Networking

17 June 2008 - Nokia, in close collaboration with broad industry representation comprising Singapore’s Infocomm Development Authority (IDA), SingTel, QMax and iCELL have today agreed to further enhance Wireless@SG, Singapore’s award-winning public Wi-Fi network. The initiative, named Wireless@SG Seamless and Secure Access (SSA) will focus on improving usability and security as well as the convergence of Wireless@SG and Singapore’s mobile networks and is expected to boost Wi-Fi usage among users with handheld devices. A free end-user trial commences today with the aforementioned improvements to Wireless@SG service in Suntec City, Vivocity, Ngee Ann City, Wisma Atria and Paragon.

3 January 2008 - Marvell today announced the Marvell® TopDog® 11n-450, an 802.11n 3x3 WLAN solution with three spatial streams, the industry’s first 802.11n chip operating at 450 Megabits-per-second (Mbps.) With maximum bandwidth more than eight times faster than 802.11g 54 Mbps versions and 1.5 times faster than current 802.11n 300 Mbps offerings, the new product will enable significant performance enhancements for notebooks and desktop PCs, printers, routers, set top boxes, digital TVs, gaming devices and DVD players and recorders. The TopDog 11n-450 provides 500 percent increased range over 802.11g, as well as 160 percent increased range compared to competing 802.11n solutions.

19 September 2007 - Marvell announced it is demonstrating Marvell Yukon technology for advanced PC manageability based on the Desktop and Mobile Architecture for System Hardware (DASH) standard, at the Fall Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in San Francisco. DASH is a new standards-based architecture from the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) that brings a new level of IT tracking and control for Enterprise PCs. It is designed to allow IT managers to securely and remotely track, inventory, query and manage DASH-based PCs. IT managers are also expected to be able to remotely diagnose and rectify a number of common PC failure conditions, even if a DASH-based PC fails to power up.

16 June 2007 - Thecus brought NAS storage to the home with the two-bay N2100, and powerful, flexible NAS storage to SMB’s with the N5200. Today, Thecus introduces its latest NAS device – the N5200PRO. With unparalleled performance and a bevy of useful features, the N5200PRO brings together Thecus’ latest and greatest storage technologies for a NAS device. Designed for hardware enthusiasts and SMBs, the N5200PRO packs some serious power under the hood. Driving the N5200PRO is an Ultra-Low Voltage Intel Celeron M Processor and 512MB of DDR memory, making the N5200PRO the fastest 5-bay NAS on the market. With five 3.5” SATA drive bays, the N5200PRO features up to 5TB of storage capacity, and support for multiple RAID levels allows multiple RAID volumes on a single system for optimal flexibility. To access data faster than ever before, the N5200PRO supports iSCSI initiators, enabling users to access the N5200PRO as an iSCSI target device over the Internet or LAN. With these features, users will experience high system performance, flexibility, and data reliability.

12 April 2007 - Marvell announced two new Bluetooth single-chip solutions which provides provides extended battery life in cell phones, converged devices, gaming devices and consoles, portable media players, and other applications requiring short- and long-range connectivity. 88W8689 Bluetooth single-chip solution features a Bluetooth Core Specification Version 2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate (EDR)-compliant baseband, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, and a worldwide FM radio receiver. 88W8688 is the world’s first WLAN plus Bluetooth single-chip solution for high-volume consumer electronics, has been qualified by the Bluetooth SIG for the Bluetooth Core Specification Version 2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate (EDR). The 88W8688 also features support for Bluetooth Version 2.1 + EDR features.

14 February 2007 - Nokia and Intel had scrapped a joint plan to develop an HSDPA module for notebook computers. "We have, together with Intel, canceled the HSDPA module cooperation in the form we formerly announced," said Nokia spokeswoman Eija-Riitta Huovinen. "We are still looking at the HSDPA module case from a technological point of view, but no decisions have been made on commercializing it," she said. "We both saw that there was not an adequate business case," she said, referring to the potential return on investment. Nokia would continue cooperating with Intel in other fields.

24 January 2007 - Intel introduced the Intel® Next-Gen Wireless-N network connection, an upgrade to the wireless component found inside Intel® Centrino® Duo mobile technology and other Intel-based laptops that helps consumers better connect to wireless networks. Based on the draft 802.11n Wi-Fi specification, the Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N technology addresses that need by offering users up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range - while providing up to an extra hour of notebook battery life when compared to existing Draft-N products. In addition, Intel said it has initiated the "Connect with Centrino" program. Through this program, Intel has worked with leading access point (AP) vendors including Asus, Belkin, Buffalo, D-Link and Netgear to better ensure compatibility and performance.

23 November 2006 - Ethernet will keep accelerating, speeding up to 100G bps (bits per second) in the next few years. The 100G-bps version of Ethernet will be 10 times faster than the current fastest type, 10-Gigabit Ethernet. But vendors as well as users represented in the group, including Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories and cable operator Comcast Corp., see a need for that kind of speed down the road. It will serve the needs of both enterprises and carriers. Video, high-performance computing and the increasing demands of applications in data centers will require faster connections. Judging from the development of earlier standards, standard 100G bps Ethernet products are likely to become available in late 2009 or early 2010.

