Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Combo Chip Announced

Marvell has announced an industry first, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth single chip solution designed for phones, media players, portable gaming consoles, smartphones, PDAs and other ultra-low-power computing platforms. The 90-nm CMOS Marvell 88W8688 chip aims to dramatically extend the battery life of consumer electronics devices, enabling a new level of mobile consumer broadband experience.

“The Marvell 88W8688 represents five years of interaction with our customers and partners. We are very pleased to deliver a new, fully customizable, software compatible platform that will allow them to launch products that are varied in scope and application ranging from gaming to cameras to smartphones up to emerging converged products,” said Dr. Paramesh Gopi, Vice President and General Manager of the Embedded and Emerging Business Unit, Communications and Consumer Business Group at Marvell. “The Marvell 88W8688 marks our fourth generation complimentary wireless solution and offers an extremely competitive cost structure thereby enabling mass adoption of both technologies into all tiers of consumer electronics.”

The Marvell 88W8688 builds on the Company’s field proven, robust embedded Layer 2 (MAC) and Layer 3 software that has powered numerous consumer wireless platforms. The integration of Bluetooth 2.0 EDR – which is firmware upgradeable to Bluetooth 2.1 features – and WLAN subsystems on a single die allows fully optimized simultaneous dual radio operation and cooperative co-existence. The Marvell 88W8688 platform enables the Company to provide ecosystem solutions by offering seamless bridging between WiFi and Bluetooth – ultimately enhancing the consumer’s experience.

The Marvell 88W8688 is the first device to deliver a fully integrated Bluetooth 2.0 EDR baseband/RF and Marvell’s market-proven 802.11a/b/g WLAN technology for next generation consumer electronic devices. The Marvell 88W8688 enables a converged WLAN plus Bluetooth subsystem implementation that is up to 50% smaller than discrete implementations. The integrated multi-protocol security engine includes hardware acceleration for UMA, IMS, and other network access methods requiring extensible end-to-end security. Following on Marvell’s ground breaking embedded client architecture, the Marvell 88W8688 incorporates full Layer 3 networking support (TCP/IP + UDP) and adds the ability to run supplicants natively, offloading WLAN functionality from the host CPU. Additionally, the Marvell 88W8688 incorporates voice and audio codecs that can be used in a wide variety of media applications and platforms.

Marvell’s advanced fourth generation co-existence algorithms ensure zero compromise voice and stereo Bluetooth functionality with complete WLAN operation. Marvell’s ultra-low-power Bluetooth architecture leverages four generations of 2.4GHz WLAN high-performance radios and provides dramatic improvements in Bluetooth range and connection quality. The Marvell 88W8688 supports all Bluetooth profiles with an industry standard HCI interface. The device runs Bluetooth profiles natively, offloading the host CPU. The Marvell 88W8688 can be connected to a host processor using either a unified host interface or independent host interfaces for WLAN and Bluetooth connections.

Availability
The Marvell 88W8688 is currently being sampled to key, tier one OEM partners. To shorten design cycles and accelerate time-to-market, Marvell is providing development kits with complete hardware reference designs, development boards and a complete suite of software.

Marvell recently purchased Intel's communications and application processor business. The Intel division was responsible for the XScale mobile processor line and other low power Wi-Fi and WiMAX broadband wireless technologies.

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Update ...

LiveFaith @ 8/18/2006 4:23:11 PM # Q
My sources tell me that Palm has already tested this exact chip on the bench and will bring it to market probably in early calendar 07'. The Treo team has been doing final testing on their in-house solution which cripples the WiFi side of the chip. No use depleting a perfectly good battery with WiFi.

Pat Horne
RE: solution ...
e_tellurian @ 8/25/2006 4:40:54 PM # Q
e-motion will help with the power issue. The access to power via car, solar, pedal to the medal (bicycle) and other mobile choices will offer more solution to the power issue.

If WiFi is the Broadband and bluetooth short range working together with the choice in disable the WiFi/BT (current choice) then battery life can/will be enhanced in stand by mode.

Some customers may want to choose separate chip sets, depending on application.

The question addressed now is where will we get all the energy if all people become e-tellurians? Solar works, pedal power works, these and many more choices will enhance the life time of fossil fuels and enhance advanced economies too.

:-(lol) i know a Little off topic.

E-T

e-tellurian

Completing the e-com circle with a people driven we-com solution
WiFi & BT? No strings attached
we_tellurian@canada.com

Here's an idea, e.t.:
The_Voice_of_Reason @ 8/26/2006 12:37:53 AM # Q
The question addressed now is where will we get all the energy if all people become e-tellurians?


Maybe we could filter the Natural Gas from all of your flatulent posts and channel it into a gas pipeline for the glory(hole) of a we-com solution. I'm already heating my house with some of your August 22 posts:

http://www.palminfocenter.com/comments/8921/#124570

Don't ever change, babe.

Love,
TVoR


RE: Update ...
e_tellurian @ 8/29/2006 2:44:58 AM # Q
:-(LOL)

Well that is quite an idea. Perhaps you just invented a toilet with sustainability qualities - complete regeneration of all energy no waste. Bio diesel will never smell the same.

E-T

e-tellurian

Completing the e-com circle with a people driven we-com solution
WiFi & BT? No strings attached
we_tellurian@canada.com

RE: Update ...
cervezas @ 8/29/2006 9:11:11 AM # Q
I have to agree with TVoR on this one: don't ever change, e-t!

David Beers
Pikesoft Mobile Computing
www.pikesoft.com/blog
RE: Update ...
e_tellurian @ 8/29/2006 2:16:23 PM # Q
Thanks

The reality of evolution is that e-t will change to we-t as a choice. My attempt at humour to defuse anger or add to a day will never change.

Choices and consequences

Peace,

WE-T

wireless electronic tellurian

e-tellurian

Completing the e-com circle with a people driven we-com solution
WiFi & BT? No strings attached
we_tellurian@canada.com

RE: Update ...
e_tellurian @ 8/29/2006 7:39:07 PM # Q
If any one would like to disscus the leading edge of we-com techno0logfy please contact:

BT SIG
Raven
WWRF

Peace,

Regards,

John



e-tellurian

Completing the e-com circle with a people driven we-com solution
WiFi & BT? No strings attached
we_tellurian@canada.com

Reply to this comment

Poor chip again ...

khertan @ 8/21/2006 1:21:04 AM # Q
Pffffff what a pity !

Still an other chip which doesn't support layer 1 and 2 !!! (no monitoring/promiscuity mode) ...



Benoit HERVIER
http://www.khertan.net/

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