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Qualcomm and DoubleTwist join forces for MagicPlay: AirPlay for Android

Qualcomm, mobile phone chip maker has joined forces with DoubleTwist to announce MagicPlay, a service which promises to be AirPlay for Android phones and tablets. 

Based on Qualcomm’s own AllJoyn framework, the idea is that any Android phone or tablet will be able to wirelessly stream content to any other device with a Qualcomm chip inside running AllJoyn.

So that’ll be any smart TVs, monitors, set-top boxes, car stereo systems and any other phones or tablets with AllJoyn-compliant Qualcomm chips.

Read Recombu Digital’s guide to streaming from phones and tablets to your TV

In time, the idea is that other products will be able to support MagicPlay, regardless of the chips inside. MagicPlay will be an open source venture, meaning other manufacturers can get on board without having to fork out for licence fees.

DoubleTwist famously launched its own ‘iTunes for Android’ service, allowing Android users to easily manage their own music years before Google Play, so we don’t think that the ‘AirPlay for Android’ (our quotes) comparison is that far off the mark.

What tricks does MagicPlay have up its sleeve?

Services that Qualcomm’s confirmed to be part of MagicPlay’s ‘core services’ include wireless audio streaming, a mirror mode, apps to control connected ‘smart’ devices without screens (such as wireless speakers) and a way for devices to send and receive texts and other notifications while streaming/playing content.

Right now it’s looking like it’ll do for Android phones and tablets what Apple’s AirPlay does for iPhone and iPad owners.

Qualcomm’s Rob Chandhok, president of the Qualcomm Innovation Center hopes that “A useful Internet of Everything will emerge when connected products, applications and consumer services can interact via a common communications protocol.”

Support from other manufacturers is key to the success of MagicPlay, but the fact its open source gives us hope that it won’t go the way of DLNA.

Jon Lech Johansen, co-founder of DoubleTwist argues this won’t be the case, saying: “Our partnership with Qualcomm will enable OEMs to easily integrate this functionality with devices they bring to market.”

Qualcomm will soon post a full list of features over on AllJoyn.org and DoubleTwist hopes to have the MagicPlay source code released to developers by the end of Summer 2013.

MagicPlay is a very interesting proposition that looks set to compliment services like Wi-Fi Direct and Wi-Di, as well as becoming yet another way to wirelessly stream content to your TV screen.

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