Silicon Wave Inc., a leading designer and provider of RF communication system components, together with Cirrus Logic(tm) Inc. (Nasdaq:CRUS), the Internet audio leader, today announced a licensing agreement that adds wireless connectivity to Cirrus Logic's Maverick(tm) microprocessors for Internet electronics.
As a licensee of Silicon Wave, Cirrus Logic plans to combine its industry-leading audio capability with Silicon Wave's baseband IP that incorporates Bluetooth(tm) wireless technology, enabling native Bluetooth wireless technology support on Cirrus's Maverick chips. The new wireless capability would free Maverick processor-based electronics, such as Internet audio players, PDAs, and eBooks from cords and cables, while adding features as such as wireless headphones or wireless Internet access.
By adding wireless capability to its Internet electronic microprocessors, Cirrus' Maverick line is well positioned to take advantage of the new market. "By 2004, more than 51% of mobile computing devices shipped will be wireless-enabled," according to industry analysts' report, "Mobile Computing Devices: A New Era in Personal Computing," Cahners In-Stat Group, November 2000.
"The agreement between Cirrus Logic and Silicon Wave is intended to get products with Bluetooth wireless technology out of the lab and into the hands of consumers," says Matthew Perry, vice president and general manager for Cirrus Logic's Embedded Processors Division. "By combining our technologies, Silicon Wave and Cirrus Logic are well matched in delivering a seamless information exchange for mobile, low power and cable replacement applications.
No Separate Baseband Required
To accelerate progress towards integrated wireless Maverick solutions, Cirrus Logic has agreed to pay Silicon Wave a small non recurring engineering development fee over the course of the next twelve months. Through Silicon Wave's IP licensing agreement, Cirrus Logic will be developing future Maverick processors with an integrated Bluetooth baseband and radio interface that will provide an all-in-one processing solution for both the portable device and the Bluetooth protocol software. Manufacturers will then only need an external single-chip radio modem from Silicon Wave to enable Bluetooth wireless connectivity. Silicon Wave's high performance SiW1502(tm) radio modem provides low power, long range, and interference rejection technologies which further complement Cirrus Logic's Maverick processor, the leading processor choice for many smart handhelds including portable digital audio players.
"We are pleased to have Cirrus Logic as a premier licensee for our baseband IP program announced in February, and we see strong synergy between their audio capability and our baseband IP," said Jarvis Tou, vice president of marketing and business development for Silicon Wave. "Combining Maverick with our SiW1502 radio modem will offer high performance and low power characteristics which will deliver a superior user experience."
[ Home | Contact | MobiChat | Experts database | Let's do it ]
Comments to the content of this page can be posted on the MobiChat discussion group