Saturday, September 02, 2006
EPSON Introduces S1C38000 First in Family Low-Power RISC CPU for Embedded, Mobile, Wireless, Automotive and Marine Applications
EPSON EUROPE ELECTRONICS GmbH (EEG) and EPSON ELECTRONICS AMERICA (EEA) today unveiled the S1C38000 system-on-chip (SoC), a single chip solution integrating an ARM720T processor core with EPSON's industry-leading S1D13706 (formerly SED1376) color/monochrome LCD graphics controller.
As a complete, single-chip SoC, the S1C38000 provides a dedicated 112Kbyte embedded display buffer offering substantial performance increases over other devices using "shared" memory architectures. Targeted to improve the performance of portable, hand-held and mobile devices, where battery life and board space are major design concerns, and at sophisticated embedded applications where performance and reliability are major design obstacles, the new device from EPSON delivers superior graphic control while consuming less power. The new chip consumes minimal power and operates down to 2.0V.
"The high-level of integration along with the low power benefits of the S1C38000 solves engineers' challenges of delivering greater graphic functionality to portable and advanced embedded devices," said Roy da Silva, executive director at EPSON Electronics America.
"Coupled with EPSON's LCD graphic controllers' best-in-class reliability record, and the industry's pervasive use of the ARM core, manufactures and end-users now have an optimum performing product."
The S1C38000 features the ARM720T processor core plus 8Kbyte cache and Memory Management Unit (MMU). The S1D13706 component of the system includes a 32-bit internal data path that provides high-performance bandwidth into display memory allowing for fast screen updates.
The integrated graphics controller contains separate embedded frame buffer architecture, adding to the power reduction and board-saving features. The S1D13706 also does not require an additional timing control ASIC for Sharp's HR-TFT panels, further reducing OEM cost. Furthering the versatility, the S1D13706 also supports 1/2/4/8/16 bpp formats.
More Features of the S1C38000
The S1C38000 also incorporates EPSON's patented SwivelView(TM) feature, which allows 90(degree), 180(degree) or 270(degree) hardware rotation of the display memory for products requiring a rotated display image, greatly increasing overall system performance.
Additionally, the S1C38000 includes Picture-in-Picture Plus, an overlay window feature enabling multiple images to be displayed simultaneously with complete software control of the window's size and position. Integrating and optimising industry-leading technology, the S1C38000 is ideal for cost and power-sensitive consumer applications.
Availability
EPSON's S1C38000 system IC is scheduled to be available in sample quantities second quarter 2002. Production quantities are slated for fourth quarter of 2002 and are available in a 239-pin CFLGA or 208-pin HQFP package. For pricing, contact your local Epson office.
Pictorial:
S1C38000
(Pictures can be transmitted electronically upon request)
About EPSON EUROPE ELECTRONICS GmbH
EPSON EUROPE ELECTRONICS is a marketing, engineering and sales company of SEIKO EPSON Corporation(R) Japan. Established in 1989, the company's headquarters is based in Munich, Germany with sales offices in the United Kingdom, France and Germany. Representing SEIKO EPSON Corporation(R) products for Europe, Middle East and Africa, EPSON EUROPE ELECTRONICS provides value added services for Semiconductors, LCD Modules, Quartz Devices, System Level Products, Magnets, Motors and Outsourcing. Information about EPSON EUROPE ELECTRONICS is available in the Internet under www.epson-electronics.de.
About EPSON ELECTRONICS AMERICA Inc.
EPSON ELECTRONICS AMERICA Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Seiko EPSON Corp. in Japan that is chartered to market, sell and support EPSON's electronic devices in the Americas. These devices include semiconductors, silicon foundry, packaging and assembly services, quartz devices and Liquid Crystal Displays. For sales information, visit EPSON Electronics America on the Web at www.eea.epson.com.
About EPSON RESEARCH and DEVELOPMENT Inc.
EPSON RESEARCH and DEVELOPMENT'S Vancouver Design Center is a leader in the development of LCD controller and System on Chip related integrated circuits and software. As part of the EPSON family of companies, and in keeping with Epson's emphasis and reputation as a quality supplier of low power semiconductors, the Vancouver Design Center's focus is on developing the world's best low-power LCD graphics controller chips for customers designing mobile and embedded systems products. For further information on EPSON's LCD controller products, visit EPSON Research and Development on the Web at www.erd.epson.com.
Note to Editors: All other products, services, or company names mentioned are used for identification purposes only, and may be trademarked, registered, or copyrighted by their respective owners.
