14 DAY TRIAL // Agere Systems introduced recently the TrueNTRY X122, a low-cost cellular phone platform for the market's largest segment.
Agere's new X122 platform consists of silicon chips, software and a development kit. The X122 platform adheres to the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) cellular standard. Cellphones housing the X122 are scheduled to become commercially available in the first half of 2007.
The X122 platform enables a wide range of capabilities for entry-level phones including compact disc-quality music, camera/camcorder functions and Internet access for a bill of materials cost of less than $30. Housed together with storage technology inside an entry-level cell phone, Agere's X122 platform gives entry-level cell phone users access to several hundred songs, which can be played at high-quality sound.
Agere's X122 platform provides 12 features that reduce BOM costs including: integrated speaker amplifier, integrated CD-quality stereo, integrated polyphonic sound synthesizer, integrated Universal Serial Bus 2.0 On-the-Go controller with charging, integrated power management circuits to support all phone peripherals, integrated battery charging circuits with overvoltage protection and then some.
By providing a dedicated applications processor separate from the communications engine, the X122 platform reduces a cell phone manufacturer's product development costs and boosts overall processing speed. The boosted horsepower provided by the dedicated applications processor enables several key benefits including: receiving phone calls or surfing the web while playing music, easing of applications software code development, test and verification for cell phone, manufacturers because it doesn't impact the core communications engine, reducing power consumption because the more power-hungry applications processor can be powered down the majority of time a phone is on, freeing up cell phone manufacturers to focus on developing applications and man machine interfaces, without worrying about impacting the communications engine.
The X122 platform supports advanced audio processing including dynamic noise suppression, echo cancellation, full-duplex speakerphone and a stereo equalizer.
The X122's analog baseband integrates the GSM/GPRS handset features such as power control, frequency control, analog baseband processing, audio mixing and conversion, real time clock and power management.
Agere has already started shipping the platform to customers.