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Contributors: Joseph Byrne, Michael Stanford In This Issue
Our new report Mobile & Wireless Semiconductor Market Forecast 2009–2013 will be available soon. Get complete five-year forecast data for all types of mobile processors, connectivity chips, and IP. For more information, check our web site. With its new BCM4760, Broadcom becomes the first company to announce a chip that combines an application processor and GPS capability. This device replaces two chips normally found in a personal navigation device (PND), reducing system cost, size, and power. To further reduce cost, the new chip integrates mixed-signal functions such as a touch-screen controller, USB PHY, and analog audio. The new device, which recently began sampling, contains a complete GPS subsystem based on technology that Broadcom acquired from Global Locate. Including sales through Infineon, a former partner, this technology is the second most deployed GPS design. The BCM4760 integrates the GPS baseband, RF receiver, and low-noise amplifier (LNA), simplifying system design and reducing system cost. Announced at Computex in Taiwan, the chip also includes a 500MHz ARM11 CPU that can support a typical user interface and basic multimedia functions. To improve the display of 3D maps, the chip includes a 3D graphics engine that supports the OpenGL ES 1.1 software interface. The engine also accelerates vector graphics using OpenVG 1.0. The BCM4760 can connect to Broadcom's Bluetooth+FM and Wi-FI chips as needed; high-end PNDs can add the company's BCM2727 VideoCore III coprocessor for advanced 3D and multimedia capabilities. At 36 million units last year, the PND market has grown large enough to attract application-specific solutions. By combining the two primary functions in a PND, the BCM4760 provides a highly integrated solution that reduces system cost and simplifies system design. Broadcom can convert its existing PND customers to the new solution, displacing a TI or Marvell application processor, while using its integration play to win new customers. —Linley Additional coverage of processors for PNDs appears in our report A Guide to Mobile Processors.
More than two years after acquiring a Wi-Fi company, Qualcomm has announced its first Wi-Fi chip for mobile devices. The WCN1312, developed by the former Airgo team, supports all standards up to 802.11n with data rates of up to 72Mbps. It integrates a complete 2.4GHz subsystem but does not operate in the less-crowded 5GHz spectrum. Due to sample this month, the new chip is a highly integrated design that includes a complete RF front end, including the power amplifier (PA), low-noise amplifier (LNA), bandpass filter, and antenna switch. The chip supports both single (1x1) and dual-antenna (1x2) configurations; although the latter delivers better range and throughput, we expect few mobile devices will find room for two antennas. The company did not disclose specifications such as sensitivity or power output that could be used to compare the WCN1312 to competing devices. The new chip, announced at Computex this week, allows Qualcomm to offer a complete bundle for smartphones, including all connectivity functions, an application CPU, and cellular baseband. Unlike Broadcom and TI, which combine Wi-Fi with Bluetooth and FM on a single chip, Qualcomm integrates Bluetooth, FM, and GPS into its cellular chip set while offering Wi-Fi as a separate add-on. Qualcomm's partitioning neatly fits into feature phones (no Wi-Fi) and smartphones (Wi-Fi). The announcement is bad news for Atheros, which had been supplying Wi-Fi chips for Qualcomm's platforms. The WCN1312 appears to be a solid first effort, but the lack of 5GHz support puts Qualcomm behind other 802.11n suppliers. Although the design is highly integrated, the somewhat bulky 7mm package consumes about the same board area as CSR's complete UniFi-3 solution. We expect Qualcomm to continue to improve its mobile Wi-Fi offerings as it gains more experience with this technology. —Linley Complete coverage of competing mobile Wi-Fi products appears in our recent report A Guide to Mobile Connectivity Chips. Also at Computex, Qualcomm announced that it will offer a new version of its SnapDragon processor that is built in 45nm technology, increasing performance and reducing power. When it samples in 4Q09, the QSD8650A will target MIDs and netbooks. (The company now uses the term "smartbooks" to indicate ARM-based netbooks.) The advanced process technology will raise the clock speed of the ARM-compatible Scorpion CPU to 1.3GHz, compared with 1.0GHz for the current QSD8650. The speed bump will also