Atheros debuts first Bluetooth 4 / 802.11n system-in-package
You know Atheros, right? The company known for its various wireless networking products has just announced a little something called the AR6233. Billed as "the first SIP solution to support the new Bluetooth 4.0 standard," this system-in-package (that's what SIP stands for -- but you already knew that) sports the aforementioned Bluetooth radio, as well as 802.11n "with a near-zero impact on the battery life of portable devices." Sounds like just the thing for your handcrafted boutique cellphone startup! The architecture works with ARM or x86 processors, and is expected to be in volume production in Q2, 2011. PR after the break.
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Atheros Debuts Industry's Most Flexible Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 Solution for Tablets and Portable Consumer Electronic Devices
The new AR6233 offers both 802.11n Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth® 4.0 technologies on a system-in-package (SIP) solution.
San Jose, CA -- Atheros Communications, Inc., a global leader in innovative technologies for wireless and wired communications, today unveiled the industry's highest-performing and most flexible wireless solution for tablets and portable consumer electronic (CE) devices. Extending Atheros' popular line of combination products for computing and consumer devices, the new AR6233 offers both 802.11n Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth® 4.0 technologies on a system-in-package (SIP) solution -- the compact form factor preferred for CE designs.
Key Facts:
* Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are becoming standard features in more portable consumer devices, including tablets, handheld games and media players. Wi-Fi provides fast network connections for downloading and sharing digital content, while Bluetooth enhances the usability of devices with simple connections to wireless keyboards, mice, headsets and computers.
* The AR6233 is built on the Atheros ROCm® architecture, which was designed to meet the stringent performance and power requirements of mobile handsets. As a result, the new solution can offer the highest 1-stream 802.11n performance (up to 85 Mbps of end-user throughput) with a near-zero impact on the battery life of portable devices. The AR6233 is also the first SIP solution to support the new Bluetooth 4.0 standard, which features a low-energy mode to extend Bluetooth connectivity to sensors and other battery-powered devices.
* With a skyrocketing number of Wi-Fi devices crowding the 2.4GHz band, more consumers are looking for dual-band products that leverage the 5GHz band for media applications requiring relatively interference-free bandwidth. The AR6233 provides a cost-effective way for manufacturers to add dual-band wireless capabilities, by adding a minimal number of components to their design.
* As CE manufacturers launch tablets and other connected devices with unique capabilities and price points, they are using a variety of processors, interfaces and operating systems. Atheros is the only connectivity vendor to support the full range of tablet platforms, enabling customers to streamline their development and procurement processes. With the addition of the AR6233, Atheros' portfolio now supports architectures that use:
o ARM® or x86 processors
o SDIO, PCIe and USB interfaces for WLAN, and UART and USB interfaces for Bluetooth
o Windows®, Android™ and other Linux® operating systems
* The AR6233 provides the best possible Wi-Fi and Bluetooth performance in a variety of form factors. The same solution can be used in larger devices that take advantage of isolation between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antennas, as well as smaller devices that share a single-antenna for both radios. To minimize interference in both cases, the AR6233 uses Atheros Universal Wireless Cooperation™ technology, which facilitates greater cooperation between the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios.
* The AR6233 is now sampling, and is expected to be in volume production in Q2, 2011.
