A new category of mobile device is being unleashed on the wireless world. Called a Personal Mobile Gateway or PMG, this device type combines cellular (e.g., GSM/GPRS, CDMA, etc.) and short-distance wireless (e.g., Bluetooth or other technologies like Wi-Fi) with micro-router and micro-server functionalities. The PMG can be a standalone device that is the size of a small box of mints. Or it can be integrated into a cellular phone.

SMART Modular Technologies, a wholly owned company of Solectron Corp., is one of the first vendors to announce the availability of a Bluetooth PMG-Connectivity Module (CM). The PMG-CM is a Class 2 Bluetooth-compliant device. It was designed to address OEM applications. The device is packaged in a small footprint (13 × 20 × 3 mm).

Using IXI Mobile's Sleek client software, the Bluetooth PMG-CM modules are transformed into Sleek devices. As clients of the PMG, Sleek devices are thin terminals. They are part of the wireless personal-area network (WPAN). Essentially, the PMG is the bridge between the mobile and the PAN. It combines cellular and short-distance wireless with micro-router and micro-server functionalities. The PMG is the point of connection between the wireless network and the new category of inexpensive mobile devices. It enables a new set of innovative, optimized Sleek Devices for the wireless consumer market. Examples include watches, pens, phones, messaging terminals, gaming devices, and cameras.

This PMG-CM Bluetooth solution enables one pin of the BGA RF chip to connect to an external antenna. The receiver will have sensitivity better than −82 dBm (raw BER 0.1% with any compliant transmitter) and a power output of +3 dBm (typical) using an external antenna with 0-dBi gain. Signals for the PGM-CM are available in the interface connector as pulse-code modulation (PCM); universal-asynchronous-receiver-transmitter (UART) interface; power; and Joint Test Action Group (JTAG). In addition, two general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins are available.

Product specification sheets are available on the SMART Web site. The PMG-CM is expected to sample in the fall.

SMART Modular Technologies, Inc.
4211 Starboard Dr., Fremont, CA 94538-6408; (510) 624-8291, FAX: (510) 360-8564, www.smartm.com/bluetooth.