Integrated Platform Adds GPS and Wireless Charging Support
Broadcom Corporation has introduced a new smartwatch platform that reduces power consumption for Android Wear devices. The platform offers original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) more features including GPS with sensor hub processing and wireless charging support. Broadcom will showcase its innovations for the mobile and carrier ecosystem at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, March 2-5.
Broadcom’s new smartwatch platform reduces power usage by up to 40 percent over the previous generation, driving further improvement on the core challenge of battery drain in wearables. The platform improves function and performance by offering a smaller form factor, enabling OEMs to add more features or include a larger battery inside their wearable to allow for even longer time between charges.
In addition to an advanced application processor (AP) and Broadcom’s leading Wi-Fi and Bluetooth combo chip in the new platform, OEMs can choose to integrate GPS with sensor hub processing, near field communication (NFC), wireless charging support and camera support based on their product needs1. With smartwatches expected to account for more than half of wearable shipments in 20152, there is a significant opportunity for companies to integrate a variety of features and quickly bring products to market.
“Smartwatches represent a big piece of the wearable pie, and Broadcom’s new platform expands opportunities for Android Wear developers designing both high-end and affordable devices,” said Larry Olivas, Broadcom Senior Director, Business Development, Wireless Connectivity Combos.
“As a company that is in a majority of the top smartwatches for 2015, we have the expertise and longstanding connectivity leadership to power the next wave of wearables.”
By providing a complete smartwatch reference design including hardware, Android Wear-enabled software, an optimized bill of materials (BOM) and a rich set of features, Broadcom empowers OEMs to quickly develop robust consumer products to capture the growing market.
Broadcom’s Smartwatch Platform includes:
- Broadcom wearable system-on-a-chip (SoC) including 4x Cortex-A7 application processor and 2G/3G modem support
- BCM4343: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2/Bluetooth Smart combo chip
- BCM4773: GPS SoC with integrated sensor hub
- BCM20795: NFC and secure element support
- BCM59350: Wireless charging support
- Camera support
- Support for Android Wear OS
