Broadcom Capitalizes on Wearables

Broadcom Capitalizes on Wearables through delivering its new first global location chip. According to the company the global location chip for wearables adds a new level of activity and location tracking to the growing fitness and wearable device market. The chip consumers 75 percent less power than existing GNSS solutions. Broadcom’s chip  for wearables also reduces cost and complexity of adding GNSS by using a single chip solution that includes an integrated sensor hub. This is the industry's first Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) system-on-chip (SoC).

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The global location chip is specifically designed for low-power, mass-market wearable devices such as fitness trackers and smart watches. The Broadcom® BCM4771 GNSS SoC is designed to enable consumers to more accurately track and manage their health and wellbeing by delivering precision activity tracking and location data while consuming less power than traditional architectures.

"Today's wearables like fitness trackers have surged in popularity, but often miscalculate speed and distance," said Mohamed Awad, Broadcom Director, Marketing, Mobile and Wireless Group. "As the largest supplier of discrete GNSS solutions, Broadcom brings its location expertise to deliver more precise fitness and health measurements to the accelerating wearable market."

According to Broadcom, the new chip constantly monitors user activity levels and location history to improve accuracy while adding advanced features such as location batching. In addition, Broadcom's BCM4771 significantly reduces power consumption and board area by combining its location capabilities with an integrated sensor hub, contextual awareness, and GNSS. The solution is complimented by Broadcom's Wireless Internet Connectivity for Embedded Devices (WICEDâ„¢) Smart and WICED Direct software development kits (SDKs) to provide additional wireless connectivity to the platform. Key Features Designed in 40 nanometer (nm) process technology.