Sideloading
Encyclopedia
Sideloading is a term used in Internet culture
, similar to "upload" and "download"
, but in reference to the process of transferring data between two local devices, in particular between a computer and a mobile device such as a cellphone, smartphone
, PDA
, or portable media player
.
Sideloading typically refers to media file transfer to a mobile device via USB, Bluetooth or by writing directly to a memory card for insertion into the mobile device.
The launch of Apple’s iTunes Store
brought sideloading to the masses, even if the term was not widely adopted at the time. The service allowed iPod users to download content to their PCs and sideload it to their iPods. This approach was also adopted by other portable media player manufacturers.
For cell phones, sideloading was something of a niche, particularly as the performance, storage and transfer options varied greatly between devices. Although there were some early attempts at delivery of entire movies on memory cards, the number of devices supported was small and adoption was low.
However the situation started to change in June 2007 with the launch of Clippz.com. It allowed cell phone users to download and sideload user generated video in formats optimized for any device. In the same month, Apple launched its iPhone
, which was the first mobile phone to be focused on a sideload delivery of content (again from iTunes) rather than through the wireless network.
Today, sideloading is far more widespread and virtually every mobile device is capable of sideloading in one or more ways.
(Micro-USB) connection was an agreement come to by the OMTP in late 2007. Until this time, cell phone manufacturers had tended to adopt proprietary USB transfer solutions requiring the use of bundled or third party cables and software.
Transfer performance of USB sideloading varies greatly, depending on the USB version supported, and further still by the actual engineering implementation of the USB controller. USB is available in Low-Speed, Full-Speed, and Hi-Speed levels, with High-Speed USB transferring up to 480Mbit/s (60MB/s). However, the majority of cellphones as of the time of writing of this article are Full-Speed USB. Of the mobile products supporting USB 2.0 Hi-Speed, the actual sideloading performance usually ranges between 1-5MB/s. However, the popular BlackBerry
cellphones by RIM
and the iPods by Apple distance themselves at higher performing speeds of roughly 15.7MB/s and 9.6MB/s, respectively.
sideloading is an option that is generally only available to cell phones and some PDAs as it is not adopted in portable media players.
Bluetooth’s OBEX
/OPP
profiles allow for file transfer between a PC and a mobile device. Using this option is slightly more complicated than using a USB connection as the two devices have to be paired first. Also, unlike the familiar drag and drop that is usually available via USB, Bluetooth implementation is specific to the Bluetooth transceiver and drivers being used.
Files that are sideloaded to mobile devices via Bluetooth are often received as messages, in the same way that SMS
texts would be received. While these files can be saved to any storage medium, their initial location is the handset’s internal memory. As such the limitations of the internal memory have to be taken into account before beginning the sideload.
requires that the user have access to a memory card writer. Audio and video files can be written directly to the memory card and then inserted into the mobile device.
This is potentially the quickest way of sideloading several files at once, as long as the user knows where to put the media files.
The practicality of this solution varies between different mobile devices according to the accessibility of the memory card. On many devices the card can be hot-swapped via a slot on the side of the devices. In other cases, the card is located under the battery and so the device must be first switched off and the battery removed before the transfer can take place.
PushTV from NXVision allows secure copies of an event, such as TV programmes, which are rendered suitable for playback on a mobile device, and pushing (transferring) wirelessly to the said mobile device. This copy is fully protected by suitable digital rights management (DRM) and is modified from the original broadcast to fit the size of screen present on mobile device, and also to reduce the file space required.
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, similar to "upload" and "download"
Uploading and downloading
In computer networks, to download means to receive data to a local system from a remote system, or to initiate such a data transfer. Examples of a remote system from which a download might be performed include a webserver, FTP server, email server, or other similar systems...
, but in reference to the process of transferring data between two local devices, in particular between a computer and a mobile device such as a cellphone, smartphone
Smartphone
A smartphone is a high-end mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone. The first smartphones were devices that mainly combined the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone or camera...
, PDA
Personal digital assistant
A personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...
