D2 Technologies—enabling ip communications™

D2’s mCUE™ software solution combines an innovative, patent pending communications user interface (CUI) with the company’s vPort MP IP Communications software platform to address the needs of OEMs and service providers delivering integrated Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) and Unified Communications (UC) functionality.

mCUE is specifically designed for mobile embedded devices, making it an ideal platform for smartphones, mid-range “feature phone” class devices and mobile internet devices like personal navigators, multimedia, gaming and other devices needing multimode communications services. Because it is interoperable with enterprise IP-PBXs and UC systems as well as service provider networks, mCUE provides enterprise users with mobile access to full directory services, extension calling, corporate IM, and other features typically only available on IP desk phones or PC-based soft phones. Its revolutionary user interface, built on top of a multi-identity, multi-session, multi-protocol engine, enables users to simultaneously log in into multiple different communications services such as SIP, Google Talk, Yahoo!, MSN, AIM, and others.

Communications UI

The mCUE (mobile Communications User Experience) is a complete dual-mode phone client, built from the following components:

mCUE CUI and mCUE UI Framework
vPort MP IP Communications middleware with IMS/VCC support for dual-mode handsets and ISI middleware abstraction layer
Integrated Graphics/Java/Browser Platform: Kaffe Virtual Machine; WebKit browser; GNU Classpath base classes; MiniGUI

Key Features & Functionality

Multiple modes of communication in a unified user interface: Real-time voice (CS and VoIP), PoC, IM, SMS and email

Unmatched usability and polished look & feel (fully customizable)

Multiple communications services accessible through one user interface combines mobile (CS) and internet (IP) communications modes and services

Account management for multiple IP (VoIP, VoIM, IM) and circuit switched communications services

Presence-centric intelligent contact list that automatically merges and synchronize online "buddy lists" and corporate directories

Enables users to maintain many simultaneous (i.e. IM, voice, PoC, SMS) conversations

Enterprise directory service integration

Support for and compatibility with pre-IMS and IMS communications modes

Graphical UI and contact list integration for enterprise (IP PBX) call control functions

Multi-radio, multi-network (mobile, WiFi, WiMax, etc.) communications, including vertical handoff and voice call continuity (VCC) for fixed/mobile convergence (FMC)

WiFi network access management, fast access point roaming

Contact list and calendar sync using standard protocols

Pluggable support for additional communications protocols and services

OTA update and provisioning

Proven VoIP softDSP voice engine with MHz-efficient codecs provides high voice quality

Communications protocol suite with SIP, XMPP, and others provides support for leading IP PBX / UC systems, VoIP ITSPs and commercial IM/VoIM systems

Complete NAT traversal support (ICE/STUN/TURN)

QoS support with configurable Diffserv, ToS bits, and WMM

Operating system portable: Support for Linux, embedded OSs, and other smartphone OSs

Connection management
(Wi-Fi connection & security management – e.g. automated and managed hotspot login)

Device management:: – Remote and automatic WAN/OTA management and upgrade; – Client software/firmware upgrade

mCUE’s user interface offers the latest advances in unified communications including presence-centric and push-to-X control over all types of sessions including voice, IM, SMS, and e-mail messaging. It includes an innovative presence-based converged contact list for all services and tools for managing multiple accounts, services and networks.

mCUE’s CUI utilizes D2’s Internet Service Interface (ISI) layer (part of the mCUE IP communications engine), a unique interface enabling multiple IM, VoIP and e-mail services as well as concurrent sessions. It can be customized to meet specific OEM application requirements and can be rebranded by service providers looking for revenue enhancing customer opportunities. Based on Java, the portable ISI middleware layer, and a portable embedded graphics subsystem, mCUE can run on most embedded OSs.

mCUE user interface is designed for the divergent IP communications, presenting access to detailed communications features as shown below.

