Aftek Limited Successfully Ports Android Bsp On Pxa270 Mobile Platform With Stb (set-top Box)

June 5, 2009 - PRLog -- Pune– Aftek Limited – Android BSP has been successfully ported with STB application on PXA270 platform. The high level of expertise provided by STB can also be traced to the fact that Aftek has developed a hardware platform based on PXA270 processor and then customized Android BSP for it, the very platform on which the STB application has been ported. Extensive experience of Linux BSP has enabled Aftek to develop a variety of solutions based on Android BSP. The Android STB application provides extensive feature set such as online bill payment, news, e-shopping, weather forecast, integration with services like YouTube, Google maps etc. The consumer has a highly interactive interface while using a set-top box or mobile handset. It supports various interfaces like ethernet, touchpad, audio, video and USB host facilitating wide range of applications. Thus, the porting of Android BSP with STB application demonstrates that Aftek is well placed to develop complete Android based end to end solutions.

Overview of Aftek Limited’s Android BSP for PXA270
Google Android is an open source and configurable mobile handset platform based on Linux 2.6. Android offers a full stack including an operating system, middleware, and key mobile applications. Android also includes Dalvik virtual machine for Java application. PXA270 processor is widely used for mobile and portable applications. Aftek’s distinct offerings include:
•Design and development of hardware prototypes based on PXA270 platform
•Customized Android BSP for PXA270 platform
•Enhanced boot loader with support for firmware upgrade
•Optimized root file system
•Development of drivers for different interfaces including Ethernet, graphical display, touchpad, USB host with support for mass storage and HID classes, flash memory

How does the STB application actually work to provide the required data to the end user?
When the STB client (consumer) wants to access certain data (Example: News), the STB application accesses the application server over ethernet. The application server on desktop side performs two functions so that it can be presented to the STB client, a) retrieving data from the main database b) encoding it for the STB application. User can navigate through the menu using touch pad or USB keyboard. User can view his personal contents using USB mass storage device. Streaming audio and video can be enjoyed using Ethernet. The figure illustrates the area of deployment of the STB application.


Features of STB application and their range of functions:

•Banking: It enables the user to perform online banking transactions like checking the balance, transferring funds, ordering demand drafts or pay orders, and more.
•Maps: It displays the map of the selected city with important locations that the user can browse through.
•Weather forecasts: It displays the weather information of the selected city with forecasts and satellite pictures.
•YouTube videos: It displays the standard video list (top rated, most viewed). A user can see videos by selecting the desired video.
•News: It provides the latest news directly from the Internet with complete data and pictures. The news will be on subjects like business, sports, entertainment, health, India, and world.
•Bills: Using this application, the user can check and pay the bills of various utilities and service providers. User will have various payment options like credit card, debit card, cash card, and online banking.
•Astro: It provides information related to astrology based on the zodiac signs. It will have sub-features like horoscope, numerology, zodiac traits, lifestyle, and so on.

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Aftek stands for Affordable Technology. Our mission has always been to make technology affordable to every business, irrespective of size or capacity. Over the last 20 years, Aftek has gained significant exposure to a variety of technologies. Rich technological capabilities, focused investments in Research & Development and industry exposure have enabled us to reach beyond the basic IT services, to design and implement products, and deliver end-to-end solutions to customers in diverse industries. We specialize in end-to-end solutions that require design and development of hardware, BSP, embedded and business applications. Aftek prides itself on being flexible and cater to each customer in a more personalized manner. We focus on strong customer relationship and delivery ownership. With its unique capacity to provide end to end solutions, Aftek is perfectly placed to develop hardware and software applications based on open source platforms like Android.