InterDigital is readying an HSPA "wireless engine" baseband module that connects to application processors via PCIe, and thus targets netbooks and other PC-style devices and boards. The SlimChip Half-Mini PCIe module uses InterDigital's SlimChip HSPA baseband IC, which is also available in a SlimChip MID module that connects serially.

InterDigital claims that its SlimChip Half-Mini PCIe Module is the only HSPA Half-Mini PCIe module on the market today. Given PCIe's ubiquity in PCs, netbooks, and even SBCs (single-board computers), the chip could appeal to a broad market.

The SlimChip MID module, meanwhile, supports "popular interfaces" for direct connection to application processors, says the company -- presumably meaning it connects via a serial port. Both modules are said to ship with software, applications, and interfaces for Linux, Windows XP/Vista, and Windows Mobile, although licensing terms for the Linux drivers sources was not disclosed.

Both SlimChip modules are said to work with any major application processor on devices including smartphones, notebooks, MIDs , and other portable consumer electronics. For demonstration purposes, however, InterDigital has pre-integrated the modules with Texas Instruments's ARM Cortex-A8-based OMAP34xx system-on-chip (SoC), which targets cellphones, paired with the Linux/Java Android mobile platform.

Availability

InterDigital did not offer availability information on the SlimChip Half-Mini PCIe module and SlimChip MID module, but will demonstrate both modules at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Feb. 16-19, Hall 1, stand 1D07. The company will also show off its "Media Independent Handover" middleware for "uninterrupted data streaming when switching between 3G and WiFi."


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