I have hesitated to post this email I received from Putnam on friday afternoon. The last time I posted an email from Putnam the bashers and drones on IHUB used it as fodder to fuel their agenda. But the good far outweighs the bad in my opinion and his brief email explains why Micro O/S was not the system of choice for the embedded system. Bare in mind, in the Shepard DeCuir article, it states up front that the digEsystem is based on the digEplayer. It also states that the digeplayer is being enhanced with a credit card reader. The development of both should be an additional clue as to the integrator of the systems. I think Putnam told me as much as he was able, given the limitations of disclosures. I believe the company will update us on more specific details of the embedded system in the next business update as I requested.

Thank you for your e-mail, Larry. While we work with and integrate other systems, we have always stated that MicroOS`(tm) strength is in managing customized portable, battery-powered devices.

Best regards,

Robert Putnam

Sr. Vice President

e.Digital Corporation

13114 Evening Creek Drive South

San Diego, CA 92128

http://www.edigital.com

Tel: 858.679.3168

Fax: 858.486.3922

E-mail: rputnam@edigital.com

My Question,

From the following article,

http://www.shephard.co.uk/inflight/Default.aspx?Action=-1000945703&ID=3425ee71-9778-4769-9fe3-e425ecd5323d

It says, ``Its hard disc contains the Linux operating system, a suite of applications, an HTML browser, and a library of content such as audio, video and other media forms.``

I would encourage you do reinforce our working relationship with Wencor in the next business update. There are those that would disparage the company and our involvement with the embedded system because there is no reference to Micro O/S. It may be as simple as restating what was said in the last business update. ``At the request of APS/Wencor, we are enhancing the digEplayer to expedite the content logistics process and expand customer transaction options. These enhancements are expected to enable APS/Wencor to support larger orders from existing and new airline customers as well as position them to land IFE business from the major carriers.” I know that a decision to utilize Linux would be eDigitals decision and not Wencor`s but I think it would be helpful to explain why.

Thank you

Larry Jenkins

The entire article is below.

APS/Wencor aims to halve cost of IFE with digEsystem

April 14, 2005 - WITH its new digEsystem embedded version of the successful digEplayer handheld, APS/Wencor is aiming to cut the cost of in-seat IFE by 50 per cent.

According to industry veteran Tracy DeCuir, recently appointed to manage digEsystem development and support marketing and sales, the cost of equipping all the seats in an Airbus A320, for example, would be half that of a traditional IFE system.

DeCuir says that digEsystem is now in development, with the initial installation scheduled for the first quarter of next year. It is already being offered to the airlines, and many carriers have expressed interest, he says.

digEsystem is based on digEplayer, with the exception that the passenger unit - called the the Embedded Digital Video Player (eDVP) - will run off standard in-seat power from Astronics, KID-Systeme or Page Aerospace and will have an IEEE 802.11a wireless network capability.

Also fitted with a stereo audio jack on the front panel, the eDVP has built-in button controls for on/off, brightness, channel and volume. Its hard disc contains the Linux operating system, a suite of applications, an HTML browser, and a library of content such as audio, video and other media forms.

digEplayer is currently being developed to receive a credit-card reader, and digESystem’s eDVP will be similarly equipped. The reader will be used to pay for content and to support other forms of inflight commerce. Transaction data will be stored in flight and then transferred on a secure wireless network to the card companies after the aircraft has landed for the day.

The eDVP will also have a USB 2.0 port to accommodate game controllers, keyboards and memory sticks. The game controllers are intended allow a wider selection of action-type games.

In a typical installation, the aircraft will have a docking station in each seatback, allowing the airline to fine-tune its IFE provision by installing eDVPs in any seat, zone or cabin, on the ground or in flight. Airline staff will be able to add or remove the eDVP in less than a minute, using a simple security installation tool that will be small enough to fit on a key-ring but complex enough to discourage theft. A quick-disconnect system will allow cabin crew to easily remove and replace defective units in flight.

In a basic installation, each eDVP would hold its content on a 60Gb hard disc, so that no head-end equipment is needed. But a central media server and wireless access point are in development to support the extra interactive functions - moving maps, gate information, news, weather, sport, pre-recorded TV programming, intranet - that APS/Wencor plans to introduce.

Time-sensitive content will be loaded to the media server on the ground by either a USB memory device or the PML’s wired high-speed port. The server will store the content and then distribute it wirelessly to all the eDVPs at the correct time. The media server could also act as a router for aircraft interfaces, offboard communications systems and all digEsystem cabin and maintenance functions.

Other planned enhancements include integration with inflight television, multiplayer games, broadband Internet connectivity - this would require the addition to the aircraft of a terrestrial or satellite air-to-ground communications system - and onboard public wireless LAN.

Content will be viewed on an 8in LCD touchscreen and refreshed regularly, with the 802.11a network providing the link between individual eDVPs and a portable media loader (PML) while the aircraft is on the ground. The PML - a battery-powered ruggedised computer incorporating a wireless access point and an Ethernet hub - will also be used to retrieve transaction and usage data from each eDVP.

Passenger content will include digEtunes (MP3 audio-on-demand, playlists), digEvideo (MPEG-4 video-on-demand films, shorts, music videos, TV programmes), digEgames (board games, single-player action games with controller), digEreader (PDF books, periodicals), digEtv (broadcast audio and video, safety demos), digEnet (onboard intranet, cached Web pages), digEnews (electronic newspaper), digEairport (airport, connecting-gate and destination information) and digEmap (flight information and flightpath).

Airline operational applications include digEdata (usage statistics and passenger surveys) and digEcrew (based on a specially configured eDVP with crew-only menus, used to start and stop safety demos and for text messaging to passengers).

• Icelandair is the latest carrier to acquire digEplayer, the original APS product. Operating from a hub at Keflavik Airport, Icelandair offers daily and regular scheduled services to Europe and North America.

Larry