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Motorola Shortens Design Time for Next-Generation Portable Audio Devices

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=SVBIZINK3.story&STORY=/www/story/02-09-2003/00...

New Reference Design Sets Industry Benchmark for Power Management

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Motorola, Inc.'s (NYSE: MOT) Semiconductor Products Sector is now offering a
programmable reference design engineered to provide greater flexibility and
faster time to market for portable audio applications. The reference design
should help manufacturers quickly deliver competitively priced,
high-performance audio devices to retail shelves by the end of this year.
The reference design is driven by Motorola's SCF5249 audio controller and
combines the music decoding capability of a digital signal processor (DSP)
with the file system management capabilities of a microcontroller into a
single chip. This configuration lowers system costs by reducing the number of
components from two chips to one. It also can decrease power consumption up
to 25 percent.
Audio devices developed using the new reference design can benefit from a
new level of power management. The SCF5249 raises the industry benchmark of
battery life from the current standard of approximately 30 hours to an
anticipated life of nearly 40 hours. This is accomplished through highly
optimized software code that drives the ability to dynamically change the core
operating frequency depending upon the level of performance needed.
The SCF5249 supports various decoder formats, including CD-ROM, flash and
hard drive. This flexibility helps manufacturers by providing one platform
from which they can build various personal music players, like portable MP3
and CD-ROM. The support of various decoder formats also minimizes engineering
work required, helping manufacturers get their audio products into consumers'
hands faster.
Systems built from the reference design should support multiple music
formats, such as MP3, WMA (Windows Music Access) and AAC (Advanced Audio
Coding). These systems can include next-generation capabilities as demands
dictate, such as enabling consumers to upgrade to new formats after purchase.
Motorola is partnering with Arrow Optek, an independent design house in
Nan Shan, China, to offer the ready-to-build reference design with the
SCF5249. Motorola also offers its own reference design for independent
development of audio systems with advanced MP3 player features.
"Consumer demand for high-capacity, low-cost audio electronics is rising
and manufacturers are searching for ways to increase functionality and reduce
system costs without sacrificing power," said John Hansen, Motorola's Digital
Audio, Radio and Telematics director of marketing. "Our reference designs can
help manufacturers get started today in developing the products consumers will
be enthused to see at their favorite stores during the 2003 holiday season."
The audio reference design is based on Motorola's ColdFire architecture
and includes schematics, an applications note and source code for customizable
modules.

SC5249 Features
The SCF5249 and associated software development platform integrates
advanced features designed to dramatically boost performance and simplify
system design. These features include:

-- File management and music decoders operate from a single ColdFire(R)
32-bit core to allow support for multiple decoder formats and multiple
file formats. Consumers can simply "drag and drop" to place music on a
disc with no waste of available disc space by finalizing an incomplete
disc.

-- An integrated synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM)
controller allows fast, easy access to external memories. This is
useful for advanced features like shock protection. The cost and time
supported to add shock protection is determined by the amount of SDRAM
added to the system.

-- A flash media interface for use in portable product applications where
audio is stored in flash media, such as multimedia cards and compact
flash cards.

Pricing and Availability
The SCF5249 is available from Motorola with suggested list unit pricing
starting at less than $10 (USD) for 10,000-piece quantities. The Arrow Optek
reference design is available immediately. For more information on its
SCF5249 reference design contact: Li Ping, CEO of Optek Electronics Corp. at
[e-mail] or (86) 0755-2651-0786.

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 please visit http://www.motorola.com/semiconductors

About Motorola
Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) 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, please
visit: http://www.motorola.com/

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