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SIRFstarIII RUNS HARD AND FAST ON GPS SIGNALS TO MAKE LIFE EASY FOR LBS USERS
SiRF Technology Holdings, Inc., a leading supplier
of GPS semiconductor and software solutions, today announced its flagship SiRFstarIIITM
architecture, representing a significant increase in GPS performance, and enhancing the user
experience for location based services. With its rapid time-to-first-fix and high
sensitivity, the SiRFstarIII architecture is designed to meet the rigorous demands of wireless and
handheld LBS applications, and provides superior location performance, both indoors and out,
for 2G, 2.5G, 3G asynchronous networks.
The SiRFstarIII architecture packs a performance punch, achieving time-to-first-fix of
one second for aided starts in outdoor GSM environments and acquiring signals down to -159
dBm. This makes real-time navigation practical, including in many indoor environments, through
moreurban
canyons, and under dense foliage.
Unlike the lengthy sequential search process of
traditional GPS architectures, the SiRFstarIII architecture, with the equivalent of more than
200,000 correlators, enables fast and deep GPS signal search capabilities, resulting in significant
improvement over todayfs architectures that contain a few hundred to a few thousand correlators.
Cell phones now dazzle consumers with built-in cameras, PDA functionality and color
screens. We built the SiRFstarIII architecture from the ground up to deliver the performance
necessary to provide fast LBS experience to the users of these devices, said Kanwar Chadha,
founder and vice president of marketing for SiRF. We believe SiRFStarIII sets a high standard
for consumer GPS performance, ushering in a new generation of smaller, higher performing
location aware products, and enabling our customers and wireless operator partners to enhance
their offerings.
SiRFstarIII is supported by SiRFLoc multimode technology, SiRFfs patented location
solution that allows networks to move beyond basic find and locate applications to support a
wide range of LBS such as navigation, without excessive network bandwidth requirements. The
SiRFLoc client software is designed to enable SiRFstarIII to determine position with aiding from
GSM, WCDMA, CDMA, iDEN and PDC networks „Ÿ or completely autonomously „Ÿ using
multiple dynamically configurable modes.
By employing the mode that provides an accurate
location with the appropriate level of network aiding for any given situation, SiRFLocfs
multimode location technology is designed to allow carriers to offer a wide range of locationbased
services with minimum network loading. All SiRFLoc-enabled systems share the same
client interface, enabling customers to build handsets with any SiRF product and use the same
system software.
Motorola's iDEN Subscriber Group has been in the forefront of developing GPS enabled
phones through our relationship with SiRF, said Jaime A. Borras, corporate vice president of
Technical Staff, Motorola iDEN Subscribers Group. GPS is now an integral part of our
platform, and we expect the SiRFstarIII architecture to significantly improve the user experience
in a range of new and exciting location-based applications and services.
The first chip-set based on the SiRFstarIII architecture consists of a highly integrated
baseband IC and an RF IC that together are designed to deliver a complete location engine in a
very small form factor - ideal for devices with limited onboard processing power. One of the
most compact GPS solutions on the market, it is nonetheless packed with lots of functionality.
SiRFstarIII Runs Hard and Fast on GPS Signals to Make Life Easy for LBS Users page 3
Based on a 0.13 micron CMOS process, the SiRFstarIII baseband chip - with its powerful GPS
signal processor, on-chip memory, and a 50 MHz ARM7TDMI microprocessor - is fully capable
of running many OEM user applications. Packaged in a 100-pin BGA package measuring just 8
by 8 millimeters, the baseband chip also incorporates 4 megabits of flash memory to support
both SiRFLoc and user application programs. The SiRFstarIII RF chip is packaged
in a 32 pin QFN, and can support multiple reference frequencies to reduce costs.
In addition to the chipset, SiRFstarIII is also available in IP form for integration into high
volume wireless chip-set platforms. The highly modular design of both the SiRFstarIII core IP
and controlling software makes it easier than ever before to adapt these components.
For more information, on the latest GPS News see portable gps.
Author Notes:
Frank Backer contributes and publishes news editorial to http://www.handheld-gps-reviews.com.
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