STMicroelectronics To Embed IBM's ViaVoice Speech Technology in Processor Platforms for the Automotive and Mobile Internet
ST's New STA2000 Series Mobile Multimedia Processor Platforms
STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM) today announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with IBM Voice Systems concerning voice interface technology for mobile Internet terminals and Telematics solutions.
According to the memorandum of understanding, ST plans to license IBM's Embedded ViaVoice speech technology and embed the software in new processor platforms targeting Telematics and mobile Internet solutions. The two companies plan to close an agreement that would govern how the parties work together on the development and marketing of the new speech-enabled products.
ST plans to initially use Embedded ViaVoice software in the new STA2000 series of ARM9-based mobile multimedia processor platforms. These system-on-chip solutions are aimed primarily at Internet-enabled mobile terminals, including next generation smart phones and Personal Digital Assistants. There are also plans to port the Embedded ViaVoice technology to mobile multimedia platforms addressing automotive and audio applications.
"The emergence of Internet-enabled mobile terminals is one of the key forces that will drive growth in the hi-tech industry over the next few years," said Aldo Romano, General Manager of ST's Telecommunication and Peripherals/Automotive Groups. "Cost effective and reliable voice technology will accelerate the introduction of these terminals by making them much easier to use, improving the human-machine interface with natural spoken commands."
IBM's Embedded ViaVoice family of products includes solutions for every aspect of a voice-enabled Internet. IBM ViaVoice's distributed voice technology includes embedded software for Internet appliances and server software for service providers. The Embedded ViaVoice software to be licensed by ST includes robust voice recognition plus text-to-speech conversion. The IBM Embedded ViaVoice Standard Multiplatform Edition performs speaker independent voice command and control with an active 500-word vocabulary using just 50MIPS. However, applications can use multiple 500-word vocabularies making the number of words or phrases limited only by the amount of memory in a device. IBM's Embedded Text-To-Speech vocabulary is unlimited.
"Voice technology is rapidly increasing its presence in business and consumer products," said Ozzie Osborne General Manager, IBM Voice Systems. "We are pleased to be working with ST. IBM's Embedded ViaVoice software can provide a full range of applications -- from Internet appliances to cars to consumer electronics and telecommunications. Demand is increasing dramatically as businesses realize the value that voice technology adds."
STMicroelectronics's STA2000 series of mobile multimedia platforms integrate on a single system-on-chip a powerful ARM 9 core plus all of the peripherals and embedded software required for mobile Internet applications such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and Internet appliances. Thanks to a very broad range of hardware and software IP, ST can tailor the basic chip design to suit the needs of OEMS, adding new capabilities or optimizing power consumption.
ScanSoft RealSpeak Compact SDK Adds Multi-Lingual, High-Quality Text-to-Speech to Automotive and Mobile Applications
Industry-Leading RealSpeak Family Now Includes Compact SDK, Telephony SDK and PC SDK; ScanSoft Can Speech-Enable Nearly Any Device
or Application - With Nine Languages Immediately Available
ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT), a leading supplier of imaging, speech and language solutions, today announced the ScanSoft(R) RealSpeak(TM) Compact SDK, the industry's preeminent text-to-speech (TTS) solution for automotive and mobile applications. RealSpeak Compact allows developers to add human-sounding speech capabilities to applications developed for devices with small processing and memory capabilities, including those based upon Microsoft Windows(R) CE(R) and Linux(R). The system supports US English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Castilian Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and Swedish languages, depending upon SDK configuration.
Until now, the limited resources of small-footprint devices relegated applications to formant technology for speech, which uses machine-generated sound to create words - utilizing less processing resources but resulting in machine-like speech. RealSpeak Compact is significant because it delivers to small-footprint devices the TTS quality previously reserved for high-end server and telephony applications. RealSpeak Compact is based upon sophisticated concatenative technology, which combines segments of real human speech to form new words and phrases. This approach is already the standard for phone-based unified messaging, interactive voice response and voice-portal applications.
"The proliferation of mobile devices and speech-enabled automotive applications provides ScanSoft with fertile opportunities for RealSpeak Compact," said Bill Meisel, president of TMA Associates, a speech industry market consulting firm. "By focusing on the right balance of quality and performance, ScanSoft is showing that they understand the formula for success in the mobile and automotive application space."
The RealSpeak Compact SDK extends ScanSoft's established leadership in TTS technology, joining the RealSpeak Telephony SDK and RealSpeak PC SDK. RealSpeak Telephony holds a more than 44% market share in the North American market for speech-enabled unified messaging, IVR and voice-portal applications, and is the voice for the official information portals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup(TM) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The RealSpeak PC SDK is the premier solution for speech-enabling any Microsoft Windows application, and is used in a range of office, game, accessibility and educational titles.
