Mobility Phones - Mobile Phones

NXP Semiconductors, the independent semiconductor company founded by Philips, will be demonstrating a dual-mode EDGE-WiMAX reference design at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, February 11-14, 2008. The dual-mode reference design highlights the extended mobility between the two wireless standards by combining NXP’s Nexperia Cellular System Solution 5210 for EDGE networks with the forthcoming Intel WiMAX Connection 2400 solution for ultra mobile and CE devices, formerly codenamed “Baxter Peak.” A fully validated reference design for the dual-mode EDGE-WiMAX solution will be available from NXP in second half 2008.Taking advantage of the most widely deployed cellular network (EDGE) and a keen interest in WiMAX from operators, the dual-mode reference design will allow OEMs and ODMs to offer enhanced mobility on a wide range of consumer devices, such as laptops, smart phones, PDAs, cameras, via PCMCIA cards, PCI Express cards, USB dongles or even embedded on a circuit board for ultra-small form factor devices. For mobile operators with existing GSM/EDGE networks, the dual-mode EDGE-WiMAX solution could provide a practical way to gradually build-out a WiMAX data overlay network. Subscribers would be able to enjoy the high speeds of the WiMAX data overlay network where available, and revert to the GSM/EDGE network for coverage and circuit-switched voice.

“NXP is delighted to collaborate with Intel in developing an industry-leading dual-mode EDGE-WiMAX reference design. This joint effort to align product strengths from both companies will give manufacturers an easy choice to create ‘connected everywhere’ devices regardless of technology choice,” said Dan A. Rabinovitsj, Senior Vice-President and General Manager of the Cellular Business at NXP Semiconductors. “This collaboration validates the proven reliability of the Nexperia Cellular System Solution for EDGE, which has already been deployed in 100 million mobile devices around the world.”

“The dual-mode EDGE-WiMAX solution demonstrates an exciting opportunity to bring Mobile Internet to more people and enable service providers to expand their mobile broadband services,” said Raviv Melamed, General Manager, Mobile Wireless Group, Intel Corporation. “NXP’s solution based on Intel WiMAX Connection 2400 takes advantage of mature technology know-how to deliver a highly-integrated and compact reference design that can be deployed speedily in a variety of consumer devices.”

The dual-mode EDGE-WiMAX solution will be demonstrated at the NXP Booth (Hall 8, B110) at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, February 11-14, 2008. The demo is powered by Alvarion’s end-to-end 4Motion Mobile WiMAX solution.

NXP Semiconductors, the independent semiconductor company founded by Philips, and Purple Labs, a leading supplier of embedded Linux solutions for mobile phones, jointly announced today the release of a 3G Linux reference feature phone offering video telephony, music playback, high-speed Internet browsing and video streaming at a transfer price below US$100. The new Purple Magic phone serves as a reference design for phone manufacturers creating entry-level 3G handsets, including those targeting mobile markets such as Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America.According to the GSA mobile industry trade group, there are now 197 commercial 3G/WCDMA networks in 87 countries, but the adoption of 3G services is concentrated in mature European and Asian markets. The viability of 3G services in emerging markets requires large volumes of affordable data-capable devices — and the 3G Purple Magic has been highly optimized specifically to meet this market challenge.

“During the recent holiday period, mobile operators were purchasing entry-level 3G phones for $120 to $145,” commented Simon Wilkinson, CEO of Purple Labs. “Leveraging our Linux technology, the Purple Magic design now enables manufacturers to deliver compelling 3G products at a transfer price below $100.”

The Purple Magic reference phone is based on the NXP Nexperia Cellular System Solution 7210 for 3G, coupled with the Purple Labs Linux suite, and is available as a fully integrated, turnkey solution. Production of an initial quantity of fully working phones has enabled Purple Labs to undertake considerable testing and validation, further reducing investment and time to market for OEMs and ODMs that leverage the Purple Magic design.

NXP offers powerful 3G and 3.5G multimedia platforms running on a single ARM926 processor core. The Nexperia Cellular System Solutions with Linux support true UMTS performance, delivering seamless service coverage in 2G and 3G networks as well as advanced multimedia features that allow consumers to take full advantage of next generation applications and mobile operator services.

