Recognizing that homes of the future will have ever Increasing Internet connectivity, Intel Corp. and Sony Corp. announced today their intention to collaborate in developing products capable of sharing electronic content with PCs.

The consumer electronic devices being talked about with this feature are digital cameras, digital camcorders, and portable music players. Intel claims that the effort is part of that company_s vision of the "e-Home," a place where the Internet is seamlessly available throughout a range of connected devices. Intel says the PC will be the primary Internet access device for the e-Home, having already assumed a central role in providing such connectivity and interoperability between various devices. However, in an interview with Newsbytes, Sony Electronics, Inc., spokesperson, Mack Araki, said the PC is only one means by which Sony sees future Internet accessibility. He mentioned access through television set-top boxes and game consoles as other means of connecting to the Internet, which would co-exist with the PC. Intel is also not concentrating on the PC_s connectivity to the Internet, to the exclusion of other means and devices. As part of the collaboration, the two companies said they will help make the e-Home a reality by working together in several areas. One of these areas is enabling PC manufacturers to implement Sony_s Memory Stick read-and-write capability. Memory Stick is a removable recording device based on flash memory technology that allows off-line sharing of digital content. It will facilitate the sharing of digital content between various consumer electronic devices. To allow for networked sharing of digital content and control of various devices, the two companies said, they will work together on wired and wireless home networking solutions for the e-Home. As part of these efforts, Sony and Intel will work on the possibility of bridging uPnP (Universal Plug & Play) and HAVi (Home Audio Video), which is used to control consumer electronic devices.