SiRFDiRect Location Technology Delivers Portable Navigation Breakthrough

SiRF Technology Holdings, Inc. , a leading provider of GPS-enabled silicon and premium software location platforms, today introduced its SiRFDiRect(TM) technology, a portable navigation breakthrough that achieves navigation accuracy and coverage previously available only in costly, permanently installed in-car systems. Employing sophisticated algorithms that take advantage of closely coupled GPS and dead-reckoning (DR) sensor measurements, SiRFDiRect technology delivers very high quality positioning, even in the worst GPS signal conditions, without the installation inconvenience and high cost of traditional in-dash navigation systems. The first implementation of SiRFDiRect technology integrates the award-winning SiRFstarIII(R) architecture with low-cost heading and acceleration sensors to give portable devices continuous and accurate navigation capabilities typically found in very high-end in-car navigation systems. "As the portable navigation devices are starting to address mainstream, it is very important to meet consumer expectations of reliable positioning everywhere, no matter what, and our SiRFDiRect technology is a major advance in that direction," said Kanwar Chadha, founder and vice president of marketing for SiRF. "It gives our portable navigation device customers a competitive edge by enabling them to provide in-car system navigation accuracy at lower cost while retaining the advantages of portability and transferability." SiRFDiRect technology uses heading and acceleration data from the sensors to boost the accuracy of portable navigation systems when GPS signals are weak or blocked, such as in dense urban canyons and tunnels. Transitions between combined GPS/DR and dead-reckoning-only operation are seamless and accurate without operator intervention, and the closely coupled GPS/DR architecture of SiRFDiRect technology continuously auto-calibrates the heading and acceleration sensors, enabling high performance with low-cost, small-footprint sensors. The sensors can be located in the portable device or in an external dashboard mounting cradle. Further enhancing ease of use, SiRFDiRect technology allows great flexibility in orienting portable navigation devices when mounting them in a vehicle without affecting performance. Mio Technology, Ltd., a leading maker of portable navigation devices, announces its plans to deploy SiRFDiRect based Navsteadi(TM) high-precision navigation technology at Computex Taipei 2007 (TICC/Hall 4, Booth 101B). Navsteadi (TM) brings in-dash like positioning accuracy and reliability to portable navigation systems. "The new technology co-worked by SiRF and Mio, gives our customers the best of both worlds; reliable performance in the most challenging GPS conditions, expected of the typical high-end navigation system, while maintaining the traditional cost and portability advantages of Mio systems," said Samuel Wang, president of Mio Technology Ltd. "Our continuous close alliance with SiRF has enabled us to bring leading edge products with innovative technologies quickly to market, to enhance the user experience of portable navigation devices." Availability SiRFDiRect technology is part of SiRF's portfolio of premium software offerings. SiRFDiRect technology and complete reference designs will be available in the third quarter of 2007 with the GSC3e/LP and GSC3f/LP chip sets, and will be migrated to future SiRF hardware platforms. About SiRF Technology Holdings, Inc. SiRF Technology Holdings, Inc. develops and markets semiconductor and software products that are designed to enable location-awareness utilizing GPS and other location technologies, enhanced by wireless connectivity capabilities such as Bluetooth, for high-volume mobile consumer devices and commercial applications. SiRF's technology has been integrated into mobile consumer devices such as automobile navigation systems, mobile phones, PDAs, GPS-based peripherals and handheld GPS navigation devices, and into commercial applications such as location servers, asset tracking devices and fleet management systems. SiRF markets and sells its products in three target platforms: wireless handheld devices, such as mobile phones; automotive electronics systems, including navigation and telematics systems; and consumer and compute devices, including personal digital assistants, notebook computers, recreational GPS handhelds, mobile gaming machines, digital cameras and watches. Founded in 1995, SiRF is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., and has sales offices, design centers and research facilities around the world. The company trades on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange under the symbol SIRF. Additional information about SiRF and its location technology solutions can be found at http://www.sirf.com/.
Search WirelessDevNet for Related Items