“NXP believes in Linux as the basis for the next generation of mobile handset innovation,” said Dan Rabinovitsj, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Cellular Business, NXP Semiconductors. “We’ve been working closely with Purple Labs to develop Linux-based mobile terminals that meet the cost and performance requirements of the mass market. Our joint achievement is to bring the advantages of an Open OS environment to the mass market based on industry leading silicon and software.”

“The Purple Magic reference phone clearly demonstrates our combined leadership in the mobile Linux arena,” added Wilkinson. “While the mobile Linux industry has largely concentrated on high-end devices, the Purple Magic is the first 3G Linux mass-market reference feature phone available today.”

The Purple Magic phone will be exhibited at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain on February 11-14, 2008 in the NXP booth (Hall 8, B110).

Samsung, NXP Semiconductors and T3G Technologies today announced the world’s first TD-SCDMA HSDPA/GSM/GPRS/EDGE multi-mode mobile phone, which has also been demoed at the PT/Wireless Exposition in Beijing on October 23rd. Powered by a software-defined modem capable of achieving data transfer rates of 2.8Mbps, the Samsung SGH-T578H enables about 20 times faster transfers than GPRS, allowing consumers to download several high-quality MP3 files in less than a minute. The phone is based on the T3G7210 system solution featuring the industry’s first soft modem empowered by NXP’s Embedded Vector Processor (EVP) to achieve high data transfer and multi-mode capability.TD-SCDMA network deployments have been completed in 10 major cities across China where there are more than 70 million potential subscribers. This network is planned to be upgraded to support Release 5 (HSDPA) of the TD-SCDMA standard during the course of 2008. With the Samsung SGH-T578H mobile phone, users will be able to enjoy the widespread deployment of TD-SCDMA infrastructure to support high-speed streaming of multimedia coverage of the Beijing Olympics 2008. With this new milestone reached by Samsung, NXP and T3G, the TD-SCDMA standard is rapidly progressing towards the current W-CDMA capabilities.

“Samsung has always been at the cutting edge of mobile technology. Together with NXP and T3G, we have achieved several major milestones for TD-SCDMA phones - from the first TD-SCDMA video phone to this current high data transfer rate TD-HSDPA dual-band prototype,” said Mr. W.S. Lee, Vice President, Handset R&D Planning, Telecommunication Network Business, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. “Multimedia and sharing of content will be the drivers for next-generation handsets. The combination of T3G’s leading TD-SCDMA technology and NXP’s very innovative EVP technology make them obvious partners of choice to provide consumers a high-end multimedia experience in a run up to the Beijing Olympics.”

“The China 3G subscription is expected to grow rapidly. By realizing 3.5G capabilities on Samsung’s SGH-T578H, NXP is driving the commercialization and adoption of next-generation wireless technologies - not only for China’s TD-SCDMA standard, but also proving successful our EVP-based software-defined radio approach,” said Marc Cetto, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Mobile & Personal Business Unit, NXP Semiconductors.

Mr. Johan Pross, CEO of T3G, said, “The T3G7210 is the first cellular system solution to use NXP’s breakthrough embedded vector processor to support multi-mode and multi-standard platforms, also allowing us to deal with possible changes in the standard or operator requirements. It enables mobile phone makers to offer more commercialized handsets with a broad scope of 3G multimedia applications.”

Samsung’s SGH-T578H is based on the T3G7210 system solution which uses the world’s first 2.8Mbps HSDPA modem IC, TD60291. NXP’s Adelante VD32040 embedded vector processor enables the modem to achieve 2.8Mbps peak data rates and fully supports the 3GPP TDD-LCR Standard Release 5. The T3G7210 system solution also supports quad-band EDGE and dual-band TD-SCDMA with integrated multimedia accelerators to allow for the development of high-end feature phones without the need for additional external co-processors.

