Android For Digital Signage: A Closer Look At 11Giraffes’ Platform

April 25, 2013 by Dave Haynes

11g-android

This is the entry #9 in a running series of closer looks at digital signage solution providers who have started working with the Android operating system and low-cost, ultra-small ARM processors.

At least 20 companies have introduced products based on the open-source Android operating system that is very widely used for smart devices like handsets and tablets, all of them using CPUs based on ARM reference designs. Most smartphones and tablets use ARM.

It is likely that much of the industry will shift to ARM-based devices using Android or Linux in the next 1-3 years because ARM devices now rival the processing power of lower cost x86 personal computing devices, but at a fraction of the cost and, in most cases, size.

11Giraffes

11g-logo11Giraffes started out many years ago as the Elevator Channel, a digital OOH network focused on putting screens in elevators in a manner similar to how it was being done by Captivate and, originally, by the Elevator News Network (where I got my start in this sector). The company has evolved pretty significantly through the years and, I am pretty certain, doesn’t do anything in elevators.

The Charlotte, NC-based software and content company is pretty heavily focused on retail these days, with both digital sign and in-store audio solutions. They work through a dealer channel and have services in place in everything from retail and hospitality to assisted living facilities and country clubs.

playstore11g

TThe core Android product is a lite version of the standard 11Giraffes software media player, ported to a teeny iPod Nano-shaped stick that costs less than $60. 11Giraffes says the media player is perfect for applications where single zone digital signage is required and client content is predominantly in the form of video and images. It can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.

The Android media player software is not specific to this stick and can be ported to other devices, including commercial-grade retail tablets. To that end, 11Giraffes announced a deal today with Outform to combine that company’s iDISPLAY commercial tablets with the 11Giraffes software.

“Outform’s iDISPLAY devices are incredibly well designed, visually attractive, and capable of presenting dynamic content using 11Giraffes software” says 11Giraffes Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Operations, Jim Marascio. “We appreciate the thought put into the iDISPLAY product line by Outform. They were specifically built for implementation in commercial environments; and as such, are easy to deploy and manage.”

11Giraffes And Android

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