UI Interface to access

Contact List and Presence Display

Sync contact list, remove duplicates

Multi-Session Control

Universal Notification for different services over divergent sessions

Service Management

Presence Control and Service Account Status

Converged History

Create and manage Favorites

Messaging Interface

Full functionality, full screen browser

Connectivity Management for WiFi and other radio connectivity

Settings and Preferences

Update management and application installation

System utilities

IP Communications Engine

The mCUE IP Communications engine provides the core protocol engine and codec processing function and additionally provides mCUE with seamless mobility features for Fixed-Mobile Convergence (FMC) via IMS-SIP and VCC functions. The mCUE IP Communications engine is based on D2’s vPort MP IP Communications middleware layer and supports multiple protocols for multiple communications services like IMS-SIP/SIMPLE for packet voice and messaging on wireless carrier networks, SIP/XMPP for enterprise IP PBX /UC systems as well as Jabber/Jingle protocols used by some of the commercially available IM/Voice services like GoogleTalk as well as Skype. Additional protocols like NAT traversal and VPN support enable mCUE to be deployed in end-to-end solution scenarios (e.g. enterprises) where such access/traversal secure features are necessary. mCUE leads the market in embedded VoIP performance, efficiency and platform support, enabling networking, signaling and voice processing functions to execute as an integrated solution on a single processor, thereby driving down costs. mCUE also includes a sophisticated softDSP voice engine designed to provide optimized voice quality and reliability, while conserving processor power of the handset’s main CPU. The voice engine includes voice codecs, jitter buffer, echo cancellation, packet loss compensation, and other critical voice signal processing functions.

mCUE’s ISI (Internet Service Interface) architectural layer provides the necessary abstraction of different IP and Circuit-Switched (e.g. Cellular) communications services for application programming and portability. It provides a protocol agnostic communications interface to applications layers above including support for voice calling, instant messaging, and presence. Under the ISI layer, a virtual DSP architecture enables the voice DSP functions to run as ìsoft DSPî on a RISC processor or as DSP code on a hardware DSP core, providing design flexibility. mCUE’s OSAL layer provides easy porting of vPort across different SoCs and operating systems. mCUE also includes platform hardware control features like codec control, Wi-Fi configuration management, LCD power management and processor speed stepping.

Designed for flexibility and portability, the mCUE IP Communications Engine can execute on both RISC and CISC platforms under industry-standard operating systems. It is currently optimized for both ARM and MIPS processor architectures under the VxWorks, Nucleus, and Linux operating systems and offers excellent power management and platform hardware control features. D2 technologies’ extensive experience in embedded IP communications, Java device platforms, and mobile user experience enables the company to provide core communications solutions for Android, Linux communications platforms, and other OS platforms used in mobile devices. In addition to Linux, mCUE will be available on other OS’s such as Android and Windows Mobile in the near future.

Portability to other embedded systems

mCUE is portable to wide range of microprocessors and operating systems. The initial implementation supports any Linux based smart phone. The mCUE SDK in installed and built on Intel x86 desktop PC running Linux version 2.6.12 or higher. Currently the SDK builds for Intel x86 and for ARM 9 processors running Linux version 2.4.20 or higher. For example, mCUE is available currently on target system which is ARM926 with MVLCEE 3.1 distribution of Monta Vista Linux.

In the near future, mCUE is expected to be ported to standardized Linux based smartphone OSs like Android and LiMo. Ports to proprietary Linux distributions will be available as customers require. It will be ported to other OSs like WinMo, iPhone, Symbian and RIM as well.

There is flexibility in porting the full mCUE solution or components of it. For example, the full mCUE solution may be ported or only the communications UI (CUI) may be ported or only the IP communications engine may be ported. There is also flexibility in choice of Graphics/SQL framework and the Java VM for porting.

The native embedded system programming environment must be made available to port the mCUE IP Communications Engine (vPort MP), Java VM and the Java compatible Graphics/SQL library components of mCUE. While mCUE has been implemented with Kaffe and JamVM Java virtual machines, mCUE is portable to any J2SE-like Java VM runtime environment (e.g. Dalvik).

The Communications UI (CUI) component, which includes the various mCUE applications like SIP dialer, IM application, PIM, as well as the Browser along with the Java Classpath class library, ports easily to the created Java environment. mCUE does not restrict the choice of the graphics library. For example, mCUE could port to the Qt/e graphics framework. However, a new AWT peer would need to be written in Classpath to interface with the chosen graphics framework. The choice of browser is also not restricted to Webkit. Webkit is derived from the same codebase as Apple Mobile Safari browser and the Android browser.

Third party applications running in native or Java environments can be added or integrated easily in to the mCue CUI. Native applications can be integrated into mCUE via the use of the Java-Native Interface (JNI) facility available in mCUE.