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JUNE 21st, 2005
Maxim GPS Solution Eliminates Baseband IC - Solution Pegged
at $4.00
Maxim Integrated Products (NASDAQ:MXIM)now offers a GPS solution
based on its GPS front-end receiver and Royal Philips Electronics’ Spot GPS software. The software is credited with
the elimination of the baseband IC needed for all-hardware design architectures. The software also permits a higher level
of user programmable features. Types of features the software adds include indoor or outdoor optimization functions. The software
allows GPS functionality to be imparted into different consumer products for different applications. End GPS consumer markets
includes cellular phones, digital cameras, DVD players, laptops, MP3 music machines and PDAs.
Emphasizing the breaking of the consumer cost barrier, power, and
size obstacles was Dr. Saeed Navid, Vice President at Maxim Integrated Products, "We are very excited about this breakthrough
technology. Until today, mass deployment of location technology in mobile devices was hindered by the high cost, power consumption,
and size of GPS implementation. By combining Maxim's expertise in RF IC design and manufacturing with Philips's innovative
software GPS technology, we are responding to the demanding market requirements for mobile and portable applications."
Mr. Hans Streng, CEO of Philips Software, high lighted the cost-performance
breakthrough, "We are extremely happy to be going to market with Maxim's high-performance front-end and excited about radically
redefining the price-performance benchmark for GPS."
The initial reference design for the joint GPS solution facilitates
GPS and UBS based laptops for such applications as gaming and industrial control applications.
The reference design includes Maxim's MAX2741 GPS receiver front-end
and Philips' Spot ANSI C software, which can be run on almost any processor. Ones that Maxim lists include ARM, Intel Xscale
or TI-OMAP processor.
JUNE 10th, 2005
Optichron
Reduces Nonlinear Distortion 90 Percent - New Module Includes Linearizer Technology
Optichron Inc. a fabless semiconductor company, which just this March received $17 million
in Series B venture capital funding, has introduced its first products that incorporate its advanced nonlinear signal processing
technology, called Turbolinear. The company states that Turbolinear reduces nonlinear distortion by more than 90 percent in
high-speed piplelined data converters.
The Turbolinear technology is now available in the company's analog
to digital converter modules for applications such as multi-channel / multi-mode receivers, base stations and medical imaging
equipment. Specifications for one of the modules, the M1400A-105 ADC module, which incorporates Optichron's Linearizer integrated
circuit along with an AD6645 ADC and AD8351 amplifier, include a Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) of 70 dB and a Spurious Free
Dynamic Range (SFDR) of 90 dB. Both specifications are based on an input frequency of 150 MHz. Volume production of the 105
is expected in the fourth quarter of 2005.
Roy Batruni, CEO of Optichron noted the cost significance of the
encapsulated achievement, "Optichron's Turbolinear technology is the first of its kind to transform nonlinear signal processing
from the realm of pure science into a practical engineering language uniquely suited to address the pervasive problem of nonlinear
distortion. Turbolinear technology allows engineers to utilize versatile filter architectures that eliminate nonlinear distortion
in a way that is both cost-effective and easy to implement in low-power semiconductor products."
JUNE 8th, 2005
u-Nav Microelectronics Introduces Low-Power, Battery Powered
GPS / Cellular Chipset
u-Nav Microelectronics, whose investor and partner include Trimble
Navigation, a leading GPS systems company, has introduced its uN9018 chipset for low-power GPS receiver applications. The
uN9018 chipset includes the uN1008 CMOS RF Front-End chip and the uN8130 Baseband Processor chip. The chipset was designed
to be integrated with cellular phones and PDAs. The overall solution permits a GPS receiver to be packaged in a volume of
10x10x1.8mm.
Mr. Russ Garcia, CEO of u-Nav Microelectronics summed up the chipset
solution, "u-Nav continues to reduce the power requirements of our GPS devices, while offering performance enhancements, reducing
size and lowering the cost of our GPS solutions. Our advances in GPS semiconductor technology are enabling a new level of
mass-market, battery powered devices that are being designed into high volume consumer GPS applications."
Both an evaluation kit and chipsets are available in production
quantities.
JUNE 7th, 2005
SiRF Technology Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIRF) announced that it has
acquired Motorola's existing GPS chipset products and GPS chip products under development. As part of the $20 million cash
buyout, already approved by SiRF's board, SiRF also will supply Motorola with its GPS chipset needs and provide technical
assistance for future product integration.
With the acquisition, SiRF projects that revenues for the second
half of 2005 will increase about ten percent.
JUNE 6th, 2005
Siemens Venture Capital, a $600 million corporate venture organization
for Siemens AG, has made a multimillion dollar investment in Global Locate, Incorporated, a provider of GPS (Global Positioning
Satellite) chipsets, network products, and services. Global Locate addresses the Assisted-GPS (A-GPS) market for Location
Based Services.
Related to the funding package, Siemens Communications Group,
part of the $90 Billion Siemens AG group of companies, has agreed to integrate Global Locate's A-GPS technology into its own
A-GPS products.
MAY 31st, 2005
Hemisphere GPS Develops GPS Chipset
Hemisphere GPS, a wholly owned subsidiary of CSI Wireless Inc. (TSX:CSY),
announced that it has developed an ASIC integrated circuit for Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) applications. The company,
which offers a series of electronic system products for the Agricultural Guidance, Marine Guidance and GIS & Mapping markets,
plans to use the ASICs in its Crescent GPS receiver as well as in its Outback, Satloc and CSI product lines. These products
are available to OEMs and integrators. The company indicates that its own internally developed ASICs allow its Crescent product
to reach a new industry performance benchmark.
