Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector Licenses Transdimension's USB On-the-Go (OTG) Technology for Next-Generation Wireless Devices

IRVINE, Calif. & AUSTIN, Texas, Feb 18, 2003 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- USB OTG Brings USB Plug n' Play Interconnectivity to Smart Phones and Handheld Computers Motorola's (NYSE:MOT) Semiconductor Products Sector, the embedded solutions supplier with market-leading cellular expertise, through its Wireless and Broadband Systems Group, advances its connectivity roadmap for next-generation applications processors for the portable information and wireless devices by licensing USB On-The-Go (OTG) technology from TransDimension, the leader in USB connectivity solutions for embedded applications.

The USB OTG specification, designed by leading electronic manufacturers, was introduced to bring the popularity and ease-of- use of the readily available USB standard to embedded applications. Products integrating Motorola's next-generation microprocessors will gain access to the more than 1.3 billion USB- enabled products in existence today, and in addition, will be able to interconnect with each other.

"While new wireless connectivity interfaces establish the needed critical mass, USB OTG will jumpstart interconnectivity among handheld devices," said Cher Eng Lim, Wireless and Broadband Systems business manager. "We're pleased to be making this technology available with our Innovative Convergence(TM) wireless platforms which deliver comprehensive solutions incorporating voice and data functionality for 2G through 3G cell phones."

While USB has been a widely successful standard, it was originally developed primarily for x86 processors and Windows software, and the technology is not directly transferable to embedded applications without a significant compromise in performance. TransDimension's USB OTG is the only USB OTG core designed from the ground up specifically for embedded systems. TransDimension's advanced software/hardware co-designed architecture enables high performance while minimizing power consumption, CPU loading and system resource utilization.

"We are proud to help Motorola bring innovative new connectivity features like USB OTG to their next-generation products," stated David Murray, vice president of marketing for TransDimension. "We are also very pleased that Motorola is making our USBLink OTG software from SoftConnex an essential building block of the overall OTG connectivity solution."

About USB On-The-Go
USB On-The-Go (OTG), a supplement to the USB 2.0 specification, eliminates the current limitation in USB that requires a PC to act as host and exchange data for its connected devices. Today, more than 1.3 billion products are designed with USB ports, making USB the dominant I/O connectivity standard in the market.

However, the greatest limitation of USB today is the fact that it does not allow point-to-point communication between devices and therefore has not been widely adopted by consumer electronic devices, such as mobile phones and PDA's. As these devices are gaining in popularity and intelligence, the requirement for a direct connection to each other is also growing. The answer to this requirement is the standard called USB On-The-Go.

About Motorola Semiconductors
As the world's #1 producer of embedded processors, Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector creates DigitalDNA(tm) system-on- chip solutions for a connected world. Our strong focus on wireless communications and networking enables customers to develop smarter, simpler, safer and synchronized products for the person, work team, home and automobile. Motorola's worldwide semiconductor sales were $4.8 billion (USD) in 2002. For more information visit www.motorola.com/semiconductors.

About Motorola
Motorola Inc. is a global leader in providing integrated communications and embedded electronic solutions. Sales in 2002 were $26.7 billion. Motorola is a global corporate citizen dedicated to ethical business practices and pioneering important technologies that make things smarter and life better for people, honored traditions that began when the company was founded 75 years ago this year. For more information, visit: www.motorola.com.

About TransDimension
With headquarters in Irvine, TransDimension is a privately held company founded in 1997 to develop and market embedded and mobile connectivity and expansion solutions based on intelligent USB and Bluetooth technologies.

TransDimension's product lines include integrated circuits, optimized Intellectual Property (IP) cores, software stacks and development tools that enable direct wired and wireless interconnectivity and I/O for a wide range of applications and mobile devices that until now have required an indirect means, such as a PC host, of exchanging data.

SoftConnex, an independent subsidiary of TransDimension, delivers a complete software solution for the USB embedded market. Their flagship product, USBLink Host, provides the broadest platform support and the largest library of class drivers available for the embedded market. More information about TransDimension and SoftConnex can be found at http://www.transdimension.com and http://www.softconnex.com.