1997-04-28 , S/IC-700/650

Today at WinHEC, Philips Semiconductors announced the TwoChipHCG* Plus, a higher performance version of its award- winning solution introduced last September. The only chipset specifically designed for handheld personal computers, the 75Mhz TwoChipHCG* Plus will offer increased communication speed for design engineers and is the first to deliver built-in colour capabilities without additional hardware investments.

"The high-performance TwoChipHCG* Plus is nearly three times as fast as any other chipset available for the handheld PC the market today," said Stefan Braken-Guelke, general manager of the PDA product group for Philips Semiconductors. "We have leveraged Philips' existing technology for handheld devices and taken it to a new level by enabling the addition of colour user interfaces and unparalleled communication capabilities."

Design engineers can use the enhanced functionality of the TwoChipHCG* Plus to create various types of wired or wireless handheld personal computers, personal digital assistants, personal intelligence communicators, smart mobile phones, Webphones or handheld devices running the Windows+ CE operating system.

Philips Semiconductors supplies the hardware abstraction layer, device drivers and a complete reference design for the Windows CE implementation on the TwoChipHCG* Plus, allowing designers to focus on high-level issues, such as product size, shape features and applications software.

"The development of the Windows CE platform has created dynamic opportunities for product development in the handheld PC market," said Jim Floyd, handheld PC product manager at Microsoft Corporation. "Philips Semiconductors continues to demonstrate technological innovation and market commitment by developing advanced solutions, such as the TwoChipHCG* Plus, to further demonstrate the power and versatility of the Windows CE operating system."

TwoChipHCG* Plus Features
The TwoChipHCG* Plus consists of Philips' PR 31700, UCB 1200 and V.34 Softmodem, as well as Windows CE device drivers. The enhancements to the chipset offer end users integrated touch, phone and audio functions in handheld computers.

TwoChipHCG* Plus+ V.34 Softmodem greatly increases communication capabilities through faster modem speeds. By offering the V.34 Softmodem, end users receive increased bandwidth for their handheld computers without sacrificing the colour quality of the user interface.

The TwoChipHCG* solution is an ideal chipset for running high-end communication software, such as Symantec's pcANYWHERE CE, which makes the handheld PC an extension of a network, said Lou Casal, product manager for Symantec Corporation. The introduction of the TwoChipHCG* Plus, offering more processing power and faster communication capabilities for handheld PCs, will enhance the performance of software like pcANYWHERE CE creating exciting advances in the handheld market.

The chipset enables faster DSP processing power for users to access algorithms for voice compression, as well as handwriting recognition. The DSP algorithms enable caller ID, speakerphone, sound compression/ decompression, and line echo cancellation.

"We are excited Philips Semiconductors has chosen to highlight our handwriting recognition and ink compression technologies to the OEM market early in the development cycle by including Jot and QuickNotes on their TwoChipHCG* Plus reference design. This provides CIC the opportunity to get our products designed in early on," said Madeline Duva, Director of Business Development. "While our pen products are capable of running on very modest processors, the Philips TwoChipHCG* Plus will make our products fly," she added.

Pricing and Availability Samples will be available in May 1997, and production quantities will be available in October 1997. Cost for the chipset together with the software fax/modem is US$39 in 100,000-unit quantities. For pricing, ordering and availability outside the United States, contact your local Philips Semiconductors Sales Office or Authorised Philips Distributor. For sales information, call 1-800-447-1500, extension 1372.

Philips Semiconductors, a division of Philips Electronics NV, headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, is the ninth largest semiconductor supplier in the world. Philips Semiconductors' innovations in digital audio, video, and mobile technology position the company as a leader in the consumer, multimedia and wireless communications markets. Sales offices are located in all major markets around the world and are supported by systems labs.