improve 3D graphics and multimedia performance. Other functions will be similar to those of the QSD8650, and to ease system design, the two devices use the same package. Qualcomm continues to expand its QSD family, which includes cellular capability but is aimed at devices that are not phones. The company claims that 15 companies are building more than 30 devices that use QSD processors. Some of these devices, however, are high-end smartphones, blurring the line between the QSD and MSM devices. Still, Qualcomm is leaving no part number unturned in its quest to supply processors for every cellular need. —Linley Additional coverage of Qualcomm's QSD processors appears in our report, A Guide to Mobile Processors. Last week, Renesas announced the SH-Mobile R2R (SH7724), the first member of the R-series to support high-definition (720p) video. The R-series application processors are designed for PNDs, in-dash navigation systems, PMPs, IP security cameras, and similar products. The video capability is ideal for devices with mobile TV capability, although an external receiver chip is required. The R2R, due to sample in August, also raises the speed of the SH-4A CPU to 500MHz, taking advantage of a shrink to 65nm technology. The new processor should help Renesas with the Japanese automotive makers and in Asian markets where free mobile TV is available. —Linley Complete coverage of the SH7724 appears in our report, A Guide to Mobile Processors. Percello has announced its second chip, the PRC6500. Despite its name, the PRC6500 is not targeted for use specifically in China but is instead a femtocell-on-a-chip. Supporting 16 HSPA+ users, the PRC6500 is for commercial systems, whereas its eight-user predecessor is for home and small-business systems. Percello's main rival is PicoChip. The lone supplier shipping femtocell ASSPs in volume, PicoChip last month announced its PC312 8-channel HSPA+ chip. Availability for the PRC6500 and PC312 has not been announced. Qualcomm has stated that it would develop a femto chip, but the major baseband suppliers may be waiting for the market to mature before jumping in. Until then, PicoChip and Percello will have the femtocell ASSP niche to themselves. —Joe
Cellular baseband vendors have undergone a period of consolidation. ST-Ericsson combined the wireless businesses of ST, EMP, NXP, and Silicon Labs. Infineon acquired Agere. MediaTek absorbed ADI. Freescale, InterDigital, and Texas Instruments have stopped investing in standard baseband chips. Nokia's plans to adopt processors from Broadcom, Infineon, Qualcomm, and ST-Ericsson have roiled the market. At the same time, technology continues to advance rapidly. Integrated RF is now old hat as baseband vendors integrate connectivity functions such as GPS and FM radio. More baseband vendors are targeting smartphones by integrating application processors and multimedia functions. HSPA+ products are beginning to sample, and the first LTE devices are on the horizon. In China, the TD-SCDMA market is heating up. A Guide to Wireless Handset Processors tells how to navigate this turmoil to choose the right processor for your design. We go under the hood to examine baseband processors that target ultra-low-cost phones, basic phones, feature phones, smartphones, and data cards (modems). The report provides in-depth coverage of Qualcomm's UMTS processors in the MSM and QSC families; ST-Ericsson's converged product lineup, including the single-chip AeroFone 2G chips, the former EMP's UMTS platforms, and the U8500 for smartphones; MediaTek's line of low-cost, multimedia-capable chips that have sold well in China; Infineon's X-Gold product line; and Broadcom's Cellairity platform, including its single-chip 3G processor Zeus. We also cover Marvell's Tavor baseband processors and baseband products from smaller suppliers such as Icera, Renesas, and Spreadtrum. With handset technology evolving so rapidly, it can be difficult to keep up with the terminology. This report sorts out the different air interfaces and their data rates, explains how video and 3D performance is measured, discusses the various codecs for voice, audio, and video, and describes the interfaces used to tie together all of the platform components. After this extensive tutorial section, the report details the size of the handset-processor market and breaks down the market and technology trends that will play out over the next few years. Order by July 10 and save $300 on "A Guide to Wireless Handset Processors." For more information, visit our web site. To receive Linley on Mobile via e-mail, you must register on our web site
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