Motorola unveils new location chip

CHICAGO: Unveiling their new chip called "Motorola Instant GPS", Motorola said the chip was developed by combining its Global Positioning System design with IBM's silicon germanium chip-making technology. IBM's technology allowed Motorola to combine the function of many chips into one, helping reduce size and power consumption while improving performance.

Motorola said it expects the chip to be used in portable electronic products such as cameras that location-stamp photos, personal digital assistants with maps and real time navigation, and cell phones that can locate nearby friends, family members, restaurants and shops.

"The instant GPS chip is a single-chip solution as opposed to alternatives that use two or three chips or require extensive overhead added to the portable's host microprocessor," Dave Huntingford, Motorola GPS marketing manager, said in a news release.

IBM will make the new chips for Motorola, Motorola said.



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