CSR to combine high-performance, low-power Bluetooth reference designs with Freescale platforms

- CSR plc (LSE: CSR.L) and Freescale Semiconductor (NYSE:FSL, FSL.B) are collaborating to provide mobile phone makers with full-feature, high-performance, low-power Bluetooth(TM) reference designs. CSR's BlueCore hardware and software for Bluetooth will be combined with Freescale's 2.5G, 2.75G and 3G mobile phone platforms and the i.MX family of applications processors.

CSR's BlueCore4 ICs, BlueCore Host Software (BCHS) and BCHS Instant Mobile together with Freescale's platforms and processors provide a complete system solution for handset manufacturers to get to market quickly. Freescale's Mobile eXtreme Convergence (MXC) cellular platforms and i.MX processors are designed to deliver high performance with low power consumption, open OS support, and built-in security.

BlueCore4 is the industry-leading silicon implementing Bluetooth v2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate). BlueCore4 delivers data rates up to 3-times faster with lower power consumption than previous Bluetooth devices. CSR's BCHS provides the upper layers of the Bluetooth protocol stack, plus a large library of Bluetooth profiles, to provide a complete software solution with a simple API for embedded BlueCore applications. BCHS reduces power consumption by implementing all possible low power modes such as deep sleep mode, allowing the BlueCore silicon to effectively shut down the Bluetooth radio when not in use, minimizing the drain on a phone's power supply.

"Our proven, integrated 2.5G and 3G platforms and applications processors, joined with CSR's market-leading BlueCore technology, offer mobile phone makers robust reference designs to help deliver better performance and longer battery life," said Berardino Baratta,General Manager of Multimedia Applications Division for Freescale's wireless group. "These are mature solutions manufacturers can trust and use to put Bluetooth technology on mobile handsets quickly and easily"

Matthew Philips, Senior VP Mobile Handset Connectivity Strategic Business Unit, CSR added, "CSR is interested in delivering the most advanced wireless technologies to mobile device makers in the shortest time possible and making the integration as easy as possible." Philips continued, "Our partnership with Freescale is an excellent step in this direction, and we feel sure this will benefit mobile phone makers who chose to use Freescale's leading handset platforms."

More information can be found at http://www.csr.com/ and the partner web site http://www.btdesigner.com/

More information about Freescale Semiconductor can be found at http://www.freescale.com/

More information about Bluetooth technology can be found on the SIG web site at http://www.bluetooth.com/