Microsemi Chip Lowers Power Consumption of Color Displays in Palm's New Handheld Computers

Business Wire, March 6, 2000

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

SANTA ANA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 6, 2000

Microsemi (Nasdaq:MSCC):

-- Increased Efficiency Extends Rechargeable Battery Life From Days to Weeks in
Newest Palm Computing(R) Organizers

-- Patented Direct-Drive Lamp Driver Technology Reduces Battery Consumption

-- Patented RangeMAX Dimming Technology Embedded in New Palm OS

Microsemi Corp. (Nasdaq:MSCC) today announced that its Linfinity Microelectronics unit has supplied a breakthrough chip to power color display lamps in the next-generation wireless Color Palm(R) Computing series made by Palm Computing Inc. (Nasdaq:PALM).

The LX1686 inverter chip, designed for mobile computing applications, solves the power consumption problem previously experienced in adding color to handheld devices. In addition to the fundamental efficiency improvement from the Microsemi patented topology, the user of the product can also utilize the RangeMAX wide range dimming capability and more than double the playtime over traditional inverter technology.

By meeting Palm's aggressive power management objectives, Linfinity's patented integrated circuit enables the newest PDA to feature a color display that maximizes battery life. This will be one of the first handheld PDAs (personal digital assistants) on the market to offer the power-saving capabilities of Linfinity's patented direct-drive power inverter technology.

Annual sales in the "handheld connected organizer" market, which basically encompasses all handheld devices that aren't cell phones, will more than triple from 5.4 million units worldwide in 1999 to 18.9 million units in 2003, according to International Data Corp. It is expected that 50% of PDAs will be color by 2003.

"Earlier attempts at adding color to PDA displays suffered from a serious drawback," said Roger Holliday, Microsemi Linfinity's vice president of Marketing and Product Development.

"In previous applications, lighting the CCFL lamps needed for true vibrant color consumed as much as 90% of a PDA's battery power. Consumers prefer color displays, but not at the sacrifice of battery life. This Linfinity chip technology improves lamp-lighting efficiency as much as 60%, and therefore similarly extends battery life for the Palm IIIc user."

In Palm's public release of its new handheld product (Feb. 22) it was stated that "The Palm IIIc delivers the clearest, brightest and most readable color display available today among handheld computers. With this product, we've combined the industry's leading display technology with an enhanced version of our operating system. We expect that the addition of a color product to our line will ignite the imaginations of our software and hardware developers to produce thousands of innovative new solutions."

Philip Frey Jr., president and CEO, stated: "We are pleased to work with industry leaders such as Palm to bring this technology to the rapidly emerging handheld market. We also are working with customers in the mobile phone marketplace for 3G, or Third Generation, multimedia phone designs to include color displays.

"According to figures we have seen from International Data Corp., the worldwide market for handheld communications in all its forms will triple by the year 2003."

James J. Peterson, vice president and general manager of the Linfinity Division, observes that soon it will be difficult to say where phones end and handheld computing devices begin. "Microsemi's new chip will enable consumers using any of these handheld Internet-enabled devices to enjoy the color they have become accustomed to seeing on their PC screens," he said.

"The demand for true color displays becomes increasingly important as electronic commerce companies develop wireless connectivity for mobile shoppers -- true color becomes a must for many consumer products including next-generation multimedia phones."

Manuel Lynch, director of marketing, said: "Strategies Unlimited (Mountain View, Calif.) has projected that the number of cellular and PCS subscribers worldwide will grow from 400 million in 1999 to 1.3 billion in 2004. And annual handset demand is projected to grow from 240 million units in 1999 to 600 million in 2004. It is estimated that 33% will be multimedia phones."

Noting that cellular and digital phones alone have created a $3.9 billion market for semiconductor devices worldwide, Lynch sees forecasts that handheld devices will drive a $7.7 billion market by 2004.

"Microsemi's power management solutions represent one part of our intention to participate in this strong global demand for mobile communications and the ongoing convergence of messaging, mobile phones and wireless Internet technologies," he said.

For additional information on this innovative device technology for color handheld products, contact Roger Holliday, director of Product Development and Marketing for Microsemi's Linfinity Division, at 714/898-8121, or visit the Microsemi Web site for PDA solutions: http://www.microsemi.com/pda.> About Microsemi Corp.

Microsemi Corp. is a global supplier of power management, RF/Microwave, transient suppression and power conditioning semiconductor devices. It serves the mobile telecommunications, computer and peripherals, satellite, medical, industrial/commercial and military/aerospace markets with high-reliability and commercial analog integrated circuits and power and signal discrete semiconductors.