the
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The user needs to have a GMS account that can be acquired from the communication
company which will provide the user with a SIM chip that is suited to his device. In
addition, the communication company must provide the service with high bandwidth in
which the files will be downloaded at a reasonable transfer rate between 100 Mbit/s and
1 Gbit/s, which may motivate the communication companies to adopt the newest
communication technology and perhaps they may need to upgrade the connection to a
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5. Schedule, Facilities & Equipment, and Budget
5.1 Schedule
The project schedule is a calendar that links the tasks to be done with the resources
that will do them. Before a project schedule can be created, the project manager must
have a work breakdown structure, an effort estimate for each task, and a resource list
Since it is assumed that the writing of this proposal completes the analysis phase, the
project itself begins with the design phase. This requires an understanding of how the
product will operate and the means to achieve this end. This stage also includes
modeling the software, and the hardware necessary to build the whole system, and the
needed prototypes will be built in this phase. Accordingly, we will assign 6 weeks to
complete this phase. The Gantt chart (see Figure 10) shows that the start of the
implementation overlaps with the end of the design phase, demonstrating that, as in any
project, the work is iterative, allowing the developer in the same phase to both progress
and, if necessary, revisit what has been done. The implementation phase consists of
the programming and assembling of parts, and it also includes building the actual SIM
chips. Testing will be conducted alongside the software programming and that is why a
lengthy 8 weeks has been assigned to the implementation phase. In the later stage of
testing, we will monitor how the product works when integrating all parts and see
the overall testing, which also overlaps with the maintenance phase. In this, we will
focus on repairing any errors in the coding, design or implementation, and it is expected
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to last 2 weeks. Consequently, the estimated duration to complete the project is 21
weeks.
To start developing the product, we will need a fully equipped development environment
and testing environment, available from company resources. Each of the computers
available has to have a programming application installed such as Eclipse and Win32
assembler. The software can be downloaded for free from the Internet. In addition, the
local network to ease communication between the development team members. Other
hardware requirements include an HTTP server alongside the GMS service that is
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There will be three teams involved. However, there will be the project manager; who is
also the system analyst of the system. She will have a clear understanding of the
project objectives and will be responsible for achieving its goals on schedule; she
scheduling, and quality-control. She will continuously monitor the progress of the other
members to make sure that they are on track with their deliverables. Moreover, the
project manager also will be reasonable for assigning the tasks to each team as well as
assigning the resources for each task. The Design team includes a hardware specialist
who is also the design team leader, two software engineers, two prototype developers,
two drafters. The Development team includes the software developer; he is also the
development team leader, a graphic designer and three technicians. The third team will
be the Quality Assurance Team (QAT) which includes a senior consultant and two
approach for quality assurance review of technology projects within budget. The Quality
Assurance Team’s main goal is to deliver a quality solution based on the schedule,
budget, and scope commitments as stated by the leadership (see Figure 11).
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Figure 11: The Organizational Chart
5.3 Budget
Duratio
Cost per Total
n
week (AED) (AED)
(weeks)
Facilities
Co. developmental lab 21 2,000 42,000
Subtotal 42,000
Personnel
Project Manager 21 10,000 210,000
Hardware Specialist 21 6,500 136,500
Software Engineers 21 2x5,000 210,000
Prototype Developers 8 2x5,000 80,000
Drafters 8 2x3000 48,000
Software Developer 15 6,500 97500
Technician 13 3x1500 58500
Graphic Designer 4 3000 12,000
Senior Consultant 21 6,500 136,500
Support Consultants 21 2x4000 168,000
Subtotal 1,157,000
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Applications
Eclipse 0
Win32 assembler 0
Others
Tools 7,000
Materials 20,500
Contingency budget 100,000
Subtotal 127,500
Total 1,326,500
Table 1 above outlines the projected costs. Since the project will use the company
developmental lab, no rental is necessary except for the fee that will be paid to Etisalat
for providing the GSM service in the development environment. The applications will not
cost anything as the programs can be installed for free. As for the personnel, the
project manager will earn AED 10,000 a week, which means AED 210000 in total. The
hardware specialist will be needed throughout and will earn AED 136500 in total. There
are two software engineers will be needed throughout and will earn AED 20,000 in total.
Moreover, the two prototype developers will each earn AED 5,000 a week for the eight
weeks required. The drafters will each earn AED 3000 a week for the eight weeks
required. The software developer will earn AED 6,500 a week for the fifteen weeks
required. The technicians or ‘gofers’ will each earn AED 1,500 a week for the thirteen
weeks required. The graphic designer will earn AED 3,000 a week for the four weeks
required. In addition, the senior consultant will be needed throughout and will earn AED
136,500 in total, while the Support Consultants who are also needed throughout will
each earn AED 16,000 in total. Tools such as the SIM chip designing equipment will
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require AED 7,000 and materials including the HTTP server will cost AED 20,500.
Finally, a contingency fund is included to cover any unforeseen expenses that may
occur during the project and represents approximately 10% of the total budget. If the
money is not needed, it will be returned. The estimated total for the whole project is thus
AED 1,326,500.
6. Conclusion
The next generation of DMP is coming sooner or later, and this project paper might help
give birth to that new generation. The new generation of DMP will fix the limitations that
occur in current models, so that the users no longer need other tools to add file to their
devices. The DMP is designed to be portable and with the technology of GMS all the
services that are related to the DMP will be available online in the wireless connection.
This paper presents how the idea can be implemented by using existing technology
which already supports mobile devices, and applying some modifications and adding
other services. The idea is easily implemented and offers guaranteed success. The
DMP market is relatively new and all DMP manufacturers are sure to compete to have
the biggest share of the market, and this project is the winning card to triumph in this
competition.
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7. References
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Netherlands, April 21-22 2004. [Online]. Available:
http://www.siks.nl/txt/mobile5.txt December 21, 2008.
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