MSN® Direct

MSN^® Direct is a unique information service using the Microsoft^® DirectBand™ wireless datacasting network to deliver information to devices such as Smart Watches for MSN Direct, the Oregon Scientific Complete Regional Weather Station with MSN Direct Weather Data Service, the Melitta Smart Mill & Brew Coffee Maker, Personal navigation systems from Garmin, and Microsoft Streets & Trips 2008 with Connected Services.
資料來源：http://www.msndirect.com/MSNDirectAbout.aspx

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Microsoft® DirectBand™ is a wide-area wireless datacast network built and operated by Microsoft. The network utilizes unused FM radio spectrum to constantly stream data to 125 cities in the US and Canada, including the top 100 biggest cities in all 50 US states and five Canadian provinces. The network has been up and running since the end of 2003, with the first products being Smart Watches with the MSN Direct service.

DirectBand is particularly well suited for delivering frequently changing data to low-powered mobile devices. Examples include sending traffic conditions to navigation devices, weather reports to table-top weather stations, and movie times to Smart Watches. It can also be used to maintain extremely accurate time in a variety of devices, and automatically adjusts for Daylight Savings Time and time zones.

Several leading consumer electronics companies have already built products with DirectBand receivers, and more products are on the way from additional companies. If your company is interested in learning more about DirectBand and how it can enhance your products with live content, this site is for you.
資料來源：http://www.msndirect.com/DirectBand_Network_Main_Page.htm

相關報導：

微軟開始測試SPOT技術

[CES 2008]新一代Garmin Nuvi 800系列增加聲控功能

Google 地圖行動版加入定位功能

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Google Maps三角定位功能
Google Maps功能再進化，現在有定位服務囉！它不是用GPS來定位，但它可以告訴你大約的位置。

之前，若你在咖啡店中想搜尋附近哪裡有影印店時，得先輸入一個地址進行定位，之後Google Maps for Mobile才會顯示出附近店家的列表。
現在新推出的測試版則利用手機基地台的三角定位原理來抓出使用者所在地。

相關報導：
http://www.google.conn.tw/2007/11/google_30.html
http://taiwan.cnet.com/crave/0,2000088746,20127119,00.htm

Overlay Surface Overview[MSDN]

轉貼MSDN
Overlay surfaces, casually referred to as overlays, are surfaces with special hardware-supported capabilities.

Overlay surfaces are frequently used to display live video, recorded video, or still bitmaps over the primary surface without blitting to the primary surface or changing the primary surface's contents in any way.

Overlay surface support is provided entirely by the hardware; DirectDraw supports any capabilities as reported by the display device driver. DirectDraw does not emulate overlay surfaces.

An overlay surface is analogous to a clear piece of plastic that you draw on and place in front of the monitor.

When the overlay is in front of the monitor, you can see both the overlay and the contents of the primary surface together, but when you remove it, the primary surface's contents are unchanged.

In fact, the mechanics of overlays work much like the clear plastic analogy. When you display an overlay surface, you are telling the device driver where and how you want it to be visible.

While the display device paints scan lines to the monitor, it checks the location of each pixel in the primary surface to see if an overlay should be visible there instead. If so, the display device substitutes data from the overlay surface for the corresponding pixel, as shown in the following illustration.

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By using this method, the display adapter produces a composite of the primary surface and the overlay on the monitor, providing transparency and stretching effects, without modifying the contents of either surface.

The composite surfaces are injected into the video stream and sent directly to the monitor. Because this on-the-fly processing and pixel substitution is handled at the hardware level, no noticeable performance loss occurs when displaying overlays.

Additionally, this method makes it possible to seamlessly composite primary and overlay surfaces with different pixel formats.

You create overlay surfaces by calling the IDirectDraw::CreateSurface method, specifying the DDSCAPS_OVERLAY flag in the associated DDSCAPS structure.

Overlay surfaces can only be created in video memory, so you must also include the DDSCAPS_VIDEOMEMORY flag.

As with other types of surfaces, by including the appropriate flags you can create either a single overlay or a flipping chain made up of multiple overlay surfaces.

