Milpitas, California
Linear Technology Corp. has recently come to market with the LTC4410—a USB power-manager IC in a ThinSOT 6-lead package. This IC enables the simultaneous battery charging and system operation of a Li-Ion-powered USB peripheral from a USB host. In contrast to conventional methods, the LTC4410 powers the system load directly from USB's 5-V supply. This allows the battery to charge up to 39% faster. More charging current reduces the battery's charging time. It also ensures a full charge while the peripheral is connected to the USB host device. By managing the total current consumption, the IC also permits a 1-cell Li-Ion battery-powered USB peripheral to charge its battery and operate its system circuitry without exceeding a user-set current limit. Additionally, the LTC4410 boasts a minimal voltage drop of 100 mV at 500 mA and an ultra-low battery drain of 1µA. Applications include USB-certified Li-Ion-powered devices, such as portable printers, digital cameras, cell phones, and PDAs.

The LTC4410 works to ensure that a portable device is in compliance with USB overcurrent specifications by keeping the total current constant from the USB port. This is accomplished by adjusting the charge current relative to the amount of current demanded by the system load. Immediately after the USB cable is detached from the peripheral device, the LTC4410 routes the system load to the battery for seamless and continuous operation of the end device. The LTC4410's solution uses 15 fewer components than comparable solutions and fits into one fourth of the board area. The LTC4410 is now available. It is used with the LTC4053 Li-Ion battery charger for USB applications or LTC1733 for general-purpose Li-Ion battery charging. Pricing for the LTC4410 starts at $1.20 each in 1000-piece quantities.

San Jose, California
ZiLOG, Inc. recently introduced the first members of its new 8-b Z8 Encore! Flash microcontroller family, which is based on the enhanced eZ8 core. Featuring the company's high-performance register-to-register-based architecture, these microcontrollers combine a fast 20-MHz core, up to 64 kB of Flash memory, up to 4 kB of linear-register SRAM, and an extensive array of on-chip peripherals. They enable embedded-system designers to quickly develop highly differentiated designs while reducing total system cost and enhancing performance.

The Z8 Encore! family is a comprehensive solution featuring tightly integrated hardware and software. It features an inexpensive development kit, which includes a free ANSI C-Compiler, GDS II IDE software, an evaluation board, and a suite of documentation. It also features seven configurations with up to 64 kB (up to 512 kB) of high-speed Flash. Capabilities include the 20-MHz eZ8 CPU core, up to 4 kB of linear-register SRAM, and a suite of peripherals. The peripherals include such things as an on-chip DMA controller; 12 channel, 10-b A/D; two 9-b UART ports with integrated Infrared Data Association (IrDA)-compliant encoder/decoders; and four 16-b counter timers.

The Z8F6401AN020SC with 64k of Flash sells for $4.73 in 5000-unit quantities. The Z8F1601AN020SC with 16k of Flash sells for $3.08 in 5000-unit quantities. Production quantities are now available. Contact ZiLOG at zservice@ZiLOG.com, (866) 4Z8-ENCORE ((866) 498-3626), or www.zilog.com/z8encore to order.

Chandler, Arizona
Motorola, Inc. has come to market with a host of announcements targeting the 3G marketplace. The first is a set of three GSM handsets—the V600, A835, and C350—that give consumers advanced experiences in messaging, Java, GPRS, and UMTS.

The Motorola V600 features a large display that is capable of supporting up to 64,000 colors and an integrated digital camera. It is ideal for displaying photos, creating custom screensavers, or adding images to a visual caller-ID. Advanced Bluetooth technology even allows the photos to be shared quickly and easily.

The A835 3G UMTS/WCDMA handset features crystal-clear graphics, video capabilities, rich colors, and new movement and sound technology. As a J2ME-capable device, it even offers users access to the Reqwireless WebViewer application. This enables them to view the same HTML Web sites that they would normally see from their desktop computer.

Motorola's C350 handset recognizes the consumer's desire for personal expression with downloaded wallpaper, ring tones, and screen savers. It also comes with different exterior housings, as well as a MotoMixer that enables consumers to download and remix MIDI ring tones.

Another announcement comes in the form of the i.Smart Smartphone integrated hardware/software platform and reference design. It features integrated voice, imaging, productivity, infotainment, and wireless-networking services with flexibility and scalability across the 2.5G and 3G landscapes.

The A760 Motorola mobile phone is considered the first Java+Linux handset. This small device combines phone functionality with an extensive multimedia PDA/PIM system. It features an open application environment as well as a color touchscreen, Bluetooth wireless technology, an integrated camera, and an integrated video and MP3 player. For more information, go to www.motorola.com.

South Portland, Maine
Fairchild Semiconductor International has announced the industry's only single-pole/triple-throw (SP3T) CMOS analog switch. Replacing two (in series) single-pole/double-throw (SPDT) components with a single 3:1 mux, it lowers part count by 50%. It also provides superior utilization of printed-circuit-board real estate, preserves signal integrity, and reduces equivalent component pick-and-place operations by half. Available in US8 packaging, the FSA3357 SP3T analog switch provides smaller size and better performance than the dual 2:1 mux devices required for equivalent functionality.

This high-performance analog switch also features an RDS (on) of only 6 Ohms. The result is minimal signal attenuation. The device's 0.01% total harmonic distortion (THD), coupled with its −60-dB crosstalk characteristic, ensures signal integrity. Its wide bandwidth (250 MHz) and rail-to-rail signal handling guarantee the extremely fast, clip-free transfer of analog and digital signals.

A wide Vcc range of 1.65 to 5.5 V makes the FSA3357 device ideal for battery applications. Now available, it sells in 1000-unit quantities for $0.51 apiece. For a complete datasheet, go to www.fairchildsemi.com/pf/FS/FSA3357.html.