Chipcon's Wireless RF Technology Used In Belkin TuneCommand's iPod Remote
"Wireless communications will continue to advance and short-range applications will continue to explode," said Randall Stowasser, Product Development Manager at Belkin. "Chipcon's low-cost, high-performance CC2500 chip that is embedded in our remote controls for iPod(R) enable this revolution by providing performance at optimal price points and helps maintain our market strategy," continued Mr. Stowasser.
The TuneCommand for iPod allows you to roam and play the songs from your iPod. Using Chipcon's wireless radio frequency technology, the TuneCommand Remote works from up to 150 feet (50 meters) away, regardless of barriers such as walls, ceilings, or windows. TuneCommand fits the 3G, 4G, photo, and mini iPod.
The Chipcon CC2500 RF transceiver has been in high-volume production since July 2005, and since then, Chipcon has shipped over 5 million units. "The CC2500 has exceeded all our expectations," says Barry Rudolph, Chipcon CFO. "The product has been very well received in the market, and our customers are extremely satisfied with it. Because of the high volume and the exceptionally good yield, we can now pass savings on to our customers. For the first time in the wireless communications RF industry, customers can now avail of a high-performance, lowest-power, 2.4 GHz RF transceiver at a sub-$1 price per unit."
"The low pricing of the CC2500 opens up new application areas for 2.4 GHz technology," added Mr. Rudolph. "The current price level allows high-performance 2.4 GHz two-way radios to replace old-fashioned single-channel, one-way 27 MHz radios. This means that price-sensitive applications like intelligent toys, computer peripherals and remote controls now can enjoy the benefits of high-performance 2.4 GHz RF technology."
The CC2500 combines RF blocking and selectivity performance with low current consumption and advanced baseband functionality. The 2.4 GHz frequency band can be used world-wide. The frequency band is widely used; wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11b and g), Bluetooth, IEEE 802.15.4 and ZigBee, cordless phones and microwave ovens all utilize this frequency band.
"When evaluating a radio it is always important to view it as part of a system," says Dag Grini, Chipcon's Director of Technical Support. "For instance, if low cost and low power are two important design objectives, it is important to ensure that the radio will be low-power even when used with low-cost MCUs. Most low-cost MCUs do not have good low-power capabilities. By using the unique wake-on-radio function of the CC2500, our customers can use a low-cost MCU and still get low system power consumption. The same applies to cost; it does not matter if the radio chip alone has a low price if it requires expensive tight-tolerance external components or does not work well with slow, inexpensive MCUs."
SOURCE: Chipcon AS