Sandbridge Readies Commercial Release of Third-Generation Mobile Handset Chip

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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Sept. 27 -- Sandbridge Technologies is sampling its SB3011 chip that implements a complete third-generation (3G) mobile handset capable of operating virtually any radio protocol required for a common (universal) multi-mode, multi-function mobile platform and significantly reducing the time to market and total cost of ownership for OEMs and carriers. The SB3011 not only reduces hardware requirements and integration complexity for devices, but enables profoundly enhanced software OTA and after sales feature upgradeability.Sandbridge's latest breakthrough in the quest for a universally accessible handheld platform is the delivery of power consumption levels on par with those of traditional application-specific integrated ICs (ASICs), thus eliminating the last hurdle for cost-effective deployment."Specifically, the SB3011 has met all the target power consumption specifications required by our customers, allowing WCDMA implementation at 384 kilobits per second below 180 milli-watts," said Guenter Weinberger, President and CEO of Sandbridge.The SB3011 baseband processor's unique architectural innovations deliver completely scalable DSP performance for virtually any radio protocol used in various regions around the world, such as GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA, CDMA2000, EV-DO, Wi-Fi, DVB-H and GPS -- as well as multimedia formats such as MPEG-4 H.264, MP-3, WMA and more. Sandbridge is also developing High-speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and WiMax solutions as an upgrade to the platform and will evolve its platform to provide manufacturers timely solutions for the evolving standards of the global wireless marketplace.The SB3011 is currently being sampled to select top-tier manufacturing customers who are developing next generation handsets independent from fixed-function ASIC's."A low-cost, low-power common platform based on standard hardware and software has been widely regarded the 'holy grail' of wireless communications technology, because it creates new economies of scale for OEMs and carriers," said Weinberger.Sandbridge's unique technology delivers the lowest cost platform for the rapidly growing 3/3.5G-WiFi-WiMax-Digital video broadcast (DVB) market by enabling 100% flexibility for die size re-use. This flexibility is critical for reconfigurability, enabling rapid implementation of new features and functions. Likewise, it enables extensive over-the-air upgrades and software application downloads, closing the time-to-market gap for applications developed for computers to migrate to wireless platforms. Furthermore, the SB3011 provides third-party applications developers a common platform based around the C programming language, long a standard within the development community. As part of a common platform, this will further expedite development and rapid distribution of new features and functions.The advent of the SB3011 signifies the beginning of a new wireless era marked by common, stable platforms for consumer use and application development. For OEMs and carriers, this can mean significant cost reductions. For consumers, it augurs truly convergent devices with powerful new functions and features without the need to carry multiple devices with services requiring unique protocols that previously could only be implemented with custom hardware.The software-based design of the SB3011 paves the way for ultra-mobile- computers with virtually unlimited communications protocols and multimedia applications.About Sandbridge Technologies (www.sandbridgetech.com):Located in White Plains, NY, Sandbridge Technologies is a fabless semiconductor company that is transforming and revitalizing the global wireless handset market by enabling freedom from fixed functionality baseband solutions-providing to better features-to-cost ratio, and accelerating the development of next generation wireless devices. Founded in 2001 by veterans of IBM, Lucent and Cadence, Sandbridge has developed a radical new multi-thread DSP architecture with the capacity to perform flexible (SDR) baseband processing and advanced multimedia operations without compromising battery consumption. Sandbridge Technologies Inc. is a venture funded company with investments by Bessemer Venture Partners, Atlas Venture and Columbia Capital and other strategic investors.