Building on its leadership in the USB transceiver market, NXP Semiconductors (NXP), the independent company founded by Philips, today launched a new solution to drive the standardization of USB 2.0 for portable consumer devices - the world’s first USB-driven digital audio headset solution, Nexperia(TM) PNX0161.The new solution from NXP leverages the USB 2.0 standard to shift the core audio streaming functions to the USB connector on the host device, alongside the existing battery charging and PC synchronization functions. This feeds the market trend for ultra-thin devices with a simplified design and a single standardized connection interface, enabling a marked reduction in bill-of-material costs and a quicker time to market.

According to In-Stat analyst, Brian O’Rourke, “By 2011, Hi-speed USB will dominate as the local interface on portable devices, feeding a market of 2.7 billion units at a CAGR of 24.4 percent.”

“USB is fast emerging as a de facto connectivity interface in portable devices. NXP is leveraging its pole position to promote the adoption of USB technology with industry-first innovations, setting the stage for the future of USB applications for better connectivity and convenience on mobile phones, consumer electronics and PC peripherals,” said Hans Fleurkens, product marketing manager, Mobile & Personal Business Unit, NXP Semiconductors. “Power consumption was the biggest challenge to the provision of digital audio on a headset, and NXP’s PNX0161 is the first to address this most efficiently, while also offering a choice of functionality through a programmable core.”

NXP’s USB-driven digital audio headset solution, Nexperia PNX0161, has built-in DSP software, allowing OEMs to pre-set equalizers and maximize echo cancellation for improved sound quality. The programmable ARM7TDMI core is embedded with a DC/DC converter, which powers through the USB bus. Fully compliant with USB specifications, the solution offers plug-and-play operation with any USB host or On-The-Go (OTG) device and supports USB Audio and Human Interface Device (HID) classes.

In addition, foreseeing the emerging standardization of USB 2.0 in mobile devices, NXP also expands its applications for a compelling GSM/MP3 docking station reference design for maximum functionality such as mobile phone and MP3 player power charging, FM-radio enabled speakers and Bluetooth connection.

NXP’s Nexperia PNX0161: World’s first digital USB headset solution for mobile phones

The single-chip Nexperia PNX0161 is a small, ultra-low power Hi-speed USB 2.0-compliant solution that provides stereo playback and recording, as well as FM radio.

Available in a TFBGA88 package (7mm x 7mm), NXP’s Nexperia PNX0161 requires very little power (approx. 10 mA at Vbus) for playback mode. Embedded power management functionality, alongside intelligent power control also contributes to this highly power-efficient solution. Especially designed to suppress noise coming from the host, the PNX0161 is available in two versions - programmable Flash or cost-effective ROM - that can be switched seamlessly during product ramp-ups.

A technical leaflet on NXP’s Nexperia ultra-low power, single-chip USB audio solution, PNX0161, can be found at http://www.nxp.com/acrobat_download/literature/9397/75015981.pdf.

NXP’s GSM/MP3 USB 2.0 docking station reference design

NXP’s GSM/MP3 USB 2.0 docking station reference design is targeted at systems that bring together the functions of a GSM-based docking station for a mobile phone, an MP3-based docking station for a portable media player and a PC speaker. Measuring only 5mm x 5mm, the design is built around two ICs, the NXP SAA9870 and the NXP TDA8932BTW. The SAA9870 is a single-chip solution that integrates a powerful ARM7 core and a USB 2.0 codec with support for audio streaming and microphone functionality. The TDA8932BTW is a 2 x 15 W, high-efficiency, Class-D amplifier that delivers high-quality sound. Compared to conventional docking stations, which use ultra-low-efficiency speakers built into the laptop, PC monitor or mobile phone, this reference design provides distinctly superior sound and microphone performance.

A technical leaflet on NXP’s GSM/MP3 USB 2.0 docking station reference design can be found at http://www.nxp.com/acrobat_download/literature/9397/75016038.pdf.

Availability

NXP’s digital USB audio solutions are available now. NXP will be showcasing its USB solutions at its booth (Hall 1.1b, Booth 213) at IFA 2007 in Berlin, Germany from August 31 - September 05.