Broadcom's first Bluetooth 3.0 chip gets certified
By Nilay Patel 
posted Apr 23rd 2009 6:48AM
posted Apr 23rd 2009 6:48AM
Well, that fast -- just a day after the Bluetooth SIG officially announced the new Bluetooth 3.0 specification, Broadcom's announced that its BCM4325 chip has been certified and is ready to go. As you'd expect from a chip that uses the new high-speed multi-protocol standard, the 4325 does WiFi as well as Bluetooth, with a dash of FM thrown in for good measure. Handshakes all around -- now let's get this thing in some devices, shall we?
This is great news.
Shouldn't this chip be called something else then besides Bluetooth? If it has WiFi, Bluetooth and FM all together then Broadcom should name it something else and make it a standard. Maybe it's time to forget about single dedicated connectivity chips and combine all those great connectivity goodness into one name.
BliFiM
They are called combo chips, and most connectivity chips have already moved that direction. Most cell phones being designed now at least have a Bluetooth-FM combo chip in them. It is also possible to get WLAN-Bluetooth-FM combo chips and shortly you can get a GPS-Bluetooth-FM combo chip.
Than there will be GPS-WLAN-Bluetooth-FM combo chips, but that is a couple of years away.
Each technology keeps it original name though because it is part of an industry standard. The chip manufacturers just place the IP on the same silicon.
Hey, I was just wondering what we are going to see with power reduction. Maybe I haven't followed as closely as I should, but I always used to turn off my bluetooth to avoid the power draw. I have now started to do that with Wifi as well...do we need to be worried about all of these drawing power along with our 3.5" 'displays'...?
"Handshakes all around..."
Nice one! :)
Good stuff, BroadCom. Now what's the latest word on the Broadcomm-Qualcomm dispute?