Low standby and active power consumption
SAN DIEGO – Silicon Wave Inc. has introduced its second-generation Bluetooth products – the SiW1701 radio modem, and the SiW1750 and SiW1760 baseband processors.
The SiW1701 is fully integrated and has low standby and active power
consumption. It functions with high RF performance over an extended temperature range, ideal for mobile phone applications. The SiW1701 features a 100 per cent digital interface and is packaged in a 48-pin MLF with a 7mm by 7mm footprint.
The SiW1750 and SiW1760 are 32-bit ARM-based baseband processors that work with the SiW1701 and enable data throughput for interoperability and connectivity to a number of devices. The SiW1750 uses external flash memory, and the SiW1760 integrates ROM for a smaller footprint.
The baseband processors integrate the ARM 7 processor core and are customized for use in battery powered mobile applications. The SiW1750 is packaged in a 132-pin BGA with an 8mm by 8 mm footprint. The SiW1760 is packaged in a 64-pin BGA with a 6mm by 6mm footprint
To provide low-power Bluetooth solutions, the company has implemented the baseband ICs in 0.18um technology, lowered the internal voltage to 1.8V and enhanced the system level architecture for Bluetooth performance tasks. The footprint of the radio modem and baseband was decreased to better fit small form factor mobile applications without losing any performance capabilities.
The products are targeted for integration into mobile phones, notebook and desktop PCs and accessories, printers and PDAs. The components are compatible with first-generation products and are Bluetooth specification version 1.1-compliant, added the company.
Contact: 858-453-9100, www.siliconwave.com
Multipath robustness, high spectral efficiency
CALGARY – Wi-LAN Inc. has launched the BWS 3500 system, a new addition to its broadband wireless access series for use in the 3.5GHz licensed frequency band.
The BWS 3500 offers multipath robustness, improved non-line of sight performance and high spectral efficiency using wide-band orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (W-OFDM) technology, which increases capacity, non line-of-site capability and effective data transmission rates.
W-OFDM enables several independent channels to operate within the same band, allowing multipoint networks and point-to-point backbone systems to be overlaid on one another in the same frequency band.
Operating at a throughput of up to 192Mbps per six-sector cell, the BWS series includes access points and customer premises equipment, and can be used in broadband access applications alone or in combination with wired alternatives. The series also offers an eave-height integrated antenna and outdoor unit that enables quick installation of point-to-point and point-to-multipoint applications. These broadband wireless access systems use a cellular network design; network cells can be expanded quickly, and cost effectively.
Contact: 800-258-6876, www.wi-lan.com
x86 processors for servers, workstations
SUNNYVALE, Calif. – AMD has introduced the Athlon MP 1800+, 1600+ and 1500+, its seventh-generation x86 processors for multiprocessing servers and workstations.
These processors feature QuantiSpeed architecture, which includes a high performance, full-speed cache with hardware data pre-fetch, a pipelined superscalar floating point engine, as well as an L2 translation look-aside buffer (TLB). The processor also incorporates 3DNow! Professional technology, which has 52 new instructions that extend AMD’s 3DNow! technology, enabling smoother, richer and more lifelike images, more precise digital audio and an enriched Internet experience, claimed officials.
Smart MP technology is also featured in the processor, which is designed to enhance overall platform performance by increasing data movement between the two CPUs, chipset and memory system. The technology features dual point-to-point, high-speed 266MHz system buses with error correcting code support designed to provide up to 2.1GB per second per CPU of bus bandwidth in a dual-processor system. It also offers an optimized modified owner exclusive shared invalid cache coherency protocol that manages data and memory traffic in a multiprocessing environment.
The AMD Athlon MP processors 1800+, 1600+ and 1500+ are priced at US$302, US$210 and US$180, respectively, in 1,000-unit quantities.
Contact: 800-538-8450, www.amd.com
Compiled engineering data from EDA vendors
HSIN-CHU, Taiwan – Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has developed a Calibration Platform that helps validate new designs.
Based on the firm’s all-copper and low-k dielectric, 0.13-micron process, the calibration platform compiles engineering data from various electronic design automation (EDA) vendors.
The 0.13-micron Interconnect Calibration Platform was created in test chip form and delivered to EDA vendors, which is then used on the platform’s parasitic extraction data to speed the development of validation tools for 0.13-micron design in TSMC’s process.
Supported extraction toolsets include Arcadia from Synopsys, Columbus from Sequence and Fire & Ice QX from Simplex.
Contact: www.tsmc.com
Packet switching backplane for Ethernet
MONTREAL – Kontron Communications Inc. has launched the Teknor XL-PSB, an 8U 19-inch rackmount CompactPCI platform designed as an entry to medium-level solution for OEMs who need to deploy systems in the datacom, Internet infrastructure, computer telephony and convergence markets.
Compliant to the PICMG 2.16 specification, the Teknor XL-PSB features a packet switching backplane for high-speed Ethernet switching architectures. This type of design enables current IP/Ethernet network technology to be placed onto a single platform and increase throughput performance.
Other features include full hot-swap support with respect to the PICMG 2.1 R2.0 specification and two H.110 computer telephony buses (PICM 2.5 R1.0 compliant) with six nodes each. The XL-PSB also enables for two redundant Ethernet switch cards and two 8-slot 64-bit CompactPCI buses operating at 33MHz PCI or 66MHz PCI-X.
The XL-PSB supports all Teknor 6U CompactPCI PICMG-compliant single board computers.
Contact: Kontron, www.kontron.com
Integrated wireless LAN, Bluetooth antenna
MARKHAM, Ont. – Toshiba of Canada ISG has introduced its Tecra 9000 and Portégé 4000 series of notebooks, both with integrated wireless LAN (Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11b) and dedicated Bluetooth wireless antenna.
The integrated wireless adapter provides 128-bit encrypted, secure wireless connections to LANs offering users four ways to share data when employing Bluetooth, built-in v.90 modem and fast Ethernet.
The Tecra 9000 and Portégé 4000 also incorporate secure digital (SD) media slots for 8MB to 128MB SD memory cards that store up to four hours of music or 40 minutes of video.
The Tecra 9000 series is equipped with the Intel Pentium III M processor and includes three models that operate at processor speeds of 933MHz, 1GHz and 1.2GHz.
The Portégé 4000 series has a second spindle for added functionality as well as a Slim SelectBay (devices are compatible with the Tecra 9000 series) as well as its wireless communications, audio and video systems and long battery life.
Toshiba is also introducing common and compatible components, accessories and docking solutions for the Tecra 9000 and Portégé 4000, which include memory, battery, Slim SelectBay options, wireless components, hard drive and SD memory slot.
The Tecra 9000 series has a suggested list price of $4,449, while the Portégé has a suggested list price of $3,979.
Contact: Toshiba, www.toshiba.ca
