Automotive Mobile Audio Video

Infineon Technologies (FSE:IFX)(NYSE:IFX) and Trimble (Nasdaq:TRMB) today announced the smallest and lowest power integrated chipset and software solution for Global Positioning System (GPS) applications. The solution, based on Trimble's FirstGPS(TM) technology, allows high-volume manufacturers of consumer products to add GPS location with minimal impact on device size or battery life.

"Our combined efforts continue to lay the foundation for future generations of location-aware and communication-enabled consumer applications," said Steven W. Berglund, president and CEO of Trimble. "Infineon is a major player in several critical communication markets, such as GSM for the handset market. As the telematics market continues to emerge, the ability to combine Trimble GPS location and Infineon communication technologies at the integrated circuit and firmware levels will become even more important to the automotive industry."

"By combining our respective strengths, we can drive development in the GPS mass market," says Dr. Hermann Eul, general manager and vice president of the baseband ICs business unit at Infineon. "Our chipset is a vital part of this highly-integrated solution for high-volume, cost-effective GPS applications. This innovative hardware and software solution makes it possible to equip an even wider range of mobile devices with GPS functionality. We feel that the very small chip size and the ultra-low power consumption make our solution ideal for a range of applications, specifically mobile phone applications."

About the Product

The jointly developed 12-channel chipset and software solution is specifically designed for power-sensitive, wireless enabled, mobile information devices such as laptops, PDAs, digital cameras, smart phones, pagers and automobile navigation systems.

The technology offers the lowest power consumption of any GPS receiver on the market today. The chipset is comprised of one baseband ASIC and one RF ASIC. The baseband ASIC consumes less than 8 milliwatts and the RF ASIC less than 20 milliwatts. It is ideal for power-sensitive applications. For devices that only need location-on-demand, several sleep and low-power modes allow for further power savings and longer battery life. FirstGPS technology is also communication independent and capable of interfacing with a wide range of devices including AMPS, CDMA, TDMA, GSM, 3G, CDPD and others.

Infineon's implementation of the baseband and RF ASICs is extremely compact. The baseband chip is packed in a 28-pin TSSOP (9.7mm x 6.4mm) and the RF chip in a 24-pin TSSOP (7.9mm x 6.4mm). The high level of integration translates to lower component count and enables a tiny footprint that is approximately one-sixth of a square inch for the entire chipset solution. This tiny footprint facilitates the integration of GPS functionality into a variety of mobile devices without adversely affecting product form factor and size.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:59 AM