[轉貼]Samsung全新TouchWiz UI觸摸介面

轉貼癮科技

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[轉貼]何謂 DirectX？

轉貼：http://www.gamebase.com.tw/forum/content.html?sno=65634843

DirectX 提供存取顯示卡及音效卡的功能，可讓程式提供寫實的立體 (3D) 圖形及環場的音樂及視訊效果。DirectX 是一組低階「應用程式發展介面 (API)」，可提供 Windows 程式高效能硬體加速的多媒體支援。
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DirectX 可讓程式輕易地決定電腦的硬體功能，並依此設定符合的程式參數。這可讓多媒體軟體程式在任何具備 DirectX 相容硬體及驅動程式的 Windows 型電腦上執行，並確保多媒體程式能充分利用高效能的硬體。

DirectX 包含一組 API 供存取對高效能硬體進階功能，如 3-D 圖形加速晶片及音效卡。這些 API 控制著低階功能，包含 2-D 圖形加速；支援如搖桿、鍵盤及滑鼠等輸入裝置；以及控制音效混合及輸出。組成 DirectX 的這些元件支援低階功能：

Microsoft DirectDraw

Microsoft DirectDraw API 支援極快速存取電腦視訊介面卡上的加速硬體功能。它支援在所有視訊介面卡上顯示圖形的標準方法，並在使用加速驅動程式時，可以更快且更直接的存取。 DirectDraw 為程式 (如遊戲、2-D 圖形套裝軟體) 及 Windows 系統元件 (如數位視訊轉碼器) 提供一種與裝置無關的方法，以取得對指定顯示裝置的存取功能，而不需使用者提供關於裝置功能額外的資訊。

Microsoft Direct3D

Microsoft Direct3D API (Direct3D) 為內建於大多數新視訊介面卡的 3-D 轉換功能提供一個介面。Direct3D 是低階 3-D API，為軟體程式提供與裝置無關的方法，有效地與加速硬體進行通訊。Direct3D 包括特定之 CPU 指示設定的支援，可提供較新電腦的額外加速功能。

Microsoft DirectSound

Microsoft DirectSound API 提供程式與視訊介面卡的音效混合、播放功能之間的連結。DirectSound 提拱多媒體軟體程式低延遲混音、硬體加速，以及存取音效裝置。它會提供此功能並同時維護與現存裝置驅動程式的相容性。

Microsoft DirectMusic

Microsoft DirectMusic API 是 DirectX 的互動視訊元件。和擷取及播放數位音效範例的 DirectSound API 不同，DirectMusic 是處理數位音訊，以及藉由音效卡或內建的軟體合成器轉換為數位音訊的訊息型音樂資料。DirectMusic API 可支援 Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) 格式的輸入，並同時支援壓縮及未壓縮的數位音訊格式。 DirectMusic 提供的軟體開發程式具備建立動態音軌的能力，可以回應軟體環境中的各種變更，不僅是直接的使用者輸入。

Microsoft DirectInput

Microsoft DirectInput API 為遊戲、搖桿處理程序輸入，以及其他相關裝置，包含滑鼠、鍵盤及其他遊戲控制器 (如壓力反饋遊戲控制器) 提供進階輸入。

Microsoft DirectPlay

Microsoft DirectPlay API 支援透過數據機、網際網路或 LAN 上的遊戲連線。DirectPlay 簡化了對通訊服務的存取，並且為遊戲提供一種彼此通訊、獨立於基本通訊協定或線上服務的方式。DirectPlay 提供的 Lobbying 服務可簡化多玩家遊戲的起始設定並支援可靠的通訊協定，來確保重要的遊戲資料不會在網路上遺失。DirectPlay 8.0 的新功能是支援網路上的語音通訊，這可以大為提昇團隊型、多玩家遊戲的遊戲樂趣，並透過提供與其他遊戲者談話的能力，而為社交遊戲開啟新的一頁。

Microsoft DirectShow

Microsoft DirectShow API 可提供多媒體檔案 (位於您電腦及網際網路伺服器上) 的高品質擷取及播放。DirectShow 可支援各式各樣的音訊及視訊格式，包括「進階資料流格式 (ASF)」、「影像交錯技術 (AVI)」、「數位影像 (DV)」、Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG)、 MPEG Audio Layer-3 (MP3)、Windows Media Audio/Video (WMA/WMV) 及 WAV 檔案。 DirectShow 可啟用影像擷取、DVD 播放、視訊編輯及混合、硬體加速影像解碼，以及廣播類比訊號及數位電視訊號的調整。
測試 DirectX 元件可以在已連接至您系統的每個監視器上測試 Microsoft DirectDraw 及 Direct3D。也可在每個音效輸出裝置上測試 DirectSound，並在每個音樂連接埠上測試 DirectMusic。