"Speech is becoming a standard way to interact with devices and applications, and RealSpeak is rapidly becoming the standard speech solution," said Robert Weideman, vice president of worldwide marketing at ScanSoft. "We believe that we have delivered the winning combination with RealSpeak - top-notch speech quality that is easy to integrate and practical to deploy."
RealSpeak Compact delivers high-quality speech with smaller disk and memory requirements than competing solutions. The system is ideal for adding speech to embedded device applications, bringing to mobile applications the same high quality sound, inflection, tone and pace previously available only on server-based systems. Text-to-speech is particularly important for small- and no-display devices, providing an effective way to deliver interactive prompts as well Web, email and wireless content.
The ScanSoft RealSpeak(TM) Compact SDK is used to speech-enable virtually any application, including:
-- Custom or commercial applications
-- Sales force automation and database applications
-- Email, calendar and personal contacts
-- Navigational systems and services
-- Web applications and content
-- Electronic forms (eForms)
-- Wireless communication devices
Pricing and Availability
The ScanSoft RealSpeak Compact SDK supports Microsoft SAPI as well as ScanSoft SpeechAPI (API for PC and devices) programming interfaces. Applications can be developed for Microsoft Windows CE, Microsoft Windows CE for Automotive and Linux operating systems, running on NEC(R) MIPS(R), Hitachi(R) SH3, SH4 and Intel(R) x86, StrongARM(R) and XScale(TM) chipsets. Supported languages include US English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Castilian Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Swedish. Specific configurations will vary.
Please visit www.ScanSoft.com/RealSpeak for live demonstrations and more information. Contact ScanSoft at 978.977.2000 for pricing and configuration details.
About ScanSoft RealSpeak SDKs
The ScanSoft family of RealSpeak SDKs can be used to speech-enable nearly any device or application - in nearly any language. They support a range of operating systems, including Microsoft Windows, Windows CE and Windows CE for Automotive, as well as Intel-based Linux systems. RealSpeak is available in up to 19 languages, depending upon platform, including US and UK English, German, French, Dutch & Belgian Dutch, Castilian and Mexican Spanish, Italian, European and Brazilian Portuguese, Norwegian, Polish, Swedish, Danish and Cantonese & Mandarin Chinese, Korean and Japanese.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Audio Companion Chip has stereo DAC and audio power amp. With up to 1W Audio Power Amplifier
Suited for multimedia portable applications, AT73C213 integrates audio-quality 20-bit stereo DAC that delivers 93 dB dynamic range, audio power amplifier that provides up to 1 W, and 32 ohm stereo headset driver with programmable volume control and mute function. Stereo DAC comprises multi-bit sigma-delta modulator with dither, continuous time analog filters, and analog output drive circuitry. Master clock allows choice of input data rate up to 50 kHz.
ROUSSET, France, Feb. 7 -- Atmel(R) Corporation (NASDAQ:ATML) announced today the release of its AT73C213 Audio Companion Chip for Multimedia Portable Applications. Manufactured on Atmel's low-cost mainstream CMOS process, the AT73C213 integrates an audio-quality 20-bit stereo DAC and an audio power amplifier providing up to 1W. The AT73C213 is ideally suited for any application where a high-quality audio interface is required, such as new-generation mobile phones, PDAs, palmtop computers, digital still cameras, multimedia portable devices, music players, etc.
The AT73C213 integrates a complete high-performance stereo audio digital-to-analog converter delivering a 93 dB dynamic range, followed by a 32-ohm stereo headset driver with programmable volume control and mute function. The stereo DAC comprises a multi-bit sigma-delta modulator with dither, continuous time analog filters and analog output drive circuitry. The master clock is 256 and 384 times the sampling frequency allowing the choice of input data rate up to 50 kHz, including standard audio rates of 48, 44.1, 32, 16 and 8 kHz. The stereo 32-ohm headset drivers also include a mixer of pair of stereo inputs as well as a differential monoaural auxiliary input.
The DAC outputs can also be played back through a mixer buffer stage to the integrated audio power amplifier. The mono buffer stage can also receive the mixing of the stereo inputs as well as the differential monaural auxiliary input (which can be, for example, from a voice CODEC output driver in mobile phones). The audio power amplifier is a dual-mode class AB amplifier with differential output and programmable volume control. In full power mode, it is capable of driving an 8-ohm loudspeaker at maximum power of 1W at 5V supply and 440mW at 3.6V supply. In low power mode, it can drive the same loudspeaker as an earpiece, making it suitable as a hands-free driver in wireless handset applications. The volume, mute, power down, de-emphasis controls and 16-, 18-, 20-bit audio formats are digitally programmable via a 4-wire SPI bus and the digital audio data is provided through a multi-format I2S interface.
