St. Louis, Missouri, USA – May 24, 2011 – Laird Technologies, Inc., a global leader in the design and supply of customized performance-critical components and systems for advanced electronics and wireless products, today announced for the release of its enhanced Bluetooth® BTM510/511 and BTM520/521 wireless stereo audio modules with new firmware update.
The new firmware comes already loaded on all new modules. It includes features such as supporting digital audio via an I2S bus and supporting universal General Purpose Input/Output (GPIO) functions for mapping GPIOs to specific Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) functions. Most importantly, it includes a license free version of CSR’s world renowned aptX™ audio codec technology for outstanding Bluetooth stereo audio quality.
“With this firmware update, Laird Technologies now offers OEMs a compelling range of Bluetooth high-fidelity stereo audio solutions that help differentiate end products and deliver competitive advantages quickly and cost effectively,” said Noel McKenna, Senior Director of aptX for CSR. “Today’s announcement again illustrates how aptX is rapidly gaining broad industry support as the de facto standard for delivering high-quality wireless audio in a wide variety of consumer electronics use cases.”
Using non-destructive coding techniques, CSR’s aptX audio codec for Bluetooth A2DP preserves the full “wired” audio quality of stereo transmitted over the 2.4 GHz ISM band from Laird Technologies’ BTM510/511and BTM520/521 wireless modules, each of which integrates an audio DSP.
“The Laird Technologies BTM510/511and BTM520/521 wireless modules meet the demands of designers who require a simple method for integrating high quality Bluetooth audio into their embedded solutions, including communication with another Bluetooth device while also utilizing CSR’s aptX audio codec technology,” said Chris Downey, Laird Technologies Product Manager, Telematics & Wireless M2M. “These solutions are priced competitively and unlike our competitors, the aptX technology is provided license free.”
Laird Technologies is active in the wireless M2M market, offering the widest range of high-performance wireless modules utilizing Bluetooth technology, as well as integrated antennas and electronic components. The company’s broad selection of M2M products provides solutions for the automotive, telematics, healthcare, EPOS, retail, finance, and security, as well as asset management markets.
About CSR
CSR is a leading global provider of personal wireless technology, including Bluetooth, GPS, FM and Wi-Fi to industry leaders in consumer electronics, mobile handsets and the automotive industry. Its technology has been adopted by market leaders into a wide range of mobile consumer devices such as mobile phones, automobile navigation and telematics systems, portable navigation devices (PNDs), wireless headsets, mobile computers, mobile internet devices, GPS recreational devices, digital cameras, mobile gaming, plus a wide range of personal and commercial tracking applications. CSR is headquartered in Cambridge, UK and has offices in Europe, Asia and North America. More information can be found at www.csr.com or follow CSR on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CSR_PR.
