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).

NXP Semiconductors, the independent company founded by Philips, announced availability of its new generation UTMI+ Low-Pin Interface (ULPI) Hi-Speed USB transceivers, developed specifically for mobile phone designs. With the smallest transceiver in the family measuring in at 2.2 x 2.25 x 0.6 mm, in a 0.4 mm ball pitch, NXP’s transceiver solutions are the smallest in the market and address the specific needs of today’s ultra-slim handset designs and other sleek portable devices. In addition, as the actual USB usage in mobile phones is low compared to overall talk and standby time, NXP’s transceivers avoid battery drain by consuming only 0.5 A in power-down mode.”As data-intensive applications proliferate among wireless subscribers, the mobile phone market will continue to be one of the central drivers of increased USB integration,” said In-Stat analyst Brian O’Rourke. “Handset vendors will seek new, more efficient ways of including USB in their next handset, and chip vendors, like NXP, are working to align closely with their needs.”

“NXP has closely collaborated with major mobile phone vendors, to address their concerns when designing USB capability into the newest lines of chic mobile handsets and to ensure end users receive reliable USB connection during the transfer of data, music and video,” said Paul Marino, vice president and general manager of business line connectivity, NXP Semiconductors. “Our new generation of transceivers provides handset OEMs with choices for the features that matter most to them, such as small footprint, ultra low power, ULPI SDR and DDR modes, USB OTG, support for different system frequencies and transparent UART modes, among others.”

NXP’s family of new generation ULPI Hi-Speed USB transceivers contains four members: ISP1504×1, ISP1508, ISP1702 and ISP1703, all of which are fully compliant with industry specifications, including ULPI Rev. 1.1, USB On-The-Go (OTG) Rev. 1.2 and USB Rev. 2.0. Catering to the special needs of mobile phones, all transceivers support a mobile phone’s wider range of input supply voltage of 3.0 V to 4.5 V. A new power-down mode conserves battery with an ultra low-power consumption of less than 0.5 A when the USB transceiver is not in use.

This initial range of second-generation ULPI transceivers have host, peripheral and OTG functions. ISP1508, ISP1702 and ISP1703 address lower system voltage levels with their VCC(I/O) of 1.4 V to 1.95 V, and some can be pin-selected to be in single data rate (SDR) or double data rate (DDR) interface operation. Additionally, all three parts can support USB charger detection, and external charge pump for OTG function.

The ULPI transceiver interface, upon which NXP’s second-generation ULPI Hi-Speed USB transceivers are based, was developed by an industry consortium to allow chips and systems designers to connect a Hi-Speed USB transceiver to USB core logic embedded in application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and systems-on-chip (SoCs). By using the ULPI standard interface instead of proprietary interfaces, ASIC and SoC designers can reduce design time, simplify testing and ensure interoperability with USB transceivers.

Availability

NXP’s ISP504×1, ISP1508 and ISP1702 devices are sampling now, with the first two products in mass production in March and April respectively. For further information regarding the availability of ISP1703, please contact NXP. Pricing for each device is as follows: $1.30 (U.S.) for ISP1504×1, $1.20 (U.S.) for ISP1702, and $1.10 (U.S.) for ISP1508 and ISP1703, all in high-volume quantities.

Royal Philips Electronics today announced that the closing of the sale of its Philips Sound Solutions (PSS) business unit to D&M Holdings Inc. of Japan will lead to a one-time earnings gain of EUR 41.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2006. The sale of PSS to D&M was settled in cash and was completed on December 31, 2006. PSS had 2005 revenues of approximately EUR 120 million.

Philips also announced that it will take a EUR 70 million non-cash impairment charge in its financial results for the fourth quarter of 2006 relating to the adjustment of the investment value of Philips’ holding in TPO Display Corp. TPO is a leader in mobile display technology, in which Philips owns a 17.5% stake.

In line with US GAAP accounting principles, the impairment of the investment value of Philips’ holding is triggered by a prolonged reduction in TPO’s share price. The charge will be recorded against the financial income & expense line of the Philips income statement.

Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE:PHG, AEX:PHI) announced today that it has completed the cancellation of in total 86,472,494 shares which have been acquired pursuant to the share repurchase program the Company initiated in July 2006. All shares were acquired during the period starting July 17, 2006 up to and including December 19, 2006 at an average repurchase price of EUR 27.37 per share. As such, Philips has completed approximately EUR 2,367 million of the EUR 4 billion return to shareholders announced on August 3, 2006.
In connection with this share capital reduction, Philips has notified the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) that it no longer holds 5 per cent of its own shares. As a result of the cancellation of shares, Philips’ issued share capital as per today amounts to 1,142,826,763 shares of which 36,231,587 shares are held by Philips to cover long-term incentive and employee stock purchase plans.
 
About Royal Philips Electronics
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a global leader in healthcare, lifestyle and technology, delivering products, services and solutions through the brand promise of “sense and simplicity”. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs approximately 126,000 employees in more than 60 countries worldwide. With sales of EUR 30.4 billion in 2005, the company is a market leader in medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring systems, energy efficient lighting solutions, personal care and home appliances, as well as consumer electronics. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.

Forward-looking statements
This release may contain certain forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of Philips and certain of the plans and objectives of Philips with respect to these items. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future and there are many factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.