"The AT73C213 is a milestone in our product line," commented Michele Casetta, Marketing Manager for Atmel's Power Management and Audio Analog Companion (PMAAC) product line. "The AT73C213 combined with any of our other power management products can provide customers with a compact and low-cost analog solution based on a power supply unit and audio interface. The AT73C213 is a breakthrough solution for current and future consumer product generations where digital processing is migrating to below 0.13um technologies while maintaining high-quality analog performance with low-cost analog CMOS processes."
"The AT73C213 has been rated in the high-quality range of stereo audio DACs by our customers," added Mr. Casetta. "Stereo and mono line input, high- quality stereo output and a mixing channel are unique features for portable handset applications. Few competitors are able to propose a high-quality audio converter and power speaker driver in a single chip as we do in the AT73C213."
Atmel offers the AT73C213 in a 7x7mm, 32-pin QFN package to satisfy portable device manufacturers' minimum space requirements. It is available either mounted on a reference design board or as engineering samples. Production quantities are also available, with a reference price below $US 1.00 in large quantities.
Ford to debut pickup truck with mobile office at Las Vegas auto show
A Ford F-250 Super Duty truck equipped with a mobile office was being shown last week at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas. The annual show isn't open to the public, but it dazzles an estimated 100,000 automotive insiders with souped-up vehicles and the latest aftermarket trends and components.
Ford expects to offer the mobile office as a dealer-installed accessory in 2006. Pricing isn't finalized, but it would cost around $3,000 for a wireless-equipped computer, printer and global positioning system, Ford spokesman Alan Hall said. Add-ons like a digital camera and credit card scanner also would be available.
The system uses a flat Stargate Mobile computer, powered by the truck's battery and mounted on a stand between the driver's seat and passenger seat. The computer has a touch-screen option -- eliminating the need for a keyboard or mouse -- and is designed to be removed from the stand and taken to a work site. It stays connected to the Internet via a broadband wireless cellular card.
"It's super rugged. You can drop it in the dirt, pick it up, brush it off and you're good to go," said Patty Dilger, director of North American automotive and industrial equipment for Microsoft Corp., which worked with Ford to develop the mobile office and provides the Windows XP Professional operating system.
Dilger said this is the first time that operating system has been available as a dealer-installed option in a vehicle. Microsoft has an operating system called Windows Automotive 5.0 in about 18 vehicle models, but it's mainly used for vehicle communication systems such as real-time traffic updates.
The computer in the Ford pickups will be equipped with a full suite of office software, including Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint, and can also play music or be used for navigation.
Brand equity extension evident at APAA show; yet innovative products are scarce - Automotive Parts and Accessories Association
Another pronounced trend: a number of suppliers are expanding into one another's businesses, such as Kiwi adding car wax and wash and Valvoline adding automotive chemicals such as fuel injector cleaners.
Genuinely innovative products were few and far between. But a couple of standouts were a $600 mini-van console from Texas Saddlebags, Arlington, Texas, that includes 9-in. television (facing the rear to keep kids happy, headphones optional), and a $15 battery master switch from Littlefuse that shuts off power to deter auto theft.
Another is Jump Star, computerized jumper cables from Storm Enterprises, Fort Smith, Ark., priced at about $120. A computer chip eliminates the need to hook up cables in precise order to prevent flying critical engine control modules.
Also in electrical, Test Rite introduced an AC Delco-licensed emergency car battery booster for $30. It consists of dry storage batteries that are used to boost a dead battery through a cigarette lighter jack.
Perhaps inspired by Barney, the purple dinosaur, vendors introduced new lines of waxes and washes in purple, including Prestone, as it moves into the wax business with its Bullet Wax and Wash, and TurtleWax with its Purple Muscle heavy duty cleaner and degreaser. Blue Coral introduced Gel Wax and Gel Wash in purple.
In a step-up move, vendors are attempting to turn oil filters from a commodity into a more profitable item at about double the price. Fram introduced its Tough Guard step-up filter, Purolator introduced Pure One, and Mobil introduced its Mobil 1 premium filter. All will retail around $6.
Miniature light bulbs are another step-up category, with GE Lighting, Philips Lightingland Osram/Sylvania introducing long-life miniatures that will last twice as long as standard bulbs and cost about 20% more. In addition, GE introduced a line of miniature bulbs for major German and Japanese cars. Philips also introduced its Weather Vision halogen headlight replacement bulb that casts an amber light, eliminating the need for separate fog lights.
Waxes are another step-up category.
TurtleWax is moving upscale with its new Emerald line of wax, for about $10, and wash.