MAY 23rd, 2005
SiRF Introduces OEM GPS Solution - Lower Bill Of Materials Emphasized
SiRF Technology Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIRF) has introduced its SiRFstarIIA
GPS System on Chip. The chip, complete with a 32-bit ARM microprocessor and associated navigation software has been designed
for the auto navigation and telematics systems market. According to Kanwar Chadha, Vice President of SiRF Technology, "The
SiRFstarIIA is a significant milestone for SiRF, representing our first system-on-chip solution created for a specific market
segment to enable a new class of cost-effective auto navigation and telematics systems. It has already been adopted by a leading
European Tier 1 navigation supplier and again demonstrates SiRF's commitment to making GPS enabled systems affordable to the
mainstream. Combined with our SiRFDRive2 software and a comprehensive support environment from SiRF and our world-class development
partners, it provides all the elements needed by our customers for launching successful products."
The highly integrated chip, besides the 32-bit ARM720T microprocessor,
also includes a number of useful peripheral interfaces for UARTS, the CAN bus, USB, SPI, ATAPI/EIDE. Furthermore the chip
integrates the necessary data conversion circuits. The chip has a 16-bit Hi-Fi Audio Digital to Analog Converters (DAC) and
a 14-bit precision Digital to Analog Converters (DAC).
In a separate announcement, SiRF revealed the patent pending, SiRFDRive2
GPS/Dead Reckoning Software, to be used with the chip for automotive navigation and telematic applications. The combined solution
is expected to reduce the costs for today's consumers. According to Chadha, "We saw an excellent opportunity to help drive
down overall system costs by developing a software that takes advantage of the information already available on today's modern
vehicle platforms. The combined SiRFstarIIA/SiRFDRive2 solution will enable automakers to add high-performance navigation
and telematics systems to their vehicles at prices affordable to the mainstream consumers." One of the reasons the solution
offers a lower bill of materials cost is that the many sensors used in a GPS system, no longer need to be tied directly to
the hardware. Additionally, according to SiRF, "By using the existing sensors, SiRFDRive2 eliminates the addition of superfluous
sensors and associated electronic components in the vehicle for the telematics and navigation system, lowering overall cost
while improving reliability."
SiRF, which did not give a price for the chip, states that the SiRFstarIIA
GPS System on Chip is available now in production quantities.
MAY 2nd, 2005
Atmel Offers Low-Priced GPS Baseband Chip - Under $5.00
Atmel Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML) has introduced a 14-channel GPS
baseband chip, called the Baldur GPS baseband IC, it has been designed for low-cost applications. With the introduction of
this chip, Atmel also announced that it will offer complete GPS chipsets by the third quarter of 2005 for less than $8.00.
According to Atmel's GPS Marketing Manager, Bill Gross, "Never before has such a fully-featured GPS baseband been available
at such a competitive price. Competing GPS baseband ICs with comparable sensitivity and accuracy typically costs about US$
9 with a total chipset price of about US$ 17. Until now, GPS technology had been limited to expensive, high-end equipment
such as luxury cars, premium mobile phones and PDAs. GPS is a huge, rapidly growing market.
Mr. Gross also commented on the size of the GPS market, "By 2008
US$ 10 billion of in-vehicle navigation systems and US$ 1.3 billion of GPS-based asset tracking systems are expected to be
sold. Baldurs US$ 5 price is going to help accelerate this growth, opening a floodgate of new GPS product designs and making
GPS technology pervasive in cars, mobile phones, PDAs and other personal tracking devices. We wouldn’t be surprised
to see GPS systems in kids lunch boxes and dog collars."
The chip, which has already been in wide scale use (100,000 + Units)
in Thales Navigation Magellan Explorist devices, was developed with Thales Navigation and is based on GPS Intellectual Property
(IP) licensed from Thales to Atmel. The chip has a maximum position update rate of once per second.
The GPS baseband chip, the ATR0640, is priced at $ 5 in quantities
of 100,000.
FEBRUARY 15th, 2005
SiGe, the $5.00 GPS Chip Company, Gets Partner
FEBRUARY 8th, 2005
SiGe
Semiconductor Samples Sub $5.00 GPS Solution
Five
dollars has been considered the market tip point for consumer acceptance of GPS technologies. SiGe Semiconductor says it is ready. The company announced that its solution, which is less than $5.00, is now sampling to lead partners, and
will be available for general sampling in the third quarter of 2005. Called the
SE8901 GPS receiver system, the chip integrates a GPS radio, a GPS processing accelerator, a low-noise amplifier, and an image
reject mixer – all in a 4X6 mm package. The small package permits a complete
board solution that is as small as 90mm squared. SiGe notes that its
solution is about half the price of alternative solutions.
The
chips are expected to help meet mandated government requirements for GPS capable cell phones. Worldwide
cellular handset shipments have been in the order of 500 million to 600 million units per year.
GPS NEWS COLUMN
JANUARY 14th, 2005
Sirf
Licenses GPS Technology to Research In Motion
SiRF Technology announced
that it licensed its SiRFLoc MultiMode GPS technology to Research in Motion (RIM).
RIM will use the technology along with SiRF’s SiRFstarIIe / LP chipset in its Blackberry 7520 gadget. Posted Jan
14th, 2005.
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