Technology Gives Devices Interconnectivity

Recently, Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector licensed the USB On-The-Go (OTG) technology from Trans-Dimension. This move positions the company to develop next-generation applications processors for the portable-information and wireless-device marketplaces.

Designed by leading electronic manufacturers, the USB OTG specification was introduced to bring the USB standard's popularity and ease-of-use to embedded applications. The products that integrate Motorola's next-generation microprocessors will gain access to the more than 1.3 billion USB-enabled products in existence today. In addition, they will be able to interconnect with each other. Essentially, this licensing agreement will enable plug-and-play interconnectivity to devices like smart phones and handheld computers.

While USB has been a widely successful standard, it was originally developed primarily for x86 processors and Windows software. The technology is not directly transferable to embedded applications without a significant compromise in performance. Trans-Dimension's USB OTG, which takes the form of the OTG243 chip, is the only USB OTG core designed from the ground up specifically for embedded systems. Additionally, the core's advanced software/hardware co-designed architecture enables high performance while minimizing power consumption, CPU loading, and system resource utilization. In addition to the core, Motorola is utilizing USBLink OTG software from SoftConnex—an essential building block of the overall OTG connectivity solution.

For further details or pricing information on the Transdimension USB OTG243 chip, visit the company's Web site at www.transdimension.com.