Ecast announced during the January 2005 Consumer Electronics Show that it had deployed its 3000th digital downloading jukebox, at the Beacon Hill Pub, a Boston tavern operated by Melo-Tone Vending, a leading New England route operator for more than 50 years. All 3000 Ecast jukeboxes run Windows® XP Embedded, according to a company spokesperson.
The Ecast powered Rock-Ola Wallette is a
broadband-enabled, "digital downloading jukebox" intended for
commercial, pay-per-play use. This full featured jukebox provides access to a catalog of over 150,000 songs available via Ecast's
US-wide secure, location-based broadband entertainment network.
Built
by Rock-Ola Manufacturing, one of the oldest names in
pay-per-play commercial jukeboxes, the Wallette is the smallest model in
Rock-Ola's family of broadband enabled jukeboxes, being "just slightly
taller than a slice of triple-layer cake," according to Ecast CEO
Robbie Vann-Adibé. The device is based on a 1.2 GHz Celeron processor and
features a 12.1-inch VGA resolution touchscreen monitor, an automatic bill
and coin collector, and a credit card reader.
By introducing unprecedented choice to listeners, and
by delivering the most reliable digital jukebox device with the support of
Microsoft Windows® XP Embedded, Ecast has significantly increased cashbox
earnings by more than 150 percent on average over CD jukeboxes. Ecast has
installed broadband and the industry's top earning jukeboxes in food and
beverage service locations throughout all 50 U.S. states, giving the
company and its content partners access to a national audience of
listeners.
"My Ecast-powered jukeboxes outperform my CD jukeboxes by as much as 4 to 1, and that's because they have access to such a huge catalog of music, and because they never go down," said Christian Vara from Melo-Tone Vending, which operates a route of 33 Ecast jukeboxes throughout the greater Boston area. "If my jukeboxes don't work, I lose money, so reliability is critical."
"Containing all of the features, functionality, and familiarity of Windows® XP Professional in componentized form, Windows® XP Embedded makes it faster, easier and less expensive for device makers to develop reliable and full-featured connected devices," said Scott Horn, senior director, Mobile and Embedded Devices Division at Microsoft. "Ecast's digital-downloading jukeboxes exemplify the kinds of innovative devices being built with XP Embedded technologies."
Specifications for the Wallette:
- Processor -- 1.2 GHz Celeron on a micro ATX motherboard
- Memory -- 512 MB of RAM
- Display -- 12.1-inch 1024x768 resolution LCD touchscreen
- Storage -- 40 GB hard drive
- Payment -- Coins, $1 to $20 bills, credit cards
- Size -- 19 x 20 x 8 inches
