WifiChip
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NXP delivers the next "world's smallest" WiFi chip: BGM220
Sheesh, this race for the "world's smallest" anything is seriously getting out of hand, but if it'll make our future handsets and wireless routers a tenth of a cubic centimeter smaller than before, we suppose we'll have to digress. NXP Semiconductors is reportedly ready to "start sampling a single-package 81-pin TFBGA WiFi chip that it says is the smallest device yet for 802.11 b/g connectivity." The GBM220 is, of course, eying the lucrative mobile handset market first and foremost, but handheld gaming systems and PDAs will certainly be in the mix as well. The chip itself comes in at a wee five- x five-millimeters, supports SDIO / SPI host interfaces, handles WPA2 / WMM, features an "ultra-low power drain," and should play nice with Windows Mobile, Windows CE, Symbian, and Linux. NXP's minuscule WiFi chip is slated to reach "volume production" by Q4 of this year, but you probably won't even notice the difference when planted in your forthcoming gizmo.[Via WiFi-Planet]
Bluetooth, WiFi and FM on a single chip -- oh my
One of these days we'll see a single-chip solution that implements WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 and even the obligatory FM radio receiver all into once nice, tidy package. Oh wait -- that day has come. Broadcom wants to garner more business from OEM handset manufacturers apparently, as it is trying to solve the dilemma of ever-shrinking handset internal real estate by stuffing in as many RF solutions into a small, single chip as possible. With both WiFi and Bluetooth hovering in roughly the same radio frequencies, Broadcom has assured everyone that both wireless technologies won't be interfering with each other based on an on-chip algorithm to prevent such a radio fuss. And hey -- that FM radio is prime as well -- no reason to leave that off the chip, right? Broadcom's solution here features IEEE 802.11a/b/g along with Bluetooth 2.0 and full-range FM reception to boot.
