Toshiba is to introduce a single-chip Bluetooth unit that will dramatically cut the cost of adding the wireless interface to devices and peripherals.
The new chip, which is expected to sample in February and ship in volume by mid-2003, combines the communications processor and radio functions in one package. Current solutions require a separate amplifier chip in addition to the Bluetooth communications functionality.
Bluetooth is a short-range wireless interface standard designed to replace cables for linking mobile phones to laptops and hands-free headsets, as well as to connect PDAs to corporate LANs. Since it uses little power, the interface is ideal for mobile devices that run from batteries.
Many industry observers have predicted that Bluetooth would not become a common way of interconnecting devices until it costs less than $5 to add the capability to hardware. This is especially important with peripherals, where the cost of such features may be a large fraction of the price of a device. Toshiba's new chip, the TC35654, is expected to sample at 900 yen (£4.60) and will probably cost less when in full production.
The Toshiba TC35654 has an integrated ARM-compatible processor core with built-in read-only memory (ROM) to process Bluetooth communications. The chip conforms to the current Bluetooth 1.1 standard.
Toshiba's Pocket PC e740 handheld already has an integrated Bluetooth capability that can link to phones such as Nokia's 6310 for mobile connections to the Internet.
Toshiba also manufactures a Secure Digital-format Bluetooth adapter for Palm OS handhelds.