, or portable media player
Portable media player
A portable media player or digital audio player, is a consumer electronics device that is capable of storing and playing digital media such as audio, images, video, documents, etc. the data is typically stored on a hard drive, microdrive, or flash memory. In contrast, analog portable audio...
.
Sideloading typically refers to media file transfer to a mobile device via USB, Bluetooth or by writing directly to a memory card for insertion into the mobile device.
History
The term "sideload" was coined in the late 1990s by online storage service xdrive.com as an alternative means of transferring and storing computer files. In 2000 idrive.com applied for a trademark on the term. Rather than initiating a traditional file "download" from a web/ftp site to their computer, a user could perform a "sideload" and have the file transferred directly into their personal storage area on the service. Usage of this feature began to decline as newer hard drives became cheaper and the space on them grew each year into the gigabytes.The launch of Apple’s iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
brought sideloading to the masses, even if the term was not widely adopted at the time. The service allowed iPod users to download content to their PCs and sideload it to their iPods. This approach was also adopted by other portable media player manufacturers.
For cell phones, sideloading was something of a niche, particularly as the performance, storage and transfer options varied greatly between devices. Although there were some early attempts at delivery of entire movies on memory cards, the number of devices supported was small and adoption was low.
However the situation started to change in June 2007 with the launch of Clippz.com. It allowed cell phone users to download and sideload user generated video in formats optimized for any device. In the same month, Apple launched its iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
, which was the first mobile phone to be focused on a sideload delivery of content (again from iTunes) rather than through the wireless network.
Today, sideloading is far more widespread and virtually every mobile device is capable of sideloading in one or more ways.
Advantages
Sideloading has several advantages when compared with other ways of delivering content to mobile devices:- There are no wireless data charges. Sideloading delivery does not involve a wireless carrier.
- Content can be optimized for each mobile device. As there are no mobile network restrictions, content can be tailored for each device. This is more important for video playback, where the lowest common denominator is often a limiting factor on wireless networks.
- There are no geographic limitations on the delivery of content for sideloading as are implicit in the limited coverage of wireless networks.
- The content is not streamed, and can be permanently stored in the mobile device, It can be listened to or watched at the user’s convenience.
- Sideloading is an excellent mechanism for proximity marketingProximity marketingProximity marketing is the localized wireless distribution of advertising content associated with a particular place. Transmissions can be received by individuals in that location who wish to receive them and have the necessary equipment to do so....
.
Disadvantages
Sideloading also has disadvantages:- Streaming mediaStreaming mediaStreaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
is generally preferred to downloading (why?), thus there is limited content available to download and sideload.
- There is no common DRMDigital rights managementDigital rights management is a class of access control technologies that are used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals with the intent to limit the use of digital content and devices after sale. DRM is any technology that inhibits uses of digital content that...
solution that covers all devices (so what?) that can make use of sideloading delivery, although companies such as NXVision are active in this area.
- There are huge variations in performance capability for mobile devices that can make use of sideloading, from simple cell phones with limited video playback, to high-end portable media playerPortable media playerA portable media player or digital audio player, is a consumer electronics device that is capable of storing and playing digital media such as audio, images, video, documents, etc. the data is typically stored on a hard drive, microdrive, or flash memory. In contrast, analog portable audio...
s. Unless the audio/video file is encoded with the target device in mind, playback may not be possible. Companies like Clippz address this problem.
- Some wireless carrierMobile phone companyMobile phone company is a company that manufactures Mobile phones. This type of company should not be confused with a Mobile network operator, which is a telephone company that provides GSM services for Mobile phone subscribers....
s (most notably Verizon WirelessVerizon WirelessCellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, is one of the largest mobile network operators in the United States. The network has 107.7 million subscribers as of 2011, making it the largest wireless service provider in America....
) require that handset manufacturers limit the sideload capabilities of devices on their networks as a form of vendor lock-inVendor lock-inIn economics, vendor lock-in, also known as proprietary lock-in or customer lock-in, makes a customer dependent on a vendor for products and services, unable to use another vendor without substantial switching costs...
