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DAVE - formally codenamed Crickett - is essentially a Seagate hard drive of up to 20GB with a platform for connecting to a mobile phone and desktop via WiFi or Bluetooth.

The company envisions users being able to store video content on the device, which can be paired up with a mobile phone that can subsequently be used to view it.

A Bluetooth connection means a DAVE device can be accessed from up to 10m, so can be left in a bag rather than having it always to hand.

However, the reference design specs out a device that is extremely portable. Physically it compares with a stack of credits cards at 61 x 89 x 12mm and weighs 70g.

Battery life is pegged at 14 days on standby or 10 hours streaming video.

The software platform is open-source, allowing

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third-parties to create applications and tools, and it will be sold via mobile operators under their range of phones.

A DAVE Software Developers Kit will be available in March offering a fast track development route for building videogames, applications that manage and play multimedia, enhanced GPS systems, and other software.

This will allow them to specify the services available via the device, from simply offloading video and photos taken on a phone to it, to more sophisticated applications such as uploading content to a blogging application or using a mobile phone as a mini PVR.

'Mobile telephony is undergoing a multimedia revolution, and the DAVE mobile content platform will provide even more fuel for the growth of new music and video services over mobile networks,' said Patrick King, senior vice president and general manager of Seagate's consumer electronics business unit. 'Products using DAVE technology will enable digital content, whether for business or entertainment use, to be stored, moved, and connected in ways never before possible. Mobile carriers can use this technology for creating value from their investments in high-bandwidth networks, and mobile handset manufacturers have another tool for turning the multimedia phone into the centre of the mobile consumer's digital life.'