Bluetooth processor comes in under ten bucks

BrightCom Technologies is taking orders for its BIC2101 Bluetooth Application Processor priced at under $10 in volume quantities on a 12-14 week lead-time.

BrightCom Technologies is taking orders for its BIC2101 Bluetooth Application Processor priced at under $10 in volume quantities on a 12-14 week lead-time.

BrightCom's BIC2101 Application Processor is a highly integrated chip-and-software platform that includes a programmable RF interface, complete Bluetooth protocol stack software with a developer-friendly API and adjustable performance characteristics.

The BIC2101 facilitates a wide range of home and office applications, including print management, peripheral interaction, handwriting recognition, digital still transfer and modem, mobile and voice communications.

The BIC2101's USB, serial and PCM interfaces also allow manufacturers to seamlessly add wireless capabilities to existing devices.

BrightCom's BIC2101 Bluetooth Application Processor offers many advantages for OEMs developing sophisticated Bluetooth products such as its minimal effort required for implementation and additional processor power that operates both the Bluetooth protocol stack and applications.

The BIC2101 architecture allows processing power to be managed to accommodate demanding applications as well as minimising power consumption.

It also provides considerable flexibility to control other devices via programmable I/O ports and its novel USB host/device operational modes.

"Companies that select Bluetooth chips having 'one size fits all' generalised characteristics may be in for a rude awakening.

The sheer magnitude of the number of diverse vertical Bluetooth markets, as well as the explicit feature set of each, will dictate the employment of application specific processors solutions", said Yuval Ben-Ze'ev, CEO and president, BrightCom.

"The BIC2101's performance characteristics were very carefully engineered to ensure that a higher level of performance for USB, voice and serial-type applications would be achieved - better than any all-purpose chip is capable of providing".

Pioneering the concept of integrating intelligent Bluetooth applications directly within the chip, BrightCom's IntelliBLUE family of Bluetooth Application Processors make it possible to provide functionality well beyond simple cable replacement.

For instance, BrightCom's Application Processors allow applications like a print manager to be run off a printer or OCR algorithms to be executed on handheld scanning devices.

BrightCom's IntelliBLUE Bluetooth Application Processors are complete solution on chip platforms optimised for the variable power, performance and memory requirements that are needed for a wide variety of Bluetooth technology uses.

The IntelliBLUE product line incorporates a Bluetooth baseband core, complete protocol stack with profiles and developer-friendly API, hardware interfaces for specific applications as well as an integrated ARC3 RISC processor to run any application software that may be required by the device.

OEMs can use virtually any RF chip with BrightCom's IntelliBLUE Application Processors.

A robust programmable RF interface gives design engineers flexibility.

They can select the RF chip with the optimal availability, price and performance today and change the specs at any time in response to changing needs.

While most companies supply only the software up to the host control interface (HCI), BrightCom's IntelliBLUE Application Processors come with BrightCore full implementation of the protocol stack and profiles along with the BrightAPI, an application programming interface that makes it possible for programmers with no knowledge of the Bluetooth protocol stack to write Bluetooth applications in C or other high level languages.

This reduces the time-to-product by allowing OEMs to concentrate on application development rather than training their programmers how to access Bluetooth protocol stacks.

Future BrightCom IntelliBLUE Application Processors will include the BIC2201 for high-quality audio implementations on consumer electronics, and the BIC2301, which comes with an integrated fast Ethernet interface for LAN access applications.

A variety of reference designs, including one for a BIC2101-based USB dongle, are also available from the company.

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