Taiwan GPS maker Mio Technology to benefit from SiRF�s acquisition of TrueSpan


location based services

Mio Technology, a leading vendor of own-brand GPS (global positioning system) personal navigation devices in Taiwan, may enter the mobile TV market earlier than planned because its business partner US-based SiRF Technology has acquired US-based TrueSpan to add mobile TV functions to its GPS chips, according to industry sources.

SiRF earlier this week announced that it acquired TrueSpan, a fabless IC design house for digital video broadcast receiver solutions with headquarters in Long Beach, California in the US and a design center in Bangalore, India. With TrueSpan’s technology, SiRF plans to integrate value-added DVB-T (digital video broadcasting-terrestrial) and DVB-H (DVB-handheld) functions into its GPS chips, the industry sources indicated.

Mio Technology plans to add mobile TV functions to GPS personal navigation devices to boost competitiveness, company president Samuel Wang pointed out. Mio Technology plans to offer GPS TV devices with screen sizes of 4.3 and 4.5 inches, Wang indicated. The screen will be divided into two parts, one for GPS navigation and the other for receiving mobile TV, Wang added.

GPS