3 March 2008 - ASUS today introduced the WL-500gP V2 multi-functional wireless router. This cutting-edge router is Vista ready, and includes innovative features like AiDisk for easy file sharing, EZQos bandwidth management, and UPnP media streaming – making it the perfect solution for homes as well as offices. WL-500gP V2 is also Xbox Live compatible for fast and reliable gaming and movie downloads. Availability: April 2008. Price: TBA

31 October 2007 - D-Link today began shipping the next generation of its successful gaming router, the Draft 802.11n Xtreme N™ Gaming Router (DGL-4500) with GameFuel™ technology and built-in Network Activity Display. D-Link's Xtreme N Duo wireless technology allows users to choose the 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz band), a high-performance CPU and a Network Activity Display for instant review of network settings. The DGL-4500 Xtreme N Gaming Router includes Gigabit WAN and LAN ports for ultimate performance when used as a wired router, which is ideal for LAN parties. The manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) is $239.99.

6 September 2007 - Marvell today announced that the Marvell® 88DE2710 digital video format converter is featured in the Meridian® iRIS™ iPod high-definition (HD) video dock. The 88DE2710 features Marvell’s Qdeo™ video processing that provides an immersive HD viewing experience for any video content, regardless of the source. “The versatility of the 88DE2710 enables ingenious and imaginative product implementations. The Meridian iRIS, powered by Qdeo processing, represents a breakthrough in the home theatre,” stated Dr. Nikhil Balram, vice president and general manager of the Digital Entertainment Business Unit, Communications and Consumer Business Group at Marvell. “At last consumers have the flexibility of carrying their video library on their iPods, watching it wherever they like, and enjoying it in an immersive, high-definition, home-theatre experience with the Meridian iRIS.”

15 June 2007 - Marvell announced that the Marvell 88W8686 ultra-low-power 90 nanometer (nm) WLAN System-on-a-Chip (SoC) solution has received the 2007 INSIGHT award for most innovative RF IC transceiver. The award, sponsored by Semiconductor Insights (SI) in conjunction with Semico and EETimes, recognizes corporate and individual feats in technology. Selected devices undergo a complete relevant analysis by SI in order to qualify for the award. "The Marvell 88W8686 SoC demonstrated a very high level of integration, featuring a dual-band RF transceiver operating at 2.4 and 5 GHz, a physical layer, a media access controller, and an ARM processor on a single die," stated Michael Keller, technology manager for Wireless at SI. “In fabricating the RF IC and analog circuits alongside the digital ones, Marvell utilized innovative techniques in laying out the RF components, clearly illustrating Marvell’s commitment to developing new process technologies. Our lead wireless analyst was quite impressed with the Marvell device, which was selected over other nominees such as Infineon, Qualcomm, and Nordic."

28 March 2007 - Marvell today announced that the Company’s TopDog WLAN solutions support the new IEEE 802.11n  Draft 2.0 specification as approved during the latest round of balloting by the IEEE 802.11 Working Group.  This ratification is proof of the increasing maturity of 802.11n technology and its growing momentum toward international standardization. “Marvell is very pleased that the industry has taken this huge step forward toward ratifying the 802.11n standard and toward seamless interoperability,” said Dr. Paramesh Gopi, vice president and general manager, Marvell’s Emerging and Embedded Business Unit, Communications and Consumer Business Group.  “By supporting the Draft 2.0 specification, the Marvell TopDog products, which are available now in retail, offer superior performance and nurture the industry momentum toward standardization.

3 February 2007 - Broadcom today announced the industry's most advanced single-chip connectivity solution that combines the company's market-leading Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth® and FM receiver technologies onto a single silicon die. This combination of popular radio capabilities in a new ultra-low power 65 nanometer CMOS system-on-a-chip (SoC) allows OEMs to provide the richest connectivity features without a prohibitive impact on product cost, size or battery life. No other silicon provider can match Broadcom's positions in both the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi markets, or offer the low-power benefits enabled by the advanced 65nm process in which this chip was developed. The Broadcom BCM4325 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/FM receiver is now sampling to early access customers.

11 December 2006 - Intel today announced design completion of its first mobile WiMAX baseband chip. Combined with the company’s previously announced single-chip, multi-band WiMAX/Wi-Fi radio, the pair creates a complete chipset called the Intel® WiMAX Connection 2300. This development marks another major step in Intel’s efforts to deliver an “always best connected” mobile Internet experience for future laptops and mobile devices. The completed design of the Intel WiMAX Connection 2300 brings Intel a step closer to an integrated wireless system-on-chip that will help drive WiMAX adoption by maximizing useable space in mobile devices. As laptops become smaller, for example, they will have limited space for new technologies. With the initial Intel WiMAX Connection 2300 chipset design now complete, Intel plans to focus on validating and testing the product, with plans to sample both card and module forms beginning in late 2007.

25 October 2006 - SMC announced the launch of three new ADSL2+ Barricade™ Modem Routers: the SMC7901BRA2, with one Ethernet and one USB port; the SMC7904BRA2 with four Ethernet ports; and the SMC7904WBRA2 with four Ethernet ports and 802.11g wireless capability. All three modem routers deliver support for the new ADSL2+ technology, and incorporate leading-edge performance and quality of service features, ideal for end users and internet service providers. The three ADSL2+ Barricade™ Modem Routers, SMC7901BRA2, SMC7904BRA2, SMC7904WBRA2 are priced at MSRPs of S$89, S$119 and S$159, respectively. SMC7904WBRA2 is available now while SMC7901BRA2 and SMC7904BRA2 will be available in November 2006.