TI Debuts Chipset For Microsoft’s 2.5G Smart Phone Platform News from E-InSite
Now you can access Microsoft Outlook on your cell phone. At least that’s theannouncement coming out of Texas Instruments Inc. and Microsoft Corp. as the two companiestoday introduced an integrated hardware and software platform for cell phone handsetmanufacturers.
The wireless platform is designed for GSM/GPRS-enabled handsets and other mobilecomputing devices such as PDAs. The platform is based on Microsoft’s smart phoneplatform, known as Stinger, and TI’s DSP-based GSM chipset. This is the fruition ofMicrosoft’s and TI’s joint development agreement to bring multimediaapplications to cellular handsets. The first 2.5G products based on this platform areexpected to start shipping mid-way through 2001.
Some of the key applications the Stinger platform was able to accomplish during arecent demonstration in London were secure e-commerce transactions, streaming video andaudio, as well as email, according to Kevin Dallas, director of marketing for Microsoft’sMobile Devices Division.
“There are some 14 million (Microsoft) Exchange users who want to uses theirmobile phones to access Outlook,” Dallas said. “They want Windows Media Playerto access audio and video streaming on their 2.5G enabled phones. As far as security, wewill be including end-to-end secure connections to corporate data storage sites.”
The Stinger platform is based on TI’s dual processor architecture, with a DSPrunning the radio and modem functions of the communications link, and the ARM basebandprocessor executing the applications of the cell phone, according to Kevin Ostler,marketing manager of Texas Instruments Wireless Components Division.
“Although we are using high performance processors in this platform, this jointventure is also designed to save money and reduce power consumption,” Ostler said.“We clearly have a leadership in that area because we just don’t throwmicroprocessor horsepower at a solution. Developers and consumers are asking, ‘Is itthe right size?’ Can it execute the applications I want without me having to carryand extra battery power on my back?’ ”
The end result of the cooperation is that cell phone manufacturers have a more completepackage with both silicon and software. That is expected to yield cell phones with aadvanced user interface to access web-based services and provide manufacturers with a wayto get new, feature-rich handsets to market sooner.
Ostler also pointed out that the platform is likely to attract third party applicationdevelopers, much in the way that that Windows did for the PC market. That in turninvigorated demand for the PC as it is expected to drive the demand for new cell phones.
Microsoft provided the operating system-Windows CE, designed specifically for cellphones-the interface with the radio processor and the application software, which runs onthe baseband processor. Dallas said one of the keys in making the Stinger platformsuccessful is to ensure the interoperability across other platforms, such as TI’s ownOpen Multimedia Applications Platform.
Texas Instruments supplies cell phone ICs to some of the biggest manufacturers such asNokia and Ericsson. Ostler said the Stinger platform could have tremendous regional impactin regions such as Asia, where Internet browsing on desktop platforms is limited due to“pay-per-minute” dial-up access services. Strong demand for “Pocket PC”type devices have been proven with I-mode phones in Japan.
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