XEMICS Makes Ultra Low Power Bluetooth® Headsets Easy to Build

The XEMICS AudioBlue2 reference design makes the development of an ultra low power Bluetooth headset simple. The small form factor reference design targeting the cell-phone headset market is based on XEMICS XE1431 Bluetooth application MCU and the CX72303 radio. The Audioblue2 is designed for a Li-ion or Ni-MH rechargeable battery, and provides up to 10 hours talk time with a 120 mAh capacity. It includes both hands-free and headset profiles and supports numerous features to answer, terminate, pick up, reject, or place a call, to control volume, to activate the phones voice recognition, to redial the last number, to put calls on hold or toggle, and to connect two calls. The distance between the handset and headset can be up to 10 meters. The design comes as a small 38 x 18 mm PCB that fits in the smallest plastic housing. It has multi purpose push-buttons for control, as well as LED indicators.

Neuchâtel, Switzerland; Redwood, CA (PRWEB) November 9, 2004 -- The XEMICS AudioBlue2 reference design makes the development of an ultra low power Bluetooth headset simple. The small form factor reference design targeting the cell-phone headset market is based on XEMICS XE1431 Bluetooth application MCU and the CX72303 radio. The Audioblue2 is designed for a Li-ion or Ni-MH rechargeable battery, and provides up to 10 hours talk time with a 120 mAh capacity. It includes both hands-free and headset profiles and supports numerous features to answer, terminate, pick up, reject, or place a call, to control volume, to activate the phones voice recognition, to redial the last number, to put calls on hold or toggle, and to connect two calls. The distance between the handset and headset can be up to 10 meters. The design comes as a small 38 x 18 mm PCB that fits in the smallest plastic housing. It has multi purpose push-buttons for control, as well as LED indicators.

The creation of this reference design was driven by the objective to provide ultra low power and easy to use solutions for everybody. The embedded Bluetooth controller in the XE1431 independently executes significant parts of the Bluetooth protocol stack and allows the development of application layer software without the need to validate the Bluetooth protocol stack integrity. A tiny serial Flash memory is used to store the customers application layer software.

"With its small form factor, the AudioBlue2 can be re-used as-in by OEMs, and XEMICS provides full support to help them during the ID design and production ramp-up phase", said Remy Pache, VP Marketing of XEMICS. "This allows our customers to quickly ramp-up production volume without difficulty. Moreover, the design does not need tuning during manufacturing which results in stable high yield", he added.

The true 1.8V design in combination with the ultra low current consumption guarantees XEMICS' leadership in providing the lowest power Bluetooth solutions on the market. By combining the XE1431 with the CX72303 Bluetooth radio, a "Flash" based headset can be built for under US$10 BOM cost in volume and consuming less than 12 mA @ 1.8V when used in a HV3 link.

Due to the on-chip audio CODEC and power management unit, the XE1431 is a perfect fit for any Headset / Audio application where continuous software updates of the higher layers are vital to keep up to date with the latest Bluetooth implementation inside the various mobile phones on the market.

ABOUT XEMICS

XEMICS is a privately owned fabless semiconductor company with headquarters in Switzerland and a worldwide sales and customer support network. XEMICS delivers a range of advanced short-range wireless connectivity solutions to a global customer base. XEMICS is a leading designer and provider of Wireless RF transceivers and Bluetooth applications, data acquisition, communication products, CODEC's and GPS receivers. With a focus on high-quality low cost solutions XEMICS provides a combination of ultra-low power technology and innovative IC design.

For further information, please contact:

Florence Amez-Droz

Public Relations Manager

XEMICS Switzerland

Phone: +41 32 729 4170

Fax: +41 32 729 4001

E-Mail: pr@xemics.com

Website: www.xemics.com

Trademark Information:

Bluetooth® is a SIG trademark, used under license by XEMICS. EasyBlue and AudioBlue are XEMICS trademarks.

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