NetGear Builds Innovative Wireless MP3 Player Around ARM Powered SOC From Marvell

CAMBRIDGE, UK – Mar. 16, 2004 - ARM [(LSE:ARM); (Nasdaq:ARMHY)], the industry’s leading provider of 16/32-bit embedded RISC microprocessor solutions, today announced that the newly released MP101 Wireless Digital Music Player from NETGEAR Inc., is powered by the ARM9™ core family-based Marvell Libertas 88W8510H system-on-chip (SoC). ARM also announced that NETGEAR has licensed the ARM® MP3 Decoder  software for use in the MP101 Wireless Digital Music Player. The NETGEAR product connects to the user’s home network via an antenna, and to any stereo system through standard audio input jacks, to play music stored on any computer in that network.

Among the key reasons the ARM Powered® Marvell SoC was chosen by NETGEAR was its combination of wireless and wired routing technology and support for the 802.11e standard, which guaranteed audio quality. The high-performance ARM9 family microprocessor enabled a flexible MAC (Media Access Controller) architecture, which ensured compliance with 802.11g, the standard for high-bandwidth transmission.

“In an increasingly demanding industry, being first to market with innovative products is critical to maintaining competitive advantage. Marvell and ARM made that happen,” said David James, product line manager, NETGEAR. “ARM and Marvell not only had the proven technology we needed, they went the extra mile to test the MP3 decoder running on the embedded ARM9 family core. All of this significantly reduced our risk.”

 “The ARM9 family easily met the performance needs of our Libertas SoC, particularly for the MAC architecture,” said Paramesh Gopi, director of New Technologies, Marvell Technology Group. “Marvell’s cutting edge RF and SoC technologies combined with the ARM9 processor family far exceed the current requirements of the consumer electronics market.”

“NETGEAR is a worldwide provider of networking products, and the Wireless Digital Music Player is a natural extension of their core competency,” said Eric Fujishin, worldwide networking segment manager, ARM. “SOHO networking electronics continue to be significant market drivers, and our valuable relationships with Marvell and NETGEAR strengthen our presence in the consumer networking electronics market.”

About ARM
ARM is the industry’s leading provider of 16/32-bit embedded RISC microprocessor solutions. The company licenses its high-performance, low-cost, power-efficient RISC processors, peripherals, and system-chip designs to leading international electronics companies. ARM also provides comprehensive support required in developing a complete system. ARM’s microprocessor cores are rapidly becoming a volume RISC standard in such markets as portable communications, hand-held computing, multimedia digital consumer and embedded solutions. More information on ARM is available at http://www.arm.com.

ENDS