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CSR, a fabless mobile chip design firm that specializes in WiFi and Bluetooth, purchased SiRF, a fabless mobile chip design firm that specializes in GPS, back in February of this year, has just announced a new chip based on the brand spanking new SiRFstarIV architecture known as the SiRFstarIV GSD4t. The chip’s ability to search for GPS signal is twice that of the previous SiRFstarIII architecture. It consumes only 50-500 microamperes when obtaining a fix, and can even achieve a sensitivity of -160 dBm without the assistance of a network. The whole chip takes up less than 20 square millimeters and samples are available now, with full blown production expected to begin in October of this year. What does this mean for you as a consumer? Longer battery life, especially if you’re like me and have become completely dependent on Google Maps and have lost the ability to comfortably travel more than 500 meters away from your apartment without getting lost.
“I am very pleased that we are able to launch such a major, breakthrough technology so soon after our merger with SiRF,” said Joep van Beurden, CEO of CSR. “Today’s announcement significantly strengthens our GPS product offerings and our location technology portfolio.”
“Radio frequency interference within a portable consumer product, such as from embedded Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and mobile radios, as well as LCD screens, can easily inhibit GPS performance, and often does not become apparent until shortly before the product is due to go into production. This can easily add months of delay until the issue is resolved,” said Dave Huntingford, Director of Product Management for CSR’s Handset Business Unit. “Our unique active jammer removal not only solves this issue, but can pinpoint for designers much earlier in the development process the precise strength and source of these interfering signals, enabling them to be contained in the design phase rather than in later, more costly test phases.”
[Full press release @ CSR's website]
About The Author
Stefan Constantinescu
Stefan Constantinescu (@WhatTheBit on Twitter) has loved technology since as far back as he can remember. It started with computers, but in the past few years his passion has turned to mobile devices. As a mobile phone enthusiast who lives and breathes devices that connect to the internet, he knows he is not alone with this radical fascination of all things wireless. He is strongly opinionated and enjoys a good debate so leave comments in his posts and he’ll get back to you! Stefan began blogging as a hobby in the fall of 2006 and joined IntoMobile in the summer of 2007. Later he got a job at Nokia in March 2008, but as of June 2009 he has rejoined the IntoMobile team. He is currently based out of Helsinki, Finland.