. This usually results in the loss of USB and Bluetooth as sideload options (though memory cardMemory cardA memory card or flash card is an electronic flash memory data storage device used for storing digital information. They are commonly used in many electronic devices, including digital cameras, mobile phones, laptop computers, MP3 players, and video game consoles...
transfer is still available).
USB sideloading
Sideloading over a standardized USBUniversal Serial Bus
USB is an industry standard developed in the mid-1990s that defines the cables, connectors and protocols used in a bus for connection, communication and power supply between computers and electronic devices....
(Micro-USB) connection was an agreement come to by the OMTP in late 2007. Until this time, cell phone manufacturers had tended to adopt proprietary USB transfer solutions requiring the use of bundled or third party cables and software.
Transfer performance of USB sideloading varies greatly, depending on the USB version supported, and further still by the actual engineering implementation of the USB controller. USB is available in Low-Speed, Full-Speed, and Hi-Speed levels, with High-Speed USB transferring up to 480Mbit/s (60MB/s). However, the majority of cellphones as of the time of writing of this article are Full-Speed USB. Of the mobile products supporting USB 2.0 Hi-Speed, the actual sideloading performance usually ranges between 1-5MB/s. However, the popular BlackBerry
BlackBerry
BlackBerry is a line of mobile email and smartphone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion since 1999.BlackBerry devices are smartphones, designed to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, internet browsers, gaming devices, and much more...
cellphones by RIM
Research In Motion
Research In Motion Limited or RIM is a Canadian multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada that designs, manufactures and markets wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market...
and the iPods by Apple distance themselves at higher performing speeds of roughly 15.7MB/s and 9.6MB/s, respectively.
Bluetooth sideloading
BluetoothBluetooth
Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...
sideloading is an option that is generally only available to cell phones and some PDAs as it is not adopted in portable media players.
Bluetooth’s OBEX
OBEX
OBEX is a communications protocol that facilitates the exchange of binary objects between devices. It is maintained by the Infrared Data Association but has also been adopted by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group and the SyncML wing of the Open Mobile Alliance...
/OPP
OPP
OPP or Opp may refer to:* The U.S. E.P.A. Office of Pesticide Programs* Ontario Provincial Police, the provincial police service of Ontario, Canada* Opp, Alabama, a town in southern Alabama, United States* "O.P.P...
profiles allow for file transfer between a PC and a mobile device. Using this option is slightly more complicated than using a USB connection as the two devices have to be paired first. Also, unlike the familiar drag and drop that is usually available via USB, Bluetooth implementation is specific to the Bluetooth transceiver and drivers being used.
Files that are sideloaded to mobile devices via Bluetooth are often received as messages, in the same way that SMS
SMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
texts would be received. While these files can be saved to any storage medium, their initial location is the handset’s internal memory. As such the limitations of the internal memory have to be taken into account before beginning the sideload.
Memory card sideloading
Sideloading via a memory cardMemory card
A memory card or flash card is an electronic flash memory data storage device used for storing digital information. They are commonly used in many electronic devices, including digital cameras, mobile phones, laptop computers, MP3 players, and video game consoles...
requires that the user have access to a memory card writer. Audio and video files can be written directly to the memory card and then inserted into the mobile device.
This is potentially the quickest way of sideloading several files at once, as long as the user knows where to put the media files.
The practicality of this solution varies between different mobile devices according to the accessibility of the memory card. On many devices the card can be hot-swapped via a slot on the side of the devices. In other cases, the card is located under the battery and so the device must be first switched off and the battery removed before the transfer can take place.
Sideloading-specific solutions
The Mobile Video Platform (MVP) from Clippz allows rights holders to deliver device-optimized video via sideload to any video-enabled mobile device. The solution covers over 400 mobile devices from basic cell phones through to iPods, portable media players and PDAs.PushTV from NXVision allows secure copies of an event, such as TV programmes, which are rendered suitable for playback on a mobile device, and pushing (transferring) wirelessly to the said mobile device. This copy is fully protected by suitable digital rights management (DRM) and is modified from the original broadcast to fit the size of screen present on mobile device, and also to reduce the file space required.