CES 2011 Real Networks previews cloud-based Unifi

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Real Networks previewed Unifi, their upcoming service to allow users to catalog and sync their music,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], pictures, and video between multiple devices and services using cloud computing. It works by first cataloging what’s on your computer, like your music. On its simplest level,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Unifi allows you to know what you have and where you have it. If you took a picture on your iPhone but haven’t downloaded it to your computer, or can’t find that song you know you bought, Unifi lets you search and find where it is. But Unifi’s real power is in syncing.

You can choose items in your library to send to The Cloud, and download them to the other devices and services: desktop,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], mobile, Facebook, Flickr. Want to automatically upload your iPhone photos? Want add a song to your Android phone that you bought on your desktop PC? Even better, Unifi will allow you to remotely add things to the cloud as long as the target devices is connected to the Internet: from inside a Unifi app or using a browser, you just go into your catalog, and if a song, video, or photo is listed but not synced, you can remotely upload it to the online service.

The restriction for iOS devices, of course, is that you can’t wirelessly add music to iTunes or video to the Video app because of Apple’s restrictions, but Real told me that they will be playable inside the Unifi app, and when the user syncs their device to their computer, it’ll automatically be added. No word on pricing, other than it’ll be a tiered subscription plan. Based on the preview, this looks like a really cool idea for helping to keep your digital life together.

See Appletell’s full CES 2011 coverage.