Parthus Unveils Range of Bluetooth Demonstrations Including Industry's First Bluetooth Enabled MP3 Solution for Peer-to-Peer File Sharing

Business Wire, Dec 5, 2000

Business Editors

SAN JOSE, Calif--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 5, 2000

Innovative Bluetooth Demonstrations Showcased At Bluetooth Developers' Conference Illustrate Unique Value of Converging Parthus Platforms for

New Mobile Internet Applications

Parthus Technologies PLC (Nasdaq:PRTH)(LSE:PRH), a leading supplier of semiconductor platform level Intellectual Property for the mobile Internet market, today announced at the Bluetooth Developers' Conference that it is converging a variety of Parthus platforms to enable exciting new Bluetooth applications.

"The mobile Internet will be driven by several converging technologies, including Bluetooth, GPS and digital audio, and key factors such as low cost, low power consumption, and small form-factor," said Allen Nogee, senior analyst at Cahners In-Stat Group. "By combining platforms on a single chip or sometimes even zero chip solution, Parthus is driving the mass adoption of mobile Internet devices by allowing them to be made small and affordable."

Demonstrations showcased by Parthus at the conference include:

Bluetooth enabled MP3 Player

Parthus is demonstrating the industry's first Bluetooth enabled MP3 solution that enables wireless peer-to-peer or peer-to-multi-peer sharing of music and sound files. The combination of Bluetooth (Parthus BlueStream(tm)) and digital audio (Parthus MediaStream(tm)) opens up a new era in peer-to-peer music file sharing by allowing songs to be shared in the college campus or the schoolyard. Combined with Bluetooth enabled PCs, users can also wirelessly load music onto their MP3 enabled mobile phones or portable players. This technology also enables busy executives to download meeting notes or dictation between two wireless devices in the office, or allows friends to share audio books at home.

Bluetooth and GPS Combined Chipsets

Also showcased at the event is a Bluetooth enabled Global Positioning System (GPS) demonstration that converges two critical platforms for mobile Internet devices, BlueStream and NavStream(tm). Among the innovative applications enabled by converging these two platforms are road tolling for fleet and automotive use, as well as GPS and Bluetooth enabled mobile phones in compliance with the Federal Communications Commission's e911 Directive. Combining these platforms dramatically reduces cost and power consumption requirements associated with implementing Bluetooth and GPS within mobile devices, and opens up a wealth of new application possibilities to users and network providers.

Interoperable Bluetooth Piconets

At the show, Parthus will be demonstrating piconets comprising interoperable BT nodes (enabled devices communicating in a wireless network). This demonstrates not only a working piconet with Parthus IP, but also industry interoperability as it combines Parthus baseband IP with the RF chipsets of Ericsson, Silicon Wave, Nat Semi and Alps. In addition to this multiple RF compatibility, the BlueStream baseband interface can communicate with many RF parts including BlueRF and other proprietary customer interfaces that have not yet been released.

Visitors to the Parthus mobile Internet showcase can also see a Bluetooth enabled vending machines that allows drinks to be bought with any Bluetooth wireless device, including mobile phones. Utilizing Bluetooth for payment applications has the capacity to greatly speed the mass adoption of cashless transactions at unmanned locations, such as parking meters, vending machines and ticket machines.

At the core of all these exciting demonstrations is Parthus' unrivalled range of mobile Internet platforms - Parthus BlueStream, NavStream for GPS and MediaStream for Internet audio (MP3). The Parthus convergence strategy enables semiconductor companies and OEMs to deploy multiple platforms, such as Bluetooth and GPS, into existing chipsets in a mobile device. This convergence delivers the critical design objectives underpinning next generation mobile devices - reduced cost, lower power consumption and compact form factor - all key to the success of the mobile Internet.

"Bluetooth is revolutionizing how people and, more importantly, electronic devices communicate," said Gerry Maguire, vice president of Parthus' Wireless Business Unit. "Our BlueStream platform has gained significant traction in the marketplace having been chosen by four of the top ten semiconductor companies. By demonstrating a technology strategy that converges all our mobile Internet platforms, Parthus is able to deliver superior solutions in a rapid timeframe."

About Parthus Mobile Internet Platforms

- BlueStream is one of the industry's most comprehensive and advanced Bluetooth
offerings containing all the required technology that allows Parthus' customers
to rapidly deploy Bluetooth connectivity into their product offerings.

- NavStream is a complete GPS platform encompassing radio, baseband and
software stacks targeted at mobile phone and automotive markets. NavStream is
one of the world's first platforms to deliver sub five-meter location accuracy
to mobile devices enabling location-based m-Commerce services to be provided by
network operators

- MediaStream is a complete Internet audio platform encompassing Parthus 24 bit
DSP, essential analog components and complete suite of audio software.
MediaStream is targeted at a broad range of end applications including, mobile
phones, automotive, portable (MP3 players) and home entertainment.