As adoption rates of Bluetooth functionality continues to rise in mobile phones and other devices, Cambridge, UK-based Cambridge Silicon Radio (CSR) is expanding its product line to garner more share. Last month, the company released its fourth-generation Bluetooth silicon at the WiCon World in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Designed to meet the latest specs of the Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) Bluetooth standard developed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), CSR's single radio and baseband IC BlueCore4 delivers data rates that are three times faster than the current v1.2 Bluetooth devices. The power consumption of the new chip is also rated lower.

According to the developer, Bluetooth EDR offers maximum data transfer rates of 2.1 Mbps compared to the current 721 kbps for v1.2 standard rate. Plus, it is fully backward-compatible with existing Bluetooth v1.1 and v1.2 devices. To accomplish the faster data rate, the Bluecore4 uses the phase-shift keying (PSK) modulation scheme instead of the Gaussian frequency shift keying (GFSK). As a result, it can transmit more bits in each symbol of the packet-payload when it is sent over the radio link. However, the symbol rate is still 1 Megasymbol per second; the packet timing and structure are the same; the spectral characteristics of transmission are virtually unchanged; and support for both modulation schemes is mandatory for all EDR-capable products. Together, these characteristics provide backward compatibility with Bluetooth v1.1 and v1.2, explained CSR.

According to CSR, the fourth-generation Bluetooth device is being offered in two versions. While BlueCore4-External is architected to work with external Flash memory, the BlueCore4-ROM uses mask-ROM. BlueCore4-External comes in an 8 mm x 8 mm BGA package and is a flexible solution for applications that demand the ability to upgrade quickly. And BlueCore4-ROM offers lower costs and a much smaller footprint (3.8 mm x 4 mm) in a chip-scale package, or 6 mm x 6 mm in a BGA, which is pin-compatible with BlueCore2-ROM and BlueCore3-ROM.

BlueCore4-External and BlueCore4-ROM will initially bring the benefits of Bluetooth EDR's faster data rates to some of these existing key Bluetooth markets, speeding file transfers, reducing power consumption and enabling the operation of multiple simultaneous links. It will also open up some potential new application areas for the technology. As mobile phones integrate higher resolution digital cameras, transferring the image files becomes time consuming--EDR Bluetooth means that a 1 Mbyte image download, which currently takes about 12 seconds, will now only take four seconds.

The Bluetooth SIG is incorporating Bluetooth EDR as an addendum to the current v1.2 specification. CSR is sampling BlueCore4-External now with full production in September. BlueCore4-ROM will sample in Q3 2004 with mass production planned to start in Q4 2004. BlueCore4 is sampling now with major OEM customers.

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